Last Thursday Liveable Kirkland answered a call, along with volunteers from other service organizations and many local faith communities, to team up to prepare rooms for 30 new residents at Sheila Stanton Place, the beautifully refurbished permanent supportive housing facility located at the site of the former La Quinta Inn. The “Welcome Prep” volunteer team made up beds with brand new bedding and filled kitchen shelves and bathroom counters with cooking equipment, utensils, towels, basic groceries, and hygiene and cleaning supplies. We’re proud to help offer a warm welcome to our neighbors!

Volunteers were from:

Scroll down to see the group photo in our “Photo of the Week” section!

Join a biking tour organized by The Urbanist and led by Kirkland city planners and Eastrail Partners as we bike the Cross Kirkland Corridor and discuss the transit-oriented development around the trail.

There will be opportunities for questions, although conversation will be moderated to ensure we are moving through the tour in a timely manner.

The tour will begin at the intersection of 108th and the CKC, and end around Totem Lake. You will need to supply your own bike.

This tour will focus on the development of the city and neighborhoods, zoning laws, and transit-oriented development.

Afterward, we will gather for drinks and food at the Chainline Station, which we will also stop at on the way north during the tour.

When: Sunday, May 17th 11a - 1p

RSVP: Here!

Curious about heat pumps? Want to reduce your carbon footprint and beat the heat this summer? Bring a buddy and join Energy Smart Eastside for an interactive, in-person workshop to learn how heat pumps work, how they improve home comfort and indoor air quality, and which rebates and incentives can help you save big.

When: Monday, May 18th 2:30p - 4p

Where: Peter Kirk Community Center

Register: Here!

Already have a heat pump? Apply to become an Energy Advisor Volunteer to support your neighbors and encourage electrification in your community!

Check-in: Affordability Requirements in Low Density Zones

In June of 2025, the City Council passed Ordinance 4905, which (in addition to updating the Middle Housing code) established an Affordable Housing requirement in low density zones. A fee-in-lieu process was also established, which is likely to be the default for these kinds of projects. This fee only applies to floor area above 2,000 square feet, at a rate of $15 per square foot. This basically exempts middle housing units. The fee does not take effect until January 1st, 2027, so nothing has been charged or collected yet. However, the ordinance also required staff to come back with alternative options by June 30th, 2026.

Staff recommends keeping the existing approach. In the memo, staff show that Kirkland’s affordable housing fee in low density zones is much lower than other cities. Redmond’s fee-in-lieu will be $30 per square foot in 2027 and does not have size exemptions. Sammamish’s fee-in-lieu is $34.45 per square foot, exempting the first 1,500 square feet. Bellevue’s fee-in-lieu is a flat $150,000, though units under 1,500 square feet will be exempt from the requirement. Bothell does not offer a fee-in-lieu option; if affordable units are required, they must be built.

This check-in step was informed by push-back from developers. There was discussion about the nature and timeline of the fee, but the City Council also had a deadline. State law requires that affordable housing requirements can only be imposed when development capacity is increased. Ordinance 4905 increased housing capacity by updating the city’s Middle Housing code before a State deadline, so any new affordable housing requirement had to be implemented then. Higher density zones have had affordable housing requirements for over 15 years in Kirkland, but low density zones have not had to contribute until now.

Boards and Commissions Candidates

The Interview Selection Committee has reviewed the pool of applicants for Boards and Commissions and made interview recommendations. During the meeting, the City Council will review and approve the interview schedule and the list of candidates to be interviewed by the entire City Council. The ISC’s recommendation is usually taken unchanged.

The Planning Commission candidates are:

The Transportation Commission candidates are:

Economic Competitiveness Study & Minimum Wage LRM Response

As part of their response to the legislative request memo (LRM) put forward by council members Falcone and Tymczyszyn, staff are providing four options:

If Council chooses option (3), it will be included as part of the economic competitiveness consultant study pushed for by council member Pascal. The cost for the economic competitiveness study by itself is estimated to be between $25k and $50k and that will increase by $7.5k to $15k if the minimum wage related work is included. The scope of the economic competitiveness study has been trimmed down, removing development related work, to ensure the study can be completed in time for consideration as the city creates the next biennial budget before the end of this year.

Housing on Faith-Owned Land Pilot Program Briefing

Staff presented background information on the State law driving this work, what other nearby cities have done, and what feedback the City Council gave at their meeting. They then asked the Commission for feedback on what sort of approach to take.

There was broad support on the Commission for an administrative approach at the zoning level, rather than a site-based approach. Commissioners were interested in providing a relatively small density bonus in low density areas, and bigger bonuses for properties that are in medium/high density zones, in Regional Growth Centers, and bonuses to properties immediately adjacent to these areas. There was also support for mixed use projects and open space, as long as this is not a requirement.

Staff will draft code amendments and return at a future meeting. The Commission indicated that they would like to go straight into a public hearing to speed along the process. Chair Rozmyn highlighted that economic conditions mean that it may take a while for this bonus to be used, and that there are other planning projects which could make more of an impact.

Residential Lot Splitting Code Updates

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the code updates to the City Council for adoption. These code changes will bring Kirkland into compliance with new state law, though the effective date of that law isn’t until 2027.

During the meeting, Staff shared that the State Department of Commerce has changed their interpretation of the state law allowing for Residential Lot Splitting, in response to feedback from Kirkland Staff. RLS will be allowed once per lot. The Child Lots can be any size, and can be split further using a Unit Lot Subdivision (common for middle housing) or a Short Plat. Previously, the interpretation was that child lots created by RLS had to be small enough that they could not be divided any further. 

PC Officer Elections

Commissioner Jacobson was nominated for the position of Chair by Commissioner Madeya, and he was elected unanimously.

Commissioner Madeya was nominated for the position of Vice Chair by Commissioner Jacobson, and she was elected unanimously.

These elections took effect at the end of the meeting. Commissioner Rozmyn will be term-limited off of the Commission at the end of June.

Next Meeting

The Planning Commission’s next meeting on May 28th will be a Retreat, meaning that it is a more informal discussion between Commissioners and Staff. It will still be open to the public and held at City Hall, but it will not be livestreamed or recorded. No votes will take place during the retreat.

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!)