The Kirkland City Council met on September 6, 2022, in a hybrid meeting. Here’s a brief overview of some of the items from the meeting:
Resolution R-5434 Two-Year Review – The Council received a two-year review of the City’s progress implementing Resolution R-5434 and agreed with the staff recommendation to remove the standing Resolution R-5434 update under “Item 7. Special Presentations” from the Council meeting agenda. Updates and actions related to R-5434 will occur as part of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging 5-Year Equity Roadmap as described at the end of the memo.
Kirkland Community Biennial Survey Results – The Council received and discussed the results of the biennial community survey conducted by EMC Research and the online version of the same survey published by the City. The City conducts a community survey every other year to gauge resident satisfaction with City services and to help establish priorities for the biennial budget.
Public Hearing – The Council held a public hearing on the proposed Planned Action Ordinance for Google’s development of an office campus on the Lee Johnson site within the NE 85th St Station Area. Following the public hearing, the Council adopted Ordinance O-4809.
Prior to the above business agenda, the Council held a Study Session starting at 5:30 p.m., where they discussed three different topics:
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Solid Waste reserve policy options.
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Current and proposed alternative methodology to calculate water, sewer, and surface water capital facility charges.
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An overview of the 2023 Draft Surface Water Master Plan and the future level of service for the Surface Water Utility.
How to watch: Kirkland City Council meetings are streamed live and can be watched after the fact on the City of Kirkland Facebook page and the City YouTube channel, in addition to the livestream on the City website. Please note that this meeting was not streamed to YouTube due to a technical error. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.
To watch the Council discussions on the specific agenda items outlined above, visit the City’s website. The full agenda packet with information on each item is located on the City’s website.
The next regular City Council meeting is on September 20, 2022.
Kirkland’s Draft Surface Water Master Plan is now available. Are you interested in protecting creeks and wetlands for our local fish and wildlife? Do you want to ensure that pollutants stay out of our local waterways? Are you concerned about flooding issues in Kirkland? Then we want your input.
The Surface Water Master Plan is a five to ten-year strategic plan for managing storm and surface water in Kirkland. The plan was last updated in 2014 and is being updated to reflect current community, environmental, and infrastructure needs.
For more information about the Surface Water Master Plan and to explore the plan visit www.kirklandwa.gov/SWMP.
City Hall for All: Kirkland through the Eyes of the Community
Everyone is invited to join Kirkland’s City Hall for All 2022 on September 17, 2022, starting at 10 a.m. and be part of creating a more equitable community where everyone has a sense of belonging. This virtual event features three facilitated discussions to reflect on the community we aspire to become and how to achieve that vision. Read more on the City’s website.
Town Hall on October 3 to Discuss a Potential $20 Car Tab Fee
The Kirkland City Council seeks to accelerate Safer Routes to School and Active Transportation investments and is considering implementing a $20 vehicle licensing fee (car tab) to pay for the 45 highest priority projects identified in the City’s Safer Routes to School Action Plans and Active Transportation Plan. Those projects would make walking and bicycling around Kirkland's 15 elementary schools and its business districts safer for students, families and workers. Read more and register on the City’s website.
With the start of the new school year, we’re all getting back to our familiar (almost) fall routines. For drivers, that means slowing down and paying attention – especially before and after school. Here are some safety tips for sharing the road from the National Safety Council:
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When dropping off, follow your school’s procedures; don't double park - it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles
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Don't block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light, forcing kids to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic
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In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to kids crossing the intersection
- Always stop for a crossing guard holding up a stop sign
Sharing the Road with School Buses
If you're driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.
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Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if you're on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children
- If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop on undivided roads
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The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus
One more reminder: speed enforcement cameras are now back on in two Kirkland school zones - John Muir Elementary/Kamiakin Middle School and Rose Hill Elementary. Photo enforcement cameras operate 30 minutes before and after the start of school and 30 minutes before and after the end of school (based on individual school start and stop times). Be safe out there!
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On August 3, the Kirkland City Council adopted legislation concerning tenant protections that seeks to balance tenant and landlord interests and was designed based on feedback from both tenant and landlord groups. This new ordinance goes into effect on September 17, 2022.
To read the key provisions of the new tenant protections, and for more information, visit the City’s website.
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As part of ongoing construction, WSDOT will shift traffic lanes and sidewalks along Northeast 132nd Street, 116th Avenue Northeast, and Totem Lake Boulevard Northeast. This shift will take place as early as Monday, Sept. 19 and will allow crews to safely establish new work zones and move into the next phase of construction.
To learn more about these traffic changes, upcoming work, and ask questions of the project team, please join WSDOT'S online project update meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be held online via Zoom.
Summary of traffic changes:
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Traffic lanes and sidewalks along Northeast 132nd Street will be shifted north; eastbound and westbound travel on Northeast 132nd Street will be maintained.
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No left turns will be permitted from eastbound Northeast 132nd Street onto northbound 116th Avenue Northeast.
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No left turns will be permitted from westbound Northeast 132nd Street onto southbound 116th Way Northeast.
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Travel lanes in the work zone along 116th Avenue Northeast will be shifted west.
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Travel lanes along Totem Lake Boulevard Northeast near the intersection with Northeast 132nd Street will be shifted west.
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Sidewalks will be accessible on the north side of Northeast 132nd Street, on the eastside of 116th Way Northeast, and on the east side of Totem Lake Boulevard Northeast.
Construction will continue to occur primarily on weekdays during daytime hours but may include nighttime and weekend work when necessary. Nighttime and weekend full closures of local streets within the project area could occur during construction with detours and potential delays.
For any questions, please call the WSDOT hotline at 425-224-2433.
Do you like working with kids? Want to be a part of dynamic and fun team as you supervise children in a variety of after-school camp activities? Apply to be a City of Kirkland After School Camp Leader or Director. The After School program is located at Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Ave.
This camp will host up to 25 campers daily and cater to children in grades K-5. Spend time outdoors (weather permitting) playing games, going on walks, doing arts and crafts, helping with homework, and having fun!
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The blood supply to local hospitals is running on fumes.
Bloodworks Northwest is calling on our community to pump up the blood supply by donating at their upcoming Kirkland Pop Up Blood Drive. Start to finish, it only takes an hour to save a life! Join Bloodworks September 14-16 at Keller Williams Eastside Realty. Type O blood is dangerously low and is the type most needed in trauma emergencies. Volunteer donors are the only source of blood. Please arrive to your appointment with photo ID and wearing a face mask.
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Northeast 124th Street – Juanita
Night construction resumes on 116th Avenue Northeast at Northeast 124th Street, where a Kirkland project to improve traffic flow at the intersection has been in suspension waiting on franchise utility work to be complete.
Interwest Construction is working from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday to create a new southbound right-turn lane from 116th Avenue Northeast onto Northeast 124th Street. The contractor is also building a wide sidewalk with street trees and street lighting along the northwest side of 116th Avenue Northeast.
Northeast 124th Street – Totem Lake
Kirkland’s Totem Lake Connector contractor is closing Northeast 124th Street between 120th Place Northeast and 124th Avenue Northeast from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 while its crews mount a deck span on the bridge.
Lakeview Drive – Lakeview
Kirkland’s 2022 street paving contractor is maintaining intermittent lane-closures on Lakeview Drive between its intersections with Lake Washington Boulevard and Northeast 64th Street.
Watson Asphalt is repairing damaged curbs and upgrading curb ramps that are out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Northeast 132nd Street at I-405 – Juanita/Kingsgate
Drivers continue to encounter traffic control that has been in place since last Winter as the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) contractor completes the first phase of major construction for this project. Drivers and pedestrians should be aware that the upcoming shift in travel lanes and sidewalk closures may begin as early as September 19, 2022.
WSDOT is building a new on-ramp for northbound Interstate 405 traffic and a new off-ramp for the interstate’s southbound traffic. The project will enhance sidewalks and bicycle lanes and will create roundabouts at the ramps’ Northeast 132nd Street intersection.
For questions about this traffic control or this project, call WSDOT’s project hotline at 425-224-2433, or join the online project update on September 21.
Main Street – Moss Bay/downtown
The City of Kirkland has approved private construction road closures at two locations near downtown, Main street from Central Way, and Lake Street South from Kirkland Avenue to 2nd Avenue South.
The Main Street closure will install new fire service to a commercial building, and is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, September 12 to Friday, September 16.
The Lake Street South closure will remove the crane from a commercial construction site this weekend, beginning Saturday, September 10 at 7 a.m. through Sunday, September 11 at 8 p.m.
Juanita Welcome Event 2022
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Location: Edith Moulton Park, 108th Ave NE and NE 137th Place
Welcome to Juanita! Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion in Kirkland. Free food from local restaurants plus entertainment, games, prizes, and community business information. No registration required. More information can be found at Juanita Neighborhood Association.
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Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Location: Peter Kirk Pool
Kirkland Parks and Community Services is hosting “See Spot Splash” on Saturday to celebrate the end of the season at the pool.
With the exception of the 10 a.m. session for small dogs only, dogs of all sizes are welcome. Dogs will get to enjoy the main, large pool and a wading pool. Community members are encouraged to register their dogs in advance, as space is limited. Drop-ins will also be allowed, as space accommodates. Cost is $10 per dog per session.
At the event, come meet Kirkland’s Animal Control Officer Hunter Woldseth! He'll be on hand to help pet owners sign up to license their pets. Did you know - if properly licensed, lost pets can be easily identified by their license number, and Hunter can give them a free ride home! Hunter will be under the tent right next to event Check-in/Registration.
For more information, and to register, visit the event page.
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Branching Out – Choosing the Right Tree for your Yard
Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Are you looking to mix it up in your yard this Fall?
Branch out in your landscape by planting a new tree!
Join us for a FREE online class all about planting just the right tree for your yard. Our experts from Tilth Alliance will teach you how to choose the right tree for the right place, and how to plant it properly so it survives and thrives for years to come.
Learn more and register on the event page.
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Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Location: Virtual on Zoom
Cascade Gardener Presents Prepping for an Autumn Food Garden with Emily Bishton. Just as the late-summer harvest of tomatoes and other heat-loving crops is a huge payoff for your good garden preparations in spring, autumn is the perfect time to begin the next steps for many more bountiful harvests! This class will cover how to sow-and-grow fall and winter crops, ways to renew and protect your garden soil during the rainy season, troubleshoot any problem areas and decide on changes to make, how to choose and plant dwarf fruit trees and berry bushes that are pest-and-disease-resistant in our climate, and how to start a home composting system that fits your garden and lifestyle and creates the best garden gold for your soil's health for years to come.
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