As some of you may know, the City of Kirkland has suspended/cancelled all meetings and events at City facilities until the end of March (except the March 17 City Council meeting). The City hopes this will help reduce the spread of the coronavirus in Kirkland. City personnel is all departments are supporting the response to Covid-19. City staff support all of the various meetings, including our neighborhood meeting. Cancelling the meetings will allow the City to prioritize these staff resources to the Covid-19 response and other work.
 
Therefore, the Central Houghton Neighborhood Association meeting scheduled for March 10 is Cancelled.  We have tentatively rescheduled our meeting to April 14, pending the availability of facilities and direction from the City and health authorities.

In the meantime, the following links can provide you information on current and upcoming topics.

• Neighborhood Safety Program Crosswalk Improvement at Phyllis Needy Park - City Council may address funding for the flashing crosswalk lights at their March 17 meeting.
• Safer Routes to Schools, including ongoing studies near the International Community School  --  https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/CMO/Neighborhood_Services/Safer_Routes_to_School_Action_Plans.htm
• The update of the City's Active Transportation Plan covering improving walking and bicycling within the City  --   https://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Public_Works/Transportation_and_Traffic/Active_Transportation_Plan.htm
• Upcoming (starting March 21) Metro Route Changes affecting Central Houghton  https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/service-change/eastside.aspx
  
  
• AND - the 108th Avenue NE Sewer and Water Main Replacement Project which will affect all of us in Central Houghton to some degree over the next 6 to 12 months.
  http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/Public_Works/Construction_Projects/108th_Avenue_Northeast_water_and_sewer_upgrade.htm 

Come listen and ask questions to get informed and involved.

​A member of the Police Department will also be at the meeting to update us on current police department activities and to answer questions from he audience.

We also will provide updates on ongoing City Council, Planning Commission activities and CHNA programs.

Cookies and cider will be served!!!

As always, please let us know if you have potential topics for future meetings or would like to volunteer for the Board or other CHNA/City program.

Looking forward to seeing you next week.

Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association

​Hope you are all having a fabulous holiday.

​The Central Houghton Neighborhood Association's (CHNA) next meeting will be Tuesday September 10 at 7:00. It will be held at Fire Station 22 -- 6602 108 Ave NE.
 
The following includes information on some ongoing and upcoming items which may be of interest to our membership before the next meeting.  
 
1. Tree Code Revisions: A primary purpose of the tree code is to define what trees must be retained and requirements for planting more trees with development. It also addresses how many trees a property owner can remove each year without development. The tree code also addresses a range of other items that may affect your property or other properties as part of development or landscaping, etc.

• Thursday July 11 @ 7:00 PM City Council Chambers -  The Kirkland Planning Commission will meet to start reviewing the first draft of the code changes. The meeting packet, including the code revisions, can be found at the following link.              https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Assets/Planning/Planning+PDFs/Planning+Commission/KZC+Chapter+95+Code+Amendments_PC+Packet_CAM18-00408_07112019.pdf  
• Monday July 22 @ 7:00 PM City Council Chambers - The Houghton Community Council will start their review of the initial draft code.
  
  

2. Northwest University Master Plan Hearing

• The joint Hearing Examiner and Houghton Community Council public hearing on Northwest University's proposed Master Plan was continued from June 11  to a date yet to be established.
• When a new date is established, the City will provide public notice. CHNA will send out an email when we have a date and time.
• Oral testimony on the Master Plan is closed.
• Written comments/testimony can still be made - send them to Tony Leavitt, Senior Planner -   tleavitt@kirklandwa.gov. Be sure to include the project file number in the subject line -   ZON16-02063 
  
  

3. Crossing Kirkland Event

• CHNA will be participating in the Crossing Kirkland event on Saturday September 7 on the Cross Kirkland Corridor. 
• We will be part of the station at the Google site
• We are currently gathering ideas and formulating a plan - if you have some thoughts, please share them with us
• If you would like to help in the planning or day of event activities (set-up, assisting at the station/booth, clean up) please let us know - the more the merrier and many hands makes light work

• You can simply reply to this email or send a separate email to centralhoughton@gmail.com
  
  

4. King County Metro South Kirkland Bus Route Changes

• Regular riders of Route 255 already are aware that the route no longer stops at the Montlake Station because of construction of the west segment of the SR 520 bridge corridor.
• You can no longer take the 255 and get off at Montlake to go to UW . Sound Transit will still be running ST 540 during peak hours and Sound Transit has added service to ST 542 (Redmond to University District). You can transfer at Evergreen Point Station to the 542 and it will take you into the Stadium/Link station area and through the University district
• End of August/early September 2019 – Montlake Triangle improvements are to be finished. Bus stops will be consolidated in front of UW Stadium and the Link Station. This should make for much easier and safer connections to and from Link. 
• March 2020 - route 255 will most likely be rerouted to terminate at UW/Husky stadium. You will need to transfer to Link Light Rail to continue to downtown Seattle.

• More information on these changes can be found on King County Metro's website

           - Find out more details about how routes would change, including new options for routes recommended for deletion, on Metro’s North Eastside Mobility Plan website.  
          - Information about the King County Council’s process, including where to direct comments, can be found on the Mobility & Environment Committee’s website.    



As always, please let us know if you have any questions or if you have ideas for future meeting topics.
 
Larry Toedtli, President
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association
centralhoughton@gmail.com
 

Transit Service Changes Proposed for Kirkland!
King County Metro Transit is asking the communities of Bothell, Kirkland, Kenmore, Woodinville, and Redmond for input on proposed changes to north Eastside transit service and bus routes. The proposed changes are design to meet the changing needs of the region.
The changes affect the following areas:
North Eastside service area: Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Redmond, and Woodinville
Routes affected: 234, 235, 236, 238, 243, 244, 248, 255, 277, 930, ST 540, ST 541, ST 545 
There are two ways to share your input:
1) Take the survey (http://www.kingcounty.gov/metro/north-eastside by Nov. 13 2018) 
2) Attend a community meeting in Kirkland:
• Nov. 5, 6–8pm, Kingsgate Library in Kirkland, Meeting Room, 12315 NE 143rd Street
• Nov. 7, 6–8pm, Kirkland City Hall, Peter Kirk Room, 123 5th Avenue

KINGCOUNTY.GOV
North Eastside Mobility - Programs & Projects - King County Metro Transit - King County
Goals: Expand transit service and improve mobility in the north Eastside, and strengthen connections to important destinations
​

​KIRKLAND TRANSIT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN - LEARN AND PARTICIPATE
Explore this ONLINE OPEN HOUSE and SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK  about improving transit service in Kirkland.   Open online through June 11.
https://ktip.participate.online/ 
 
This is a very informative tool to improve transit in Kirkland.  Input gathered through this online open house will be used to guide transit improvement priorities in Kirkland and to identify specific projects to enhance transit service.

Today, Kirkland’s over 84,000 residents are served by several transit routes connecting the city to various Eastside destinations and Seattle. Similar to other areas in the region, Kirkland is becoming a major employment center that attracts transit trips, and transit frequency is increasing to meet the growing demand.

In response to increased growth, the City of Kirkland is working to improve transit service for residents through the Kirkland Transit Implementation Plan (KTIP). In 2015, the City worked closely with stakeholders and the community to adopt the Transportation Master Plan. This plan helped to prioritize transportation projects through 2035, including the KTIP. The City is now working to develop the KTIP as a way to build upon the goals of the Transportation Master Plan and improve transit throughout the City. The KTIP will serve as a tool to help get Kirkland residents where they want to go in the fastest and most convenient way.

Transit Implementation Plan Open House
Tuesday, November 14
5:30 to 7:30 PM
Heritage Hall, 203 Market St, Kirkland, WA 98033
 
About this Meeting
The City of Kirkland is working to develop a Transit Implementation Plan. The plan will identify possible transit improvements in key areas of the city.
 
A key part of this plan is hearing from Kirkland residents about priorities for transit investments. One of the big ways that we’re doing this is through the Open House.
 
We could really use your help in spreading the word about this meeting to your neighborhood lists and contacts. The City will also be sending this out via social media and our weekly email newsletter, so please share our posts or forward the e-newsletters when you see them.
 
Residents can come to the open house to:

• Learn about the Kirkland Transit Implementation Plan and project process
• Learn about potential transit investment opportunities
• Share thoughts on priorities for transit investments
• Speak with the project team

You can learn more about how this plan fits into the larger Transportation Master Plan by visiting www.kirklandwa.gov/KTIP. Also, feel free to contact City Planner Stephen Padua at 425-587-3871 or SPadua@kirklandwa.gov if you have further questions.

Lake Washington School District Levy, proposal for dog waste stations at ICS, CERT's stone soup project at Northwest University, Long Range Metro Planning and Northwest University Expansion Plans were all on the agenda for March's meeting.

Here are the presentations and links to information discussed at our March 2, 2016 meeting. Thanks to all the presenters and attendees!

We had a presentation from Eric Campbell from  Lake Washington Citizens Levy Committee to speak about the upcoming school levy on April 26. More information can be found on their website.