Summary of Outreach

The Kirkland City Council adopted the Comprehensive Plan at their December 10, 2024 meeting(PDF, 12MB)  (Ordinance O-4896).

Sign up for the K2044 Listserv to receive updates on the Comprehensive Plan.

Public Comments

Public comment PDFs received post-Planning Commission Hearings(PDF, 87MB) (October 11-December 10*, 2024)

Public comments organized by topic area(PDF, 6MB) (2022 through October 10**, 2024)

Public comment PDFs received(PDF, 269MB) (2022 through October 10, 2024)

* The City Council adopted the K2044 Comprehensive Plan at their December 10, 2024 meeting. Public comments received after December 10 are not considered part of the record.

** The last Planning Commission public hearing occurred on October 10, 2024.

Community Engagement

Historically, large community-wide discussions have tended to attract people comfortable with City planning processes. Kirkland 2044 invested particular energy and consideration into engaging people underrepresented in civic life (i.e., “priority populations”). To guide the City's public engagement efforts, Kirkland worked with a consultant to prepare a strategy focused around equity to engage with the community. The City has provided a range of opportunities, open to all, to learn from the community and help staff develop and refine goals and policies. These key strategies included: 

Identifying Local Stakeholders & Community Groups: The City proactively identified over 200 stakeholders and community groups and provided them with information about the Comprehensive Plan update and how to get involved in the process.

Communications: Staff regularly publicized information about the Comprehensive Plan, public surveys, and information about upcoming meetings and public hearings on the Comprehensive Plan website, Comprehensive Plan email listserv, This Week in Kirkland email listserv, and City social media accounts. 

Developing Community Surveys: The City created four public surveys throughout 2023 that covered the major topics in the Comprehensive Plan, receiving nearly 2,000 responses from community members or interested parties. These survey responses were analyzed by staff to help inform policies that meet the needs of the community. 

Attending Local Events: Staff attended over 40 community events and meetings throughout 2023 to engage with the community and receive feedback on various plan topic areas. This included meeting with Youth & Senior Councils, neighborhood groups, schools, and tabling at the Peter Kirk Community Center. Staff also tabled at events in the community such as farmer's markets, health fairs, City Hall for All, and more. 

Hosting Focus Group Sessions: The City hosted eight small group 90 minute focus group sessions with interested parties to review existing policies, develop guiding principles, and draft new policies.

For more information on this process, explore the menus below.

4 Result(s) Found

2024 Public Hearings and Adoption Discussions

The City held public meetings on various elements of the Comprehensive Plan and public feedback was crucial to ensure the plan reflects the needs and aspirations of our diverse community. This is not a complete list of all K2044 public meetings, but meetings specific to collecting public testimony and Planning Commission & City Council discussions leading to the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan are presented below.

All public hearings were held during Planning Commission meetings. See the Planning Commission webpage for recordings of the meetings. Recordings of Council meetings are available on the City Council webpage. Open houses occurred from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM prior to specific public hearings to provide an opportunity to speak to staff and ask questions.

May 9, 2024 Public Hearing

Topics: Introduction Chapter (includes Vision Statement and Guiding Principles); Parks, Recreation, and Open Space; Economic Development 

May 23, 2024 Public Hearing

Topics: Land Use; Sustainability, Climate, and Environment; Human Services; Neighborhood Plan updates; Community-Initiated Amendment Requests (CARs)

June 13, 2024 Public Hearing

Topics: Introduction Chapter (Vision Statement; Guiding Principles); Land Use

June 27, 2024 Public Hearing

Topics: Transportation; Capital Facilities; Utilities; Public Services; Implementation; Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement comments

July 11, 2024 Public Hearing

Continuation of Planning Commission (PC) deliberation on all neighborhood plans except the Juanita Neighborhood Plan (the PC previously completed their deliberation on this chapter at the May 23, 2024 meeting)

July 25, 2024 Public Hearing

Continuation of PC deliberation on the NE 85th Street Station Area and Totem Lake Business District Subarea Plan updates, and the following neighborhood plans: Lakeview, Bridle Trails, Moss Bay, Everest, Rose Hill, Norkirk, and Finn Hill.

August 7, 2024 City Council Meeting

Topic: Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element Updates - Transit Corridors

August 8, 2024 Planning Commission Study Session

Topic: Housing Element

August 22, 2024 Public Hearing

Continuation of PC deliberation on the Land Use Element and Market Street Corridor Plan update

September 3, 2024 City Council Study Session

Topic: Housing Element

September 12, 2024 Public Hearing

Continuation of PC deliberation on the Land Use Element and Market Street Corridor Plan

September 26, 2024 Public Hearing

Topics: Housing; Appendices (Glossary, Historical Information, Housing Needs Assessment, Community Profile); Miscellaneous topics

October 10, 2024 Public Hearing

Continuation of PC deliberation on the Housing Element

October 15, 2024 Joint City Council and Planning Commission Study Session

Topic: K2044 Comprehensive Plan - Planning Commission recommendation

November 19, 2024 City Council Study Session

Topic: K2044 Comprehensive Plan

December 10, 2024 City Council Meetings

5:30 PM: Council Special Meeting

7:30 PM: Council Meeting

Note: Council discussed the Comprehensive Plan during both December 10 sessions

Focus Groups

To learn more about what each focus group discussed, visit the specific element webpage.

Public Comments, Surveys, and Visioning Event

January 11, 2023 Visioning Event: The City hosted a virtual Visioning Event on January 11th to hear what Kirkland community members envision for the City’s future. Here are 5 unique and thought-provoking ideas or opportunities to address challenges that we heard from community members to help us start thinking about Kirkland’s future:

  • Increase alternative transportation modes such as point-to-point shuttles, more charging systems, and rapid electrification of the City; rethink transportation corridors instead of just amending
  • Listen to people that can’t afford to live in Kirkland today or don’t have the opportunity to live here
  • More creative housing opportunities such as co-housing with shared resources; reinforce the idea of creative missing middle housing options and go beyond just duplexes and triplexes
  • Finding alternative ways to generate tax revenue as we transition away from a car-centric Kirkland
  • Set specific sustainability goal for a “Zero Carbon City by 2044” 

 

Other public comments and survey results:

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