Kenmore — Five-Minute Read

NE 192nd St. Sidewalk & Culvert Replacement — condemnation ordinance adopted 6-1

What happened: Council adopted Ordinance 26-0645, authorizing acquisition by negotiation or condemnation of property rights needed to replace the NE 192nd culvert (Little Swamp Creek Tributary 01) with a fish-passable culvert and to connect sidewalks and add bike lanes from 73rd to 75th Ave NE. The packet specifies acquisitions from 4 or 5 properties — the fifth contingent on a licensed arborist's analysis — including fee-simple purchases and temporary construction easements; roughly 8 properties are affected overall when driveway improvements are counted. All owners received certified letters and meeting invitations, and the ordinance was advertised in the Seattle Daily Journal. Staff stressed condemnation is a last-resort tool behind in-person meetings, formal offers, and Possession & Use agreements, and that authorizing it now for all parcels at once avoids singling out any one owner and avoids a months-long delay later. Four residents spoke against the project, citing a squared street corner that would take a large cedar, a fire hydrant that would sit in the new sidewalk, and a sense that the outcome was predetermined. Councilmember Culver voted no, arguing the sidewalk was a lower-priority project pursued mainly because grant funding was available, that the culvert is currently rated 67% passable and opens only about 500 feet upstream to another total barrier, and that roughly $1.3 million in unobligated culvert funding could be redirected to a higher-priority fish barrier. Why it matters: Eminent domain authority over residential front yards is a significant tool even when unused, and the dissent reflects an unresolved question about whether grant availability is driving project selection. Who is most affected: Property owners along NE 192nd Street and 75th Ave NE; families walking to the nearby elementary school (the project is within a quarter mile). Decision status: Adopted, 6-1 (Culver dissenting). Timing and next milestone: Design at 60% moving to 90%; in-water work permitted July 15–September 30; ROW consultant RES Group NW is preparing offers now. What to do now: Affected owners should expect direct contact from RES Group NW; appraisals are shared with owners on request. Unknown — watch for: Final compensation amounts; whether any parcel goes to condemnation; the arborist determination on the fifth property.

NE 169th St. Culvert Replacement — condemnation ordinance adopted

What happened: Council adopted Ordinance 26-0646, authorizing acquisition by condemnation of temporary construction and five-year monitoring easements on three private properties for the NE 169th Street culvert replacement. The existing culvert is both undersized — causing frequent nuisance flooding — and too steep for fish passage, earning a total-barrier designation from the Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2021. Impacts are temporary only: no demolition, no disturbance of pavement, walls, or structures; some vegetation including invasive species will be removed and replaced with natives. Notably, this project ranks 5th out of 56 barriers evaluated in a 2022 independent fish barrier prioritization study — considerably higher priority than the NE 192nd culvert. Council previously adopted a similar eminent domain ordinance (25-0634) for these same three parcels in October 2025 for data-collection access; it was never used, as owners voluntarily granted access. Why it matters: This one addresses both a flooding nuisance and a top-tier fish barrier, and the City's track record on the earlier ordinance suggests condemnation authority here is genuinely precautionary. Who is most affected: Three property owners near NE 169th Street; the surrounding neighborhood that floods in large storms. Decision status: Adopted. Timing and next milestone: Design complete later in 2026; bids advertised early 2027; construction summer 2027 (about 5 months), followed by roughly five years of monitoring. What to do now: No action needed; affected owners can expect appraisal-based offers. Unknown — watch for: Confirmed roll call tally; final easement compensation.

Kenmore Inn Apartments — MFTE contract approved

What happened: Council unanimously adopted Resolution 26-450, approving a Multifamily Tax Exemption contract for the Kenmore Inn Apartments at 8202 NE Bothell Way. The project converts a motel into legal multifamily rental housing and includes seven dedicated affordable units reserved for households at 50% of Area Median Income, meeting the eligibility criteria in KMC Chapter 3.65. Council approval by resolution is an administrative step required by code to implement the exemption. The applicant is Garnett Investments LLC. Why it matters: A motel-to-housing conversion adds units without new construction footprint, and the fiscal cost is modest — the exemption is anticipated not to exceed $20,000 across the full 12-year period, against seven affordable units secured. Who is most affected: The property owner/developer; future low- and moderate-income renters; nearby NE Bothell Way businesses. Decision status: Adopted unanimously. Timing and next milestone: Contract execution by the City Manager; 12-year exemption period. What to do now: No action needed. Unknown — watch for: Total unit count in the converted building and occupancy timeline — not specified in the agenda bill.

1st Quarter 2026 Financial Report — on target

What happened: Finance Director Melinda Merrell presented Q1 2026 results, covering the thirteenth through fifteenth months of the 2025-2026 biennium (62.5% of the way through). Biennium-to-date revenues were $22.6 million, or 61.8% of the $36.5 million budget; expenditures were $21.8 million, or 55.7% of the $39.1 million budget. Q1 alone saw expenditures exceed revenues by $924,862 — expected, since most property tax comes in during Q2 and Q4. Development fees and permits are running hot at $2.6 million, 71.9% of the $3.6 million biennial budget. Investment interest is ahead of plan at over $550,000 (91.8% of the $600,000 biennial budget). General Fund ending fund balance was $11.0 million; total City cash and investments were $47.5 million, including $25.3 million in the state investment pool earning 3.7%. Other funds: the KAPE photo-enforcement fund took in $1.25 million offset by $1.20 million in expenses; REET brought in $325,116; the Park Impact Fee Fund received just $12,737; the Transportation Benefit District collected $173,426 in vehicle license fees; and the Public Works Operations Center spent $1.6 million (building completion anticipated mid-2027). Why it matters: Development permit revenue running well ahead of budget is a real signal about building activity in Kenmore. And the healthy fund balance sits against a Council that just named fiscal sustainability its top 2027-2028 priority — the strain is coming from the next biennium, not this one. Who is most affected: General City operations; anyone tracking Kenmore's fiscal position ahead of fall budget decisions. Decision status: Received and filed; no vote on substance. Timing and next milestone: Next quarterly report; 2027-2028 budget development this fall. What to do now: No action needed. Unknown — watch for: Q2 results, which will capture the bulk of property tax collections.

Swamp Creek / SR-522 Zoning Approach — direction given, ordinance to follow

What happened: Staff presented recommendations for 13 parcels adjacent to Swamp Creek near SR-522/80th Ave NE that have been under interim zoning regulations since 2023 — extended seven times, currently through November 18, 2026. Recommendation #1: eliminate the TOD overlay and rezone the residential parcels (R12, R18, R24) to Urban Residential, requiring 25% of units affordable at 50% AMI on redevelopment, and reducing street setbacks on 80th Ave NE from ten feet to zero (which pushes buildings away from the creek). Recommendation #2: eliminate the TOD overlay west of the creek and retain Urban Corridor East zoning, also with a 25%-at-50%-AMI requirement. The centerpiece incentive in both: allow building height to increase to 85 feet — outside the 200-foot shoreline jurisdiction — when a developer restores and enhances the Swamp Creek buffer. Absent that, height caps are 65 feet on the east side (which carries a 165-foot minimum building setback under its "Urban Conservancy" shoreline designation) and 35-65 feet on the west side depending on distance from the stream. A public commenter urged that buffers be uniform and development be prohibited within them regardless of height, and flagged that state Department of Ecology approval governs shoreline rules. A majority of Council voiced support for the staff approach. Why it matters: This trades vertical development capacity for creek restoration and affordability — a template that could shape how Kenmore handles other environmentally sensitive corridors. It also finally resolves a zoning limbo that's been extended by ordinance every six months for three years. Who is most affected: Owners of the 13 affected parcels; developers eyeing the SR-522 transit corridor; watershed and habitat advocates. Decision status: Direction given; no ordinance adopted. Timing and next milestone: Draft code amendments to Council in fall 2026, then a public hearing. Shoreline regulations themselves are separately mandated for update by June 2029, with that work program starting in 2028 alongside a critical areas update. What to do now: Property owners and developers in this corridor should review the staff recommendations and plan to comment on the draft ordinance this fall. Unknown — watch for: Whether interim regulations need another extension past 11/18/26; final buffer and height provisions after Ecology review.

Kenmore — Changes to Note

80th Ave NE construction authority increased to $3.6M. Approved on consent, this restores a 10% contingency after Interwest Construction's low bid of $3,264,999 came in $36,699 above the engineer's estimate. The corridor between SR-522 and NE 185th St. is under active construction through May 2027 with a winter shutdown — worth flagging to any business or resident on that stretch. Total project budget is $4,326,979, 92% grant-funded (WSDOT Pedestrian Bicycle Program and state TIB), with the remainder from Northshore Utility District and City funds.

2027-2028 Council priorities signal a lean two years. Fiscal sustainability is priority #1. The retreat produced 18-19 "agreements" — three times the usual — and the City Manager told Council there's no capacity to absorb them alongside the revenue measures and police services study already underway. Ten items were deferred to the 2027 retreat, including the Washington Creative District application, small business coordination, a community pea patch program, e-bike and scooter policies, AI policy, and a light pollution policy. Chamber members interested in any of those should know they're parked, not dead.

Police services study moving to RFP. Council directed staff to commission an update to the 2011 police services study examining costs and options for police service delivery. An RFP is targeted for fall 2026 with a consultant contract in late 2026/early 2027 and the study taking most of 2027.

Boathouse rent-collection concerns raised again in public comment. A commenter returned to the Kenmore Community Rowing Club's roughly $560,000 loan default and the gap between what youth crew programs are charged versus adult and member rates — a thread that has now surfaced at consecutive meetings.

Executive session. Council met for roughly 40 minutes before the regular meeting on potential litigation and a real estate acquisition matter. No action was reported out.

No Bothell meeting this week.

Sources: City of Kenmore July 27, 2026 agenda packet (304 pp.) and City Council meeting video for July 27, 2026. Certified minutes were not yet available; vote counts were confirmed via the meeting recording's roll call.