Juanita Neighborhood Plan Update

Outreach and Engagement

Beginning in 2023 and extending into May of 2024, staff conducted a robust public outreach process to solicit input on revisions to the plan which included public workshops, issuance of a community survey, and attendance at neighborhood and citywide events. See the Juanita Neighborhood Plan Update Framework(PDF, 813KB) document which includes our community outreach and engagement plan. A Juanita Working Group convened several times throughout the plan drafting process to work with staff on revising the vision statement and policies to better align with the current and future challenges, desires, and opportunities that will present themselves as Juanita continues to grow.

Public Hearing and Final Adoption

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the drafted Plan amendments at a meeting on May 23, 2024. At this meeting, the Planning Commission recommended the Draft Juanita Neighborhood Plan for adoption with amendments. This is the version of the Plan that the City Council will be considering for adoption at the end of 2024.The amended Draft Plan can be found at the link below:

Comments received after the public hearing are being documented and will be provided to City Council ahead of their deliberation at the end of this year.

There are currently several ways to continue the conversation for Juanita's future:  

• Sign up for the Juanita Neighborhood Plan update email list - To sign up for Juanita Neighborhood Plan email updates, click here. This email group will keep you updated during each phase of the Plan update, including announcements of upcoming public meetings and opportunities to engage.

• Submit thoughts and comments to the City - While the official record for the Juanita Neighborhood Plan update is now closed, you can still submit comments to the City using this Public Comment Form and let us know about your ideas. These comments will be reviewed by City Council before they consider the Plan for adoption.

• Ask Questions - Contact project lead LeAndra Baker-Lewis (llewis@kirklandwa.gov or 425-587-3265) with any questions.

(updated June 2024)

An important step of the Neighborhood Plan update process involves considering potential zoning and/or land use changes suggested by the community. In this iteration of the Juanita Neighborhood Plan, staff has composed draft policies to address requests from two property owners in the neighborhood, summarized below. Specific zoning regulations and design standards are not being analyzed at this time. See the table below for more information on the sequence of analysis and decision making.

Michael's Site - 9755 NE Juanita Drive 

• Comprehensive Plan and Kirkland Zoning Code (KZC) amendments increasing the allowed building height from 26 feet to 70 feet, elimination of the residential density restrictions of JBD 4 zone (KZC 52.27.070) to allow 170 residential units and 4,000-4,500 square feet of commercial space.
• Per the Planning Commission review of the original proposal, the study area for this proposal has been expanded, to include the parcel to the south and an estimated total housing capacity for 300 units across both parcels in the JBD 4 zone. Study area will not include parts of the JBD 4 within the Shoreline Management Area.

Goodwill Site - 9826 NE 132nd Street

• Amendments to the Kirkland  Zoning Code (KZC) 35.30.020 and/or the zoning designation of the subject property (currently zoned BC 1) to increase the maximum allowed height from 35 feet to 75 feet, and density allowances to accommodate approximately 500 - 600 residential units and 10,000 - 15,000 square feet of commercial/retail space.
• This proposal can be accomplished through a zoning text amendment to the current zone, or through a rezone of the property. 

Decisions and Timing

Visit the Planning Commission Video Archives page to access video recordings of past meetings.

August 24, 2023: Planning Commission Meeting Packet(PDF, 15MB) - Presentation(PDF, 3MB)
January 25, 2024: Planning Commission Meeting Packet(PDF, 2MB) - Presentation(PDF, 8MB)
April 11, 2024: Planning Commission Meeting Packet(PDF, 1000KB) - Presentation(PDF, 4MB)
May 23, 2024: Planning Commission Meeting Packet(PDF, 34MB) - Presentation(PDF, 2MB)  

Visit the City Council video archive page to view recordings of past meetings. 

October 3, 2023: City Council Meeting Packet(PDF, 9MB) - Presentation(PDF, 2MB)
February 20, 2024: City Council Meeting Packet(PDF, 9MB) - Presentation(PDF, 3MB)