Things are looking up in Downtown Kirkland, according to several city sources. The water- and sewer-system replacement project on Central Way is winding down, a start has begun on a new hotel, and condominium projects are going in near Kirkland Avenue that will bring hundreds of new residents to town.
Dick Beaselle, executive director of Kirkland Downtown on the Lake, said he was pleased with the work on Central. "Cosmetically, Central Way will look outstanding."
Beaselle especially appreciates the move to put power and utility lines underground, and he likes the plan for a series of curb bulbs that will calm traffic on the busy thoroughfare. The curb bulbs will make it safer for pedestrians, he said.
Stores affected on Central
Beaselle conceded that work on Central did have a negative impact on some stores along the street. "Hopefully, the ones that survive will have a better business atmosphere," he said.
The new condominium complexes being built at the site of the old Safeway and the old post office will add to the mix of people in downtown, Beaselle added. And he sees the new hotel as a real asset to downtown.
So does City Manager Dave Ramsay.
"That's been a missing piece for some time," he said of downtown lodging for visitors. But that and other projects in or near downtown are welcome in a broader sense, according to Ramsay. "We think it's a real positive sign there's ongoing developer interest in Kirkland."
There was some doubt that would happen after the Kirkland City Council torpedoed the mixed-use project at Lake and Central following an outpouring of public objections, he conceded. But a developer backlash has failed to appear, according to Ramsay.
He noted that the condo project at Kirkland Avenue and State Street is nearly complete and has been completely sold out. "We're also getting some interest in office projects," Ramsay said, adding that nothing concrete has yet come out of that interest.
Retail on condos' first floor
"The one area we remained concerned about is retail," he said. That will be included on the first floors of the condo projects, Ramsay noted. "We will see some retail," he went on to say, "but what we really want to see is anchor retail."
Specifically, the city would like to see retail with an appropriate scale for Downtown Kirkland, according to Ramsay. "We are not talking about big box (retail)." Instead, something more moderate in size would fit, he believes. "Sur La Table is our version of an anchor store downtown."
Ramsay stressed that the city would like to see more retail development in the central downtown core. "It's a focus of ours, and we're trying to encourage it," he said.
Kirkland Planning Director Eric Shields said the pace of development in the downtown area is more active than it has been in the past. "The hotel is a real unique opportunity. I think that will be a real nice addition," he said.
"A lot of new residential units are coming online," Shields also noted. New residential growth has been going on in stops and starts for the past decade, he added. "It's on a start phase now."
Shields said he agreed with Ramsay about the need for more robust retail growth in the city, and he applauds the amount of development going on in the area. "But they're certainly not bringing in new retail space to the core of downtown," he said, echoing Ramsay.
"Many of these new condos have a retail space on the ground floor," Shields allowed. There's a reason for that. Including retail in a residential project can allow developers to add an extra floor to the projects in some cases, but the land-use codes call for "superior retail," he said.
Unfortunately, the city's land-use codes don't define what superior retail is, Shields said. Still, the Design Review Board can have an effect in that area since the board has to approve projects, he added.
In the meantime, Shields said, the latest condo projects are on the edges of downtown. "It remains to be seen if new retail there will help revitalize downtown."
Still, the condos will bring 300 new residents to the city, he said. "So there will be people who will hopefully shopping downtown," Shields added. "I don't know if that will make a difference."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com or (206)461-1309.[[In-content Ad]]
