We’ll be starting our next meetup with another community service project: assembling microwaveable bed warmers for Camp United We Stand.

Assembly is simple; we’ll take new socks, fill them with a mixture of whole feed corn and coffee beans, and tie them off. Camp residents can then use the camp’s microwave to warm them up and put them into their sleeping bags to pre-warm their beds each evening. They've requested coffee beans in the mix to give the warmers a pleasant aroma. (When not in use, the socks will be stored in metal filing cabinets to deter animals from eating them.)

After assembling these warmers, we'll have our usual socializing to discuss local events and issues. Everyone is welcome, come join us! The meetup is from 6 - 8p at Chainline Brewing Taproom at Kirkland Urban.

This is an 8 week program running on Thursday evenings from Sept 24 - Nov 19 in which you will get an overview of how our city works, including every major department in the City of Kirkland. It's Civics 101 specifically for Kirkland.

Several of our members have attended previous years. They all found it to be time well spent! In addition to gaining a greater understanding of how our city works and meeting council and staff members, they also made connections with other community members who care deeply about our city.

It's great for people with no previous knowledge about city government and has enough depth and breadth to keep the interest of even those who already follow city news closely.

TIP: This class fills up quickly, so, if you are even slightly interested, APPLY NOW, get on the waitlist, if necessary, and then worry later about whether the time works for you.

Below are some highlighted items from the agenda of the next City Council meeting (February 3rd). You can read the full meeting materials here.

To share your thoughts with the City Council about any of these topics, send an email to [email protected]. You can also sign up to speak during Items from the Audience (in-person or remotely) via this link. Sign-ups open at 7PM on the day of the City Council meeting.

The City Council will hold a joint meeting with the Transportation Commission during the Study Session, where Councilmembers will provide input on the 2026-27 Transportation Work Program. The Transportation Commission previously approved a proposal at their November meeting.

Currently, planned projects for 2026 include better defining the role of the Commission (commissioners want to have more impact), a path connection for Juanita High School, updates to school zone signs/cameras, a Transit Needs study, a subarea plan for the Totem Lake Business District, updated guidelines for Neighborhood Greenways, determining how to measure success of the Transportation Strategic Plan, and discussing the 30% design of infrastructure improvements for the RapidRide K bus.

After the discussion, a final version of the work program is expected to be approved on February 17th. The Park Board will also have a joint meeting with the City Council on the 17th to discuss the proposed work plan the Board adopted at the end of October.

The Planning Commission’s work program is also waiting for an update. However, the City Council decided that they need to take the first pass, so the Planning Commission has been unable to discuss and approve a recommendation. The City Council will hopefully discuss the Planning Work Program on March 3rd.

The City Council will be voting on a minor update to the zoning code which adds a reference to the previously adopted Houghton Village Development Plan to the relevant zone (HENC 1).

The City Council will also vote on a resolution to authorize the City Manager to sell the Houghton Village property. The City purchased the property in 2022 with the intent to create a development plan and partnerships which would provide greater public benefits (such as affordable housing, non-profit services, and public space) than what would likely happen under other ownership. While there are no current prospective buyers, the resolution would authorize the City Manager and Staff to begin the process of finding buyers. The City Council will have the final say on any sale.

The City adopted the Houghton Village Development Plan in 2025 after extensive public outreach and design consultation, and put out a request for proposals from developers. The City received two complete responses, but the proposals required more financial assistance from the City than the Council could provide. The City’s purchase was financed by a temporary interfund loan, intended to be repaid by development, so the City needs to either find a developer, secure permanent funding, or sell the property.

If sold, the new owner could choose to re-develop the site according to the adopted Houghton Village Development Plan, forgo the standards of the Plan in favor of the underlying zoning (and be limited to 3 stories of height instead of 5), create a new or amended Development Plan for the City Council to consider, or continue the current shopping center use as-is.

The Transportation Strategic Plan was previously adopted by the City Council in November 2024. One goal of the plan was to establish several new programs for capital improvements that improve road safety and connectivity (especially for people walking and biking), such as Sidewalk Completion, Street Lighting, and Arterial Traffic Calming.

Staff will give a presentation about the details of these programs and receive feedback from the City Council. After the details are finalized, these new programs will then receive funding as a part of the 2027-28 budget.

Council will receive another update on the state legislative session. Some notable positions Council is taking include:

Council member Pascal has asked for options to potentially change Kirkland’s policies allowing full or partial closures of streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, and in particular, the Cross Kirkland Corridor. The intent would be to achieve a better balance between construction needs and impacts to mobility in the city. Council will have the option to modify citywide long term street closure policies, modify citywide temporary closure policies, and could set specific policies for the Cross Kirkland Corridor, which does not currently have any specific requirements.

Join Liveable Kirkland in a conversation about our city’s present and future! We have an active community on Discord and Facebook and we’d love it if you joined in too : )

(And if you add a picture you took to #photos on Discord it might get featured in next week’s issue!)