OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Public Hearing on JBD 4 and North Juanita Center Zoning Amendments - June 12, 2025

Planning Commission — Thursday, June 12, 2025
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, June 12, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:53:49

Transcript — Verbatim
0:55

This meeting of the Kirkland Planning Commission is called order.

0:58

Let's start with a roll call.

1:00

Aaron Jacobson.

1:02

Here.

1:02

Gina Medea.

1:03

Here.

1:04

Julia Nolan.

1:05

Here.

1:05

Uh Ricer.

1:06

Here.

1:07

Angela Rosman.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Here.

1:10

Redney Red's Refrain.

1:11

Here.

1:14

Let's make sure there are technical.

1:16

Okay.

1:17

All right.

1:17

Okay.

1:18

We're technically better now.

1:19

And with a majority of commissioners present, we have a quorum and may conduct business.

1:25

The next item is, I believe, uh comments from the audience.

1:29

Um this is uh uh the portion of the meeting where we hear from the public about items that are not scheduled for public hearing tonight.

1:39

Tonight's public hearing is about proposed code amendments for two sites in the WANITA.

1:44

Uh if you would like to address the commission at this time, not about the public hearing, then please raise your hand uh or do we have a sign in raise your hand if you're remote.

1:53

Click the raise hand button.

1:54

Do we have a sign-in sheet for yes?

1:57

No one has signed up on this.

1:58

No one's signed up.

2:00

Okay.

2:01

And I do not see any hands raised at this time for the virtual audience.

2:10

So um I will move on for now and I'll give the remainder of uh uh the introduction for public comment uh when we get to that point, which is coming up quickly because next slide one on the next item on the agenda is special presentations.

2:24

There is none.

2:25

Um then we're on to the public hearing.

2:28

So uh I'd like to ask staff to go ahead and should I go ahead and open the public hearing at this time?

2:35

Yes, please.

2:36

All right, we open the public hearing uh for uh JBD for zoning code amendments and uh the North Winita Center zoning code amendments.

2:47

Please go ahead.

2:48

Thank you, Mr.

2:49

Chair.

2:49

So um planning commission tonight.

2:52

We have the public hearing for the zoning code amendments.

2:54

You've discussed these several times at previous meetings.

2:57

The last time you talked about this was back in uh I think it was April, um, and you had quite an extended discussion about these.

3:04

Um we were able to garner some sort of consensus around certain items, and then you asked us to bring other items forward as options.

3:11

And so with that, Leander's gonna give you an overview of the draft code amendments and your packet.

3:17

Thank you.

3:18

Good evening, uh Commission and attendees.

3:23

My name is Leandra Baker Lewis.

3:24

I'm a senior planner with the planning and building department, and I will be here tonight to give the staff presentation ahead of the public um testimony portion of the public hearing.

3:37

Excited to be here tonight.

3:39

Um just making sure okay.

3:45

Thanks for bearing with us.

3:47

So for the agenda, I plan to give a a pre a pretty brief staff presentation, go over some of the um updates to the draft code that you'll see in your packet.

3:58

We will then um ask the commission if there are any questions before moving on to public testimony.

4:05

After public testimony, there will be a separate portion of the meeting for deliberation, and if the planning commission feels uh ready to make a recommendation, that will be the the final step.

4:20

All right, so this um is where it all started.

4:24

So the property owners for two sites in Juanita had submitted requests for zoning changes during the 2023-2024 update to the comprehensive plan, and that also included the Juanita neighborhood plan update.

4:38

Um the requests were to amend the zoning code to allow for uh residential capacity increase at their properties in order to eventually design and build more housing, specifically multifamily housing, uh, which is uh a limited resource, both locally, regionally, and even nationally.

5:00

The Juanita Neighborhood Plan identifies these sites as locations that are appropriate and suitable for more housing opportunities as they were within both of Juanita's neighborhood centers and have access to goods services and other amenities more so than parts of this other parts of the city.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning And Zoning████████████████████████████████████████40%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Procedural██████████████14%
Zoning Regulations██████████10%
Transportation███████7%
Transportation Safety███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Environmental Protection██2%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland Planning Commission Public Hearing on JBD 4 and North Juanita Center Zoning Amendments - June 12, 2025

The Kirkland Planning Commission held a public hearing on June 12, 2025, to consider zoning code amendments for the JBD 4 Zone (Michaels site) and BC 1 Zone (North Juanita Center/Goodwill site). These amendments aim to increase housing capacity and public benefits. The meeting included staff presentations, public testimony, and commission deliberation resulting in a series of votes and recommendations.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Carl Pettersson (property owner, Michaels site): Described existing conditions and requested 75’ building height for feasibility. Noted that if redevelopment fails, he plans a 20-year lease extension.
  • Jessica Roe (land use attorney, Michaels site): Supported staff recommendation but urged clarity that pedestrian connection not reduce developable area; recommended 80% AMI for larger affordable units.
  • Meredith Everist (Ballis Architects): Commented on wetlands, buffers, and setbacks.
  • Jeff Schramm (transportation engineer): Presented traffic data showing redevelopment could be a net wash in daily trips.
  • Jeremy Eckert (land use counsel, Goodwill site): Advocated for allowing townhomes as independent use to ensure feasibility; opposed minimum density requirements.
  • Lauren Hall-Stigerts (resident): Strong support for redevelopment, improved pedestrian/bike infrastructure, and reduced parking.
  • Kate Conant (resident): Supported park-to-park pedestrian easement.
  • Katie Gibbons (resident): Supported housing and pedestrian easement.
  • Sushmita Srikant (resident): Expressed concerns about traffic, parking, and asked for a balanced community-centered approach.
  • Kyle Sullivan (resident): Supported affordable housing, density in neighborhood centers, and lower parking minimums.
  • Debbie Lacy (resident, Eastside for All): Supported multifamily housing and development exceeding minimum affordability requirements.
  • Luke Travis (resident): Supported staff recommendation, higher height/density, and reduced parking.
  • Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju (resident): Strong support but concerned about traffic infrastructure and pedestrian safety.
  • James Kosalos (resident): Suggested either turning sites into parks or maximizing affordable housing; cited traffic concerns.
  • Liz Hunt (resident): Supported redevelopment but questioned whether public benefits are sufficient for the upzone value.
  • Alison Warner (Balboa, Goodwill site): Supported staff recommendation and allowing townhomes on west portion for flexibility.
  • Ben Gross (resident): Concerned about traffic study timing and thresholds; supported Goodwill redevelopment but worried about congestion.

Discussion Items

  • Staff presented draft code amendments, including development standards, alternative options (townhome allowance, minimum density, affordable housing flexibility, high performance building standards), and transportation concurrency processes.
  • Commissioners debated height limits, parking requirements, design review process, affordable housing flexibility, and the pedestrian easement.
  • A motion to require High Performance Building Standards was withdrawn after clarification that the draft does not require them.
  • A motion to amend the pedestrian easement language to allow location within a critical area buffer passed 6-0, with direction to staff to work with the applicant on cost considerations.
  • A motion to require Design Review Board (DRB) review instead of administrative review failed 2-3 (1 abstention).
  • A motion to reduce building height to 52 feet failed 2-4.
  • A motion to delay implementation of SB 5184 parking reductions failed 2-4.
  • A motion to add inclusionary zoning flexibility for rent-occupied units (80% AMI for 2+ bedroom units, with equivalency ratios) passed 6-0.
  • A motion to allow staff to adjust design guideline language passed 6-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to approve JBD 4 (Chapter 52) zoning code amendments as drafted with amendments: Passed 4-1-1 (4 yes, 1 no, 1 abstention). The amendments included revised pedestrian easement language and direction to staff on construction cost considerations.
  • Motion to approve BC 1 (Chapter 35) zoning code amendments as drafted: Passed 6-0. This includes allowing townhomes as independent use (Option 3) and no minimum density requirement (Option 3), with staff to refine the minimum parcel size threshold.
  • Motion to approve miscellaneous code amendments (Chapters 5, 92, 105, 112, 180) as drafted with affordable housing flexibility amendment: Passed 6-0. The amendment adds KZC 112.20.3 allowing 80% AMI for renter-occupied 2+ bedroom units in JBD 4 and BC 1 zones where max height is 75 feet, with exchange ratios for 50% AMI units.
  • Motion to approve design guideline amendments (pedestrian-oriented business districts) with staff flexibility: Passed 6-0.
  • The June 26, 2025 meeting was cancelled due to anticipated absences; next meeting scheduled for July 10, 2025.
  • The Commission’s recommendation on middle housing code amendments will be considered by City Council on June 17, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

This meeting of the Kirkland Planning Commission is called order. Let's start with a roll call. Aaron Jacobson. Here. Gina Medea. Here. Julia Nolan. Here. Uh Ricer. Here. Angela Rosman. Here. Here. Redney Red's Refrain. Here. Let's make sure there are technical. Okay. All right. Okay. We're technically better now. And with a majority of commissioners present, we have a quorum and may conduct business. The next item is, I believe, uh comments from the audience. Um this is uh uh the portion of the meeting where we hear from the public about items that are not scheduled for public hearing tonight. Tonight's public hearing is about proposed code amendments for two sites in the WANITA. Uh if you would like to address the commission at this time, not about the public hearing, then please raise your hand uh or do we have a sign in raise your hand if you're remote. Click the raise hand button. Do we have a sign-in sheet for yes? No one has signed up on this. No one's signed up. Okay. And I do not see any hands raised at this time for the virtual audience. So um I will move on for now and I'll give the remainder of uh uh the introduction for public comment uh when we get to that point, which is coming up quickly because next slide one on the next item on the agenda is special presentations. There is none. Um then we're on to the public hearing. So uh I'd like to ask staff to go ahead and should I go ahead and open the public hearing at this time? Yes, please. All right, we open the public hearing uh for uh JBD for zoning code amendments and uh the North Winita Center zoning code amendments. Please go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So um planning commission tonight. We have the public hearing for the zoning code amendments. You've discussed these several times at previous meetings. The last time you talked about this was back in uh I think it was April, um, and you had quite an extended discussion about these. Um we were able to garner some sort of consensus around certain items, and then you asked us to bring other items forward as options. And so with that, Leander's gonna give you an overview of the draft code amendments and your packet. Thank you. Good evening, uh Commission and attendees. My name is Leandra Baker Lewis. I'm a senior planner with the planning and building department, and I will be here tonight to give the staff presentation ahead of the public um testimony portion of the public hearing.

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