Moratorium disappointing
News of the Kirkland City Council’s decision last week to move forward with a moratorium on downtown development is disappointing. The Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors had urged the council to avoid taking such an extreme step by using processes the city already has in place to review development proposals.
The action of councilmembers voting for the moratorium might imperil projects that would benefit downtown and Kirkland residents who are facing the prospect of increased taxes. In fact, word of a possible project that has been sought by many, including city staff, for several years reached the council prior to its vote. That proposed development, which could greatly enhance a building lot near Park Lane, will now be on hold indefinitely and may even disappear depending on how the developer reacts to the moratorium.
The decision itself and the manner in which it was reached sets a precedent that could affect neighborhood interests and business districts city-wide. Public comment on the proposal was limited to phone calls, letters, e-mails, and nine total minutes of verbal input at the council meeting from up to three speakers. That’s in stark contrast to the public hearing typically used, which gives more latitude to speakers.
The council is within its rights to enact a moratorium. But such actions often require a demonstration that dire or emergency circumstances exist. In this case, it appears a petition singling out a single Lake Street development prompted a halt to any projects from Lake Street past Parkplace and from Central Way to Kirkland Avenue. Concern about “superior retail” —- with step-backs and set-backs for three and four stories —- can be discussed in a public process-oriented environment for which the city prides itself.
The council is not required to have a public hearing on the moratorium now for up to 60 days. But we are hopeful that councilmembers will do so at the first opportunity; in fact, as soon as the next council meeting on Oct. 7. We also urge the council to re-think its position in light of the economic times and the state of the city budget.
Bill Vadino
Executive Director, Kirkland Chamber of Commerce
Poor attendance at open house
How would you feel if you threw a party and nobody came?
The city sent every household the “Special Budget Edition of the Kirkland City Update” to inform citizens of the serious $13M to $17M budget shortfall (about 12%) and to get feed back from citizens and commercial interest in preparation for the well-advertised meeting last night. Out of the more than 48,000 citizens of Kirkland, only 3 citizens were there. Staff outnumbered the audience. The feedback didn’t happen. Why?
I believe citizens didn’t take up the city’s invitation because they believe they cannot do anything about it. What can be done?
Express your concerns about rising fees and taxes. Fixed income people will only get about a 3.4% COLA increase next year yet the city has based it’s salary needs on a regional 6.19% increase, the CPI for the Puget Sound region. The difference between the 6.19% city cost and our 3.4% personal income creates a shortfall that will come out of our pockets.
When it comes to managing personal budgets, the citizens of Kirkland have a lot to worry about. The State has more than $2.5 billion in debt, the County has more than $70M in debt, and the city has at least $13.8M in debt. The hospital district plans to use up more than $14M of its reserves to expand. That money will have to be replaced. Lake Washington School District will ask for more money because of the inflationary settlement of the Bellevue School District’s strike.
Do the 3 people who were there at last night’s meeting represent your interest? Come budget time you can be sure there will be a line up of people and organizations asking Council for financial consideration. Make sure you join them.
Robert L. Style
Kirkland
Tough to merge
Did anyone besides me get nailed by Washington State Patrol on Sept. 18 in the northbound 405 distributor lane at Northeast 85th Street? At $124 per violator, WSP, with the help of the Kirkland Police Department, took in something upwards of $5000 that afternoon.
Sometimes it’s tough to make the merge from the Northeast 70th on-ramp to northbound 405, particularly when northbound traffic is completely backed up by the “gawkers’ slowdown.” watching this effort.
Charles A. Pilcher
Kirkland
