Frequently Asked Questions

The two projects are very different. The Mixed-Use Plan would create a community hub with a wide range of retail offerings and restaurants, as well as a dynamic “active” public open space that would include plazas, public art, landscaped areas and other community gathering spaces. The Mixed-Use Plan would also incorporate a hotel with community and business meeting space, a full-service sports club, a movie theater and office space.

Under the Office Alternative Plan, which meets the City’s current zoning requirements, Kirkland Parkplace would be redeveloped predominantly with Class-A office space, within the 5-story height limit of the existing zoning. It would not feature the community-focused amenities than the Mixed-Use Plan incorporates.

Both would provide positive financial benefit to the City and existing Kirkland retailers, though the sales tax revenue generated by the Mixed-Use proposal would be greater. It’s important to note that no matter which redevelopment option is ultimately executed, Touchstone would create a high-quality, environmentally sensitive project that the community can be proud of.

Here is an at-a-glance amenities comparison of the two plans:

Mixed-Use Plan (8-story)

·         12 restaurants (many of them full service)

·         82 local, regional and national retailers

·         Diverse mix of retail to serve residents’ everyday needs

·         “Active” open space for the community to experience (water features, public art and community-gathering spaces)

·         Brand new QFC (double its current size)

·         New full-service sports club and hotel (space for weddings, family gatherings, public events and business conferences)

·         State-of-the-art movie theater and other entertainment venues

Office Alternative Plan (5-story)

·         3-5 lunchtime restaurants (serving office workers)

·         4-6 office-oriented retailers (FedEx Kinko’s, office suppliers, etc.)

·         “Passive” landscaped open space (largely designed for office workers)

·         QFC remains the same in Phase 1

·         No sports club or hotel

·         No movie theater or entertainment venues

As we continue to move through the process of reviewing the preferred alternative plan with Kirkland’s Planning Commission and, later this year, its City Council, we will be able to make a more-defined plan for redevelopment. Our continued collaboration with Kirkland residents and other area stakeholders will also play a major factor in determining a final course of action, based on their ongoing feedback on the existing mixed-use design plans for Kirkland Parkplace.

No, if the Private Amendment Request (PAR) is approved, it will include binding design guidelines that create a new zoning district. These guidelines will ensure that the developer follows through on the promised aspects of the project. They will likely include things such as building setbacks and stepbacks, open space requirements amd varying height restrictions at different parts of the site. After the final architectural design is completed by the developer, the project will again be approved by Kirkland’s Design Review Board to provide additional architectural guidance and make sure that it meets the guidelines provided by the City.

There are a number of ways to get involved. One of the most important ways is to attend the June 26 Planning Commission meeting (7 p.m. at City Hall) and speak your mind about the project. This will be your last opportunity to speak out on the project before the Planning Commission makes its decision whether or not to approve the PAR request. (The Planning Commission extended the comment period after its June 12 meeting.) 

You can also sign the petition supporting the Mixed-Use project by clicking on the link at the home page of this website. Your name will be added to the many who support the project and given to the City to show that the community wants this dynamic center for Kirkland.

Another great way to support the project is by writing a letter to the City: Angela Ruggeri at aruggeri.ci.kirkland.wa.us.

We’ve paid special attention to the parking needs for the site and have calculated anticipated demand using several different methods, including the one that most transportation engineers use for parking analysis from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Parking Generation manual. In a mixed use project such as this one, standard methods allow for a cumulative parking analysis that accounts for the fact that the peak times of day and week for office parking are different than the peak demand times for retail parking. This analysis shows that the peak demand anticipated is below the 3,500 spots we are providing. The 3,500 spaces included in the project’s redevelopment plan will provide an abundance of parking for Kirkland residents who wish to visit downtown during the workday or after hours for dinner, a movie or to patronize any of the local businesses.

The draft Environmental Impact Statement produced and paid for by the City of Kirkland corroborates our analysis. (http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/__shared/assets/Environmental_Impact_Statement_Draft8338.pdf) It includes a peak hour demand and shared parking analysis that is in line with the number of spaces we have proposed.

Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that it is not to Touchstone’s advantage to under-park the site. This would diminish the value of the space for office tenants and limit the ability to attract great retailers. We are definitely working in the best interest of both the community and the project when it comes to a parking plan.

We are in the process of evaluating the parking program. We’re working on a number of options including a validation program in partnership with the Kirkland Parkplace retail community as well as with the City of Kirkland on a cost-effective evening and weekend program. The 3,500 parking space included in the project would provide for an abundance of additional parking for all Kirkland residents who wish to visit downtown businesses, arts and music venues and community festivals throughout the year.

When Touchstone purchased the Kirkland Park Place property and was looking at redevelopment alternatives, one of the first places we looked for guidance was the 2001 Kirkland Downtown Strategic Plan. This plan articulated a need for additional parking downtown, preferably underground, additional density at Kirkland Park Place, strong pedestrian connections to surrounding streets and to Peter Kirk Park, great open spaces and additional retail that was complimentary to the existing downtown retail. To understand more about the retail needs of Kirkland, Touchstone hired Bob Gibbs, a consultant who had worked extensively with Kirkland on the original Downtown Strategic Plan, and who is a nationally renowned retail expert. After conducting a research study, (and knowing Kirkland well from his prior work) he advised that a critical mass of 300,000 SF of retail was required to make a mixed-used development work at KPP.

Retail is a tricky thing to build. When it is leased, the developer tends to pay much more for tenant build-outs (known as TI costs) than for office build-outs. Often, it can take 3-5 years of leasing revenue (on a 10-year lease) to pay back the retail TI costs. Furthermore, a proportion of the initial retailers will turn over in the first few years, leaving Touchstone paying the TI costs twice on some of these spaces. When developers say the “retail is difficult to stabilize” this is the phenomenon they are referring to.

In addition, the proposed mixed use alternative includes underground parking (expensive to provide) and 45% of the site dedicated to enhanced public active open spaces that include art and water features (expensive to provide and non-revenue-generating).

In order to meet all the needs articulated by the city and build a great project, it made sense to build a few more floors of office on some of the buildings to help stabilize the project financially. We have concentrated this height away from the park with significant upper level step-backs and an initial set-back of 60 feet from the park (the current QFC has a 0 foot set-back from the park). In fact, while our private amendment request asks for 0 feet set backs in some limited areas, our average set back from the property line at 35 feet, is nearly twice the 20 feet required in the existing zoning.

We are excited about our mixed-use proposal and feel it has evolved significantly and been made better by the public comments we have received as well the Design Review Board’s (DRB’s) thoughtful process.

In light of the uncertainty around the approval of our Private Amendment Request (PAR), we have filed an office alternative plan that conforms to the existing zoning. It has limited retail to serve the office workers’ needs (please see question above) and a different type of open space (more “passive” office gardens as opposed to “active” space with cafes, art, lots of people and programming). If we go ahead with this project it would be an exceptional quality, environmentally sensitive project, but would be very different in character from the mixed-use alternative that is covered by the PAR.

The City of Kirkland has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that includes a detailed analysis of the traffic impacts of the proposed mixed-use project and the “no action alternative” which would include projects conforming with the existing zoning. The draft EIS is available on the City of Kirkland website and is subject to a public comment period that extends until May 19th. The EIS takes an in-depth look at the traffic impacts of development in the City of Kirkland over the next 15 years, and prescribes the mitigation that the developers will need to undertake to compensate for the traffic impacts of their projects. This mitigation can be done in-kind (e.g. road widening or signalization) or by the city through the impact fees that are levied on the project. Touchstone is fully committed to working with the city to understand our project’s impact and to mitigate traffic effectively.

Finally, on an intuitive level, it bears noting that the office workers coming to the project from outside Kirkland would be on a reverse-commute from residents of Kirkland heading to Bellevue or Seattle. With additional jobs available in Kirkland, some Kirkland residents who currently contribute to the traffic leaving Kirkland in the morning and returning at night would be able to avoid the main arterials altogether.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an assessment of the likely influence a project may have on the environment. It looks at elements such as traffic and parking and prescribes mitigation that the developer must comply with.

The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to revise policies and codes to accommodate new projects.

To view the City of Kirkland’s drfat Environmental Impact Statement that includes information about the proposed Mixed-Use redevelopment plan for Kirkland Parkplace, click on the following link: http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/__shared/assets/Environmental_Impact_Statement_Draft8338.pdf.

There is no comparison. We are a different developer and this is a privately-owned project in an entirely different location and we ask that you evaluate this project on its own merit. Without having been part of the Lake and Central project, we cannot comment specifically on what happened there. However, we are 100% committed to getting feedback from everyone who has a stake in the future of Kirkland Parkplace. It’s critical that we get this input from local stakeholders in our pursuit of creating what’s right for this property. This Web site was designed specifically for gathering this type of information from those who live and work in Kirkland. If offers a number of opportunities to provide direct feedback to our group on your vision for Kirkland Parkplace.

We are currently seeking a Private Amendment Request (PAR) to change the zoning to allow for some of the buildings on the site to be 8 stories. Until we have certainty about whether the request will be approved, we don’t know whether we can build the mixed-use project, and so we can’t begin significant conversations with specific retail tenants.

Mixed Use Scenario: That being said, we are in conversation with QFC (an existing tenant at the site) to create an expanded QFC that would include many additional essentials such as hardware (light bulbs, picture hooks etc) and pharmacy. The old QFC would stay open until the new location complete. We also have a full time employee dedicated to working with the current tenants at Park Place to help them come up with individualized plans with respect to the redevelopment. We hope that many of the current tenants would return to the site.  

Overall, we envision a mix of local, regional and national tenants that would provide many of the things that meet Kirkland residents’ “needs” (hardware, socks, t-shirts, groceries), as well as restaurants, services (movies, health club) and other shops (books, clothes, etc) that would create a great destination. With 300,000 SF of retail, we think that we could provide a critical mass of businesses that are complimentary to those that already exist downtown and that together create a great downtown shopping experience.

Office Alternative Scenario: This alternative is within the existing zoning guidelines and would have smaller buildings. It would have a few (4-5) retail establishments that support the office workers such as FedEx, Kinkos, office supplies, and a few (4-5) restaurants/cafes that could serve the office workers’ needs at lunch. Under Phase 1 of this alternative the QFC would remain in its current location.

In addition to providing a more seamless connection between Kirkland Parkplace and the downtown waterfront area, we are looking at a redevelopment project that will increase downtown parking, generate new potential employment, provide space for high-profile employers who want to stay in Kirkland but haven’t been able to locate additional space, and create a dynamic mix of retail and entertainment offerings for Kirkland area residents, workers and their families. We also envision “Neighborhood Plus” retail offerings such as an expanded grocery store, a bakery and a variety of everyday services for the local neighborhood.

Our plans call for one hotel to be developed at Kirkland Parkplace that would include a variety of restaurants, approximately 175 rooms and suites, a full-service sport club and meeting rooms with state-of-the-art technology allowing for a variety of needs.

Absolutely not. The Private Amendment Request we’ve filed with the City seeks to extend building height limits at Kirkland Parkplace from five stories, where currently they stand today, to no more than eight stories. These increased height limits for office buildings, if approved by the City, will help create the densities required to turn Kirkland Parkplace into a more open, family-friendly property that provides green space and other community-gathering areas for everyone to enjoy. We fully embrace Kirkland’s existing downtown character, and our own vision for the property would only enhance what we have here today.

As one of the early pioneers of “green” building efforts, we envision incorporating sustainable building and development techniques into Kirkland Parkplace that will reduce the environmental impact of the project. The use of environmentally-friendly building materials, provisions for efficient water use and other cost-effective systems to conserve the region’s natural resources for future generations to enjoy are a part of our plans.

This early in the process, it’s impossible to say with any degree of certainty what exactly we’ll have at Kirkland Parkplace. However, we are looking at a number of options that could preserve the existing experiences available today.  Bringing a new state-of-the-art movie theater to Kirkland Parkplace is a high priority as part of the new entertainment and lifestyle component of the project.

We anticipate that Phase One construction will take approximately 30 months from the time we break ground. Phase Two will take an additional 18 months. Keep in mind there is always the possibility that the projected construction schedule could be affected by inclement weather and other potential delays. However, our plan is that the redevelopment will be complete within 48-50 months from the time we first break ground.

Our plans are to keep as many stores as possible open during Phase One construction activities. At the very least, we’ll keep a portion of Kirkland Parkplace open during that initial building phase so that people can continue to patronize their favorite shops.

It is not our intent to block existing views We are in the process of analyzing “sight lines” and view corridors as part of our planned action EIS to locate and design the office buildings to minimize their physical impact on their surrounding environments including neighboring buildings to the south and east. Keep in mind that the current zoning allows for building heights of up to five stories.  We have requested an increase of up to eight stories, or an addition of roughly 30 feet.  One of the reasons that the city is considering a new height limit in this area is so that the project will support the densities required to turn Kirkland Parkplace into a more open, family-friendly property that provides green space and other community-gathering areas for everyone to enjoy.

The DRB will provide input to City staff and the Planning Commission to develop appropriate Comprehensive Plan policies, development regulations and design guidelines for CBD 5 (the location of Parkplace). The primary issues that the Board will focus on will be site layout and building massing. The DRB will review the conceptual development plans that we have submitted and use them as a starting point for recommendations to the Planning Commission.