Welcome to the North Rose Hill Neighborhood Web Site.
Look here for important information about Neighborhood Association meetings, land
development projects and other issues affecting the neighborhood.
KIRKLAND CITY WEBSITE
The next
Board Meeting will
be
August 18,
2008 - 7:00
pm
At Fire Station #26 on 124th NE and NE 100th St
Meetings and Upcoming Events of Interest to North Rose Hill
Kirkland Parkplace redevelopment project.
Visit www.envisionkirklandparkplace.com
To view updated project sketches and plans, learn answers to the most frequently
asked questions, read public meeting reports or catch up on the latest news.
For more information, email info@envisionkirklandparkplace.com.
The North Rose Hill Neighborhood
Association hereby honors
Patrick McCarthy
for his good citizenship on Saturday, December 8, 2007 when he helped with the
clean-up on 124th Ave. N.E. And after helping complete that task, when everyone
else was heading home, Patrick took a partially filled trash bag with him to
pick up even more litter on another street, with the aid of his mother, Colleen
McCarthy. We do thank you for your contribution to the welfare of the
neighborhood, Patrick, and wish to acknowledge your helpful spirit.
Other neighbors working to beautify the neighborhood were; organizer, Mary Alyce Burleigh, Dianne Laird, Michael Torres, Jeff Trager, Karen Tennyson, Jim Lauinger, Jenny Tzeng, Mike Stults, Dick Seelye, and Ray Hansen.
Due to the hard work of these neighbors, we not only cleaned 124th Ave. N.E. between N.E. 80th St. and N.E. 116th St., but also most of 128th Ave. N.E.
Kirkland Bank of America downtown branch redevelopment to a 5 story building with apartments.
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From: "Bea L. Nahon CPA" <Bea.Nahon@nahoncpa.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 13:17:38 -0800
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Important - - re Bank of America site
The purpose of this e-mail is to request your prompt action regarding the
proposed 5-story development of the Bank of America (B of A) site at the corner
of Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street. As you will read further in this e-mail,
this message will provide various alternative ways for you to respond, any of
which must take place as soon as possible, and not later than noon on Monday
December 3.
By now, hopefully you are aware that the B of A has proposed a redevelopment of
five (5) stories at this location, to include the Bank at street level along
with some adjacent retail, with an additional four (4) stories of housing above.
The housing would be 72 units of senior self-contained rental apartments.
On Monday December 3, the Design Review Board (DRB) will convene to continue its
consideration of this proposal. The City Staff are recommending that the Design
Review Board approve the proposal, subject to certain conditions (Development
Standards).
I apologize for this last minute request, but time is of the essence. The
materials for this meeting did not become available on the Cityıs website until
approximately 4:40PM on Friday, November 30.
You can, and should, review the information on the Cityıs website at http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Planning/DRB_Meeting_Information.htm
In order for the redevelopment to be allowed at 3 or 4 stories, the project must
meet various requirements related to setbacks, materials, bulk, massing, etc.
However, the 5th story is considered to be a ³bonus² incentive, and is only
allowed if the developer provides for at least 3 stories of housing and ³superior
retail space² at the street level.
At the DRB meetings that have occurred thus far:
· Citizens are generally
supportive of development of the site
· None of the citizens, though,
have spoken in support of allowing the 5th ³bonus² story. To the contrary,
citizens have expressed opposition to the 5th story in this location and with
this configuration and occupancy
o Citizens have expressed opposition
to the overall mass of the project which will be directly on Lake Street
o Citizens are challenging the
developerıs ability to consider the Bankıs space to be ³superior retail.²
The citizens note that a bank is not a pedestrian-activating activity,
particularly due to the increased use of direct deposit, ATMs and online
technology for most everyday banking needs. Although this proposal does include
other retail spaces, the bank is on the focal corner of Lake & Kirkland, and
comprises a majority of the ground floor available square footage.
· Another common concern is
pedestrian and traffic safety. The proposal includes an alley access allowing
both ingress and egress to and from Lake Street, as well as a drivethrough which
would spill out onto Kirkland Avenue.
· Citizens and DRB members have
also noted that the property next door, currently occupied by Hectors, Calabria,
Mixtura, Tullys, etc is proposed to be redeveloped as a 4-story retail and
office complex, and so the overall impact on bulk, mass, streetscape, access,
alley usage, pedestrian connectivity, etc. must be considered.
At its most recent meeting, the DRB provided a set of changes that it wanted the
applicant to make to the B of A proposal, but did not reach a conclusion about
whether or not the Superior Retail requirement was achieved. The applicant (B of
A) has made several changes, and now on Monday, the DRB must determine if the
revised proposal is acceptable, and must address the issue of Superior Retail.
This is about more than just the Bank of America site. In addition, US Bank on
Central Way has begun the process to develop its site to include housing and the
maximum amount of stories/height (i.e. including the ³bonus² story). And there
are other older properties downtown which are anchored by banks, and these could
well follow. The time is now for the DRB and the City to determine if
development should be incentivized with extra height, when the ground floor
space is primarily occupied by a Bank.
If the DRB approves this proposal including the 5th story, there is strong
likelihood of an appeal. In order to have any standing in an appeal, citizens
must either speak at a meeting or submit written comments to the DRB prior to
the DRB approval. To that end, it will be helpful to have as many citizens as
possible with that standing and thatıs why your timely action is so
important.
Your next steps:
Contact Bea L. Nahon CPA" at
Here are some websites to access to have your opinions heard on issues in the City of Kirkland. The city planners actively seek public input and there are several ways to provide input. Below are some useful links to retrieve contact information for those of you that wish to be part of the process.
North Rose Hill Meetings & Activities Updates
Plan to attend the following meetings & activities to meet your neighbors and help your neighborhood.
Aug 18, 7:00pm North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association Meeting
Check the Kirkland City website for other city and community meetings.
Here are some community notes and information for the Rose Hill area.
North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association meetings are held the 3rd Monday of each
month.
Odd months are general meetings
(Jan, Mar, May, etc.) that have public programs and
presentations for residents.
Even months are board meetings
and the public is completely welcome. These
are more structured discussions, work sessions, and decision making.
*
There is no meeting in July (picnic)
Why should you attend? This is a chance for you to learn about
neighborhood issues and too voice your opinions.
Get Involved!
See you on Monday!!
Based on our latest King County Assessors information from 2002, we estimate that approximately 5730 people residing in NRH. There are 1,582 homes and 1427 apartment and condominium units in NRH for a grand total of 3009 residential units.
