We live north of the Bridle Trails Shopping Center and we would like to convey our concerns with the proposed zoning plan for the center. With the latest five-story aggressive growth plan, we believe the following factors would negatively impact the infrastructure and livability of our treasured neighborhood areas of Bridle Trails, South Rose Hill and North Rose Hill.

• Traffic congestion and pedestrian safety — Unlike Kirkland Urban and Totem Lake, the existing roadways are not sufficient to support greatly increased traffic in this area.

• Overgrowth and excessive density — According to the growth management goals of 8,100 units, the city has already exceeded housing goals and there are 5,000 housing units already in the pipeline and we still have 17 years. Increasing the area’s density by tenfold is excessive and unnecessary. We are primarily a low-rise residential/bedroom community and we want to stay that way.

We understand that growth is inevitable as Kirkland is a desirable place to live and work; however, as elected officials of the residents, we urge the council to listen to their constituents’ input via survey, letters and workshops and manage growth to take place where and when it is needed. Don’t change this already successful center.

Now that the 20-year neighborhood plan is being updated, the existing zoning that suits the neighborhood should stay in place and then zoning guidelines should be carefully developed along with additional community input so there are no “loopholes” for a developer. Ideally, you would re-visit these plans after Kirkland Urban, Totem Lake and BRT projects are completed to be able to more accurately evaluate the impact to the current infrastructure and livability to the proposed area in question.

Susan Davis,

Kirkland