Kenmore council asks staff to return with zoning options to protect Swamp Creek while allowing transit‑oriented growth

Kenmore’s City Council asked planning staff on Monday to draft zoning amendments for 13 parcels adjacent to Swamp Creek near State Route 522 and 80th Avenue Northeast, seeking a balance between ecological protection and transit‑oriented housing.

Council members and staff said the parcels were carved out of an earlier TOD (transit‑oriented development) overlay and remain subject to interim regulations pending more permanent zoning. Community development director Debbie Bent said staff wanted council “to get direction from this evening that will help staff draft amendments to bring forward to you later in the year.”

Why it matters: the parcels sit beside Swamp Creek, a waterway subject to shoreline and critical‑area protections. Council members said restoring creek habitat and protecting great blue heron rookeries are priorities; others said parcels near the 522 transit corridor should still accommodate higher density and affordability goals. Staff referred to a 2024 Swamp Creek assessment used to prioritize parcels for ecological restoration.

Staff and senior planner Bridal Chu outlined technical differences among zones: underlying residential zones (R‑12, R‑18, R‑24) have lower maximum heights and no affordability requirement; TOD regulations allow higher density with a 10% affordability requirement but rely on underlying setback standards; an Urban Residential or Urban Corridor East zoning would allow greater heights and a 25% affordability requirement in some cases. The report noted shoreline rules (including a 200‑foot jurisdictional band and seasonal limits on clearing) would continue to apply where triggered.

Council members discussed tradeoffs. Council member Culver said, “I think I would definitely lean much more strongly toward preservation of them,” referring to shoreline parcels. Council member Lutzis and others suggested a hybrid approach — using urban residential rules near the transit corridor while preserving greater setbacks and lower heights adjacent to Swamp Creek. Council members also raised practical details such as construction types and how height rules affect build costs.

No ordinance or rezoning vote occurred. Instead the council asked staff to draft concrete code language guided by the feedback heard Monday and to return with a recommendation and draft regulations for further council review (staff noted the item is forecast to return to the council agenda on July 28). Planning staff said they would include specific examples, assessment results from the Osborne Swamp Creek study, and answers to council questions about height, construction types and reasonable‑use exceptions.

The discussion drew repeated calls to use the Swamp Creek assessment to prioritize parcels for ecological restoration while allowing denser development where it will have the least ecological impact. Staff warned that shoreline and critical‑area regulations (adopted previously and subject to Department of Ecology review) would still control development within the shoreline jurisdiction.

Council members and staff said they expect more public and commission input before final adoption and that the forthcoming drafts will show explicit tradeoffs — setbacks, heights, density, impervious limits and affordability percentages — so the council can choose a consistent approach rather than parcel‑by‑parcel “spot zoning.”