OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Meeting - September 26, 2024: Housing Element and Appendix Public Hearings

Planning Commission — Thursday, September 26, 2024
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, September 26, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:35:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:27

I call to order this meeting of the Kirkland Planning Commission.

0:32

Let's get started with a roll call.

0:35

Catcha Alan.

0:39

Present.

0:39

Rhea Heiser.

0:40

Here.

0:41

Aaron Jacobson.

0:42

Here.

0:42

Gina Madea.

0:44

Here's Scott Ryser.

0:45

Here.

0:46

Angela Rosman.

0:48

Rodney Rethford.

0:49

Here.

0:50

We're uh we have called the meeting to order, so um please uh wrap up uh and we have taken roll call.

0:57

We have a majority of the commissioners present, and so we have a quorum.

1:02

Uh we will start, I believe, with comments from the audience.

1:07

Um let's see, let me just double check my yep, uh comments from the audience.

1:14

And so let's see.

1:15

This is uh oh, yeah, as a reminder, please silence your cell phones, and if you would like to speak, there are assignment sheets on the table over there, uh, either for the comments from the the items from the audience or for tonight's public hearing.

1:30

Uh tonight's public hearing is for the housing element and the appendix of the comprehensive plan update um for uh 2044.

1:41

Uh and so do we have let's see, general comments.

1:46

I see two people up here so far.

1:49

Um uh Jenny Eger.

1:58

Oh, and also for the record, Angela Rosman is now present, Commissioner Rosman.

2:06

Um I'm I I actually have comments for the uh the housing element, but I have another meeting, so I'm going to give them now and leave and uh submit them.

2:17

Um I understand that's for city meetings.

2:20

Okay.

2:21

Um I am a Kirkland resident.

2:23

I strongly support the vision statement in the housing element.

2:26

Kirkland urgently needs housing, especially deeply affordable housing.

2:30

I want Kirkland to be welcoming, inclusive, and socioeconomically integrated.

2:36

I want Kirkland to be multi-generational and robust.

2:40

I want my teenagers to be able to stay near family and friends.

2:44

We should not force a whole generation to move away from Kirkland.

2:49

I want people who work in Kirkland to be able to live in Kirkland.

2:53

As long as most of our essential workers have to commute long distances, our services will struggle to provide staffing, especially during extreme weather and other events that make long commutes impossible.

3:06

Last winter, my mother experienced a health emergency during the massive ice storm and a power outage in the Greater Portland area.

3:14

She suffered needlessly due to the lack of health care staffing caused by workers unable to commute long distances for the entire week of the storm.

3:24

Kirkland cannot provide robust essential services to any of us if workers cannot afford to live in Kirkland with us.

3:43

And over the course of each year, hundreds of women and children live in cars in a church parking lot in Kirkland.

3:50

No one should have to sleep in a car.

3:53

The new affordable housing that we create should support socioeconomic integration, not segregation of our city.

4:01

That is why I support the vision statement in the housing element.

4:05

Thank you.

4:07

Thank you, Jeannie.

4:08

Or Jenny.

4:10

Next up is uh Evie Bennett.

4:20

Hi.

4:21

Uh my name is Evie, and it's okay.

4:24

Um I also want to comment on the housing, but I have two little ones that we need to get to bed soon.

4:29

And so I appreciate the chance to speak now.

4:33

Um our family has lived in the same house in Kirkland for over five years, but I've lived in other parts of Kirkland for much longer than that.

4:41

I grew up in Monroe and always loved coming to Kirkland as a child.

4:45

It always has been my dream to make it my home.

4:48

And in 2019, we purchased our first home and made it a reality.

4:52

We love this city for many reasons, but most of all, it's a safe, quiet place to raise a family.

4:58

We love the parks, we love the cute shops.

5:00

We love the quiet neighborhoods.

5:02

We love the trees, and we love the overall character of this beloved town.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing████████████████████████████28%
Housing████████████████████20%
Comprehensive Planning██████████10%
Historic Preservation██████████10%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Procedural███3%
Environmental Protection███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Transportation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Meeting - September 26, 2024

The Kirkland Planning Commission held a public hearing on the 2044 Comprehensive Plan Housing Element and Appendix, including the Glossary, Community Profile, and History of Kirkland. After staff presentations, extensive public testimony, and deliberation, the Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Appendix chapter with administrative edits and continued the Housing Element public hearing to October 10, 2024, closing spoken testimony but keeping written testimony open.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jennie Jaeger (Kirkland) expressed strong support for the Housing Element vision statement, emphasizing the need for deeply affordable housing and socioeconomic integration.
  • Evie Bennett (Kirkland) opposed hyper urbanization and increasing residential capacity in neighborhoods, citing tax burden concerns.
  • Joy Randall supported the Housing Element, highlighting systemic racism and housing affordability challenges.
  • Emily King (CPA) argued the plan would increase property taxes for existing residents and reduce government services due to tax exemptions and impact fee waivers.
  • Lloyd Giberson (Kirkland) supported the Housing Element, stating it is a moral imperative to remove roadblocks to housing abundance.
  • Debbie Lacy supported the draft, noting it provides a continuum of housing options for all income levels.
  • Luke Travis (Kirkland) urged the Commission to add support for single-stair construction to reduce costs and enable more efficient building.
  • Martin Stoddart (Kirkland) criticized the lack of consideration for current residents and questioned whether the policy changes would meet affordable housing goals.
  • Shelby Caldas (Kirkland) expressed concerns about neighborhood character, property values, and lack of specific guardrails in policies.
  • Vince Campos (Kirkland) advocated for housing near transit to retain workers and predicted additional housing would lower property taxes.
  • Susan Davis (Kirkland) questioned the city's tracking of workforce housing units from a 2019 multifamily tax exemption program.
  • Kyle Sullivan (Kirkland) supported the Housing Element and noted that zoning updates will follow the comprehensive plan.
  • Laura Walton (Kirkland) worried about population density impacts on infrastructure and safety, preferring affordable housing near transit.
  • Nora Myers (Kirkland, high school senior) hoped for more housing to allow her to stay in Kirkland.
  • Valentina Little (Kirkland) criticized the historical narrative and urged balanced growth that includes current residents.
  • Bev Marcus (Kirkland) supported the Housing Element vision and urged exploration of affordable housing options throughout the city.
  • William Whitehouse (Kirkland) supported the Housing Element and permanent supportive housing distributed throughout the community.
  • Nicole MacKenzie (Kirkland) emphasized the need for deeply affordable housing and argued that infrastructure limitations make some neighborhoods unsuitable for certain housing types.
  • Karena Iliakis supported planning for housing for all stages of life.
  • Ken MacKenzie (Kirkland) questioned the origin of housing targets and suggested deleting the History of Kirkland from the appendix due to bias.
  • Ryan Baker (Kirkland) concurred with previous speakers, recommended multiple options for residents to vote on, and questioned appropriate locations for affordable housing.
  • Kaitlin Goodman (Kirkland) recommended focusing growth around urban centers and removing vague references to transit since the city does not control transit service.
  • Arjan Tahmasebie (Kirkland) expressed concern about the history of exclusion narrative and recommended following best practices from other cities.
  • Jeanne Large (Kirkland) noted that police and fire personnel cannot afford to live in Kirkland and cited missed opportunities for affordable housing on city-owned land.
  • Jen Ohayon (Kirkland) thanked commissioners who voted to remove policy LU-2.4 and supported growth in urban centers; she raised concerns about outside interest groups influencing testimony.
  • Kira Krimkevich (Kirkland) criticized the last-minute process and questioned the origin of the 13,200 GMA target breakdown.
  • Jill Stoddart (Kirkland) recommended a six-month delay and criticized policies related to high density, emergency housing, and use of public lands.
  • Mike Enberg (Kirkland) urged the Commission to represent residents and cited the biennial community survey showing overdevelopment, traffic, and planning as top concerns.
  • Loita Hawkinson (Kirkland Heritage Society) provided edits to the History of Kirkland, asserting that Kirkland has never been exclusionary.
  • Rosemary McMillin relayed concerns from a doctor about density overwhelming medical facilities.
  • Bo Kang (Kirkland) expressed concern about the cost of affordable housing to taxpayers.
  • Sarah Jokar-Deris (Kirkland) described concerns about density on the Par Mac site and its environmental impact on Forbes Creek.
  • Peter Lyon (Kirkland) expressed frustration with the process and concern about additional density.
  • Bonnie McCleod (Kirkland) criticized the "History of Exclusion" presentation as a sham and stated that Kirkland was never exclusionary.

Discussion Items

  • Staff Presentation on Housing Element: Senior Planner Scott Guter reviewed housing land capacity analysis, income segment targets, public comment themes, and policy revisions. He noted a deficit in capacity for lower-income housing (30% AMI and below) under existing zoning, but stated that studied upzone areas (Michaels, Goodwill, Par Mac, Southern Industrial Business District) could meet targets. Commissioner questions focused on the methodology linking zones to income segments, the timing of the new analysis, and the need for clarity on policy details.
  • Staff Presentation on Appendix: Senior Planner Janice Swenson reviewed updates to the Glossary, History of Kirkland, and Community Profile. The history document was prepared to meet state requirements for analyzing racially disparate impacts.
  • Commission Deliberation: Commissioners discussed the need for more time to review the Housing Element, particularly the new income-segment capacity analysis. Several commissioners expressed a desire for more focus on urban centers, missing middle housing, and clearer definitions for policies. Commissioner Heiser moved to continue the public hearing to October 10, 2024, with written testimony open and spoken testimony closed; the motion carried 7-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Appendix Chapter: Approved unanimously (7-0) with a motion to recommend approval as recommended by staff and authorize staff to make administrative edits (e.g., updating data, adding photos, incorporating comments from the Kirkland Heritage Society) prior to City Council consideration.
  • Housing Element Public Hearing: Continued to the next regular meeting on October 10, 2024. Written testimony remains open; spoken testimony is closed. Commissioners are to submit proposed amendments by October 1, 2024, for inclusion in the packet.
  • Administrative Reports: Staff provided a calendar update; the Houghton Village Development Plan study session was moved to October 24, 2024. Commissioners were reminded to respond to availability for parliamentary procedure training on November 12, 2024.

Meeting Transcript

I call to order this meeting of the Kirkland Planning Commission. Let's get started with a roll call. Catcha Alan. Present. Rhea Heiser. Here. Aaron Jacobson. Here. Gina Madea. Here's Scott Ryser. Here. Angela Rosman. Rodney Rethford. Here. We're uh we have called the meeting to order, so um please uh wrap up uh and we have taken roll call. We have a majority of the commissioners present, and so we have a quorum. Uh we will start, I believe, with comments from the audience. Um let's see, let me just double check my yep, uh comments from the audience. And so let's see. This is uh oh, yeah, as a reminder, please silence your cell phones, and if you would like to speak, there are assignment sheets on the table over there, uh, either for the comments from the the items from the audience or for tonight's public hearing. Uh tonight's public hearing is for the housing element and the appendix of the comprehensive plan update um for uh 2044. Uh and so do we have let's see, general comments. I see two people up here so far. Um uh Jenny Eger. Oh, and also for the record, Angela Rosman is now present, Commissioner Rosman. Um I'm I I actually have comments for the uh the housing element, but I have another meeting, so I'm going to give them now and leave and uh submit them. Um I understand that's for city meetings. Okay. Um I am a Kirkland resident. I strongly support the vision statement in the housing element. Kirkland urgently needs housing, especially deeply affordable housing. I want Kirkland to be welcoming, inclusive, and socioeconomically integrated. I want Kirkland to be multi-generational and robust. I want my teenagers to be able to stay near family and friends. We should not force a whole generation to move away from Kirkland. I want people who work in Kirkland to be able to live in Kirkland. As long as most of our essential workers have to commute long distances, our services will struggle to provide staffing, especially during extreme weather and other events that make long commutes impossible. Last winter, my mother experienced a health emergency during the massive ice storm and a power outage in the Greater Portland area. She suffered needlessly due to the lack of health care staffing caused by workers unable to commute long distances for the entire week of the storm. Kirkland cannot provide robust essential services to any of us if workers cannot afford to live in Kirkland with us. And over the course of each year, hundreds of women and children live in cars in a church parking lot in Kirkland. No one should have to sleep in a car. The new affordable housing that we create should support socioeconomic integration, not segregation of our city. That is why I support the vision statement in the housing element. Thank you. Thank you, Jeannie. Or Jenny. Next up is uh Evie Bennett. Hi. Uh my name is Evie, and it's okay.

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