  Photo at Log Boom Park by Jason Sperling
A message from Kenmore City Manager Rob Karlinsey
You might want to sit up and pay attention.
The City Council wants to engage you and your neighbors on an ambitious list of hot topics that directly affect you. The City is not resting on idle. We want you to jump in, buckle up, and go on this ride with us starting now. Here are some of the hot topic conversations we are having:
- Affordable Housing
- Imagine Housing/Habitat for Humanity affordable housing proposal on 181st Street
- Human Services Needs Assessment
- “The Docket”: State-mandated middle housing regulations, elements of the comprehensive plan, more tree protection regulations, and more.
- Love Where You Live Community Engagement Project
- Lakepointe
- Downtown
- Financial Sustainability Plan
- 2025-2026 Two-Year Budget
- Capital Projects
- Public Works Operations Center
- Climate Action Plan
- DEIA Strategic Plan and Five-Year Roadmap
Do we have your attention? Read more here to dig deeper into each of these hot topics.
2 Community Workshops Down, 2 to Go
Recently, the City of Kenmore hosted two community workshops as part of The Love Where You Live Project (LWYL) community engagement effort. Participants at the workshops used their hands and imaginations to help build the future of downtown and share ideas about the Lakepointe property. Thank you to all of the community members who attended and provided input.
There are still two workshops left and we want to hear from you!
These events are family-friendly, drop-in style workshops that are open to everyone.
- Saturday, March 9: The Hangar in Town Square from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
-
Wednesday, March 13: Moorlands Elementary Gymnasium from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
More work being done on top two themes of Community Spaces and Economic Development:
Given the public’s interest in the two main themes of Community Spaces and Economic Development (heard through the first phase of LWYL engagement) and the City Council’s matching priorities in economic development and downtown, in early March, a panel of experts from the Urban Land Institute will examine Kenmore’s downtown and its possibilities during a two day workshop with local business owners.
With similar public and City Council interest in the Lakepointe property, City staff recently applied for a King County Conservation Futures grant that would help the City acquire the shoreline, including a 100-150 foot wide buffer, around the Lakepointe property. This grant application is a placeholder pending what public input comes out of phase 2 of LWYL. See the Lakepointe webpage for updated FAQs or the new Lakepointe FAQ handout for more information.
Visit kenmorewa.gov/lovewhereyoulive for more information or to share your ideas virtually.
At the February 12 City Council meeting, EMC Research presented its report on a statistically valid survey it conducted on registered voters in mid December. Affordable housing was the most frequent top of mind issue for respondents. The survey results show that Kenmore residents remain optimistic about the direction of the city and most rate City government positively. Maintaining public safety and infrastructure and bringing more businesses to Kenmore were also top priorities among respondents. When asked about parks and recreation opportunities, improving public access to the water, restoring fish and wildlife habitat, and providing more nature paths and trails were the three top rated requests.
This survey is part of the larger “Love Where You Live” community engagement project that has been going on since last year. The City will be conducting another survey in the next month or so, drilling down further into topics such as affordable housing, the City’s financial sustainability, and Lakepointe.
View the full survey results and watch the discussion at the February 12 City Council meeting for more information.
|
Planning for Kenmore’s financial future is underway with the 2024 Financial Sustainability Plan. Due to the state-imposed 1% limit on property tax growth, high inflation, relatively flat growth in other revenues, unfunded state and federal mandates, and other factors, the City’s operating revenues are not keeping pace with the cost of doing business. As a result, the City of Kenmore faces an upcoming structural deficit in its operating budget (General Fund and Street Fund) and will need to revise the Financial Sustainability Plan that was adopted in 2020.
To address these concerns, the City has mobilized a Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP) Task Force of nine community members to serve from January 2024 to April 2024. The Task Force is an advisory body that meets twice per month for four months. The first two months were spent on learning about the City’s finances and operations as well as analysis. The second two months will be spent deliberating and creating the next Financial Sustainability Plan.
How You Can Participate:
There will be opportunities for public feedback and community engagement during the four months, including:
- An interactive webpage with project information and opportunities to ask questions, follow discussions, and provide input using Balancing Act, an interactive budget simulator tool to help prioritize how revenues are spent. This webpage will be up and running in the coming weeks so stay tuned at kenmorewa.gov/fsp.
- An in-person Town Hall meeting at City Hall on April 3 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
This work is about your city budget and community. Please see the website for more information including the meeting agendas and minutes, as well as opportunities to participate, learn more and share your thoughts. You can also email your comments and hopes for Kenmore’s financial future to fsptaskforce@kenmorewa.gov. Your input is encouraged and welcome.
On February 26, the City Council authorized an extension of the contract with Lake City Partners Ending Homelessness (LCPEH) for homelessness outreach services through the end of 2024. LCPEH will continue to provide outreach services to the unhoused residents of Kenmore, including weekly office hours at the Kenmore Library on Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. In 2022, the City Council authorized a pilot program that was made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act; a homelessness response pilot program was the top vote-getter in earlier community engagement efforts. This 10-month extension will run through December 31, 2024 and will maintain the same level of service at a lower cost than the earlier contract. Members of the public are invited to reach out to the LCPEH outreach specialists if they encounter unhoused residents in need of assistance; their contact information is:
|
 |
|
The City of Kenmore is excited to introduce “Let’s Talk Kenmore", a lighthearted podcast aimed at connecting citizens to their local government and demystifying the role of government in the city of Kenmore. The podcast is hosted by Amber Clifton and covers a variety of topics. Listen now on the City's website or Youtube channel and stay tuned as new episodes will be added regularly. Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here. |
The right-turn slip-lane for eastbound drivers on 193rd Street turning south onto 61st Avenue will remain permanently closed. Why? The lane was first closed as part of the fish-friendly culvert construction being completed near the intersection. The right-turn slip-lane is directly associated with at least a third of the crashes occurring at that intersection, including at least one reported bicycle crash and six reported injury crashes in the past ten years. Currently, the slip lane is closed using temporary barricades; the temporary closure barricades will be replaced with more permanent barricades at a later date. This change will result in additional delay for drivers traveling east on 193rd Street; however, closing this slip lane also offers a substantial safety benefit for all road users, and will greatly reduce the risk of future crash injuries occurring at this location. Since the slip-lane was closed in July 2023, zero crashes related to right-turning vehicles have occurred, and crashes for the intersection as a whole have decreased by 70%.
|
The Kenmore Farmers Market is returning for a 3rd season this summer! We are looking forward to welcoming back our returning vendors and are currently recruiting for new market vendors for the 2024 season. Applications are currently being accepted for growers, bakers, food processors, food trucks, and crafters to join our vibrant summer market.
Businesses can help provide great community programming and market to thousands of people through a special events sponsorship. Sponsoring special events gives businesses the opportunity to:
- Stand out as a local business in a creative and engaging way
- Make community connections through in-person and digital outreach
- Target your specific audience with custom sponsorship packages
- Be a partner with the City and promote your community events and specials through City communications channels.
Sponsorship packages are available in a variety of price ranges.
Make your voice heard on affordable housing funding and programs by joining the ARCH Community Advisory Board (CAB). The CAB consists of twelve to fifteen community residents and housing professionals that work with ARCH staff to evaluate local housing funding proposals and increase awareness of housing issues on the Eastside. Board members contribute their understanding of housing and community issues, as well as certain specialized perspectives including real estate, housing development, planning, finance, assisting persons with low income or special needs, faith community, racial diversity, architecture, and residents of affordable housing. The CAB also strives to be representative of the Eastside communities that make up ARCH. The CAB typically meets the fourth Wednesday evening of each month for two hours. CAB meetings currently have a virtual and in-person option at Together Center in Redmond.
|
Visit the City calendar to see more events here.
|
