There is no vote!

Residents of Kirkland do not have the opportunity to vote on this comprehensive plan proposal. It is crucial to make your opinions known! The decision to implement this high-density zoning following the approval of the comprehensive plan's "frequent transit corridors" will be at the sole discretion of Kirkland's City Council.

The "frequent transit corridor" proposal as part of the comprehensive plan is set for City Council approval and adoption at their meeting on December 10, 2024.

Upon adoption by the Council, the Comprehensive Plan will necessitate updates to city zoning codes to align with these high-density growth objectives (zoning changes are also not voted on by the public). City officials have discussed allowing building heights of 4-6 stories, potentially up to 200 units an acre of housing density, reducing parking requirements, and easing setback minimums.

If the Comprehensive Plan is adopted as currently written, developers will soon be able to build large apartment buildings in most of Kirkland's residential neighborhoods, including large parts of Bridle Trails, South Rose Hill, North Rose Hill, the Highlands, Norkirk, Juanita, and virtually all of Totem Lake, Moss Bay, Everest, Lakeview, Central Houghton, and Market. To learn more directly from the City, explore the land use section of the Comprehensive Plan and presentations from City staff at the link here.

Cherish Kirkland supporters are showing up at City Council and Planning Commission meetings to make our presence and opinions known. Please join us! You can speak at open mic, or just be present in the audience. It is energizing to meet other neighbors and see your government in action.

Cherish Kirkland supporters will be wearing blue to help visually show our numbers.

Below is a list of important dates. All take place at Kirkland City Hall. We hope to see you there!

• Thurs. August 22 at 6:00 p.m. | Planning Meeting

• Tues. September 3 at 7:30 p.m. | Council Meeting

• Thurs. September 12 at 6:00 p.m. | Planning Meeting

• Tues. September 17 at 7:30 p.m. | Council Meeting

• Thurs. September 26 at 6:00 p.m. | Planning Meeting

• December 10 at 7:30 p.m. | Council Meeting (Comprehensive Plan set for approval)

• This high-density development is excessive based on state growth requirements for Kirkland. The City is already projected to have a surplus capacity of 6,234 housing units above the state-mandated targets by 2044.

• The minimal parking requirements in the proposal are unrealistic. Without adequate parking, overflow parking will spill onto residential streets, hindering emergency vehicle access, reducing pedestrian safety, and impairing visibility. Expecting new residents to rely on public transit is impractical given that many of these neighborhoods lack convenient access to daily services (like grocery stores) and have very low public transit adoption rates among current residents.

• Our city's border on Lake Washington reduces our ability to add more ingress and egress points, and many of our access roads in and out of the city already experience significant congestion during peak travel times.

• Increased high-density housing will significantly worsen traffic congestion throughout Kirkland. This will lengthen commute times. Increased traffic will also push drivers to cut through residential streets to avoid clogged arterials, making our neighborhoods less safe.

• There has been little information shared with the public on how existing infrastructure will scale to meet the demands of increased housing. Drastically increasing housing units without also developing necessary infrastructure will strain our water, electricity, and sewage services.

• Other areas of Kirkland are better suited for high-density housing thanks to their close proximity to freeways, public transit hubs, and grocery stores, and their ability to include needed services if they build from the ground up.

A "transit corridor" appears to be any area identified by City staff as having public transit. They believe that the bus lines along these (mostly one-lane in each direction) roads are sufficient to support large increases in density. The City is currently looking at designating seven separate areas as "transit corridors" in Kirkland.

King County Metro and Sound Transit, the entities responsible for providing transit lines to the area, have not indicated that Kirkland is a priority when it comes to increasing or improving existing transit services.

1. The Draft EIS considers zoning for 100 units per acre within transit corridors, which could easily support a 4-story building. During meetings, the Planning Commission has verbally suggested that the City should aim for 200 units per acre, with staff confirming that 100 units per acre is intended as an average. (A video of Angela Rozman from the Planning Commission discussing 200 units can be found on our Facebook group.) At 200 units per acre, buildings could easily be 6-stories.

2. You can visualize density with this resource: MRSC - Visualizing Compatible Density.

3. “Six-Stories” written into City Draft Documents (please note, the dates in the memos don't match the title of each memo. Don't ask us why - that's how the City does it!):

   The February 22, 2024, Housing Goals and Policy Memo introduced the following policy: “Policy H-1.#O: Increase housing diversity, including more family-sized 3+ bedroom multi-unit housing, and capacity near transit and employment by adjusting zoning to support additional residential intensity and local building code standards that support residential buildings up to six stories served by single exit stairways.”

   This policy was also in the City’s March 5th and March 28th Housing Memos as Policy H-1#O.

4. The City removed the six-story reference in the April Draft Housing Element. However, In the August 8th Housing Memorandum, this policy was replaced with: "Policy H-1.10 – Maximize the efficient use of residential land near transit with transit-supportive residential intensities, development standards, and infrastructure improvements appropriate for more urbanized infill development patterns."

   The latest housing element omits height limits but continues to advocate for high-density development near transit. What is a transit corridor if not "near transit"? Despite the vague language in the latest documents, the City has repeatedly indicated a willingness to allow 4 to 6-story buildings in transit corridors and has yet to explicitly document otherwise.

Great question! The City of Kirkland spent many years and millions of taxpayer dollars rezoning the area near 85th Street and 405. This is known as the "Station Area Plan.” Why doesn't Kirkland wait and see how the increased density at that site impacts traffic, infrastructure, and transit routes before deciding to rezone huge swaths of our residential neighborhoods?

Yes! There is plenty of development happening in Kirkland!

The City of Kirkland has extensive information on House Bill 1110 (HB 1110), which is "intended to increase middle housing (i.e., more compact and affordable housing, including duplexes, triplexes, cottages, and accessory dwelling units [ADUs]) in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing."

Find more information on the City's website here (source for the text above).

This type of density is mostly already allowed by Kirkland's current zoning code.

Glad you asked! The following information is directly quoted from the May 3, 2024, Council Retreat Notes:

• Par Mac Business Park (Totem Lake): greater permitted density and height to accommodate up to 1,200 units of housing and up to 30,000 square feet of commercial space;

• Totem Lake Southern Industrial Commercial Subarea: changes to enable increases in capacity for housing units and commercial space;

• Goodwill Site (Juanita): greater permitted density and height to accommodate up to 600 units of housing and up to 15,000 square feet of commercial space;

• Michael’s Site (Juanita): greater permitted density and height (from 26 feet to 70 feet) to accommodate up to 350 units of housing and commercial space.

Drop us a line in the Cherish Kirkland Facebook group and we'll try to answer them!