What is now the Cross Kirkland Corridor was previously a part of the Lake Washington Belt Line railroad. Kirkland History.org has documented the history of rail service along the Lake Washington Belt Line (LWBL), including it's section serving the Central Houghton, Lakeview and Everest neighborhoods (as well as others). 

The history and historical photos are very interesting. The following link will connect you to their web site on the LWBL.

kirklandhistory.org/1905-lwbl-ckc/

Their web site also includes some history about Juanita Beach, some Kirkland pioneer families, and other topics. Their main web site is:

​kirklandhistory.org/

Enjoy

​Please join us for our November 10 meeting of the Central Houghton Neighborhood Association (CHNA). 
 
We will be meeting virtually using the Zoom meeting platform. The zoom link, meeting number and passcode are provided below in yellow highlights.
 
The meeting agenda is attached.
 
Our primary topic for the meeting is the Neighborhood Safety Program (NSP) projects for 2021. CHNA has successfully used the  NSP to get several crosswalks upgraded with flashing beacons, improved street lights, and new or enhanced connections to the CKC.

• We need to submit up to two projects for the 2021 program by December 7
• Project costs should be under $50,000.
• This year's focus is on Safer Routes to School Action Plans - https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/CMO/Neighborhood_Services/Safer_Routes_to_School_Action_Plans.htm, although other projects also will be considered
• Please share your project ideas at the meeting. If you cannot join us, please email your ideas to centralhoughton@gmail.com 

We also will provide updates and take questions on transportation and development projects.
 
On Wednesday night (November 4), the City Council will be discussing and holding a Public Hearing on the 2021 -2022 Preliminary Budget. You can attend the meeting and make comments virtually. the link to Wednesday's City Council meeting is https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/council/Meetings/Agendas/Agenda_110420.htm
 
We look forward to seeing you on November 10.
 
Please let us know if you have any questions or ideas for future meeting topics.
 
 
 
Larry Toedtli, president
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association
 
 
CHNA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89921902239?pwd=bHRoSHoyZEdBcm5RNEFldUhiL3c5Zz09

Meeting ID: 899 2190 2239
Passcode: 455630
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Meeting ID: 899 2190 2239
Passcode: 455630

​To all-
​
The next meeting of the Central Houghton Neighborhood Association (CHNA) will be held Tuesday November 10 at 7:00 PM on the Zoom meeting platform. I will send out the meeting links with the agenda about one week prior to the meeting.
 
If you have ideas for topics for that meeting, please email me at centralhoughton@gmail.com.
 
Between now and the next meeting there are a couple of items that may be of interest to you.
 

• Kirkland Prop 1 - Fire & Emergency Medical Services Ballot Measure
  
  The City of Kirkland has proposed a levy measure to fund the construction of a new fire station, modernize and seismically renovate existing fire stations, and hire additional firefighter/EMTs and staff. More information can be found on the City's web page - https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Residents/Public_Safety/fire-2020-ballot-measure.htm. 
  
  Fire Chief Joe Sanford will be leading a virtual meeting on Wednesday October 14 between 6:00 and 7:00 PM to answer questions about the ballot measure.The following link can be used to register for the event.
  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-wthe-chief-an-opportunity-to-learn-about-the-fire-ems-ballot-tickets-122249580787?fbclid=IwAR29tAoCylYGrgTrWj_WB-dJva81piYkwxb8mJOc2MR-KhifE0Ap9SUvVh8
  
  The Yes for Prop 1 campaign has yard signs available. If anyone is interested , please let me know and I'll pass your contact information to their point of contact.
  
  
• Tech City Bowl Rezone Virtual Open House Wednesday October 21,
  Presentation starts at 5:30 PM followed by Question and Answer Session

Link to register for the open house event - https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ehc8nrpk9fb996d1&oseq=&c=&ch=
 
TechCity Bowl will submit an application later this year to rezone its property (not the entire Bridle Trails Shopping Center) to allow for a five story development. City code requires the rezone request show a design program for the full shopping center. 

Attend this Open House to view a full presentation by the project team, offer input and have your questions answered. If you can't make the Open House, the full presentation will be posted on the website after the event. After viewing the presentation, use this Comment Form to send us your input and questions.
 
Share this invitation with your friends and neighbors who may be interested in the project. All are welcomed!
 
Learn more at the TechCity Bowl website: https://tcbrezone.com/
 
Thanks and be safe. Ballots will be arriving this week - take this opportunity to VOTE.by November 3.
 
 
Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association

​CHNA held its September 8 meeting virtually using the Zoom platform. We had several speakers and presentations.

The notes from the meetings are attached. 
 
If you have any questions, comments, or ideas for future meeting topics, please contact us at centralhoughton@gmail.com
 
We also have openings on our Board that we would love to get filled to help generate ideas on how CHNA can best serve our neighborhood and overall City.
 
Our next meeting will be held virtually at 7:00 PM on Tuesday November 10. Hope to see you then.
 
Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association

Below is a link to a video provided by the City of Chief Sanford explaining the Fire and EMS investments. The video provides some background for the upcoming ballot measure. We will have a presentation at tonight's CHNA virtual meeting.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTeV5qbKUbY&feature=youtu.be

 I hope you all had an enjoyable summer, even with the Covid-19 pandemic.
City facilities remain closed, therefore we will be hosting a virtual meeting using Zoom.

The meeting agenda is provided below and also can be downloaded.
​
We have several visitors/presentations on the agenda, covering a range of topics:

• Police Lt. Brouelette
• 108th Avenue NE Water and Sewer Main Replacement
• Northwest University 
• Tech City Bowling Alley Redevelopment process
• City of Kirkland Fire and Emergency Medical Services Ballot Measure

In addition, we will provide information on upcoming City Council, Houghton Community Council, and Planning Commission topics.

Please note that the City Council is scheduled to take action on the Safer Routes to Schools program at its virtual meeting tonight  - https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/City+Council/Council+Packets/090120/9b_Business.pdf
Please forward this email and agenda to others that may be interested in these topics.

Thanks and hope to "see" you next Tuesday.

Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association
centralhoughton@gmail.com


The Zoom meeting link and passcode are provided as follows:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84930777067?pwd=WkhIUjBHeWRqTE53VitKWEk3QW52dz09

Meeting ID: 849 3077 7067
Passcode: 979166
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kew2BNx7X8
​

The grants provided through the Kirkland CARES Small Business Relief Fund do not need to be repaid. Awardees can use grant funds for rent, utilities and normal operating costs and expenses. Applications will be available on Wednesday, August 26 at.https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Residents/Public_Safety/Resources_for_Kirkland_Businesses_Impacted_by_COVID-19/Kirkland_CARES_Small_Business_Relief_Fund.htm

“The vibrancy and diversity of Kirkland’s small businesses are vital to our city’s sense of community and its long-term economic health,” said Councilmember Amy Falcone. “We know that across our nation, thousands of businesses are shuttering their doors permanently. The City Council is dedicated to taking meaningful steps to help our small business community survive. This grant program is another step in a series of actions to address immediate financial challenges our small businesses are facing during this pandemic.”


To receive a grant, for-profit or nonprofit businesses must meet the following eligibility criteria:


1. Small business must be located in Kirkland (including home based businesses) with a current and active Unified Business Identification Number (UBI) and City of Kirkland business license endorsement;
2. Small businesses must have 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees as of April 1, 2020;
3. Small businesses must demonstrate a minimum 25% reduction in gross revenues (including a reduction of at least $5,000) due to negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during the second quarter of 2020 (April 1 to June 30);
4. Small businesses must demonstrate a minimum of $5,000 of normal operating costs and expenses (as specified as eligible under the grant agreement) during the qualified period (second quarter of 2020, April 1 to June 30); and
5. Small businesses must not be involved in the production, processing, promotion, distribution, or sale (wholesale or retail) of marijuana and cannabinoid products, concentrates, or extracts; and
6. Small businesses must meet all other eligibility requirements specified in the grant agreement.

More information on eligible expenses, ineligible expenses and restrictions on use of grant funds is located on the Kirkland CARES Small Business Relief Fund page on the City website.
The City will accept applications from Wednesday, August 26 to Wednesday, September 16 at 5:00 p.m. If the City receives more than 150 qualified applications, the awardees will be randomly selected through a lottery. The City will announce awards as applicants are confirmed.
Please direct questions about this grant to the City of Kirkland at kirklandbusinesssupport@kirklandwa.gov. Businesses can request paper applications at kirklandbusinesssupport@kirklandwa.gov. Applications and eligibility requirements will be available in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. If you need assistance completing the application in another language, the Business Response Team has translation services available to support you. Contact the Business Response Team by visiting https://re.startup425.org/technical-assistance-request/.

​

To all-


We wanted to make sure to get the word out on a couple of things that are coming up next week.

Enjoy the weekend and stay safe.

Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association

108th Avenue Closure (NE 52nd to NE 55th)

Kirkland’s contractor is closing on July 27 a short section of 108th Avenue Northeast for two weeks while its crews install the new sewer main.
 
Marshbank Construction will close the arterial between Northeast 52nd and 55th streets from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting Monday. In the afternoon, the contractor will close the center turn-lane from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m.  
 
Marshbank will provide access for local traffic between Northeast 55th and 60th streets. 
The detour will route commuters along Northeast 68th Street, Lakeview Drive and Northeast 38th Place.



More information can be found on the City's web page for the project 
http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Public_Works/Construction_Projects/108th_Avenue_Northeast_water_and_sewer_upgrade.htm

The map for the closure can be found here.
 http://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/Public+Works/Public+Works+PDFs/CIP/108TH-map-closure.pdf

The following link shows the detour route.
http://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/Public+Works/Public+Works+PDFs/CIP/108TH-map-detour.pdf


Community Survey (closes July 29)

The City has launched its online biennial Community Survey to gauge community attitudes about the quality of life in Kirkland, satisfaction with City government services, and priorities for the future. We’re really hoping to get robust participation in this survey.
 
Please take a moment to take the survey and send it out to your neighbors:
https://www.research.net/r/Community-Survey-Kirkland
 
As you may know, for over a decade, the City has conducted a version of this survey every two years as part of its budget process. A phone version of the community survey was recently administered to a statistically valid, random sample of Kirkland residents. The results from both the online survey and the phone survey will be presented to the City Council in the coming months. The results will inform the Council about the community’s sentiments on various issues in Kirkland in preparation for the Council’s adoption of their 2021-2022 biennial budget later this fall. 


The online survey will close at 12 pm on July 29, 2020. Results of past surveys can be found on the City’s website.

​To CHNA Distribution List-
 
Similar to many of Kirkland's neighborhood associations, CHNA does not typically meet during the summer months. However, there are several items that the City is moving forward with.that we wanted to inform you about.
 
These items include ongoing planning activities, transportation construction projects, and City code revision proposals.
 
The following provides a short summary of these activities; we also have included links to the City web sites where you can get more detailed information.
 
Please let us know if you have any questions, input on possible topics of interest, or if you would like to join the CHNA Board or assist CHNA in other ways. We can be reached at centralhoughton@gmail.com.
 
Please forward to others that may be interested. To be added (or removed) from our distribution list, please email us at centralhoughton@gmail.com.
 
 
Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association
 
 
 
July 7 City Council Meeting Public Hearing - Affirming Black Lives Matter and Establishing a Framework for Kirkland Becoming a Safe, Inclusive and Welcoming Community 

• City Council to Hold Public Hearing on a Draft Resolution Affirming Black Lives Matter and Establishing a Framework for Kirkland Becoming a Safe, Inclusive and Welcoming Community 
  City Council Agenda and Packet can be found here - https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/council/Meetings/Agendas/Agenda_070720.htm
  
  

Rooftop Amenities Code Revisions 

• Potentially allows increased height of buildings to allow for outside space and possible common rooms.
• Joint Public Hearing with the Planning Commission (PC) and Houghton Community Council (HCC) on February 13, 2020 
• HCC made its recommendations to PC on February 13, 2020
• PC reviewed HCC recommendations and made its recommendations to the City Council on February 27, 2020
  https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/Planning/Planning+PDFs/Planning+Commission/Rooftop+Appurtenance+Amenities+2_27_20+PC+Packet+-+CAM19-00502.pdf
• City Council presentation at its June 16 meeting - packet https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/City+Council/Council+Packets/061620/9g_Business.pdf
• City Council provided input /direction to staff to review options related to public amenities, addressing impacts to adjoining low density residential areas, and application based on building height 
• City Council Schedule lists the topic for City Council review (and possible action) at its June 21 meeting

• Following action by the City Council, the ordinance will return to the HCC at a future date for approval or disapproval within its jurisdiction
  
  

Survey Related to New City Website
 
The City of Kirkland is seeking input from the community to help guide the development of a new City website.
Community members are invited to take a short survey to share their experience with the current City website, and assist staff in developing a new City website that better meets the needs of the public.


City Traffic Cameras
 
The City of Kirkland is pleased to announce that City traffic cameras are now available to the public on the City website at https://trafficmap.kirklandwa.gov/.
Community members can visit the webpage and click a camera icon to display an image from the traffic camera at that location. Visitors to the page can then click on the image, or use the maximize window button at the top of the pop-up, to open a larger version of the image. The images are refreshed approximately every minute.
“We hope that this new feature on our website will be a helpful tool for community members looking to plan their trips to avoid traffic,” said Councilmember Jon Pascal. “We also believe that this will be a valuable tool for community members to check road conditions during winter storm events.”
The traffic map is currently live and available to the public at https://trafficmap.kirklandwa.gov/.
 
 
 
 
 
Phyllis Needy Park Crosswalk Flashing Beacon
 
Construction is well underway for the installation of a new flashing beacon at the crosswalk near Phyllis Needy Park (on 108th Avenue NE just north of NE 46th). This is a neighborhood safety project that CHNA has pursued for several years. It hopefully will be completed by the end of summer.


108th Avenue NE Water and Sewer Main Replacement Project
The City's contractor is well underway on this project to replace the 50plus year old sewer main (NE 53 to 68th) and water main (NE 60th to 68th).
If you have driven the corridor you have seen the construction and traffic control and flaggers. Please be safe and slow down as you approach and travel through the construction site.
The project will likely last until December, with possible repaving next spring.Project web site  can be found here:
http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Public_Works/Construction_Projects/108th_Avenue_Northeast_water_and_sewer_upgrade.htm



Safer Routes to School

• The City developed a potential list of pedestrian system improvements to improve safety and connectivity to schools throughout the City.
• City staff held a series of Zoom public meetings with each neighborhood association  throughout June.
• CHNA recommended adding a project on 111th Avenue NE near NE 48th Street
• The City also invited people to vote on their top three projects through the end of June.
• The city's web site for the project can be found here - https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/CMO/Neighborhood_Services/Safer_Routes_to_School_Action_Plans.htm
• The map of projects is available through this link - https://kirklandwa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=925be3c9d0b5494cafeae6086a13ec07
• The results of the voting are being tabulated in July

• Final recommendations are tentatively scheduled to go before City Council in early August (check the agenda when it comes out).
  
  

Active Transportation Plan
The City of Kirkland is updating the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) based on the 2009 Active Transportation Plan (PDF 8MB) 
The plan update is being coordinated with the Safer Routes to School project. It will address pedestrians, bicycling, and access to transit and community centers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting budget constraints, the Active Transportation Plan community engagement and recommendations will be put on hold while the city slowly reopens and recovers from budgetary constraints. The plan will seek to implement the proposed strategies and innovations and with that comes budget requests which will be unlikely to be approved at this moment in time. However, the City is still moving forward with opportunities to make it safer to walk and bike such as seeking grant funds to implement high-priority safety projects, completing Kirkland's first two neighborhood greenway projects and designing and building Kirkland's first protected bike lanes. ThC city also received funding for a third greenway project. Please stay tuned for more information about this planning effort.

Visit the City's web page for more information https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Public_Works/Transportation_and_Traffic/Active_Transportation_Plan.htm