The city of Kirkland has announced the highly anticipated completion of the Park Lane Enhancement Project, slated for unveiling this May.
To celebrate the project, the city will host a Park Lane Street Fair, May 29-31.
The celebrations will kick-off with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 29 and a performance by the Geoffrey Castle Band. Activities will continue through the weekend with a street fair, live entertainment and in-store promotions. Signature shops on Park Lane include Simplicity Décor, Hepburn, Ivy, Essentials, Park Lane Gallery, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Rococco, Cactus and Sweet Cakes.
As Kirkland’s signature shopping district, Park Lane celebrates $2.3 million in enhancements to create a plaza-style street that can be transformed into a pedestrian-only area for community festivals.
“With these enhancements we hope to create not just a street—but a vibrant, bustling destination,” said Ellen Miller-Wolfe, economic development manager for the City of Kirkland. “Park Lane will be a place for people to go and shop. These enhancements will improve the walkability through downtown Kirkland and ultimately provide a venue for festivals, live music and celebratory occasions.”
The most visible enhancement is the plaza-style street, made possible by the replacement of the 59-year-old concrete water main. While Park Lane will be open to traffic, the new, eco-friendly design will utilize trees, rain gardens, street furniture and short, vertical posts to separate walkers from drivers. The new greenery, trees and benches will transform Park Lane into a European-style plaza, allowing storefronts and their customers to enjoy the charming, new streetscape while shopping, dining and exploring downtown Kirkland. The street will also transform into an outdoor sculpture gallery, with public, rotating artwork from Pacific Northwest artists, all of which will be available for purchase.
The Park Lane design was approved by the Kirkland City Council in September 2014, and was awarded to Marshbank Construction in December. For more information on the Park Lane Enhancement Project, visit www.kirklandwa.gov.
