Kirkland Planning Commission Study Session and Public Hearing - October 14, 2021
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Kirkland Planning Commission Study Session and Public Hearing - October 14, 2021
The Kirkland Planning Commission met on October 14, 2021, from 7:00 PM to 9:48 PM to conduct a study session on the Bridle Trails Neighborhood Center Community-Initiated Amendment Request (CAR) filed by TechCity Bowl, and to hold a public hearing on the 2021 Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendments. The Commission also approved minutes from previous meetings and received administrative updates.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jeremy Eckert, land use counsel for ROIC (property owner in the neighborhood center), spoke during the public comment period. He requested three non-controversial actions: 1) continue using the letter agreement between ROIC and TechCity Bowl as guardrails for the process, emphasizing it is not a master planning exercise drawing hard lines on ROIC's property; 2) support the grocer and retail required by policy BT7 through height allowances for grocery operations and harmonize commercial truck traffic with pedestrian-oriented design; 3) address massing through development regulations rather than master planning at the site.
- No public testimony was given during the public hearing for the 2021 Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendments.
Discussion Items
- Bridle Trails Neighborhood Center – Community-Initiated Amendment Request (CAR): Senior Planner Scott Guter presented an overview of the Phase 2 process, including the applicant's proposal for uses, massing, parking, transportation, and public benefits. The applicant team, led by Amanda Keating (Weber Thompson), presented detailed plans for redeveloping the TechCity Bowl site and surrounding parcels, emphasizing pedestrian-oriented retail, market-rate apartments, a grocery store (likely on the larger ROIC parcel), improved streetscapes, and public benefits like greenway connections and sustainable design.
- Commissioners discussed the grocery store requirement, noting that the existing store is not full-service. Commissioner Tymczyszyn left at 8:00 PM. Key concerns included the need for a full-service grocery, the equitable allocation of public benefits between parcels, and the risk of not achieving the grocery store if only smaller parcels develop first.
- Massing and heights were debated extensively. The applicant proposed a 55-foot height limit (60 feet with grocery) measured from average building elevation (ABE), which could result in up to six stories along NE 70th Street due to grade changes. Commissioners expressed opposition to six stories along 70th, citing the BT7 policy requiring taller forms away from residential areas. They favored larger upper-story stepbacks (15-20 feet as used elsewhere in Kirkland) rather than the proposed 4-foot average, and wanted massing regulations set in code, not left to design review.
- Parking and transportation: The applicant suggested reduced residential parking rates given proximity to transit. Commissioners stressed the need for a transportation management plan to prevent overflow parking in neighborhoods, and wanted to ensure adequate parking for retail to support the neighborhood center's viability.
- Public benefits: Commissioners supported requiring green building standards, pedestrian connections, public open spaces, and sustainable site design. Some suggested exploring a land swap involving Snyder's Corner for open space, but staff noted that park is already under a master plan.
- 2021 Annual Comprehensive Plan Amendments: Staff presented the citywide zoning map amendments. The Commission opened the public hearing, heard no testimony, and after questions from Commissioner Bagg about specific projects (rental houses, Juanita Heights Park), closed the hearing and voted to recommend approval.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to recommend approval of the 2021 Comprehensive Zoning Map Amendments to City Council: Moved by Sandeep Singhal, seconded by Katya Allen. The motion carried 6-0 (all present: Chair Rozmyn, Vice Chair Reusser, Bagg, Singhal, Rutherford, Allen).
- Motion to approve minutes of May 13, 2021 (Joint Meeting with Houghton Community Council), May 13, 2021, and June 10, 2021: Moved by Scott Reusser, seconded by Carter Bagg. The motion carried 6-0.
- Staff and the applicant were directed to further discuss equitable allocation of BT7 public benefits (grocery store, open space, etc.) between TechCity Bowl and ROIC, and to bring back detailed visuals and specific massing/pedestrian access proposals for the next study session. A Planning Commission retreat is planned for December 2021.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, thanks. Okay, we're live. All right. Uh can we call Roll? Catch you, Alan. Here, Carter Bag. Here. Scott Ryser. Here. Angela Rosman. Here. Rodney Rutherford. Here. Sandy Psingle. Here. John Tim Chisen. Here. Thanks. All right. And then today we're talking about the Bridal Trails Neighborhood Center car from Tech City Bowl. And then we have a public hearing on the annual cop plan amendment. And for anyone that wishes to speak for comments from the audience today, you will have three minutes to speak. And if you can put your email in the chat and spell it for us as well. I see we have some attendees, so if you are interested in speaking, if you could please virtually raise your hand. Yes. Uh well, good evening. Uh my name is Jeremy Eckert. I'm land use counsel for ROIC. Just wanted to during the public comment period, uh, bring you up to speed on what ROIC has done with the city and the applicant, if that would be of interest to planning commission. Sure, go ahead. Thank you. So earlier this year, ROIC expressed some concerns with Tech City's proposal, and that the key issue that we came around to understanding is that totem desires or Tech City desires to develop in the near term. While ROIC's property is encumbered with these long-term leases. So what we decided is that any bridal trails redevelopment will need to happen over time. In fact, the planning commission chair uh Tim Chisholm directed uh Jesse uh Tech Cities Council and myself to work together. I think we're under some sort of Ciao U law school honor code to figure out how to make that work. So uh true to the honor code. Um Jesse and I put our heads together, we worked for a while, and we entered into ROIC and uh Tech City entered into a letter agreement where the parties determine how they would work together. And what we see is the Slater agreement was really establishing the guardrails for how this planning process will unfold so the two parties can uh be friendly and be cooperative. And the the planning commission reviewed that letter, I believe on March eighteenth, twenty twenty-one. And a key component to that letter agreement is that the parties agreed this is not a master planning exercise that requires drawing hard and binding lines on ROIC's property. Since March, uh ROIC has been working with the city and the applicant. And what you'll see is that we ROIC submitted a letter to the planning commission tonight asking three things that we hope and believe are three non-controversial requests. The first one is to continue to use this letter agreement as providing the guardrails for this process. I might sound like a broken record, but that's just how important this is. A key point to this is recognizing this is not a master planning exercise that draws hard and binding lines on ROIC's property. The second point is to, as we know, policy BT7 requires a grocer and retail. So we're asking the planning commission to support the grocer and retail required by policy BT7 through regulations that provide height allowances for grocery operations. And also to consider the need to harmonize the need for continued commercial truck traffic and back house operations with desired pedestrian-oriented designs. I see my 30 seconds, so I'll keep this short then.
openpublica.com