OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Meeting - February 13, 2025: Work Program & Permit Streamlining

Planning Commission — Thursday, February 13, 2025
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, February 13, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:00:20

Transcript — Verbatim
0:48

Calling to order the regular meeting of the planning commission this Thursday, February 13th, uh 2025.

0:56

Do we want to do roll call?

0:59

Brian, can I just check?

1:01

Did you call video production?

1:02

Or do you want me to?

1:04

Yes, no, they're good.

1:05

Okay, good.

1:06

Okay.

1:06

Ria Heisser.

1:08

Here.

1:08

Karen Jacobson.

1:10

Gina Medea.

1:11

Here.

1:12

Scott Racer.

1:13

Here.

1:14

Justin Robbins.

1:15

Here.

1:16

Angela Rossman.

1:17

Here.

1:18

Rodney Rutherford.

1:19

Here.

1:20

Thanks.

1:24

Okay.

1:25

Looks like we are all here.

1:26

So I am going to start the meeting at this point.

1:31

Um, and we start with uh comments, uh items from the audience, which are general.

1:36

The next item on our agenda is items items from the audience.

1:39

This is the portion of the meeting where we hear from the public about items that are not scheduled for public hearing.

1:45

Each speaker will have three minutes to provide your comments.

1:47

The timer on the dais will flash a yellow light when you are nearing the end of your time, and a red light when the time has lapsed.

1:54

And making your comments, we ask that you please direct them to the commission, but this is not a time for a give and take with the commission.

2:00

Obscene, profane, threatening or harassing or abusive language towards the commission, city staff or those in the audience are not allowed.

2:06

As audience members, please refrain from any dem demonstrative agreement or disagreement with the speaker, such as clapping, cheering, or booing.

2:13

These actions are not only disruptive, they may also intimidate or have the effect of excluding others in the community whose views may differ.

2:20

We'll begin with items from the audience with the list of people here in person that have signed up to speak.

2:25

When I call your name, please approach the dais to address us.

2:28

Virtual audience members may indicate you wish to speak by raising.

2:33

Sorry about that.

2:34

Virtual audience members, if you're here, may uh indicate you wish to speak by raising your hand in the Zoom meeting now.

2:41

When it is your turn to speak, we will admit you into the virtual room as a panelist.

2:45

When I call your name, you may unmute and address the commission.

2:48

Thank you.

2:51

Okay.

2:52

So items from the audience.

2:54

I have Jack Stout.

2:58

Hello, Jack.

3:03

This down to my height here a little bit.

3:06

Well, thank you for uh being here and all the hard work you do as a volunteer in the city for many years.

3:10

I appreciate all the hard work that you do.

3:13

I'm here as a member of the Kirkland Senior Council.

3:15

I'm actually the chair of the housing uh committee this year, and I just want to uh perhaps remind you, and I think you've already heard about this many times perhaps that we really advocate for universal design in housing.

3:31

Universal design is often thought of something just for those of us that are 80 and more like myself, but it really isn't.

3:39

It's for anyone who needs accessibility.

3:41

That can be someone who's just come down from the slopes and now has a broken ankle and needs to get around the house a little bit or it can also be, as I've discovered working with people with disabilities in my career, that moms with babies and sacks over their shoulders like a little more room to get around, especially in bathrooms and so on.

4:00

So universal design open spaces makes them more accessible, make things like wall switches and door handles more easy to use.

4:10

And AARP has a great program for that.

4:13

I brought along just a single-page document from an AARP document that you can read at your leisure, talks a little bit about it.

4:20

The interesting thing there is it's written in 2017 and forecast how many seniors there's going to be about this time.

4:29

It's an increasing number, as you may know.

4:31

We're actually in the peak here of the boom with 12,000 people a day becoming 65.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning And Zoning████████████████████████████████████████40%
Permit Processing██████████████████18%
Procedural██████████10%
Housing██████████10%
Affordable Housing████4%
Environmental Protection██2%
Public Engagement██2%
Urban Forest Management██2%
Technology and Innovation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Meeting - February 13, 2025

The Kirkland Planning Commission met on February 13, 2025, starting at 6:00 PM and adjourning at 9:00 PM. The primary focus was a study session on the Draft 2025-2027 Planning Work Program (PLN25-00002), followed by a briefing on implementing Senate Bill 5290 for permit review consolidation. Commissioners also approved minutes from four prior meetings and heard public comments.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jack Staud (Kirkland, Chair of Housing Committee, Kirkland Senior Council) advocated for universal design principles in housing, noting that 33% of Kirkland's population is seniors and that this could reach 40% in ten years. He emphasized that universal design benefits all ages and abilities.
  • Nicole MacKenzie (Kirkland) commented on the difficulty of attending meetings that start at 6:00 PM and suggested a compromise between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM start times.

Discussion Items

Draft 2025-2027 Planning Work Program (PLN25-00002)

  • Deputy Planning Director Allison Zike presented a recap of the joint study session with City Council, highlighting completed projects, ongoing work, and new projects required by state legislation. Staff recommended prioritizing station area activation, housing production, permit streamlining, and implementation of state bills (e.g., HB 1110, SB 5290, unit lot subdivisions, co-living).
  • Commissioner Aaron Jacobson proposed an Affordable Neighborhoods Pilot Project to provide incentives for deeply affordable housing and community services, with a limited geographic scope.
  • Commissioners discussed new projects, items to deprioritize or remove, and priority order. A motion was made by Vice Chair Heiser (seconded by Commissioner Rozmyn) to work through the work program that evening. The motion carried 5-2 (Yes: Heiser, Madeya, Reusser, Robbins, Rozmyn; No: Rutherford, Jacobson).
  • After the vote, commissioners debated specifics:
    • High priority: activating the station area, Michaels and Goodwill community amendment requests, permit streamlining (including SB 5290 compliance, permit dashboard, and geohazard regulations), and unit lot subdivisions.
    • Deprioritized or removed: short-term rental policy, increased inclusionary standards for single-family/middle housing, and the parking pilot project (replaced with a broader parking policy discussion).
    • Added: a "wild card" or "custom project" placeholder for 2025, 2026, and 2027 to allow flexibility for innovative proposals.
    • Deferred: housing strategic plan update to 2027 (to align with transit strategy), sustainability strategic plan moved alongside housing plan, and school capacity discussions moved to 2026.
  • It was the consensus of the Commission for staff to take the amended work program to City Council without a further planning commission review.

Briefing on Senate Bill 5290: Permit Review Consolidation

  • Planning Director Adam Weinstein summarized SB 5290, which establishes timelines for permit review (e.g., 65 days for permits without public notice, 120 days for those with public notice but no hearing, and 120 days for those with public notice and hearing). He noted that Kirkland already meets many best practices (e.g., digital permit review, on-call assistance) and may be exempt from fee refund penalties. A new bill (HB 1935) clarifies that building permits are not included in SB 5290's scope.
  • Commissioners discussed permit dashboard development (internal and public-facing), average review times (e.g., building mixed-use permits averaged 2x target, while multifamily building permits averaged 17 days vs. 28-day target), and the need for total permit time data from start to finish.

Public Meeting Calendar Update

  • Staff reviewed upcoming agendas: a March meeting on phase one housing implementation (including draft code and inclusionary zoning options), a public hearing for Houghton Park and Ride rezoning, and briefings on Michaels and Goodwill code amendments. A potential retreat was discussed but may be shifted to an evening educational session due to scheduling conflicts.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to work through the 2025-2027 PWP that evening: Passed 5-2 (described above).
  • Consensus: Staff to take the amended work program to City Council, reflecting the priority order and deprioritizations discussed.
  • Approval of Minutes: October 10, 2024; October 24, 2024; November 11, 2024; and January 9, 2025 minutes were approved unanimously (7-0).
  • Next Steps: Staff will prepare the final work program for Council adoption, continue implementing SB 5290 (including the March 1st report), and present the housing implementation code to the Planning Commission in March.

Meeting Transcript

Calling to order the regular meeting of the planning commission this Thursday, February 13th, uh 2025. Do we want to do roll call? Brian, can I just check? Did you call video production? Or do you want me to? Yes, no, they're good. Okay, good. Okay. Ria Heisser. Here. Karen Jacobson. Gina Medea. Here. Scott Racer. Here. Justin Robbins. Here. Angela Rossman. Here. Rodney Rutherford. Here. Thanks. Okay. Looks like we are all here. So I am going to start the meeting at this point. Um, and we start with uh comments, uh items from the audience, which are general. The next item on our agenda is items items from the audience. This is the portion of the meeting where we hear from the public about items that are not scheduled for public hearing. Each speaker will have three minutes to provide your comments. The timer on the dais will flash a yellow light when you are nearing the end of your time, and a red light when the time has lapsed. And making your comments, we ask that you please direct them to the commission, but this is not a time for a give and take with the commission. Obscene, profane, threatening or harassing or abusive language towards the commission, city staff or those in the audience are not allowed. As audience members, please refrain from any dem demonstrative agreement or disagreement with the speaker, such as clapping, cheering, or booing. These actions are not only disruptive, they may also intimidate or have the effect of excluding others in the community whose views may differ. We'll begin with items from the audience with the list of people here in person that have signed up to speak. When I call your name, please approach the dais to address us. Virtual audience members may indicate you wish to speak by raising. Sorry about that. Virtual audience members, if you're here, may uh indicate you wish to speak by raising your hand in the Zoom meeting now. When it is your turn to speak, we will admit you into the virtual room as a panelist. When I call your name, you may unmute and address the commission. Thank you. Okay. So items from the audience. I have Jack Stout. Hello, Jack. This down to my height here a little bit. Well, thank you for uh being here and all the hard work you do as a volunteer in the city for many years. I appreciate all the hard work that you do. I'm here as a member of the Kirkland Senior Council.

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