Kirkland planning commissioners back formal rules for development agreements and set zoning directions for two Juanita rezones

KIRKLAND, Wash. — The Kirkland Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend a zoning-code amendment that formally codifies the city’s process for negotiating development agreements, and during the same meeting issued a series of recommendations and directives to staff on two proposed rezones in the Juanita neighborhood.

The commission’s vote to forward the development‑agreement language to City Council came after a staff presentation and a short public hearing. Senior Planner Lindsey Levine told commissioners that the proposed new chapter — identified in the packet as a new Chapter 164 — would set procedures for the city to enter negotiations with property owners and describe public‑notice, hearing and council‑decision steps. “Development agreements or D.A.s are between a jurisdiction, so city and a property owner, and [they] are a way for developers to get assurance about the applicable development standards,” Levine said. The commission approved a staff amendment clarifying that the city is not obligated to enter negotiations just because an owner requests a development agreement.

Why it matters: codifying the process gives the city a transparent, uniform way to negotiate large‑scale projects that may seek departures from standard regulations in exchange for defined public benefits. Levine noted examples of past Kirkland projects that used development agreements and said the approach is typically pursued for large projects.

What the commission decided on development agreements

• Motion — Approve the staff‑recommended draft language (including the late staff amendment clarifying that the city is not required to negotiate or enter a development agreement). Mover: Commissioner Angela Rosman. Second: Commissioner Erin Jacobson. Vote: unanimous (Ria Heiser, Erin Jacobson, Gina Medea, Scott Reiser, Justin Robbins, Angela Rosman, Ronnie Rutherford). Outcome: approved. (Recommendation to City Council.)

Public comment and the Juanita rezonings

After the development‑agreement vote the commission moved to a lengthy study‑session on two requested zoning‑code amendments in the Juanita neighborhood: a JBD‑4 rezone that affects the property now occupied by the Michaels store and a larger BC‑1 rezoning request that includes the Goodwill/US Bank commercial site. Senior Planner Leandra Baker Lewis provided an overview of community outreach, existing design and transportation policies, and the set of development‑standard options staff had prepared for commissioner guidance. Multiple members of the public spoke in the meeting’s public comment periods. Resident Kate Conant urged improved pedestrian connections between Juanita Beach and Juanita Bay parks. Brady Nordstrom, representing a local affordable‑housing consortium, urged the commission to view the rezones as a tool to meet the city’s housing…