Liveable Kirkland is 100% volunteer-run, and we rely on neighbors like you to help make our community more sustainable, connected, and vibrant. Whether you want to get your hands dirty on the trail, hang out at summer community events, or flex your bike mechanic skills, we have a spot for you.

Check out our current volunteer openings and find out how you can get involved:

Help us keep the Cross Kirkland Corridor beautiful! Join fellow Liveable Kirkland volunteers to remove invasive plant species and plant native foliage along the trail.

Think of it like a secure coat check for bikes! We provide safe, monitored bicycle parking at Kirkland's big summer park events so neighbors can leave their cars at home. It's a fun, easy way to enjoy the summer festivities while helping the community.

Todos Bike Garage is growing fast! We need volunteers with a wide range of skills and roles to help the co-op reach its full potential. If you love fixing bikes or want to help support the garage operations, we'd love to have you. Here's more information from founder & host, Chuck D, about the various ways you could help.

Help keep our cycling infrastructure safe and clear! Hook up and tow our (somewhat famous) pedal-powered Bike Lane Sweeper behind your bicycle to clear leaves, gravel, and debris from Kirkland's bike lanes.

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Peter Kirk Pool Project Delivery

The City of Kirkland will be seeking permission from the state to use Progressive Design Build for the Peter Kirk Pool Project instead of Design-Bid-Build. The uncertain nature of the project, where it’s impossible to know everything that needs to be done up front, is why the city is pursuing Progressive Design Build. While Design-Bid-Build usually leads to lower bids, the uncertain nature of the project significantly increases the chance of cost increases above the original bid, potentially even higher than through Progressive Design Build.

Housing Affordability Requirements: Tied Vote

Councilmember Tymczyszyn moved Ordinance 4937, which would cause the first 2,500 sq ft of a home to be exempt from affordable housing fees, rather than 2,000 sq ft. His decision was based on the previous recommendations of the Planning Commission and the Master Builder’s Association. He also expressed opposition to new fees on housing in general. Councilmembers Falcone and Prem also spoke in favor of the Ordinance and sought to avoid stifling construction of new homes.

Deputy Mayor Black appreciated that the city took additional time to study this and its impacts on developers, but he feels that the city needs to guide new development towards smaller homes to meet housing goals set by the state. Councilmember Arnold agreed, while highlighting that the fee under consideration is much smaller than peer cities and can be reduced later if needed. Mayor Curtis also agreed with what had been said against the Ordinance.

The vote on the Ordinance was tied 3 to 3. Councilmember Pascal was unable to attend the meeting, so there was no 7th vote. Per City Council Policy, a tie vote results in the matter being tabled until the next City Council meeting where all 7 Councilmembers can vote.

Sheila Stanton Place Update

Sheila Stanton Place, located at the former La Quinta site in Southern Kirkland, opened earlier this year providing many services and resources for chronically homeless residents including: on-site case management, 24/7 site staff, financial counseling, job training, community resource navigation, and substance use disorder assessments and referrals. 39 people have moved into the city’s newest permanent supportive housing facility through the local referral programs, Sheila Stanton Place, with 17 more in the queue. An additional 10 people have moved in through Regional Coordinated Entry referrals. With these move-ins, all Health Through Housing eligible people served by the Kirkland HART team are now housed. 

One testimonial from a Sheila Stanton Place staff member highlighting the facility’s value said:

“I just had [Sheila Stanton Place resident] come by my office unannounced to let me know how much he’s enjoyed being here, how  well things have been going, and how appreciative he is of all the help… He had just gotten back from an AA meeting in the area. He said that he is still in shock that he has a place to live and how comfortable he has been since getting here.”

Enabling Residential Lot Splitting

The City Council voted 6 - 0 in favor of Ordinance 4938, which allows for Residential Lot Splitting (RLS) in Kirkland. The Ordinance takes effect after 60 days and brings the city into early compliance with State Law (HB 1096) that was passed in 2025. 

The RLS process allows for splitting a “parent” lot into two new lots. This will have very similar outcomes to a Short Plat, but will require less staff time, have lower permit fees, and can be completed quicker. RLS can only be done once per “parent” lot and it can only produce one additional lot, while other subdivision types can produce more lots. Generally, the same standards for infrastructure, right-of-way and environmental impacts will still apply. Having more small lots can make home ownership more affordable, and increase the supply of smaller homes.

Totem Lake SIS Policy Review

Following on from their previous meeting, the Planning Commission will be discussing goals and policies related to the Totem Lake Southern Industrial Subarea, and what is needed to complete the subarea plan. 

The City’s most recent Comprehensive Plan, adopted at the end of 2024, has multiple sections discussing what should be done in this area of the city. Goal TL-33 seeks to “preserve and intensify commercial uses”, while Goal TL-34 seeks to "accommodate residential use where appropriate within the subarea”. The policy for creating a subarea plan (TL-33.1) was adopted by the City Council directly, being introduced to the Comprehensive Plan after the Planning Commission had finished their review.

While it’s possible for a re-development of this area to work towards both of these goals, there is some tension. Most businesses in the area would prefer to keep their existing spaces. It’s possible to add more housing while keeping much of the existing structures, but it would limit how many new homes can be made.

Planning work in this area was prompted by a Community Amendment Request from a property owner in the area, which sought rezoning to allow housing in more places, and a height limit of 150 feet. This sort of development would bring a lot more housing, but would require removing the existing commercial spaces.

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!)