For more than a year and a half, citizens who love the beauty of Kirkland’s pedestrian-friendly waterfront boulevard have been lobbying the city to reduce the ultra-high residential density of Potala Village, a huge apartment project at Lake Street and 10th Avenue South next to the Michael’s Dry Cleaning lot.
The current proposal is for 143 tiny, 698 square foot average, apartments on a 1.2 acre lot. The building would be four stories tall and have a two story underground parking garage for 316 cars, entering Lake Street via a single driveway. For those of you who think “tiny” means “affordable,” the developer’s prospectus proposes rents averaging $1,900 a month.
In a study session on Tuesday, the (Kirkland City) Council will have what is likely its last chance to decide to do the right thing on this matter. They will apparently vote on the matter at the council meeting on Oct. 2.
The council has lived in fear of the developer because of mistakes in the Zoning Code that led him to believe he can legally do this. He is wrong. And STOP (“Support The Ordinances and Plans”), representing some 800 actively involved opponents to this project has proof – from the City’s own documents. Yet the council has refused to act, even though most of them, and the planning director, have publicly stated that “we never intended anything like this to be built on that property.”
Nearly a year ago, the council punted the Potala mess to the Planning Commission for a recommendation. That recommendation – to reduce the number of apartments from 116 per acre to 36 per acre, and add “Design Review” – is on the Council agenda Oct. 2. The council’s options will be to “approve,” “reject,” or “table” the recommendation. Based on the council’s complete unwillingness thus far to confront the issue, I expect a vote to “Table.”
This council lacks the courage to do the heavy lifting needed to protect Kirkland and its citizens from inappropriate development in an otherwise single-family neighborhood. Instead, they will likely recommend mediation with the developer, in other words, leave it to the citizens themselves to do the council’s dirty work. Perhaps that is the ultimate in democracy. But if that is the case, why do we bother electing a council to run the city?
They’ve punted twice thus far, first by enacting (and extending) a moratorium on development of properties zoned “Neighborhood Business,” and then by referring the issue to the Planning Commission. Now, by not acting and “passing the buck” back to the citizens whom they supposedly represent, the council will be asking those of us who elected them to do their job.
Just because prior councils and prior planners have failed to do their job is no excuse for the current council to fail to do theirs.
I myself believe that anything over 12 units per acre (the density limit in the Kirkland Comprehensive Plan) is wrong. But after a year and a half, dozens of council and planning commission meetings, and thousands of emails on behalf of the future of Kirkland, I would accept the planning commission’s recommendation of 36 units per acre because I want this mess to go away.
STOP is not opposed to development, provided it “fits where it sits.” This project is just wrong. Potala as proposed will be a wart on the otherwise beautiful face of Kirkland. The citizens of Kirkland know it. I know it. And in their hearts, I suspect that (all but one of) the city council members know it.
Chuck Pilcher, Lakeview Neighborhood
