Kirkland reviews concept plans for Kraken Iceplex community center; council presses for clarity on ownership, operations and parking

Parks Director Lynn Zwagstrom introduced OPSIS Architecture’s concept work on a potential community center that would be co-located with a proposed Kraken Iceplex at the Houghton Park & Ride site. “Throughout all of 2024 the city has been doing a due diligence process — and that has resulted in us putting out an RFQ for an architectural firm to do a concept plan,” Zwagstrom said, noting the work is based on a guiding framework established by Resolution 56405 and that no agreements are in place with the Seattle Kraken. OPSIS described three concept iterations and recommended a preferred plan for a roughly 12,000-square-foot building footprint with about 10,000 square feet of usable tenant-improvement space on the second level for community programming. The team highlighted a flexible west-side community wing with movable partitions, a catering staging kitchen, universal restrooms, cardio/weight space with windows into the ice sheets, and a rooftop designed as a “fitness garden” with a 40-meter straight dash, parkour elements and flexible event areas. Designers stressed flexibility: movable “nano walls” for multipurpose rooms, a universal restroom layout and passive wayfinding using wood ceilings and daylighting. The rooftop concept includes operable louvers, planted areas, a workout stair and parkour features, and views to the west. Council members asked detailed operational and equity questions. Councilmember Adam Black asked what “tenant improvements” included; Zwagstrom replied the city’s draft term sheet defined tenant improvements as interior walls, bathroom fixtures, plumbing, built-in cabinets and front-desk elements, but not finish materials. Council members repeatedly pressed the team about elevator redundancy. The concept shows a single elevator and stair; Councilmember Sweet and Councilmember Falcone asked staff to explore adding a second elevator or alternate access because single-elevator buildings can create accessibility and operational constraints for fitness spaces, catering and rooftop events. Ownership and branding questions surfaced. Staff said the guiding framework anticipates the City owning the building and leasing space to the Kraken under a negotiated agreement; the draft framework also contemplates the city retaining naming rights for the community center and a marquee at the entrance. Parking, circulation and neighborhood impacts were raised in public comment and by council. Staff said the Kraken would be responsible for construction costs under the current exploration, but the project still needs land-use and transportation analysis; no binding commitments have been executed. Councilmembers asked that future materials include clearer analyses of vehicle trips, parking demand, loading/catering access and whether alternative parking layouts or transit improvements could reduce curbside impacts. Zwogstrom and OPSIS said the concept work is an early, deliverable tool intended to be handed to the Kraken if a partnership proceeds, not a final design. Staff said they will return with cost estimates, more detailed design and clearer terms for tenant improvements, access, phasing and community-use commitments.