Juanita residents would like Kirkland to have an aquatic center, just not at the sites now being actively considered. At the Juanita Neighborhoods Association’s Sept. 8 general meeting at Juanita Elementary Monday night, a presentation on the Park’s Board two active building site choices by Kirkland Parks Director Jennifer Schroder was followed by four votes:

Residents voted 23 in favor and three against building an aquatic center somewhere in Kirkland, while the vote was four in favor to 20 against building the aquatic center at Juanita Beach Park. By a 13-9 vote residents did not like the North Kirkland Community Center as a site either. Even after a discussion of the problems of building at the old Albertson’s site on the corner of Northeast 132nd Street and 100th Avenue Northeast (site is too small, not owned by the city and not for sale, etc.) the residents voted 20-0 in favor of building on that site.

Residents also rejected the idea, by a vote of 24-0, of changing the zoning for multifamily building if it means lowering the number of required parking spaces. Jon Regala gave a presentation on the methodology used by the city of Kirkland to recommend changes to the parking requirements for multi-family dwellings while Doug Rough, co-chair of the Juanita Neighborhoods Association, spoke briefly about the issues associated with reducing parking requirements, such as peak time congestion (festivals, garage sales, etc.), the reduction of metro transit routes in Kirkland and methodology problems in the study.

Doug Rough, Kirkland