NORKIRK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

MEETING – SEPT 19, 2002

MINUTES

 Chuck Bartlett from the Park Board gave a presentation on the upcoming Park bond and Levy.  Key points:

 New Business

 Community Conversations – Kirkland 2022 

A video was shown asking residents of Kirkland to consider three questions regarding the future of Kirkland.  A general discussion followed. Please see community conversation minutes below. People were asked to send further responses to the City of Kirkland.  Responses from the meeting will be forwarded to Teresa Swan, City of Kirkland Planning.

 Meeting adjourned

 1. What do you like best and least about Kirkland?

1. Like the small buildings in downtown areas – as opposed to high rises
2. Variety of buildings at Juanita Village.  Vast improvement.
3. Like the encouragement and support the City gives to the neighborhoods
4. Like the green areas.  Trees that are left.
5. Appreciate bike lanes that we have.  Would like even more
6. Would be nice to have trails only for bikes
7. Like roundabouts – they will beautify the neighborhood
8. Like to see more trees downtown
9. Like the small town feel and sense of community
10. Like our senior and teen center
11. Ballpark downtown is great
12. Library parking is good

2. What do you like least about Kirkland?
1. Need increased walk ability
2. Don’t like high rise apartment downtown (over 4 stories)
3. What I hate about downtown is the condos.  They add additional traffic
4. Stop growth – too much density
5. Don’t like areas such as the area around Michaels’s at the corner of Juanita Drive and Market Street.   Like to see that area blend into Juanita Village.  Also this should have the same style of sidewalk design with planter strip, etc. that there is next to it on Juanita Drive.  What I don’t like could be turned into what I like

3. If you could create your preferred future:

A.     Housing and neighborhoods – How do we accommodate our growing population?

a.     Like innovative housing concepts, mother-in-law apts., cottage houses.

b.     Keep single family housing areas near schools.

c.      There will be downtown style neighborhood centers with housing, services, public transportation, and shared gardening spaces, along with shared park/plaza spaces.  These will be urban in character with comfortable pedestrian connections.  They will replace sprawl and strip malls and cater to an aging population. We will also continue to have single family housing neighborhoods of a more traditional American style surrounding these areas. 

d.     There will be some large business districts for commercial and corporate and medical concerns.  These will be next to transportation centers.

e.     Stay the same (like Medina) no growth.

f.        Concept like Juanita Village

g.      Build Totem Lake into a vibrant commercial center with good pedestrian connections, human street scale, business and retail services, a transportation center, etc.

h.      More people will work out of home. 

i.        Downtown with small shops – less galleries.

j.        All cities will provide incentives for green roofs to offset environmental impact of population density.

k.      Small buildings downtown (4 stories or less)

B.  Transportation – How do we want our growing population to get around

a.      Flex car is a good start

b.      Vans that come to your door and take you to services.

c.      Moving sidewalks

d.      More pedestrian safety: (roundabouts, sidewalks, better crossing, and more.)

e.      High speed trains – maglev will replace short air flights. Trains will also connect large commercial centers.

f.        More bike lanes

g.      Transportation will not be considered to be just busses, trains, cars, etc.  It will additionally be considered to be walking, bikes, covered recumbent bicycles, scooters, wheel chairs and other futuristic modes that are compact, and these modes of transportation will share transportation funding (instead of just having impact fee taxes, etc. just being spent on vehicle travel lanes) and safe facilities will be built catering to their needs. 

h.      We will find better designs for keeping dangerous high speed vehicular lanes from threatening people.

i.        We will correct bad road designs that have destroyed pedestrian connectivity. For example, the way that the Freeway separate the two areas of Totem Lake, and also Rose Hill from Downtown

j.         Parks, bike and walking trails and common green space will be highly valued.

C.  Habitat – what degree of protection should we have for our streams, wetlands and trees?

a.      Waterways will be more protected.

b.       Not only streams and wetlands, but lakes will be protected from contamination and restricted for boat use because they won’t be able to accommodate public demand.

11/07/2002