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Record of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting Summary - July 15, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, July 15, 2025
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:54:08

Transcript — Verbatim
0:25

I'd like to call to order this city council meeting of July 15th, 2025.

0:30

I'd like to note that Councilman Pascal is attending our study session virtually tonight.

0:35

In addition, before asking the clerk to call role for tonight's meeting, is there a motion to excuse Councilmember Tim Chison?

0:42

So moved.

0:43

Second.

0:44

And moved by Councilmember Falcone, second by Council.

0:47

Whoops.

0:48

Black.

0:50

Is there any discussion?

0:53

All those in favor, please say aye.

0:55

Aye.

0:56

Aye.

0:57

Any opposed?

0:58

Motion carries seven zero.

1:00

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

1:01

Yes, for the record, six zero.

1:03

Thank you.

1:04

Um councilmember Black.

1:08

Yes.

1:09

Oh, here.

1:10

I'm sorry.

1:10

You're actually now calling the roll.

1:13

I'm here.

1:13

Thank you.

1:14

Thank you.

1:14

Rough start.

1:15

Councilmember Sweet.

1:16

Here.

1:16

Councilmember Falcone.

1:18

Here.

1:18

Councilmember Pascal.

1:20

Here.

1:21

Deputy Mayor Arnold.

1:22

Here.

1:22

Mayor Curtis.

1:23

Here.

1:24

Our study session tonight is a briefing on the proposed Juanina Business District Zoning Code Amendments and the North Juanina Center Zoning Code Amendments.

1:31

We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7 30.

1:34

City Manager.

1:35

Okay, thank you, Madam Mayor.

1:36

Deputy Mayor, members of the council.

1:38

So this is our second briefing on the zoning code amendments.

1:41

You're getting the update as to the recommendations of the planning commission.

1:44

We have our special guest, uh chair of the planning commission, Roddy Rutherford is here to give you their perspective.

1:49

Um this presentation is going to be made by Leandra Baker Lewis, our senior planner, but we also have Adam Weinstein, our planning director, and Alison Zyke, our uh deputy planning director here, as well as Stephanie Kroll from the State Attorney's Office.

2:01

So that Leander, please take it away.

2:05

Thank you, City Manager.

2:06

Good evening, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Council.

2:09

My name is Leandra Baker Lewis.

2:10

I'm a senior planner with the planning and building department here at the city, and I am here tonight to brief you on the zoning code amendment project for the Juanita CARS community initiated amendment requests, specifically here to deliver the PC or the Planning Commission recommendation and the recommended draft code amendments, hoping to get your feedback on those and answer any questions ahead of adoption later this year.

2:36

That adoption date is tentatively scheduled for September 2nd, and we're happily joined by our planning commission chair, Rodney Rutherford, who is who is going to assist us in delivering the planning commission recommendation, and he'll be uh available for questions as well.

2:55

All right, we have a lot to get through with you tonight regarding the recommendation from Planning Commission.

3:00

Um overall, the commission worked through many development standards, um, which we'll touch on a bit later, but I wanted to call out within the agenda just some suggested areas for council's focus tonight, as these topics have certain established policy direction associated with them that could potentially be affected by the planning commission's recommendations.

3:23

Uh before we head into the specific drafted amendments, I'll provide you a little bit of project background.

3:30

Um discuss some recent community engagement conducted and the themes that came from that, and then we'll open it up for uh healthy discussion with questions, I'm sure.

3:43

So we've been working through these um zoning amendment projects with the council and the commission, really since the comprehensive plan update back in 2023 and 2024 from that work.

3:55

We got great guidance that additional housing opportunities should be explored within our neighborhood and urban centers, specific to the Juanita neighborhood centers.

4:04

Um we had updated the Juanita neighborhood plan and established policy direction to prioritize the outcomes for growth in the Juanita neighborhood.

4:16

Um described in policies J16 and J20 of the neighborhood Juanita neighborhood plan, which is attachment one of your packet.

4:26

And those those policies essentially called us to increase residential capacity within these two study areas in Juanita, as well as provide neighborhood serving outcomes through the zoning amendment phase with context sensitive design factored in.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning And Zoning█████████████████████████████29%
Public Health█████████████13%
Transportation████████████12%
Procedural█████████9%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Zoning Regulations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting Summary - July 15, 2025

The Kirkland City Council convened on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 for a study session at 5:30 PM and a regular meeting at 7:30 PM. The study session focused on proposed zoning code amendments in the Juanita neighborhood. The regular meeting included a public hearing on an EvergreenHealth levy lid lift, a special presentation on the NE 85th Street shared-use path project, adoption of a boundary line adjustment with Bellevue, and an update on the Kraken Iceplex project. Councilmember John Tymczyszyn was excused from the meeting; Councilmember Jon Pascal attended the study session virtually but was excused from the regular meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the July 1, 2025 regular meeting were approved.
  • Audit of Accounts: Payroll of $5,309,610.50 and bills of $5,250,281.13 were acknowledged.
  • Claims for Damages: Claims from Rina Klabo, Joseph Phillips, and Leslie Seeche were acknowledged.
  • Other Items: Resolution R-5688, adopting a revised Policy for Investment of City Funds, was approved. The Procurement Report was acknowledged.

The consent calendar was approved unanimously (5-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Alex Tsimerman made a series of unsolicited comments about federal politics, fascism, and his personal experiences; he was reminded to direct comments to the council.
  • Rex Rempel urged the city to incorporate more shade structures, awnings, and trees into public spaces to address increasing heat.
  • Kyle Sullivan generally supported the Planning Commission's recommendations on the Juanita zoning amendments, urging the council not to overencumber the site and to consider broader citywide housing strategies.
  • Karl Pettersson, owner of the Michaels site, stated that a 75-foot height limit is necessary for project viability; without it, he would seek a long-term lease extension for the existing tenant.
  • Jessica Roe, land use attorney representing Pettersson, emphasized trade-offs necessary for housing development and thanked the council for thoughtful discussion.
  • Jeff Schram, a traffic engineer, explained that redevelopment of the Michaels site would not increase traffic compared to current use and could facilitate pedestrian improvements called for in the city's Transportation Strategic Plan.
  • Kate Conant, a Juanita resident, supported the proposed pedestrian easement linking Juanita Bay Park and Juanita Beach Park, referencing several neighborhood plan policies.
  • Alison Warner, representing the owner of the Goodwill site (BC1 zone), thanked staff and the Planning Commission for their work and offered expertise on commercial requirements.
  • Public Hearing on EvergreenHealth Levy (R-5687):
    • In Support: Amy Johnson (resident and Fred Hutch employee) urged passage to protect public hospital services; Loita Hawkinson shared personal experiences of excellent care but noted facility constraints.
    • In Opposition: Alex Tsimerman argued the tax burden should fall on large corporations rather than residents.

Discussion Items

Study Session: Juanita Business District (JBD4) and North Juanita Center (BC1) Zoning Amendments

Senior Planner LeAndra Baker-Lewis presented the Planning Commission's recommended draft code amendments. Key topics included:

  • Height: Increase to 75 feet for mix-use buildings to align with comprehensive plan capacity analysis.
  • Parking: Alignment with state Senate Bill 5184, setting maximum parking minimums for residential and mix-use projects.
  • Affordable Housing Flexibility: Proposed equivalency ratios to incentivize larger family-size units (2+ bedrooms) by allowing a higher AMI threshold (80%) in exchange for more units, similar to existing station area rules.
  • Ground Floor Commercial: Commercial required along Northeast Juanita Drive but not along 98th Avenue NE, a point of debate.
  • Design Review: Recommendation for administrative design review (using Chapter 92 objective standards) instead of Design Review Board (DRB) oversight, citing HB 1293 compliance and streamlining.
  • High Performing Building Standards: Planning Commission recommended not applying these standards to JBD4; council discussed cost implications and potential state code updates.
  • Pedestrian Pathway: A requirement for an expanded sidewalk (17 feet) and an easement for a future park-to-park connection between Juanita Bay and Juanita Beach parks was discussed.

The council agreed to continue the study session to a future date to allow more time for deliberation.

Public Hearing & Resolution: EvergreenHealth Proposition No. 1 Levy Lid Lift (R-5687)

EvergreenHealth COO Chris Bredeson presented the case for the levy lid lift from 14 cents to 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value, citing financial pressures on hospitals statewide, the need to remain independent, and plans to expand primary care and reduce wait times. Councilmember Sweet, Falcone, and Deputy Mayor Arnold expressed support; Councilmember Black opposed adopting the resolution in favor of more public education. Vote: 4-1 (Councilmember Black opposed) to adopt Resolution R-5687.

Special Presentation: NE 85th Shared Use Path Construction Update

Project Engineer Kimberly Coraza and CIP Supervisor Brian Baker presented the project. key impacts include:

  • Lane reductions to one lane each direction until spring 2026.
  • Removal of 241 trees with 61 replanted on-site and 65 mitigated via the FeenDoo program.
  • A 14-foot pedestrian bridge across the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC) requiring closure of the CKC from July 18, 2025, through spring 2026.
  • Detour routes: a short steep route (14% grade) and a longer less steep route (3/4 mile).
  • Council requested analysis of traffic mitigation for NE 85th Street.

Business Item: Boundary Line Adjustment Annexation (R-5689, R-5690, R-5691)

City Attorney Darcey Eilers explained three resolutions to adjust the city boundary with Bellevue to bring the entire South Kirkland Park and Ride, the southernmost Cross Kirkland Corridor parcel, and the intersection at NE 38th Place and 108th Avenue NE into Kirkland. The goal is streamlined permitting ahead of future light rail station development. All three resolutions were approved unanimously (5-0).

City Manager Reports & Kraken Update

  • Calendar Update: Study session on the Goodwill CAR rescheduled.
  • Executive Assistant: Announced hiring of Jasmin Krout, starting July 21.
  • Kraken Iceplex Update: Deputy City Manager James Lopez reported that after additional analysis, adding a third-floor roof would cost over $9 million, delay the project 6-8 months (jeopardizing the September 2027 opening), and the Kraken declined to contribute. The council appears likely to forgo the roof option. Negotiations on the agreement-to-lease, development agreement, and ground lease are ongoing; documents expected by the August 6 study session.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution R-5687 (EvergreenHealth Levy Support): Approved 4-1.
  • Resolutions R-5689, R-5690, R-5691 (Boundary Line Adjustments): Approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Study Session on Juanita Zoning: Continued to a future meeting; council requested additional data on inclusionary zoning comparisons with other cities and traffic analysis.
  • NE 85th Street Project: CKC closure begins July 18; council asked for a traffic mitigation report.
  • Kraken Iceplex: Third-floor roof likely not pursued; city to proceed with documents without that element. Formal agreements to be presented August 6.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call to order this city council meeting of July 15th, 2025. I'd like to note that Councilman Pascal is attending our study session virtually tonight. In addition, before asking the clerk to call role for tonight's meeting, is there a motion to excuse Councilmember Tim Chison? So moved. Second. And moved by Councilmember Falcone, second by Council. Whoops. Black. Is there any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries seven zero. Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes, for the record, six zero. Thank you. Um councilmember Black. Yes. Oh, here. I'm sorry. You're actually now calling the roll. I'm here. Thank you. Thank you. Rough start. Councilmember Sweet. Here. Councilmember Falcone. Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. Our study session tonight is a briefing on the proposed Juanina Business District Zoning Code Amendments and the North Juanina Center Zoning Code Amendments. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7 30. City Manager. Okay, thank you, Madam Mayor. Deputy Mayor, members of the council. So this is our second briefing on the zoning code amendments. You're getting the update as to the recommendations of the planning commission. We have our special guest, uh chair of the planning commission, Roddy Rutherford is here to give you their perspective. Um this presentation is going to be made by Leandra Baker Lewis, our senior planner, but we also have Adam Weinstein, our planning director, and Alison Zyke, our uh deputy planning director here, as well as Stephanie Kroll from the State Attorney's Office. So that Leander, please take it away. Thank you, City Manager. Good evening, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Council. My name is Leandra Baker Lewis. I'm a senior planner with the planning and building department here at the city, and I am here tonight to brief you on the zoning code amendment project for the Juanita CARS community initiated amendment requests, specifically here to deliver the PC or the Planning Commission recommendation and the recommended draft code amendments, hoping to get your feedback on those and answer any questions ahead of adoption later this year.

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