Neighbors urge emergency‑only access and traffic mitigation for proposed 79‑unit Lily Kirk townhomes
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Summary
Multiple Penn Place residents and virtual commenters told the Planning Commission they fear a proposed 79‑unit Lily Kirk townhouse development will dramatically increase traffic, and they asked that the planned through road be limited to emergency access and that mitigations be considered at 100th and 190th Avenues.
Residents of the Penn Place neighborhood and a virtual commenter told Bothell’s Planning Commission on Feb. 4 they are concerned about traffic, safety and neighborhood character in response to the proposed Lily Kirk project.
Greg Shish, a 35‑year resident of Penn Place, said the 16‑home Penn Place development sits on about five acres and that the Lily Kirk proposal would place 79 units on the adjacent parcel (plus two existing single‑family houses). He asked the Commission to ensure the planned through road is limited to emergency access only, saying the current neighborhood traffic is low (about 32 cars) and the proposed project could add the potential for roughly 160 additional vehicle trips. He also requested traffic mitigation at 100th Avenue and 190th Street.
Jody Shish, another Penn Place resident, described safety and quality‑of‑life concerns after 35 years in the neighborhood. Jody Shish said school bell times and morning congestion already make it difficult to exit cul‑de‑sacs and recounted a neighborhood pedestrian injury as a safety example; she said the builder had asked to keep the through‑road closed and believed the city had declined that request.
John Grama, a long‑time nearby resident, said 100th Avenue has become busy and that neighborhood access can take several minutes during peak flows; he said he wants to know what mitigations are planned. A virtual commenter identified as Stephanie urged a more robust Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) that examines local stop‑controlled intersections and AM peaks, not just PM peak hours.
Staff response and project status: Deputy Director Gates and Boyd Benson said the Lily Kirk proposal (recorded in staff materials as 79 townhomes in RM1 zoning) is under review through the SEPA process and that the formal public comment period had closed. Gates said the developer proposes to retain the historic Lily Creek House and that staff and the project’s transportation engineers are evaluating traffic impacts and potential mitigations. Benson noted that traffic engineers will examine mitigation needs and that some traffic calming and safety programs are available as tools.
What the public asked for: Residents asked the city to (1) consider restricting the planned through road to emergency‑only access, (2) evaluate traffic mitigation at the 100th/190th intersections, (3) examine AM and school‑bell peak impacts in the TIA, and (4) keep neighbors informed of staff responses and engineering analyses.
What happens next: Staff said specific technical responses to these questions would come from the project's transportation engineers and staff reviewers; Commissioners were invited to receive follow‑up answers by email or in a future staff report.
