Saturday, May 2nd was the first Bike Valet event of the 2026 season at the "Junk in the Trunk" community yard sale. About a dozen bikes used our services throughout the event, plus we had great conversations with many community members — even ones who didn't have bikes with them.

We're always looking for more volunteers so that we can expand the number of events for which we can provide this service. If hanging out in a park sounds like a pleasant way to volunteer and chat with neighbors, please reach out to get involved: contact us at [email protected].

Adoption of NE 85th St Station Area Zoning Code Amendments

The City Council will be considering adoption of Ordinance 4936, which was delayed from the previous meeting due to concerns about the ban on townhomes in the Station Area.

City Staff recommends proceeding with the Townhome ban in the station area as-is, and lays out the case In the memo. Essentially, with recent middle housing legislation, much of Kirkland’s current low density areas can support housing density that is similar to townhomes. However, Kirkland’s population growth modeling in the Comprehensive Plan relies on the Station Area being built up to the maximum amount of housing allowed. Staff also notes that the City Council was supportive of this approach in previous discussions. 

At the last City Council meeting, there was an amendment on the table to strike sections 2 through 4 from the Ordinance, which would remove the ban on Townhomes. The memo for this week presents 3 more possible amendments submitted by Councilmembers:

Staff provided reasoning against all 3 of these proposed amendments, noting that allowing townhomes will make it more difficult for the vision of the Station Area to be achieved.

Neighborhood Safety Program (NSP) Recommended Projects

The neighborhood safety program allows Kirkland’s Neighborhood Associations to propose and help prioritize pedestrian and bicycle safety projects with a budget of $350k. The staff and neighborhood panel recommended projects include:

Staff are presenting the council with the following three options:

Staff are requesting direction on what combination of projects to fund to bring back for approval on May 19th.

One project was proposed for the Central Houghton Neighborhood but received a low score and wasn’t included in the proposed project list. Additionally, no projects were proposed for Juanita, Totem Lake (which doesn’t have a neighborhood association) or Lakeview.

Housing on Faith-Owned Land Pilot Program Briefing

Staff will present background information for establishing a program to encourage housing on faith-owned land. This includes an overview of requirements set by the State, programs established by neighboring cities to meet these requirements, and an analysis of this program. This project was originally planned for 2025, but this is the first briefing to the City Council.

Staff is recommending that the City establish a pilot program based on the memo’s findings. Staff is presenting two possible approaches and has not stated a preference for one over the others. The two options are:

1. Apply density bonuses/incentives to the entire property such as additional density and additional height if the proposal meets the criteria.

2. Allow a Conditional Use Permit or development agreement to set the density and height if the proposal meets the criteria.

Option 1 is similar to Seattle and Redmond. Code amendments would be required, but once completed, faith organizations would be able to go through the process quickly.

Option 2 is more consistent with the Comprehensive Plan policy that led to this work, but it would require individual review by the City Council (and/or Planning Commission) for each project. This could lead to more tailored allowances for each project, but would take longer and require more city resources.

Kirkland Tool Library Draft Scope of Work

Liveable Kirkland has led the way in pushing for a tool library serving the Eastside to be created in Kirkland. The tool library will be a community-based lending program providing access to tools for home repair, gardening, and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects without requiring individual ownership. Tool libraries have demonstrated success in reducing landfill waste, supporting repair and reuse economies, expanding equitable access to equipment, and fostering skills-sharing and community connection.

On Tuesday, the City Council will be providing feedback on the list of responsibilities for a future Tool Library operator to be included in an upcoming request for proposals (RFP) the city will publish. The city has budgeted a $100k grant for starting a tool library once a draft implementation plan, to be based on responses to the RFP, is approved. An RFP applicant could be accepted as early as mid-June with staff returning to Council with an implementation plan in July.

LRM - Economic Competitiveness Study

On April 7th Council Member Pascal got council approval for an LRM analyzing what it would take for the City of Kirkland to analyze Kirkland’s economic competitiveness. On Tuesday staff will present council three options for how to conduct such an analysis with costs ranging from $50k to $150k:

Correction: Minimum Wage LRM

In the previous newsletter, we stated that the vote to approve the minimum wage LRM was unanimous. This was incorrect - Councilmember Pascal voted against the LRM, citing concerns about cost increases for local businesses. We regret the error.

ToDo’s Bike Garage, in partnership with Foster Love and Beacon Hill Bike Garage, is coming together to build and donate 20 brand-new bikes to foster youth. There are local bike builders ready to donate their labor, but they need your help to raise funds for the parts!

All donations will be matched, so every $125 on the GoFundMe will result in a foster youth receiving a new bike, helmet, and lock.

“When I was 5 years old, I moved to a new city and didn’t know anyone. Riding around the neighborhood, I found my friends, people who are still like family to me today. That bike gave me freedom, confidence, and a way to belong. Now, we want to give that same gift to foster youth in our community.” - Chuck

You can donate to the project here!

ToDos Bike Garage is open most Sundays - see the Events section below for details, and say hello!

Join Liveable Kirkland in a conversation about our city’s present and future! We have an active community on Discord and Facebook and we’d love it if you joined in too : )

(And if you add a picture you took to #photos on Discord it might get featured in next week’s issue!)