45th District Democrats: A Call for Fairness and Honest Dialogue

Chair Schrader and Board,

We understand that at your March 5th meeting, Luke Travis presented an agenda item entitled The State of Politics in Kirkland while citing his connections to Liveable Kirkland. His presentation painted a biased picture of Cherish Kirkland, a resident-led group that has grown to over 1,200 active social media users and 4,222 supporters across multiple channels—all within less than a year. This is in contrast to Liveable Kirkland, which has amassed only about 400 Facebook followers over eight years. The immense growth and engagement in Cherish Kirkland shows the interest of the local community to be heard by our elected officials. 

Cherish Kirkland formally requests the opportunity to present our perspective in the interest of fairness and transparency. We believe there is a substantial overlap in the perspectives of many in our group with the 45th and 48th district Democrats based on active comments and surveys. 

Who We Are

Cherish Kirkland is a broad coalition of homeowners, renters, business owners, and workers across all 13 neighborhoods of Kirkland. Our mission is to foster responsible and sustainable growth while ensuring infrastructure levels, safety, and quality of life remain consistent for current and future residents.

We stand for:

• Responsible Growth – We support balanced development that preserves neighborhood identity, maintains a strong sense of community, and ensures sustainable expansion. Kirkland has been recognized statewide for its leadership in middle housing policy, and in fact, HB 1110 was modeled after Kirkland’s zoning codes. This framework was developed with input from our neighborhoods, ensuring that growth aligns with the needs of our community.  Moving forward, Kirkland’s leadership role in housing policy puts us in a unique position to work alongside developers, address barriers to responsible growth, and ensure that future policies serve both new and existing residents. Instead of simply reacting to state mandates, we can refine and improve housing policies in a way that works best for Kirkland.

• Adequate Infrastructure – Growth should focus on areas with transit, scalable utilities, emergency and other wraparound services to support density. Long ago, Kirkland designated and invested in complete neighborhoods around Urban and Neighborhood Centers, where infrastructure is being optimized for anticipated and surplus growth. Many on the Planning Commission and City Council agree we should keep our eye on the ball and not squander these properly-resourced areas with blanket zoning that lacks resources or any robust/planned transit. Zoning serves a valid purpose without always being associated with bad or exclusionary practices.

• Transparent Decision-Making – All residents deserve a voice in shaping Kirkland’s future—not just those with insider access. Government’s decision-making must be truly open and inclusive, ensuring clear, transparent communication between current residents, Neighborhood Associations, local workers, and elected officials. No single group should have an outsized influence over policies that impact the entire community. Every voter and community member must have an equal say in Kirkland’s future.

Setting the Record Straight

We’ve heard that Cherish Kirkland was misrepresented in your meeting, and we’d like to address key misconceptions:

• Seattle’s Issues Are Not Fear Mongering - Kirkland is replicating and expanding upon Seattle’s failed policies, prioritizing high-density housing without the necessary infrastructure or services—all while having far less transit accessibility. Nothing is radical about wanting to avoid policies that have not only failed to solve but have actually worsened issues like traffic congestion, crime, and homelessness—problems for which Seattle has gained national recognition.  In fact, King County has the third-largest homeless population in the U.S., with an estimated 14,149 individuals experiencing homelessness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This places King County behind only New York City and Los Angeles in terms of homelessness concentration.  Now, King County is attempting to offload the consequences of its policies by imposing them on cities like Kirkland and others in the region—without addressing the root causes of failure.

• We Support Smart Transit for more residents, Not “Check-the-box”
  We do not oppose Metro’s RapidRide K Line—we support an alternative to its current draft design. As proposed, the plan displaces local businesses, takes private property, and does little to improve transit accessibility beyond existing routes. Worse, it may eliminate well-utilized Kirkland routes rather than expand service where it’s actually needed. Many of our members strongly support restoring and expanding effective transit options—especially those canceled in recent years, forcing working families to rely on second cars just to commute to Seattle. As practitioners of Middle Housing Code, we recognize the urgent need for new transit routes, particularly in high-density infill areas where parking is being reduced. That’s why Cherish Kirkland members have proposed less disruptive, more efficient routes that serve more neighborhoods while easing parking demand. A better solution is possible—one that improves mobility without unnecessary displacement.

• We Support Middle Housing— with Accountability
  Kirkland has been a leader in middle housing reform, allowing increased density long before state mandates required it. As a result, residents are already experiencing the strain on existing infrastructure. For example, individual property owners looking to add Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) or cottages to their lots face costly permitting requirements, including expensive infrastructure analyses and mitigation efforts for aging water and stormwater systems—even when their projects fall within the city’s allowable surface-area limits. What residents oppose is the City’s plan to go beyond state law—such as not counting new ADUs toward density limits, effectively increasing overall housing density without properly assessing the impact on infrastructure and livability. Even the Planning Commission and City Council recently agreed that Kirkland should not exceed state requirements at this time.

Why This Matters

The 45th District Democrats play a vital role in fostering inclusive and balanced discussions about our community’s future. Zoning decisions have long shaped neighborhoods, and a diversity of perspectives must be part of the conversation. However, recent discussions have primarily highlighted one viewpoint without providing the same opportunity for other resident-led groups to share their perspectives.

Cherish Kirkland represents thousands of residents who support thoughtful, sustainable growth, and we believe adding our voice would create a more well-rounded discussion. We encourage the LD45 Democrats Executive Committee and General Membership to provide opportunities for Cherish Kirkland to bring a broader range of perspectives, ensuring that all community voices are heard in shaping Kirkland’s future.

Sincerely,
Heather Montpas

Jill Stoddart

Cherish Kirkland