The next meeting of the Kirkland City Council is on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. This will be a hybrid meeting, and community members are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via Zoom. Limited socially distant seating will be available in the Council Chamber, as well as some limited overflow seating.
Here’s a brief overview of some of the items on the Business Agenda for the September 20, 2022, Council meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m.:
Kirkland Municipal Court Update – Municipal Court Judge John Olson will provide an overview of the structure of the Kirkland Municipal Court, discussion of the impacts of the pandemic on operations, and information on Community Court.
Closure Options for Kirkland Ave & Lake Street Intersection Improvements – The City Council will receive information about options for roadway closures necessary for the construction of the Kirkland Avenue/Lake Street Intersection Improvements Project. The Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street Intersection Improvements project will improve safety, reduce pedestrian crossing times, implement a “pedestrian scramble phase,” improve sight distance for vehicles, and enhance surface water facilities. At the meeting, Council will provide direction to staff on a preferred traffic control option.
Station Area Plan Planning Process, Phase 2 Deliverables and Schedule – The Council will receive a briefing on the remaining Station Area Plan planning process. The City began the planning process on the Station Area Plan in 2019. With input from the community, and elected and appointed officials, several planning phases of the project have been completed. The briefing on September 20 will include a summary of the decisions made and work completed in Phase 1, as well as an overview of Phase 2 deliverables and schedule.
Houghton Community Council Sunsetting Phase 2 Code Amendments – The Council will consider adopting two ordinances that would amend various sections of the Kirkland Zoning Code and Kirkland Municipal Code. The ordinances reflect the necessary procedural and regulatory code amendments to eliminate references to the former Houghton Community Municipal Corporation (HCMC) and Houghton Community Council and achieve regulatory consistency between the former HCMC area and the rest of the City.
Prior to the above business agenda, the Council will also hold a Study Session starting at 5:30 p.m., where they will discuss:
Study Session: Regional Community Mobile Crisis Response – The City Council will consider a draft interlocal agreement and articles of incorporation to form a new, regional Community Mobile Crisis Response (CMCR) Agency. If adopted, the City would become a member of a separate legal entity that would merge the RADAR Navigator program with Kirkland’s Community Responder program to provide community crisis response services to the cities of Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline.
Meeting details: The business meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is preceded by a 5:30 p.m. study session. The agenda for the September 20 meeting will be available on the City website prior to the meeting on the Kirkland City Council agendas webpage. You can also receive meeting agendas in your inbox by subscribing to “City Council Agendas” on the Kirkland email lists subscription page.
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. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.
How to participate: Members of the public wishing to address the Council may do so in-person or via Zoom during the “Items from the Audience” part of the agenda. That part of the agenda occurs at the beginning of the Council’s business meeting at 7:30 p.m. Information on the comment sign up process to provide comment to the City Council, and on attending the meeting virtually, is available on the City Council webpage.
Written comments can also be submitted to CityCouncil@kirklandwa.gov. For additional questions, please call the City Clerk’s Office at (425) 587-3190.
Town Hall on October 3 to Discuss Accelerating Safer Routes to School with 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.
Kirkland’s Draft Surface Water Master Plan is now available.
Two weeks left to provide your feedback! 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.
Wondering what's going on in your neighborhood?
Kirkland Neighborhood Associations are your connection to sustaining and improving the sense of community that Kirklanders enjoy. Your association represents your neighborhood in communication with the City Council and staff, can offer valuable input to the City on neighborhood planning, and can receive funding from the City to help enhance the quality of life in your neighborhood. For information on how to get involved, check out the Neighborhood Associations page on the City website.
The City of Kirkland announces the newest additions to its Community Responder (CR) Program with the hiring of Kimberly Hardy and Molly Kitz. They join CR Robert Rebecca and Interim Community Responder Program Supervisor, Renee Cox.
The team responds to 9-1-1 calls in coordination with Kirkland police officers and/or firefighter / emergency medical technicians when a call for service has an underlying behavioral health component. Read more.
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The Kirkland Police Department (KPD) invites Kirkland residents and business community to participate in its annual Community Police Academy. The 7-week series begins September 28 through November 9 and is meant to give participants a firsthand look at the inner-workings of the KPD.
Read more.
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The City invites the community to celebrate Kirkland Forest Day with forest stewardship, a tree giveaway, ceremonial tree planting and more on October 15, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Juanita Beach Park. Pre-register today for the Tree giveaway to receive 2 free trees, and for the volunteer stewardship event that morning. Read more about the event on the City website.
There are so many ways to get involved with Trees, Trees, Trees in Kirkland this fall!
In addition to Kirkland Forest Day, join us for classes, stewardship events and take advantage of our Tree Rebate Program. Let's protect our urban forest together!
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Open until October 31, apply for a rebate or certificate up to $150 per tree, with a maximum total of $500 per property in 2022. Rebates or certificates cover:
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The cost of trees (delivery and installation not included)
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Necessary amounts of compost soil amendments and mulch top dressing in the immediate area around the tree (generally 2-3 bags of each)
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Watering bags to help trees survive summer months
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Stewardship Events with Green Kirkland Partnership
Join Green Kirkland Partnership and help our parks and natural areas thrive.
Volunteers will help restore critical habitat by removing invasive plants such as blackberry or ivy, planting native plants (Oct-March), and pitching-in with stewardship tasks like mulching and weeding.
All experience levels and ages are welcome following the safety and event guidelines. Tools and training are provided. Events are 100% outdoors and rain or shine!
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Why are Trees important? Trees help prevent flooding in our neighborhoods, provide shade for our homes, and help filter pollutants to provide clean water for Lake Washington. Kirkland maintains an Urban Forest Strategic Management Plan, and also measures its tree canopy cover with a goal of 40% canopy cover. More information here: kirklandwa.gov/trees
The Parks Funding Exploratory Committee kicks off tonight Thursday, September 15. Chaired by Councilmember Kelli Curtis, this advisory group will meet over the coming months and provide recommendations in spring 2023 to the City Council for investments and funding mechanisms for potential fall 2023 ballot measure(s). At this first meeting the committee will get an overview of the process including why City Council established the group and expectations. The group will also tour Juanita Beach Park which was recently renovated in 2020.
Learn more about the process at www.kirklandwa.gov/parks2023ballot. Stay up to date and sign up for the Parks Ballot newsletter.
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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 extensive 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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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.
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Kirkland School Resource Officers Tyler Davidson and Storm Gehrke alongside Lt. Tim Carpenter welcomed students back to class at Kirkland Middle School – with donuts!
The Kirkland School Resource Officer program is a partnership between the City of Kirkland and the Lake Washington School District. The primary purposes of the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program are to:
- Help keep students physically, socially and emotionally safe at school.
- Provide for positive interactions between the SROs and students, families, and community members in order to make the Police Department more accessible and approachable.
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- Connect students with supportive services.
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Help keep students out of the criminal justice system.
The Kirkland School Resource Officer program is a partnership between the City of Kirkland and the Lake Washington School District. Read more about the program on the City website.
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We had a terrific turnout for our “Become A Kirkland Firefighter” workshop over the weekend – 42 people came to the Public Safety Testing facility in Tukwila to learn more about navigating the firefighter application process.
Attendees learned about what basic info is on the written exam, what questions might be asked during the interview process, and they also got some hands-on learning about the eight different parts of the “CPAT” (Candidate Physical Ability Test), including a stair climb and rescue portion.
 It was a great all-day workshop on how to become a Kirkland firefighter!
Dogs of all sizes had a swim party over the weekend – finally allowed to jump into Peter Kirk Pool as we wrapped up pool season with the ‘See Spot Splash’ event!
279 dogs and their owners showed up for the special event– that’s way up from last year’s 159 pups and their people!
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Councilmembers Kelli Curtis and Amy Falcone also joined the fun. And Kirkland’s Animal Control Officer Hunter Woldseth joined our Parks Rangers to meet community members and answer all their pet licensing and parks questions.
We’ll see you next year for an even bigger splash at Peter Kirk Pool!
For details about the event, visit the event page.
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 A transformative moment in Totem Lake’s continuing re-development when Kirkland’s Totem Lake Connector contractor mounted a bridge span over NE 124th Street.
Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold and Councilmembers Jon Pascal and Amy Falcon and were on site Monday night until 1 a.m. watching Kraemer North America’s work crews hoist and then mount the span into place.
Each span weighs more than 30,000 pounds.
Kraemer North America installed the second span overnight on Tuesday, Sept 13.
Find more information about the Totem Lake Connector Bridge project on the City’s website.
The Family Violence Unit of the Kirkland Police Department (KPD) is actively recruiting compassionate volunteers to join their Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) program.
Interested applicants must demonstrate a commitment to helping victims and families who have experienced domestic violence (DV). Prior experience in social services is preferred, but not necessary.
If interested, please fill out a Volunteer Application online: Under “Interest in Volunteering” choose “Public Safety/Emergency Services” and specify “DART” in the description box.
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Come be a fun, after school Camp Leader or Director at Peter Kirk After School Camp! Guide up to 25 campers a day in outdoor games (weather permitting), going on walks, doing arts and crafts, helping with homework, and having fun!
Our After School program is located at Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Ave.
For more information or to apply, visit our Jobs page.
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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.
Kirkland Way – Highlands/Norkirk
Kirkland’s 2022 street paving contractor is maintaining intermittent lane-closures on Kirkland Way between Northeast 85th and Sixth streets.
Watson Asphalt is grinding away Kirkland Way’s old surface and repaving a new one.
Kirkland’s 2022 street paving contractor is planning next week to close Third Street between Central Way and Seventh Avenue so its crews can more efficiently grind and repave the street.
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
Abbott Construction expects to continue its 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. closure of Main Street until next week. The contractor is closing the northern half of the street to automobiles. However, the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street remains open.
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: Tuesdays through October 25
Location: Virtual on Zoom
Autumn is the perfect time to begin your next gardening steps. Cascade Gardener Presents a Fall Class Series on planting fall trees, weed maintenance, climate change gardening and more!
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Date: Every Friday from June 3 to September 30
Location: Juanita Beach Park, 9703 NE Juanita Drive, Kirkland 98034
Come with your friends, or meet new ones, and enjoy shopping for delicious and nutritious foods, as well as fine wines and locally brewed craft beers. Then try one, or more, of our hot food vendors for a varied menu of offerings. We look forward to seeing you at Juanita Beach.
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