Touchstone developers want us to envision what could be by showing us pictures of happy people walking around in the sunshine. I want to see a picture of the development on a rainy January day at about 4 pm in the afternoon.
A big deal is made about having a movie theatre in Kirkland. Are movie theatres really part of the wave of the future? Technology has changed everything. Two movie theatres in Redmond are focused on serving liquor. Is that what we imagine when we remember going to the movies when we were kids? I go to the Park Place Cinema now and really enjoy the fact that I often have the place to myself. If having a movie theatre is so important in Kirkland then why aren't more people there during the week?
Another thing that keeps being stressed is whether or not a bigger better QFC will be built. QFC is a tenant. Maybe they would rather move somewhere else. How can we be sure that QFC will want to be in Park Place after 3 years of construction? It would be nice if the owners of the Kirkland QFC actually showed up at a meeting and told us what they are planning. I shop at the current QFC and it meets my needs for buying groceries for dinner just the way it is.
I hear people moaning about having a place downtown to buy underwear or plumbing. Kirkland has a nice big Fred Meyers and a huge Costco where people can buy just about anything that they need for daily life. Bridle Trails has a hardware store, a pharmacy, and a grocery store. It is not that far off the beaten path to go there. All those places are accessible by Metro bus from the downtown Kirkland Transit Center.
Touchstone encourages us to imagine the retailers that might want to move into the new development but depending on the rents and the economy the tenants might not be the ones we are dreaming of. Redmond Town Center is a mixed use development and from what I hear some of the tenants are very unhappy and several of them are moving out. People aren't going to want to shop at Park Place if it is a big hassle to easily find a spot in the parking garage or the traffic along 6th Street is so backed up that it takes 15 minutes to get from 68th St to Park Place. It is truly a guessing game when parking needs for any development are estimated. Validated parking is in the plan but will there really be free parking for those going to the Kirkland Performance Center or those using the park or the library? What about commuters using the transit center? Will they be able to pay for parking so that they can ride the bus to downtown Seattle?
A full service health club is promised. Does that mean there will be an indoor lap pool where my kids can swim with me? Will it be a place that a family can actually afford a membership at? Or will it be the kind of club that patrons of a four star hotel would like to use or a great place for singles to meet up after work? We all have our own visions and they may be very different from what actually happens.
Which plan is best? Maybe the five story office complex with be the catalysis that spurs development of retail space in other parts of Kirkland. Touchstone has been quiet about Phase II of the alternative plan. Perhaps there are great retail opportunities in that space. Three years is a long time. So much can happen. By rejecting the 8 story plan is Kirkland really losing a terrific opportunity or is it allowing other opportunities to present themselves that might improve our city in ways that we have yet to imagine?
RSS
