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At the end of August, Kenmore’s Financial Sustainability Plan Task Force completed months of work of considering data and public input to develop a plan to balance the City of Kenmore’s budget for the next six years. As announced in the press release sent earlier this week, the Task Force’s recommendations will be presented to the Kenmore City Council tonight, September 10, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. To view the Task Force recommendations and information on the Financial Sustainability Plan and Task Force, visit www.kenmorewa.gov/FSP. Tonight's City Council Budget Retreat agenda is available on the City's website.
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In July, the Kenmore City Council held a Public Hearing to receive public comments on preliminary recommendations for changes to the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Code. Following the Public Hearing, the Council discussed amending preliminary recommendations including reducing the allowance for the number of ADU units to only one ADU per primary single-family detached dwelling unit. The Council will continue discussion of ADU recommendations at the Council meeting on September 14, 2020 before considering adopting Ordinance 20-0510 to amend regulations. The City Council meeting agenda is available online. Additional background information about the ADU project is available on the City’s website.
Construction continues on several projects to extend the life of our infrastructure and improve walkability, safety and traffic flow through Kenmore:
- Simonds Road re-paving and ramp upgrades are complete
- Pavement sealing in Northwest, Northeast, and Arrowhead regions of Kenmore complete
- Juanita Drive NE Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Improvements are underway
- West Sammamish River Bridge Replacement project continues
Despite reduced traffic volumes, traffic disruptions are inevitable for the duration of the Juanita Drive and West Sammamish River Bridge replacement projects. Relocation of utility poles, cables, underground conduit, water and other infrastructure has been extensive for both projects and is continuing.
Looking Ahead: Due to impacts of the pandemic on construction progress, starting January 2021, the old (west) bridge will be demolished in one phase. Both northbound and southbound Juanita/68th Ave NE traffic will be reduced to one lane each direction across the river while the new bridge is built. Delays up to 30 minutes should be expected and alternate routes to avoid the area are recommended when possible. Access to the boat launch will be preserved throughout the bridge project. Thank you all for your patience while the City makes improvements that will improve safety for all users. Let’s remember to look ahead to the finished products—it will all be worth it in the end.
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The Kenmore City Council will hold a public hearing via the Zoom online platform on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. to receive citizen comment. The hearing is regarding acquiring 4.8 new acres of open space in exchange for the removal of a restrictive covenant from 1.5 acres at Squire’s Landing Park to comply with the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office Land Conversion process. One of the 2016 voter-approved Walkways and Waterways bond levy projects, the City’s Waterfront & Natural Open Space Access Project will improve public access to the Sammamish River. Of the 7.25-acre project, 1.5 acres includes improvements that support active recreation use including: the proposed parking lot, restroom, river access walkway and plaza.
City of Kenmore staff and leaders are keenly aware of the tragedies that have been happening across our country, and they are listening with open ears and hearts as protests for Black Lives Matter take place locally and around the nation.
On September 14, 2020, the Kenmore City Council will be presented with two resolutions for consideration. The first resolution directs the City Manager to create strategies for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policy for the City. The second resolution will declare racism a public health crisis.
That same evening, Chief of Police Brandon Moen will present findings and recommendations from the Obama Foundation Mayor’s Pledge process, including community listening sessions on police use of force and other policing issues.
North Sound RADAR is a collaboration between the police departments of Kenmore, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, and Kirkland. The program addresses the rights and needs of individuals with behavioral health issues and/or developmental disabilities. Using community policing strategies, the purpose is to decrease use of force incidents between police and these individuals and to reduce the repeated and inappropriate use of emergency services. More information on the program is available on the City’s website.
With the help of the Port of Seattle, the City of Kenmore is again offering a business acceleration training series tailored to our current times. This series will feature four evening online sessions starting September 16 plus pre- and post- meetings with the instructor, Corey Hansen. The class size will be limited to 10 businesses so everyone can participate in the discussions. To register and for more information, please visit kenmorewa.gov/businesstraining.
Sign up today to participate in the first ever Fly Away 5K – a new family-friendly community event presented by the City of Kenmore and the Bothell Kenmore Chamber of Commerce!
This year is a virtual event so you can run, roll or stroll on your own path, treadmill, or trail! All ages and abilities are encouraged to join in, get some fresh air and exercise, explore your neighborhoods, and post your photos online. Registration ends today so be sure to register by midnight!
Kenmore residents have done an outstanding job of responding to the 2020 U.S. Census Survey required of every resident in the nation. As of September 4, 81.7% of the City’s residents have completed the survey, ensuring both continued federal representation and access to funding for programs such as Medicaid, highways, school lunches, and much more. Census workers have until September 30, 2020 to complete the count and follow-up, so you may see them in your neighborhoods until the end of the month. If you haven’t filled out the census survey yet, it’s not too late! The easiest way to fill out the survey is online at https://2020census.gov.
The City of Kenmore and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) have an interlocal agreement that has deputized city employees to act on PSCAA’s behalf and respond to the nuisance odors.
Breathing a foul odor can be a nuisance and may be harmful to your health. If you detect a foul odor and it is impacting you at home or work, fill out an odor complaint by going to https://www.kenmorewa.gov/i-want-to/report-a-concern and follow the instructions.
In January 2020, the City Council established the goal and directed the City to create a Climate Action Plan. In the early summer, City staff presented a timeline. As of September, the City of Kenmore is in the middle of the Phase I: Conducting a greenhouse gas inventory and understanding areas where the city is producing emissions along with the community as a whole. This stage is expected to wrap up in the beginning of November. Whether to continue with future phases of a climate action plan, including funding and resources needed, will be part of the City Council’s budget discussions starting in October.
Where are all those pipes stacked up along Juanita Drive going and what are they for? Good question! The Juanita Drive project provides many visible improvements for vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders, but a lot is also happening underground and out of sight.
Currently, most of the stormwater runoff from Juanita Drive discharges directly into local creeks and Sammamish River. Stormwater runoff, particularly from roads or any surface that vehicles travel on, will pick up pollutants such as oils and sediment. Additionally, stormwater runoff will flow off these surfaces faster and in larger quantities than it would in natural predeveloped conditions, which cause erosion and degraded water quality in streams and wetlands if left unmanaged.
This project adds several drainage facilities designed to remove pollutants and control the discharge of runoff into local wetlands and streams. These improvements were made possible with a $1.5M grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology, which allowed to City to include more stormwater management in the project than would have been required otherwise.
Join us in celebrating everything Puget Sound does for this region and help protect it for future generations. Kenmore is part of a region-wide initiative to raise awareness for the environmental impacts Puget Sound faces. All of Kenmore’s streams, Sammamish River, and Lake Washington eventually connect to Puget Sound multiplying local impacts as the water travels downstream. Every small action adds up to make a huge difference! Learn more about what you can do throughout the month on the Puget Sound Starts Here website and Facebook page.
Find out more about upcoming events here.
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