OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Study Session on Housing, Human Services, and Transportation Master Plan - September 28, 2023

Planning Commission — Thursday, September 28, 2023
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, September 28, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 5:00:03

Transcript — Verbatim
0:32

I don't know if staff's quite ready.

0:34

Yeah.

0:34

Okay.

0:37

Yep.

0:38

My door, my front line.

0:40

My front door opening.

0:46

My door shut.

0:47

I got my Kirkland issued laptop.

0:51

I was able to use it as a doorstop in order to stop.

0:56

I just got to use on my laptop.

1:33

I just didn't know if we had to have something special from it.

1:36

So I did everything on my own home computer.

1:50

Yes.

1:52

Okay.

1:53

I would like to call the uh September 28th planning.

2:04

Okay.

2:05

I'd like to call the September 28th Planning Commission meeting to order.

2:11

And we will begin with roll call.

2:13

Gotcha, Alan.

2:16

Yes.

2:17

Ria Heiser.

2:18

Here.

2:18

Scott Ryser.

2:20

Here.

2:20

Angela Rosman.

2:21

Here.

2:21

Rodney Rutherford.

2:23

Here.

2:23

And Deep Single.

2:25

Here.

2:26

John Tim Chishon.

2:27

Here.

2:28

Thanks.

2:29

And before we start with our meeting, do we have any comments from the audience?

2:33

And I don't see anybody in our audience here.

2:37

Is there anybody online?

2:41

No attendees online.

2:43

Okay.

2:44

On tonight's agenda, we will have staff reports and updates on the comp plan on housing and human services, followed by an update on the transportation master plan.

2:59

So we'll start with staff.

3:03

Great.

3:03

Thank you, Chair Ricer.

3:05

So tonight we have a briefing and a study session for you on a couple more elements of the comprehensive plan.

3:12

So tonight we're talking the housing and human services elements.

3:32

And then also getting any feedback or questions answered that you have at this point.

3:37

So with that, I'm going to hand it over to Lindsay Levine and Scott Gooder, our two senior planners working on the elements.

3:45

Thanks, Allison.

3:47

Good evening, planning commissioners.

3:48

My name is Lindsay Levine, and I'm here with Scott Guter.

3:51

We're pleased to be here tonight to discuss the comp plan.

3:54

We're also joined by Jen Boone, Human Services Manager, and she's available to answer specific questions related to human services.

4:08

And first I'll discuss where we're at in the process.

4:11

Then I'll talk about community engagement accomplished to date.

4:14

Scott is leasing the housing element, so he'll present some context information about that chapter and updates we're looking at.

4:20

I'll present on similar topics since I'm leaving the human services element, and then we'll discuss next steps and open it up to questions and discussion.

5:01

As a reminder, as part of the Comp Plan Engagement and Outreach Process, the city continuously strives to reach participants who reflect the diversity of Kirkland and reach individuals or organizations that have not been well represented in the past.

5:14

Community conversations, also known to the city as priority populations.

5:18

And we've been working closely with the city manager's office and the city's DEIB manager on this to make sure we're going about it the right way.

5:28

This year we've been engaging with the community in several ways.

5:32

We held two housing and human services focused group sessions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Women's History Month███████████████████19%
Transportation██████████10%
Affordable Housing█████████9%
Community Engagement█████5%
Housing██2%
Human Services██2%
Homelessness██2%
Zoning Regulations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Study Session on Housing, Human Services, and Transportation Master Plan - September 28, 2023

The Kirkland Planning Commission held a study session on September 28, 2023, to receive briefings on two major elements of the 2044 Comprehensive Plan Update: the Housing Element and Human Services Element, followed by an update on the Transportation Master Plan (TMP). Commissioners discussed key data, community engagement results, study issues, and provided direction to staff. The meeting also included administrative reports and a discussion on creating a structure for more informal commissioner discussions.

Study Session Items

2044 Comprehensive Plan Update – Housing Element and Human Services Element

  • Senior Planner Scott Guter presented the Housing Element, covering state Growth Management Act requirements, regional housing strategy, factors affecting housing cost and availability, income and poverty data, cost burden by race/ethnicity, displacement risk, and Kirkland's housing needs. He noted that 87% of new housing between now and 2044 needs to be affordable to households earning less than 80% AMI, based on regional needs assessment.
  • Community engagement included two focus groups, a survey with 651 respondents (mostly female, white, homeowners over 35 earning >$100k), and outreach to ESL groups and Camp United We Stand. Top housing needs identified were near transit and jobs; preserving and developing affordable housing was ranked as the most important policy.
  • Senior Planner Lindsay Levine presented the Human Services Element, highlighting new programs since 2015 (e.g., King County's Health Through Housing, RCR agency, homeless outreach coordinator, MIH program). Study issues include support for affordable housing, updating policies on mental health and homelessness, improving awareness of services, and seeking fair allocation of county tax dollars.
  • Commissioner comments raised concerns about survey representativeness, the need to target lower-income neighborhoods, prioritizing housing for city employees/teachers/firefighters/police (workforce housing), exploring incentives for middle housing and retention of existing smaller homes, and ensuring ADU-ready requirements. Staff committed to exploring these issues and providing more disaggregated survey data.

Transportation Master Plan (TMP) Update

  • Transportation Manager Doug McIntyre and Planner Kim Scrivener presented the TMP update. The plan reaffirms modal priorities (pedestrians, cyclists, transit, motor vehicles) and incorporates a Safe Systems approach and Complete Streets policy. New/emerging topics include safety, equity, sustainability, curb management, freight, and micromobility.
  • Community engagement included workshops and a survey showing interest in walking, biking, and transit. The guiding principles have been updated. Council input from September 19 suggested being more proactive with transit, adding protected bike lanes as first choice, strengthening standards, and incorporating equity.
  • Commissioners discussed the need for outcome-based metrics (e.g., mode shift), connecting downtown and the station area, improving transit coverage to neighborhoods like Finn Hill, considering mobility options like Bellevue's Bellhop service, and addressing traffic calming. Staff noted plans for a citywide speed study and transit analysis.

Administrative Reports & Planning Commission Discussion

  • Deputy Director Allison Zike reported that City Council decided not to proceed with Park Lane changes at this time, but will consider it as part of a broader downtown vision. The annual Comprehensive Plan amendments public hearing is scheduled for November 9. The October 12 meeting is canceled; a joint meeting with the Transportation Commission will be held on October 25 at 6 PM, followed by a special Planning Commission meeting for the Sustainability/Climate/Environment element update.
  • Vice Chair Rodney Rutherford initiated a discussion on creating a structure for more informal, free-flowing commissioner discussions on topics like 10-minute neighborhoods, creative housing options, and downtown revitalization. Commissioners supported the idea, discussing logistics such as using the conference table, scheduling during lighter meetings, and staff providing background materials. Staff will bring back options for how to implement such discussions.

Key Outcomes

  • Staff will explore creating a priority population category for Kirkland and Lake Washington School District employees (workforce housing) based on Commissioner Tymczyszyn's suggestion.
  • Staff will provide options to the Commission for structuring informal discussion meetings.
  • The Commission will hold a joint meeting with the Transportation Commission on October 25, followed by a special meeting on October 26 for the Sustainability element.
  • The annual Comprehensive Plan amendments public hearing will be held November 9.

Meeting Transcript

I don't know if staff's quite ready. Yeah. Okay. Yep. My door, my front line. My front door opening. My door shut. I got my Kirkland issued laptop. I was able to use it as a doorstop in order to stop. I just got to use on my laptop. I just didn't know if we had to have something special from it. So I did everything on my own home computer. Yes. Okay. I would like to call the uh September 28th planning. Okay. I'd like to call the September 28th Planning Commission meeting to order. And we will begin with roll call. Gotcha, Alan. Yes. Ria Heiser. Here. Scott Ryser. Here. Angela Rosman. Here. Rodney Rutherford. Here. And Deep Single. Here. John Tim Chishon. Here. Thanks. And before we start with our meeting, do we have any comments from the audience? And I don't see anybody in our audience here. Is there anybody online? No attendees online. Okay. On tonight's agenda, we will have staff reports and updates on the comp plan on housing and human services, followed by an update on the transportation master plan. So we'll start with staff. Great. Thank you, Chair Ricer. So tonight we have a briefing and a study session for you on a couple more elements of the comprehensive plan. So tonight we're talking the housing and human services elements. And then also getting any feedback or questions answered that you have at this point. So with that, I'm going to hand it over to Lindsay Levine and Scott Gooder, our two senior planners working on the elements. Thanks, Allison. Good evening, planning commissioners. My name is Lindsay Levine, and I'm here with Scott Guter. We're pleased to be here tonight to discuss the comp plan.

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