​City Manager Kurt Triplett has announced the hiring of Kathy Cummings as the new Communications Program Manager for the City of Kirkland beginning June 1, 2016. She replaces Marie Jensen who recently took a communications position in Bellevue. Cummings will over-see city-wide communication efforts, media relations and work to enhance public outreach and create meaningful connections between the City and the community. 

Kathy sends along the following message to everyone in Central Houghton:

Comment period is from June 30 through August 1
The Energize Eastside project is undergoing environmental review, which includes preparation of a Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The City of Bellevue is leading the EIS process in cooperation with Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond and Renton.

The City of Bellevue has reopened the scoping comment period on the Phase 2 EIS to provide the public with the opportunity to submit written comments on two new alternatives identified by PSE. The new alternatives do not represent PSE’s preferred alignment, but are designed to bypass the boundaries of the East Bellevue Community Council.

See EnergizeEastsideEIS.org for more details on the location of the alternatives, including maps. Scoping comments must be submitted by August 1, 2016. 

Please note: Comments or questions submitted to Puget Sound Energy will not be considered part of the EIS. 

For background information about the Energize Eastside project, please visit pse.com/energizeeastside.

PSE mailing address is:
Puget Sound Energy
P.O. Box 97034, EST03W
Bellevue, WA 98009-9734

Please be aware that the City is moving forward with plans for the Houghton Everest Neighborhood Center (HENC) and the 6th Street Corridor study. 

Scheduling and planning for public input for the Houghton Everest Neighborhood Center and the 6th Street Corridor was discussed at the June 22nd meeting of the Transportation Commission Meeting.

On Thursday, June 23, the Planning Commission and the Houghton Community Council held a joint meeting to discuss the work schedule for both the 6th Street Corridor Study and the Houghton Everest Neighborhood Center. The work product for the two studies will include:

Public Outreach and Facilitation

• Public outreach plan
• Public outreach materials, including project identity, project website, and
• communication materials, including a newsletter, signs, flyers, cards
• Findings from informal outreach events
• Findings from online survey
• Community meeting materials and meeting summary

6th Street Corridor Study

• Summary corridor draft goals/objectives and general transportation context using available performance measures reflective of these goals
• Technical memo with methods, data collection and proposed project studylimits
• Draft conditions for baseline and proposed land use scenarios, and listing of potential constraints and opportunities
• Updated conditions for baseline and proposed land use scenarios with potential solutions prepared in a draft presentation
• Report that provides the foundation and supporting analysis to convey trade-offs and decision making for the lay public
• Houghton/Everest Neighborhood Center Study
• Assessment of neighborhood center existing land use conditions
• Assessment of development potential under existing zoning regulations, including visual representations
• Description of scenarios and visual representations of each scenario
• Summary of demographic and market conditions
• Summary of stakeholder interviews
• Development feasibility of identified scenarios
• Summary report document methods, findings and recommendations for the neighborhood center ​