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Kirkland council approves $10 million purchase of former church, designates site as park
Summary
The Kirkland City Council on June 2 authorized the city manager to execute a purchase-and-sale agreement for a 3.28-acre former church at 13220 NE 132nd St for $10,000,000, amended the resolution to correct fund references and to designate the parcel as parkland, and approved a short-term funding strategy; the motion passed 6-0.
The Kirkland City Council voted 6-0 on June 2 to authorize acquisition of a 3.28-acre former church at 13220 NE 132nd Street for $10,000,000, advancing plans to use the site for parks or community-center purposes.
Leanne Skipton, the city’s facility services manager, told the council the masonry building (about 15,000 square feet, built in 1989) provides flexible space — a gymnasium, classroom and meeting rooms — that could be used immediately for recreation and parks programming. ‘‘That parcel aligns with PROS Plan equity goals and could be activated for community use,’’ Skipton said.
Finance director Kevin Pellstring outlined a funding strategy that relies on a $15 million bond issuance already in the 2026 budget. Under the plan, about $7.3 million of the bond would fund the purchase price, $1.8 million would come from park-impact fees, and $1 million would be reprioritized from a street-preservation project; staff said the remainder would be covered through the overall bond issuance and short-term interfund borrowing until bonds are sold. Pellstring described closing costs of roughly $40,000 and an initial $60,000 contingency for the purchase itself.
The council adopted three amendments before voting. Deputy Mayor Black proposed, and the council approved, correcting an internal fund reference in the resolution (replacing the erroneous ‘‘421 fund’’ wording with the correct ‘‘119 fund’’). Council member Tim Chisholm moved, and the council approved, language designating the property’s zoning as park to reflect the council’s intent to use the land for parks and recreation. The council also inserted a condition asking staff to secure revisions to the seller’s proposed use restrictions related to alcohol, public entertainment/amusements, and a confidentiality/press-release provision; staff said they would not execute the agreement unless those revisions were obtained.
City attorney staff described the purchase-and-sale agreement’s feasibility timeline: a 60-day due-diligence period after signing, followed by a 30-day closing period. ‘‘If the necessary revisions to the use restrictions are not obtained, staff will not execute the agreement and will report back to council,’’ the city attorney said.
The council made the authorization contingent on the resolution language being ‘‘substantially similar’’ to the draft presented, and staff said they would only sign if the seller accepts the agreed changes. Skipton said staff expects the feasibility period to conclude around August and closing to occur in September, at which point parks staff will return with recommendations on activating the site and the city will prepare a bond ordinance.
Votes and motions: the main resolution (R57-35) as amended passed 6-0. An accompanying fiscal note authorizing short-term funding and the funding strategy was approved 6-0.
Next steps: staff will secure the agreed contract revisions, begin the 60-day feasibility study (including a building-condition assessment and Phase 1 environmental review), and return with a bond ordinance and program recommendations for council consideration.
