After years of community advocacy, a community tool library is finally becoming a reality in Kirkland. Following the City Council's approval of a $100,000 start-up grant, the City’s formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process closed on June 30, 2026, with the Eastside Tool Collective (ETC) submitting the sole proposal. Backed by the experienced South King Tool Library as a fiscal sponsor, ETC presented a dual-track plan to get up and running: Track A would transform the old Fire Station 27 in Totem Lake into a robust, 1,500 sq. ft. browsing library in about 28 weeks, while Track B offers a flexible fallback using modified shipping containers on non-City land.

The project is moving quickly, and city staff will present ETC's proposal to the City Council on August 5, 2026, to secure direction on the implementation plan.

If you want to help ensure this project crosses the finish line, consider writing an email to the Kirkland City Council in support of the tool library before the August meeting. Here is how you can plug in today:

A few weeks ago, Liveable Kirkland members joined the CKC Trail Volunteers crew to help remove invasive plants and ensure new plantings are healthy and getting sunlight. The work area was right next to Rotary Central Station, where we host Coffee Outside every Wednesday.

We’ll be back to work on the trail on July 25th, and there are opportunities on other weekends as well - click the link below!

Neighborhood Stores and Services

Staff are starting the process of reviewing regulations about in-home businesses, and allowing more types of small-scale commercial uses in residential areas. By allowing more stores and services to be located close to where people live, residents will be able to meet their daily needs closer to home, perhaps without having to drive elsewhere. Even today, there are many types of non-residential uses in residential areas, such as childcare, schools, and home businesses. Many home businesses are service based, such as consulting, but improved regulations could lead to a greater amount and variety of businesses. Prior to the implementation of zoning laws in the early/mid 1900s, there was an even greater mix of uses in Kirkland neighborhoods, such as groceries, barbers, and storefronts.

Kirkland adopted a policy in support of updating these regulations in its 2024 Comprehensive Plan update. A 2023 city survey found that 74% of respondents supported small-scale commercial businesses in residential neighborhoods. There has been state-wide discussion about this as well; bills to allow “neighborhood cafés” and stores were introduced at the State Legislature during the last two legislative sessions, but none have passed yet. Other cities have started working on this on their own, such as Seattle, Burien, Shoreline, Renton, and Everett.

During the meeting, Staff will present their findings so far and seek Council feedback about the scope of the project. Staff’s proposed schedule includes a public hearing before the Planning Commission in November and adoption by the City Council in December (and various public engagement before then). This is a quicker timeline than many other zoning related projects which is encouraging, especially given the broad community support and potential benefits.

ICE Detention Centers

Initially, the City Council had intended to enact a moratorium on new detention centers in Kirkland. However, after doing some research city staff found:

Staff note it’s also unlikely that ICE would acquire land in Kirkland for a detention center as it’s been reported that ICE will only use existing detention centers.

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!)