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Kirkland staff outline plan to streamline design review to meet state’s clear-and-objective rules
Summary
City planning staff presented options to comply with House Bill 1293 and related legislation, proposing code changes, consolidated guidelines and a phased approach that would limit public meetings and keep discretionary design elements for later review.
Tony Levitt, senior planner for the Planning Department, told the council the city must revise local design-review procedures to comply with new state laws. “House Bill 1293, became effective in July of 2023. The bill requires that the City apply only clear and objective regulations,” Levitt said, summarizing requirements that limit how design review may affect density, height and the number of public meetings allowed. The briefing explained how Kirkland’s existing two-track design review — Design Review Board (DRB) review guided by discretionary guidelines and an Administrative Design Review (ADR)…
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