City Council Recap September 20, 2022

Published on September 23, 2022

council meeting screenshot July 5 - small.jpg

The Kirkland City Council met on September 20, 2022, in a hybrid meeting. Here’s a brief overview of some of the items from the meeting:

Kirkland Municipal Court Update – Municipal Court Judge John Olson provided an overview of the structure of the Kirkland Municipal Court, impacts of the pandemic on operations, and information on Community Court.

Closure Options for Kirkland Ave & Lake Street Intersection Improvements – The Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street Intersection Improvements project will improve safety, reduce pedestrian crossing times, implement a “pedestrian scramble phase,” improve sight distance for vehicles, and enhance surface water facilities. The City Council received information about options for roadway closures necessary for the construction of the Kirkland Avenue/Lake Street Intersection Improvements Project and provided direction to staff on a preferred traffic control option.

Station Area Plan Planning Process, Phase 2 Deliverable and Schedule – The Council received a briefing on the remaining Station Area Plan planning process. The City began the planning process on the Station Area Plan in 2019. With input from the community, and elected and appointed officials, several planning phases of the project have been completed. The briefing on September 20 included a summary of the decisions made and work completed in Phase 1, as well as an overview of Phase 2 deliverables and schedule.

Houghton Community Council Sunsetting Phase 2 Code Amendments – The Council adopted two ordinances that amend various sections of the Kirkland Zoning Code and Kirkland Municipal Code. The ordinances reflect the necessary procedural and regulatory code amendments to eliminate references to the former Houghton Community Municipal Corporation (HCMC) and Houghton Community Council and achieve regulatory consistency between the former HCMC area and the rest of the City.

Prior to the above business agenda, the Council held a Study Session starting at 5:30 p.m., where they discussed a Regional Community Mobile Crisis Response. The City Council considered and provided feedback on a draft interlocal agreement and articles of incorporation to form a new, regional Community Mobile Crisis Response Agency. If adopted, the City would become a member of a separate legal entity that would merge the RADAR Navigator program with Kirkland’s Community Responder program to provide community crisis response services to the cities of Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline.


How to watch: Kirkland City Council meetings are streamed live and can be watched after the fact on the City of Kirkland Facebook page and the City YouTube channel, in addition to the livestream on the City website. Meetings are also televised on Comcast Cable Channel 21 and Ziply Cable Channel 31.

To watch the Council discussions on the specific agenda items outlined above, visit the City’s website. The full agenda packet with information on each item is located on the City’s website.

The next regular City Council meeting is on October 4, 2022.

Tagged as: