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Kenmore staff lay out 2025 docket: middle‑housing, parks plan, Bastyr master plan and Lake Point on the calendar
Summary
City staff presented a full 2025 work program to the council that centers on middle‑housing development regulations, a new parks, recreation and open space plan, a Bastyr master‑plan update and continued work on the Lake Point property and Imagine Housing proposal.
Kenmore city planners and department heads presented a packed 2025 docket and departmental work programs in a council study session, focusing on implementation of state middle‑housing requirements, an updated parks, recreation and open space (PROS) plan, an expiring Bastyr master plan and the multi‑element Lake Point effort.
Todd Hall, principal planner, briefed the council on the Planning Commission docket: development of middle‑housing regulations (accessory dwelling units, cottage housing and small‑lot houses) to meet the state deadline and avoid adoption of the state model ordinance. Staff said they expect planning‑commission public hearings in March‑April and council review in time to meet the June 30, 2025 deadline if the city adopts its own code.
Community Development Director Debbie Bent (covering) outlined four planning commission docket items: middle housing/regulatory development; minor comprehensive plan adjustments tied to middle‑housing rules; an update to the PROS element and parks capital facilities plan (required for Recreation and Conservation Office grant eligibility); and a Bastyr University campus master‑plan update, which could include a request to allow multifamily market‑rate housing on campus. Bent said staff has not yet received specific amendment proposals from Bastyr but will finalize the public process before the council adopts the docket.
Staff also flagged non‑comprehensive‑plan items for council consideration, including code updates to reflect recent state law changes, interim regulations related to the TOD carve‑out and a planned park impact fee rate study after the PROS update. The city manager and staff emphasized that many items reflect state mandates and grant‑timing requirements; the PROS update, for example, is needed to preserve eligibility for RCO grants in the 2026 funding round.
Other items raised during the presentation included staffing requests (a limited‑term senior planner to help with the Planning Commission workload and a senior planner for project management) and coordination on the Lake Point project, where staff said a letter of intent timeline may be delayed following the property owner's recent death and related estate matters.
Council members asked for clarifications on the Commerce guidance for alternative compliance under middle‑housing, grant timing for the PROS plan and the proposed advisory committee structure for the city’s “STEP” housing advisory task force. Staff said they will bring the proposed docket back to council for formal adoption at the January 27 meeting and follow up with requested clarifications and consultant contracts as they are finalized.
