Potala Village developer submits new plan to city of Kirkland
Published 4:50 pm Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Potala Village, LLC has submitted a new plan for its project to the city of Kirkland after it failed in its efforts to have the State Supreme Court overturn a zoning change reducing the number of units on the property to less than half previously allowed.
The new project will have 59 residential units, less than half of the 143 units in the original 2011 project. According to the proposal, the 112,062 gross square-foot development would be a three-story single building containing retail space, a central plaza and residential space on the top floors. The development would also have 131 parking stalls for residents, employees and customers. Parking would be accessed through the plaza using a woonerf – a pedestrian-friendly street.
A conceptual design conference for the project is scheduled for at 7 p.m. on March 16 in the Council Chambers at Kirkland City Hall, where Planning Director Eric Shields said the design review board will examine their conceptional design and possibly offer feedback for changes before approving the design.
In many ways the new plan is starting from scratch, Shields said, though Potola Village will not have to reapply for their shoreline substantial development permit as long as they keep that aspect of the project similar to the previous plan. They will still need a building permit, however, and Shields said they have filed an application for one, but it will need to be changed in order to meet with current codes before it will be approved.
The proposal was submitted shortly after Dargey lost his legal battle with the city of Kirkland when the State Supreme Court denied a request on Feb. 4 to review an Aug. 25, 2014 ruling by the Washington Court of Appeals, Division I.
The controversy over the Potala Village project started in 2011, when it originally planned to have 143 units. After protests by residents over concerns about traffic problems on Lake Washington Boulevard, the City Council placed a six-month emergency moratorium on all building permits in the business neighborhood zones in November 2011. Before the November 2011 moratorium, however, Potala Village had submitted a completed shoreline substantial development permit, which the city approved in January 2013, but did not file for a building permit application.
The council eventually passed new zoning regulations, placing a maximum limit on the number of units per acre allowed in business neighborhood zoning, which reduced the number of units Potala Village could build down to 60.
