Call to Action: Kirkland Parkplace
The following letter from The Cascade Land Conservancy was received by Kirkland Views:
Opportunity to Shape the Future of Kirkland
Council to consider zoning changes for Parkplace
The Kirkland City Council will consider potential zoning changes for Parkplace in downtown Kirkland at 7 pm December 16th at City Hall. Please send a letter to the Council regarding the proposed changes and attend this hearing to demonstrate that you care about the future of growth in Kirkland.
The Cascade Land Conservancy does not take positions on specific development proposals, but in general, the Conservancy supports growth that helps create urban neighborhoods with a vibrant mix of public open space and gathering places, civic and cultural anchors and establishments which provide jobs near where people live.
Kirkland can maintain and enhance its quality of life by guiding how and where new residential and job growth occurs. The Cascade Agenda Cities Program, of which Kirkland is a leadership city, recognizes that citizens who are knowledgeable and proactive can have a powerful influence on how their communities grow and play a positive and constructive role in shaping the future of our region.
Touchstone, the Parkplace developer, has proposed a mixed-use development that includes office space, groceries, restaurants, retail shops, a hotel, movie theatre and open space Touchstone has filed a Private Amendment Request to change the current zoning at Parkplace to allow buildings up to eight stories compared with the current five-story maximum. If the request is not approved, Touchstone may proceed with an alternative plan, which meets the City’s current zoning requirements, but redevelops Parkplace predominantly with office space and does not include other proposed community benefits.
What You Can Do
1. Email the City Council. In your letter to the Council, please consider if the development proposal will:
- Achieve The Cascade Agenda goal of directing growth into compact development that provides jobs, retail, public amenities and open space accessible to a large number of residents?
- Provide long-term benefits like additional office space or affordable homes, allowing businesses and families the option of staying in Kirkland as they grow?
- Maintain Kirkland’s unique sense of place and create new opportunities for current and future residents, such as public open space and gathering places, civic and cultural anchors and establishments which provide jobs near where people live?
2. Attend the Hearing at 7 pm December 16th at City Hall:
- Demonstrate that you care about the future of growth in Kirkland.
For additional information please visit the following websites:
Or contact Craig M. Benjamin at craigb@cascadeland.org
Note: Kirkland Views ran a three-part Point/Counterpoint series on the issues surrounding the Kirkland Parkplace Development. You can read the series at www.kirklandviews.com/resources/kp/kirkland-parkplace-overview/
Posted by Rob Butcher on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Filed under Development · Tagged with City Council, Development, Downtown, Parkplace, Planning Commission
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Well written, clear and concise.
We also urge citizens supporting the redevelopment of Parkplace to email the council and attend the December 16th / 7pm meeting.
If you want a Healthy, Vibrant Kirkland for the foreseeable future – yours and your childrens – please come show your support for the preferred plan.
Or we can always become White Center…. they do a LOT with two story buildings.
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This is quite a coup for Park Place. I am surprised and pleased by this endorsement.
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It is so nice to see a group of people “supporting” the natural grown of a Downtown Core, and Kirkland, rather than the insane actions of that other, not very civic group of protesters. This redevelopment will be such a plus for Kirkland, Congratulations to all!
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It is interesting that Cascade Land Conservancy has spoken out on this issue. I wonder if the endorsement will sway opinion one way or another…
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Rob,
I would not use the word “endorsement” to describe Cascade’s statement. Their second paragraph sums it up.
“The Cascade Land Conservancy does not take positions on specific development proposals, but in general, the Conservancy supports growth that helps create urban neighborhoods with a vibrant mix of public open space and gathering places, civic and cultural anchors and establishments which provide jobs near where people live.”
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Ghost,
Your point is well-taken. CLC does not take positions on specific development proposals. Perhaps endorse is too strong a word… or is it?
When clicking on the “send a letter to the Council” link above, one is taken to a form letter generation page. On this page, one can either write a letter to the Council or one can use any or all of the three automatically generated comments:
1. I support redevelopment of Parkplace that advances the Cascade Agenda goal of directing growth into compact development that provides jobs, retail, public amenities and open space accessible to a large number of residents.
2. I support redevelopment of Parkplace that provides long-term benefits like additional office space, allowing businesses and families the option of staying in Kirkland as they grow.
3. I support redevelopment of Parkplace that maintains Kirkland’s unique sense of place and creates new opportunities for current and future residents, such as public open space and gathering places, civic and cultural anchors and establishments which provide jobs near where people live.
If I were a developer, I would be happy to have CLC not endorse me any day with a Take Action page like this one!
Thanks for your comments.
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If the Cascade Land Conservancy does not take positions on specific development proposals why would you openly support this project with a letter. As envisioned, and ignoring a compromised design, It has numerous negative features that will detract from Kirkland, and particularily the NorKirk neighboorhood.
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The choices your proposed on Kirkland Views are not all of them. Did Touchstone make you aware of a compromise plan that allows for three eight story buildings and all of the other amenities your mentioned make such a mixed use project viable? The city council does not have to accept the PAR as proposed, they can make modifications and still require a ratio of office to retail, which would effectively take the all-office option off the table.
We can have effective mixed use that serves the residents and workers without the out-of-proportion scale.
I for one am disappointed that your organization has taken the stand it has without looking at the whole picture or even talking with the primary group asking for moderation on this project. I am surprised your don’t recognize the strain this project will place on affordable housing by bringing jobs without more housing. Kirkland is already way out of proportion on the their jobs to housing ratio with the GMA. And isn’t there a stream that runs through the property? Why wouldn’t a conservancy group have an interest in daylighting this stream?
No one is doubting the need and viability of a mixed us project, including my group, but many have concerns over the size and scale of the one being produced here. And we accept the need for increase density on some level. However, this is not a project designed to serve the neighborhood. This is a regional mall, the same size as Redmond Town Center, that will need to attract shoppers from outside of Kirkland to survive.
You say you don’t take a stand. But you absolutely just did. I wish you had taken the time to be more informed by at least contacting other people other than Touchstone. You have lost credibility with this citizen.
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To clarify, this comment reflects my opinions of Cascade Conservancy, not Kirkland Views. They have taken a side without being fully informed and have absolutly taken a stand with their letter in my opinion.
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