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Council adopts new fire and park impact fees, reviews transportation schedule for June adoption
Summary
On May 6 the City Council adopted an ordinance to update fire and park impact fees with a three‑year phase‑in for residential fees (effective July 1 after an oral amendment), and staff briefed council on proposed transportation fee changes to return for adoption June 3.
The Kirkland City Council took final action May 6 to adopt updated fire and park impact fees and directed staff to return June 3 with transportation impact fee ordinances.
Nut graf: Ordinance 04901, as amended on the dais, phases in the newly calculated park and fire fee schedule. The council also asked staff to proceed with a recommended three‑year phase‑in approach for residential non‑stacked fees and to apply an identical phase‑in for cottages and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with continued exemption for very small ADUs under 800 sq ft; transportation fee adoption is scheduled for June 3.
What passed: Financial Planning Manager Kevin Peltz walked council through two implementation options and staff recommended “Option 1,” which adopts the full calculated per‑square‑foot fee and phases the maximum non‑stacked residential fee from 80% (2025) to 90% (2026) to 100% (2027). The ordinance includes a staff‑recommended phase‑in for cottages and ADUs to smooth the transition for building types with larger percentage increases.
Council amendments and effective date: The council adopted staff’s recommendation and approved amendments to insert the Option 1 schedules for parks and fire into the code. The city attorney noted a draft‑ing error in the effective‑date clause, and the council adopted an oral amendment to make the ordinance effective July 1, 2025.
Transportation fees: Staff briefed council on the transportation study and explained an apparent drop in average project eligibility from a prior study was driven by broader inclusion of annual preservation programs; when like‑for‑like comparators are used the eligibility is similar. Staff recommended implementing stacked‑residential per‑square‑foot fees at 100% as of July 2025; council asked staff to return June 3 with an ordinance reflecting any final technical changes.
Ending: The council adopted the fire and parks ordinance (04901), set its effective date to July 1, 2025, and directed staff to return with the transportation impact fee ordinance June 3 for adoption.
