The Kirkland City Council approved its Comprehensive Plan Update that included zoning changes in Totem Lake and near Parkplace in downtown.

Following 200 open meetings on the matter, the council approved nine separate ordinances pertaining to policy changes and amendment requests for properties looking to redevelop at their Dec. 8 meeting.

“It has been a hell of an effort, pardon my French, but it’s been an enormous body of work,” Councilmember Penny Sweet said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done… I cannot think of a body of work that has involved so much community involvement. It really feels like a product of Kirkland.”

Councilmember Jay Arnold described the update as conveying their vision of a “walkable livable Kirkland” and “reflects not only our values in defining how we grow but defining our values in how we came together as a community and put this plan together.”

One of the ordinances included rewrites of the Totem Lake Business District Plan that had rezoning changes for several properties in the Totem Lake neighborhood. One of them included the Totem Commercial Center along NE 124th St. and allows for increased height for structures and a wide range of possible uses. The property owners praised the decision as a “game changer for the city.”

Todd Woosely of Hal Woosley Properties, Inc., which owns the Totem Commercial Center, told the council that the changes would put them in a position to redevelop it for multi-use.

“It is a new day for Kirkland,” he said. “It will take time, as all these things do, but it’s a good place.”

Totem Lake, which is designated as an urban center, is expected to grow from its present population of 5,544 to 9,800 by 2030, and double its housing units to 6,000. Employment is expected to increase from 11,511 to 29,000. The redevelopment of Totem Lake Malls by new owner Centercal Properties (and renamed the Village at Totem Lake) is expected to start sometime next year.

The council also approved an amendment request by MRM Capital for their property at 434 Kirkland Way, located just south of Parkplace in downtown Kirkland. The amendment allows for them to redevelop the property, located in a Central Business District, for mixed use, residential and retail, which they believe will create greater cohesion with the new Parkplace development owners named Kirkland Urban.

Critics of the request had claimed that it would go against the city’s pre-established vision for downtown and significantly diminish its capacity to offer office space for a daytime employment population. Right now, the 74,000-square-foot property contains a one story office building. MRM Capital Manager Joe Razore previously told the Reporter that they plan to have five stories of residential on top of the retail ground floor. The original zoning had a limit of 12.5 percent of the gross floor area for residential. The new zoning allows for six stories or 67 ft. for residential but up to 80 ft. if half the total gross space is office.  Another ordinance for property in the Rose Hill neighborhood on 126th Ave NE changed the height limit from 45 to 54 feet. Another ordinance amended certain property in the Everest Neighborhood on 6th Street so that recreational open space is no longer required. One request concerning property in the North Rose Hill allows for limited commercial use on land zoned for office.  While most of the ordinances were passed without further discussion, one of the amendments pertaining to several land parcels in the Moss Bay neighborhood generated debate between both councilmembers and the property owners. The original amendment requested the property be rezoned from low density to high density, but the ultimate amendment designated it as medium density. Low density allows for nine units per acre, while medium density permits 12 per acre. Additionally, the council approved a 25 height limit on structures, with a 10 foot front setback, 20 feet for driveways and 10 feet when abutting existing single family residences.

Jason Nelson, who originally petitioned the city for the amendments and owns two lots in the neighborhood, objected to the switch from high density to medium, which he argued would make additional units impractical to put on the properties.

“I currently live behind Parkplace in a house surrounded by condos,” he said. “I’ve got neighbors that have houses….no one forces anybody to do anything but everyone has the option to do what they want with their property.”

A woman whose property is also affected by the rezoning complained that the medium density, rather than high density, would limit the number of units and thus the value of the property.

“We’re surrounded on all sides really by high density, so what reasoning is there to take our little plot of land and not make it high density?” she asked.

Another man who spoke also voiced his support for high density.

“The time is ripe to rezone to high density to really do anything financially in those houses or on those lots because they’re very small,” he said.

Several councilmembers sought to amend it to make the height limit 30 feet, afraid that the 25 foot limit would hinder potential development in the parcels, but the motion was defeated.  Reiterating similar statements on the transportation masterplan, Councilmember Toby Nixon voiced his opposition to aspects of one of the Comprehensive Plan Update that included transportation policies related to climate change.