June 10 Community Meeting on Planning Issues

FHNA hosted a community meeting at Finn Hill Middle School on June 10 to hear neighbors’ views about land use policy affecting Finn Hill, local transit and mobility issues, and the status of the neighborhood’s tree canopy.

About 40 residents participated in small group discussions that focused on these topics. While a wide variety of views were expressed, the following key points emerged from the meeting’s conversations:

Mobility/transit:

o Provide more bus service, particularly on Juanita Drive

o Connect sidewalks throughout Finn Hill and add crosswalks to Juanita Drive

o Improve street design for bicyclists and pedestrians

o Enact Ebike regulation for youth

Trees:

o Restrain developers’ ability to remove trees

o Clarify tree retention rules for homeowners

o Improve protection of tree canopy in the face of development and street

improvements

Housing:

o Develop the QFC site for more housing and community assets (like a third place)

o Retain single family residential neighborhoods

o Consider stacked (taller) town homes to achieve density while retaining tree

canopy

FHNA will rely on this community feedback to advocate for policies that benefit Finn Hill as well as Kirkland generally.

We expect to hold one or more community meetings in the fall to flesh out several of the points summarized above. If you have comments or questions in the meantime, please let us know!

Contact us at: board@finnhill.org