Frequently Asked Questions

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an assessment of the likely influence a project may have on the environment. “Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as: The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.” 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.

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.

This graphic represents one of many possible design scenarios that Touchstone might present to meet its required office-development program using existing zoning parameters and guidelines.

To review, the current code allows for commercial buildings up to 5 stories in height and no more than 80% lot coverage from non-permeable structures and materials. Through its Private Amendment Request, Touchstone has asked the City for the ability to create buildings that are 4 to 8 stories in height, a zoning change that it believes will provide the necessary densities to develop a dynamic, mixed-use “lifestyle center” at the now-distressed property.

Like any potential re-development of Kirkland Parkplace, this “Office Park Alternative” plan would need to be reviewed and approved in full by the City of Kirkland, which would work with the developer, the architect and local stakeholders to determine the right mix of buildings and public amenities to be created on the property —- things like green space, pedestrian walkways, drive lanes, courtyards, public-art displays and other multi-functional exterior spaces.

For now, however, this graphic illustrates some fundamental differences between a potential Office Park Alternative plan and the one that Touchstone has presented for consideration to the Design Review Board and Kirkland stakeholders through its series of open houses and one-on-one meetings with neighborhood associations and other community groups.

Most notable is the discrepancy between the quantity and type of retail and public amenities Touchstone believes could potentially be developed at Kirkland Parkplace using each zoning scenario.

Under current zoning guidelines, the Office Park Alternative plan would have about the same amount of service retail (approximately 100,000 square feet) as what exists already at Kirkland Parkplace today. The project would be highlighted by a new QFC grocery store that doubles in size, in addition to a handful of support retailers, shops and restaurants. The Office Park Alternative plan likely would dedicate roughly 25% of the site to public amenities —- most of that drive lanes —- given the lower densities allowed under current zoning. It’s also unlikely that a hotel, a full-service sport club, a movie theatre, or a wide range of apparel and other types of retail stores would be feasible under this zoning scenario.

With Touchstone’s proposed plan, which contemplates changes in zoning that allow for buildings 4 to 8 stories in height, Kirkland Parkplace would feature a host of public amenities and retail- and entertainment-based offerings situated in a destination lifestyle center that everyone would be proud of.  This plan would provide the required densities to create some 300,000 square feet of retail and dedicate more than 40% of the site to open space, drive lanes and other public amenities. This plan, part of Touchstone’s “Neighborhood Plus” development concept, represents a true mixed-use village that might include numerous restaurants, apparel shops, a hotel, a full-service sport club, public meeting space, a movie theatre, a bookstore and other experiential lifestyle offerings that meet the everyday-service needs of the greater Kirkland community.

Please click here to see how these open space and other public amenities might be designed to maximize the new Kirkland Parkplace experience.

Our goal is to design the project with as little traffic impact as possible. Our plans take into account the location of project’s driveway ingress and egress and the effect on traffic circulation within the vicinity of the project.  The City of Kirkland hired a consultant to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and detailed transportation analyses was performed for the EIS. It evaluates the site’s access, egress and on-site circulation work; the additional project traffic affect on off-site intersections throughout Kirkland; safety impacts; pedestrian access; transit needs and access; and parking demand and utilization. The draft EIS was release on April 4, 2008.  Residents of Kirkland and other interested parties have the opportunity to comment on the draft before a final EIS is issued.

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.

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.

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.

This early in the process, it’s impossible to say with any degree of certainty what exactly we’ll have at the new-and-improved Kirkland Parkplace. We know that local residents cherish their ability to have a “cinematic experience” and peruse books at the property and we are looking at a number of options that could preserve these types of experiences. Our “Neighborhood Plus” concept allows for an expanded grocery store and a number of local and regional retailers who offer services for the residents in the immediate area. As we continue to gather more feedback from the community and interview a wide range of retail and entertainment providers, we will keep everyone up to date on this progress through the new Web site, the local media, and other direct information channels.

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.

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.

At this point, there is nothing set in stone in terms of the “plan” for the property’s redevelopment. It’s a very fluid process and as part of that process, we are involved in a period of public comment where we and the City are encouraging all Kirkland residents, business people and community stakeholders to share their thoughts on the project.

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.

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.

A number of ways: send us an email at info@envisionkirklandparkplace.com, submit your comments via the feedback form included on this Web site or attend one of the public meetings taking place throughout the process. Your participation is welcomed.

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.

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.

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.