In 1999, the city decided it was time to update the then 14-year-old downtown transit center. Eight years later, the partnership that is Kirkland, Sound Transit and King County Metro have created a footprint for the center's replacement on Third Street, slated for construction in 2009.
Over the past year and a half, the trio has taken a blank slate and - via workshops and study sessions with the city council - emerged with engineering consultants, an architect and a solid configuration.
Now they want to hear from you.
An April 23 open house will be facilitated by Sound Transit as well as Kirkland Public Works to share information but also to request critical feedback. "This is an opportunity for the community to tell us what's important for them - how the project should fit into the surrounding community and the goals they have," said Dan Eder, the project manager from Sound Transit. Eder said this is the third workshop in 10 months; a key difference with this workshop is that it follows a Feb. 26 study session with city council at which some preferences were made clear.
PEDESTRIAN LINKAGE
"They [city council] gave us a lot of good feedback and selected two options that should be brought to the open house for the public to react to," Eder said. The council made it clear that they want the pedestrian linkage across Third Street to be "strong, safe and inviting. The new center provides an opportunity to connect the downtown with Peter Kirk Park, ParkPlace and beyond."
An optimal design, according to Eder, needs to be fundamentally sound and affordable. In addition, the final product must meet anticipated and future operational needs and the community's aesthetic standards.
Public Works capital projects manager Ray Steiger said that Sound Transit and King County are looking at the next 20 years in terms of service and ridership. The new center, which is budgeted at $13.3 million, will also have four bays, and they will be able to serve up to 10 articulated buses at once. The team has been in contact with area businesses, including the new Heathman Hotel, which is adjacent to the center on the corner of Third Street and Kirkland Avenue.
"We're focusing on how it touches businesses," Steiger said, and keeping the communication lines open. Regarding the Antique Mall, which will probably will be converted into a mixed use building, "our hope is to integrate with what they're doing." But the community's biggest concern, admits Steiger, is dealing with the adjacent park. "We're trying to talk to as many people as possible. Sound Transit realizes it's a big deal."
The issue surrounding Park Lane - whether or not it will remain bi-directional or be reduced to one-way - is still up in the air.
But Steiger said that the current configuration mock-up has a central median on Third Street to keep pedestrians focused on getting from Park Lane to the park. The design team is aware that pedestrians tend to jaywalk in that area. "People are darting in and out," Steiger said. "It's a concern."
The current configuration that the team is using relates to traffic and users, but doesn't include the aesthetic particulars, such as landscaping, lights, shelters, sprinkler system, etc. But based on initial feedback, the community wants a transit center that works with the baseball field, playground, pool and all of ParkPlace.
"It comes down to the look and feel," Steiger said. "Kirkland wants something that invites people to come into the park."
OPEN HOUSW
Kirkland Teen Union Building (behind Kirkland Performance Center, near Peter Kirk Park)
April 23, 5-7 p.m.
At 6 p.m., there will be a presentation by Dan Eder, ederd@soundtransit.org, Sound Transit's project manager. He will address the current and future state of the project.[[In-content Ad]]
