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Record of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Meeting - June 22, 2023

Planning Commission — Thursday, June 22, 2023
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, June 22, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:34

Okay.

0:37

I'd like to call to order the June 22nd Planning Commission meeting, and we'll start with roll call.

0:44

Catch you, Alan.

0:46

Yes.

0:46

Ria Heiser.

0:48

Scott Ricer.

0:49

Here.

0:49

Angelin Rosman.

0:50

Here.

0:51

Ronnie Rutherford.

0:52

Here.

0:53

Sandeep single.

0:54

Here.

0:55

And John Timchizon.

0:57

Thanks.

0:59

Okay.

1:00

Tonight's agenda.

1:01

We have a study session for the comprehensive plan briefing by staff and land use transportation master plan.

1:10

Then we will have community initiated amendment requests.

1:15

And before we start that, we would like to open the meeting with comments from the audience.

1:20

So this is anybody who would like to comment.

1:25

And we will start with in-person, and you just step up to the podium and say your full name.

1:31

And then after we take somebody from the podium, we will look online for anybody who has any comments online.

1:40

Feel free, just stand it up and just state your full name.

1:47

Good evening.

1:48

My name is Barry Alavi.

1:55

Just wanted to describe the request that I have to enable our property to be although it's already MSC one to have the ability to have other uses of the property.

2:19

And wanted to be able to use this building for other uses as described in Mark of the Street Corridor Dash One.

2:30

I want to thank the planning commission and his staff for all the work that has already been done on this and looking forward to the phase two.

2:39

Thank you.

2:40

Great, thank you.

2:43

Okay, we will go to online participants, and it appears Jack McCullough is up.

2:57

And we'll get him admitted in as a panelist.

2:59

It'll take just a moment.

3:01

Perfect.

3:01

Great, thanks.

3:12

Excellent.

3:13

Can you hear me, Mr.

3:14

Chair?

3:14

Yes.

3:15

Great.

3:15

Thank you very much.

3:16

I'm uh appearing tonight on behalf of Tom Schaefer, who has submitted an application.

3:22

Uh it's part of his family LLC.

3:24

It's uh the Parmac property.

3:26

It's part of the Totem Lake Business District.

3:29

And uh we're I don't know if Tom's uh Tom was planning to speak tonight.

3:34

He maybe he's in the audience there.

3:36

Um yeah, that's good.

3:38

Okay, good.

3:39

Thank you, Tom.

3:40

Uh so he'll add more of the historic details.

3:43

I will skip that part.

3:45

Um I will just say that uh we've been working closely with staff on this.

3:49

Uh as Tom will describe.

3:58

And it's away from light uh industrial uses to smaller scale commercial to entertainment to residential.

4:05

And as we've looked through the conference of the existing conference of plan, we found that there are actually a number of policies which we cited in our application and which staff has also identified in the staff report that support uh the expansion of residential opportunities in this area, particularly in proximity to the cross Kirkland connector.

4:26

Uh, there's a chance here, I think to create um a really significant and kind of placemaking residential community that supports what's going on around it and that will support the connector.

4:38

Um and we appreciate and endorse the recommendation of staff to proceed to phase two, and that could either be you know, as a standalone application or perhaps more appropriately as part of the uh ongoing update of the comprehensive plan.

4:55

So uh either one would be good from our point of view.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Technology and Innovation███████████████████████████████████████39%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Planning And Zoning███████████████15%
Comprehensive Planning█████5%
Zoning Regulations█████5%
Transportation████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Urban Planning██2%
Affordable Housing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Meeting - June 22, 2023

The Kirkland Planning Commission convened on June 22, 2023, at 7:01 PM in Council Chamber. The meeting included a study session on the K2044 Comprehensive Plan Land Use and Transportation Master Plan briefing, discussion and votes on three Community-Initiated Amendment Requests (CARs), approval of minutes, and administrative reports. Key actions included advancing the Alavi and Par Mac CARs to Phase 2 study, directing the Weise CAR to be considered as part of the Comprehensive Plan update with a focus on a 10-minute neighborhood around Bridle Trails Shopping Center, and expanding the Par Mac study area to the entire Southern Industrial Commercial Subarea.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Barry Alavi (Kirkland property owner) described his request to allow additional uses on his property at 545 17th Ave W, currently zoned MSC-1 but restricted to single-family or duplex uses. He expressed appreciation for staff work and looked forward to Phase 2 study.
  • Jack McCollough (representing Tom Schafer, owner of the Par Mac property) noted the shift away from light manufacturing, cited existing Comprehensive Plan policies supporting residential expansion, and endorsed staff's recommendation to move the Par Mac CAR to Phase 2 as either a standalone or part of the Comprehensive Plan update.
  • Tom Schafer (owner of Par Mac Business Park) provided historical context on the area's transition from manufacturing, discussed surrounding developments (Quadrant, Toll Brothers, Main Street projects), and supported the proposal as a significant opportunity for Kirkland.

Discussion Items

K2044 Comprehensive Plan Briefing – Land Use & Transportation Elements

  • Deputy Planning Director Allison Zike presented an overview of the Land Use Element, growth targets (13,200 housing units and 26,500 jobs by 2044), community engagement results (500+ survey responses, focus groups), guiding principles (affordable housing, accessible places, small/mid businesses, mixed use, green communities), and potential study issues.
  • Commissioners discussed connectivity, the link between density and transit reliability (noting Metro service cuts), the new PSRC Urban Center designation for Greater Downtown Kirkland (announced that day), the need to define “complete city,” and the importance of implementing policies effectively. They emphasized neighborhood-scale commercial and the 10-minute neighborhood concept.

Community-Initiated Amendment Requests (CARs)

1. Alavi CAR (545 17th Ave W)

  • Staff presented the request to remove a commercial-use restriction on a single parcel in the Market Street corridor. Staff recommended proceeding to Phase 2. Commissioners discussed parking, tree preservation, and consistency with MSC-1 zoning. The commission voted 5-0 to study further in Phase 2.

2. Weise CAR (6422 128th Ave NE)

  • The applicant sought to rezone from RSX 35 (35,000 sq ft minimum lot) to RSX 7.2 to allow subdivision. Staff recommended not advancing due to existing middle-housing options and upcoming Comprehensive Plan updates. After discussion, Commissioner Rozmyn withdrew an initial motion and proposed a new motion: not to advance the CAR but to study the Bridle Trails Shopping Center area for a walkable 10-minute neighborhood as part of the 2044 Comprehensive Plan. The motion carried 5-0.

3. Par Mac CAR (11031 & 11134 117th Pl NE, 11115 118th Pl NE)

  • The applicant proposed amending the Comprehensive Plan and zoning to allow six mixed-use buildings with approximately 1,200 residential units and 30,000 sq ft of commercial space. Staff recommended moving to Phase 2 as part of the Comprehensive Plan update. Commissioners discussed housing incentive areas, traffic, stormwater, and the future of light industrial uses. A motion to advance to Phase 2 carried 6-1 (Sandeep Singhal opposed). A subsequent motion to expand the study area to the entire Southern Industrial Commercial Subarea carried 5-0.

Approval of Minutes

  • The commission approved the March 9, 2023, minutes as amended (Katya Allen’s name struck from a vote due to absence). Motions to approve other pending minutes (Feb 9, Mar 23, Apr 27) were deferred.

Key Outcomes

  • Alavi CAR: Approved to proceed to Phase 2 study (5-0).
  • Weise CAR: Not advanced in the CAR cycle; directed for study within the 2044 Comprehensive Plan update focusing on a 10-minute neighborhood around Bridle Trails Shopping Center (5-0).
  • Par Mac CAR: Approved to move to Phase 2 study (6-1) and study area expanded to the entire Southern Industrial Commercial Subarea (5-0).
  • City Council Actions Reported: PSRC Executive Board approved Urban Center designation for Greater Downtown Kirkland; council adopted wireless code amendments as recommended (with minor administrative edits) and updated Kirkland Middle School and Finn Hill Middle School master plans; staff authorized to hire up to four Assistant Planners and convert a temporary position to permanent.
  • Meeting Calendar: July 13 meeting likely canceled; July 18 joint meeting with City Council (special Planning Commission meeting) to deliver recommendation on Station Area Plan Phase 2; July 27 meeting will use new packet software (digital devices to be provided to commissioners).

Meeting Transcript

Okay. I'd like to call to order the June 22nd Planning Commission meeting, and we'll start with roll call. Catch you, Alan. Yes. Ria Heiser. Scott Ricer. Here. Angelin Rosman. Here. Ronnie Rutherford. Here. Sandeep single. Here. And John Timchizon. Thanks. Okay. Tonight's agenda. We have a study session for the comprehensive plan briefing by staff and land use transportation master plan. Then we will have community initiated amendment requests. And before we start that, we would like to open the meeting with comments from the audience. So this is anybody who would like to comment. And we will start with in-person, and you just step up to the podium and say your full name. And then after we take somebody from the podium, we will look online for anybody who has any comments online. Feel free, just stand it up and just state your full name. Good evening. My name is Barry Alavi. Just wanted to describe the request that I have to enable our property to be although it's already MSC one to have the ability to have other uses of the property. And wanted to be able to use this building for other uses as described in Mark of the Street Corridor Dash One. I want to thank the planning commission and his staff for all the work that has already been done on this and looking forward to the phase two. Thank you. Great, thank you. Okay, we will go to online participants, and it appears Jack McCullough is up. And we'll get him admitted in as a panelist. It'll take just a moment. Perfect. Great, thanks. Excellent. Can you hear me, Mr. Chair? Yes. Great. Thank you very much. I'm uh appearing tonight on behalf of Tom Schaefer, who has submitted an application. Uh it's part of his family LLC. It's uh the Parmac property. It's part of the Totem Lake Business District. And uh we're I don't know if Tom's uh Tom was planning to speak tonight. He maybe he's in the audience there. Um yeah, that's good. Okay, good.

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