Kirkland City Council Special Meeting - December 9, 2025
Kirkland City Council Special Meeting – December 9, 2025
The Kirkland City Council held a special meeting on December 9, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber to consider six major agenda items. All votes were unanimous (7-0). The meeting was called to order by Mayor Kelli Curtis and adjourned at 6:36 p.m. Key actions included authorizing the Kraken Iceplex and Community Center project, adopting a Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan, approving year-end budget adjustments, updating the Capital Improvement Program, approving sports field lighting at Lake Washington High School, and adopting Critical Area Code Amendments.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar was used; all items were considered separately.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lake Washington High School Sports Field Lighting (Item 3e): During the public hearing before the Hearing Examiner, six members of the public testified in support of the proposal. Additionally, four letters in support were received prior to the hearing. Two comment letters raised concerns about potential lighting impacts, late-night noise, parking, and traffic. The Duwamish Tribe requested an inadvertent discovery plan, which was addressed by staff.
Discussion Items
- Kraken Iceplex and Community Center Project – Agreements (Resolution R-5704): Deputy City Manager Jim Lopez and City Attorney Darcey Eilers presented the agreements. The project involves a public-private partnership with Seattle Hockey Partners (Kraken) to develop the Houghton Park and Ride property into an iceplex, restaurant, and community center. Key points: the city owns the land and will always own it; the Kraken will fund construction (~$60 million); the city may purchase the facility after substantial completion. A financial guarantee from Slapshot (Kraken parent) and Seattle Hockey Partners provides annual monitoring and a two-year rent protection if financial thresholds are breached. The council approved amendments to refine the guarantee language, correct an exhibit reference, and require monthly updates from the City Manager until the purchase decision. The resolution passed 7-0.
- Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan Adoption (Resolution R-5705): Management Analyst Juliana da Cruz and Human Services Supervisor Becky Gilley presented the final plan, adding Action #77 (advocate for state/regional homelessness prevention policies) and updating Action #65 to allow flexibility on affordable housing funding, including a regional levy. Councilmember Tymczyszyn expressed skepticism about a regional levy but did not oppose. The resolution passed 7-0. An update on Health Through Housing (Sheila Stanton Place) noted two clients had passed initial screening and could move in by late December 2025.
- 2025 Year-End Budget Adjustments (Ordinance O-4916): Financial Planning Manager Kevin Pelstring presented $46.45 million in total adjustments ($35.06 million in appropriation adjustments). Notable items: funding for a Woodinville School Zone Safety Camera program (pending agreement), emergency management event safety monitoring, and a $100,000 tool library. Councilmember Pascal moved that tool library funds not be expended until an implementation plan is approved by council in 2026; the motion carried 7-0. The ordinance as amended passed 7-0.
- Adoption of 2025–2030 Revised Capital Improvement Program (Resolution R-5706): Pelstring highlighted updates including a $100,000 grant for Spinney Homestead Park design, a new unfunded $2 million community center capacity enhancement project, and funding adjustments for the Kamayak Gym expansion options. The resolution passed 7-0.
- Lake Washington High School Master Plan Amendment and Planned Unit Development for Sports Field Lighting (Ordinance O-4917): Senior Planner Tony Levitt presented the quasi-judicial request to install 70–80 foot light poles for baseball, softball, and an all-sports field. The Hearing Examiner recommended approval with a 10:00 p.m. curfew. The council suspended rules to vote that evening. Councilmembers expressed support for expanded recreational opportunities. The ordinance passed 7-0.
- Adoption of Critical Area Code Amendments (Ordinance O-4918): Environmental Program Coordinator Anna Heckman and Senior Planner Jennifer Anderer presented updates to Chapters 5, 85, 90, and 95 of the Zoning Code. Changes streamline review for low-risk projects, enhance wetland/stream buffers, add a riparian management zone, clarify mitigation requirements, and allow limited legal non-conforming building expansions. The ordinance passed 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution R-5704 – Authorized the Kraken Iceplex and Community Center project agreements, including amendments to the lease guarantee and reporting requirements. Passed 7-0.
- Resolution R-5705 – Adopted the Homelessness Continuum of Care Action Plan. Passed 7-0.
- Ordinance O-4916 – Amended the 2025-2026 biennial budget with a condition that tool library funds require council approval of an implementation plan. Passed 7-0.
- Resolution R-5706 – Adopted the 2025–2030 Capital Improvement Program updates. Passed 7-0.
- Ordinance O-4917 – Approved the Lake Washington High School sports field lighting permit with conditions, including a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Passed 7-0.
- Ordinance O-4918 – Adopted Critical Area Code Amendments to comply with state law and improve environmental protections. Passed 7-0.
- Next Steps: Staff will provide monthly updates on the Kraken project, return with tool library implementation plan, continue exploring Kamayak Gym funding options, and prepare the 2027-2028 biennial budget.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you. Good afternoon. It's early. I'd like to call to order the city council special meeting of December 9th, 2025. And before we get started, I just want to thank everyone, staff and council for their hard work over the last few weeks and days. City Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilmember Tim Chizon. Here. Councilmember Black. Here. Councilmember Sweet. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. Councilmember Falcone? Here. Councilmember Pascal. Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Well present. Thank you. All right. Our first business item is Kraken Ice Plex and Community Center Project Agreements. City Manager. Okay. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Deputy Mayor, members of the Council. So we're going to turn this over to our Deputy City Manager of External Affairs, Jim Lopez, and our City Attorney Darcy Eilers. Uh, two quick things I want to say. Um, first is we did not intentionally invite the Kraken themselves to be at this presentation because we wanted the council to be able to evaluate all the agreements and ask us any questions. Um but we want to know we would not have been able to make this without them. And so we just want to especially thank Lad Slopes from the Kraken and their attorney Jennifer Cohen. Um they've been extraordinary partners for the last six months, and it's been a real pleasure to work with them. So with that, I'll go ahead and turn it over to our presentation team, and they have a lot more to share with you. Thank you, City Manager, uh, Madam Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Council. It's uh my uh privilege to be before you tonight. Um multi-year body of work, and uh it's a great privilege to be next to our city attorney Darcy Eilers and our economic development manager, Jen Davis Hayes, who joined me in this presentation. We're back, as promised, uh, to provide you what would with what we feel is a mature group of um agreements that uh embody the council's interests in this deal, and we are prepared to talk about them in in detail. We are going to focus on three things tonight, but please know we're here for questions about any of the elements of any of the agreements or the deal. We thought it would be fun to start with the notion that it takes a village to build an iceplex. And this is uh a good effort at all of the folks that have um participated in this endeavor, including um the Seattle Kraken team and our office architectural team and uh consultants. But heartfelt and deep thank thank uh full nest to our staff. They're listed here, and um it's been a wonderful example of something that we really pride ourselves on here at the city, which is cross-departmental collaboration. And it's these groups are uh invigorating, the folks are so smart, and the the way people interact uh is really inspirational to be a part of. So uh heartfelt thank you to all of the folks and before you move out of this slide. I also want to note that um John Delanoy, our outside of counsel from Pacifica is online tonight. He wasn't able uh to make it in person, but is available online and and we had a uh major uh assistance from Pacifica, a number of attorneys there. John Delanoy, Deanna Gregory, our bond counsel, she participated, and Zach Tomlinson is one of our one of their procurement um uh specialists who helped us uh sort of frame this partnership, and so I want to express my uh thanks to them. And I'm so glad that John's here tonight to um help us uh bring this to you as of as our you know presentation for potential final approval.
openpublica.com