Central
Houghton
Neighborhood
Association

4th of July Parade Float Work Days

Please help us create another exciting float for the Kirkland 4th of July Parade.  The work schedule is as follows.

South Kirkland Park and Ride Transit Oriented Development

The creation of affordable housing at this site through transit-oriented-development was among the top two strategies supported by the Kirkland City Council.  The site is within the corporate limits of Kirkland and Bellevue and both cities would need to amend their respective Comprehensive Plans and zoning to allow housing on the property. The City has received a letter from the King County Department of Transportation which describes their interest and general intent to move forward with the development of a TOD project at the South Kirkland Park and Ride site. Members of Kirkland planning staff have met several times with the City of Bellevue, King County and ARCH, to discuss the best way to move forward with a coordinated approach to the study of possible land use and zoning changes at the South Kirkland Park and Ride. This project is still well within the “let’s see” phase. There will be plenty of discussion of this possible project before the process to make the necessary Comprehensive Plan changes are even begun.

CHNA Traffic Committee

The focus is 108th Avenue, some items we are currently working on:

• Get data of speeds, volume, violations/citations for 108th Avenue

• Is a crosswalk possible between NW College and Fire Station

• Reduce speed on 108th  to actual posted limits

• Regular schedule for speed reader board

• Curb extensions (especially at crosswalks) or other possible speed reduction techniques

You may have noticed increase in patrols following City Council in the Neighborhood Meeting last month. Watch your speeds in school zone.

The committee has noticed lots of violations, particularly in the school zone.  Some of us have personally witnessed someone making an illegal left turn next to a school bus that had stopped, with lights flashing, and unloading students.  The car almost hit a group of students crossing in front of the bus in the crosswalk.  PLEASE!!! Slow down and be extra aware of our students.

Citizen Corps/CERT Shed

Plans are in the works to move our storage shed/Fourth of July float to Terrace Park.  The idea is to have our materials for the Houghtdown on site.  And we can use the shed to store emergency materials (such as bandages, first aid, and communications equipment) and make it available to our Citizen Corps and CERT graduates.  The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program trains people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of their community. To find out more, check the City Website http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Fire_and_Building/Emergency/Citizen_Involvement.htm