12. PUBLIC SERVICES AND PUBLIC FACILITIES

Public Services

To support planned growth, public services including schools, parks and open spaces, transportation, and utilities will be needed. The City has planned for meeting these needs in alignment with existing City guidelines, and the adequacy of services to support future Subarea growth was studied with the Station Area Plan Fiscal Impacts and Community Benefits Analysis published in October 2021.

Citywide surface water, water, sewer, public facilities goals and policies are found in the Public Services Element and Capital Facilities Elements.

The City will plan for additional Police and Fire and Emergency Services staff and equipment to align with population growth, including at Fire Station 26. For more information refer to the Station Area Plan Fiscal Impacts and Community Benefits Analysis (2021). Overall, infrastructure and public services improvements should be planned holistically. Projects should be scheduled to leverage multi-benefit strategies, to reduce construction costs, and to maximize investment and community benefits.

Surface Water

The Subarea is located within portions of the Forbes Creek and Moss Bay Drainage Basins. An evaluation of existing conditions in the basins identified areas of sedimentation, flooding, and fish passage barriers. Peter Kirk Park is used as a detention storage area for stormwater during peak events and is mapped as a floodplain. The WSDOT Interchange Design Plans identify an existing water main that runs along NE 85th Street across I-405. This main may be influenced by the project, but WSDOT Interchange Design Plans do not yet include the replacement main.

Within the Subarea there are opportunities for improvement in the Forbes Creek basin to improve water quality and fish habitat and a regional detention facility is proposed. Other public facilities with the Subarea are Lake Washington High School and the Kirkland Cemetery.

Water and Sewer

Increased growth in the Station Area will mean an increased consumption of water from the regional supply and increased sewage production requiring treatment. The City is planning for needed water and sewer improvements beyond the current capital improvement planning within the Water System Plan, Water CIP Update, and General Sewer Plan. These improvements will include upgrades and replacement of existing pipes that will help support improvements to fire flow requirements in the water system, and improvements to address increased flow in the sewer system. The overall plan goals and policies also support a more efficient, high performance approach to water use than represented in conventional demand models.

Schools and Education Needs and Opportunities

Increased density and future growth within the Station Area will result in increased student growth and demand for educational facilities. As part of the Subarea Plan planning process, the City and Lake Washington School District (LWSD) discussed anticipated student growth in the Station Area, and how the City can help the district address school capacity and explore creative solutions.

The following opportunities to improve educational services and facilities were explored:

1. Increase development capacity on existing school sites:

The major existing school site in the Station Area is Lake Washington High School. One opportunity to increase density on the site is by incorporating it into a future Civic Mixed Use regulating district. An increased maximum height allowance up to 75’ on portions of the site will be designated. A height of 75’, or approximately up to 5-6 stories, could be accommodated on that land area, including structured parking above, or below, ground, which could substantially expand the building square footage and generate sufficient space to accommodate long-term needs. LWSD would need to further study the concept of co-locating different grade levels on this site and issues related to parking and traffic management related to urban school concepts.

2. Development bonus incentives for provision of school space in new development such as providing bonus density incentives in two broad categories: commercial development and residential development.

3. Define active frontages or required retail space to include educational uses as part of the Form-Based Code requirements.

In order to allow flexibility for more types of educational space to be provided in the future, zoning regulations should allow educational (“civic”) uses in all zones and establish allowed frontage types, and land uses, along each street. Where those frontage types may require an active use, educational uses will be included in any definition of an “active” use and/or frontage type.

4. Promote public/private partnerships to encourage shared facilities in the Station Area and/or optimize utilization of shared use agreements.

As development occurs in the Station Area, the City can help facilitate private sector and school district conversations to explore opportunities, barriers and partnership strategies based on shared interests. These partnerships could take the form of shared space agreements or lease arrangements as discussed earlier. City staff will continue to connect the District with potential partners as opportunities arise.

Public Services and Public Facilities Goals and Policies

Goal SA-88:

The Subarea Plan supports development with adequate public facilities and services in a timely, coordinated, efficient, and cost-effective manner that supports local and regional growth planning objectives.

Goal SA-89:

Create opportunities for additional school capacity in, or near, the Station Area, and prioritize the provision of new school capacity within the Subarea boundaries.

Policy SA-90:

Ensure that planned infrastructure and facilities can support targeted growth through requirements for new development to construct, or contribute to, new infrastructure and by incorporating recommended Station Area improvement projects into the City’s Capital Improvement Program.

Policy SA-91:

Ensure availability of public services, such as utilities, infrastructure, Police, and Fire services to meet the needs of businesses and residents.

Policy SA-92:

Identify development standards that can provide Lake Washington School District with more development capacity to build additional school space on current district-owned sites. This could include increasing the allowed height, reducing setbacks, creating more flexible standards, and simplifying the permitting process.

Policy SA-93:

Create development bonus incentives for new development to provide school space.

Policy SA-94:

Allow educational space including day care, early learning, and other school facilities in active frontages and required retail space.

Policy SA-95:

Continue to foster partnerships with the Lake Washington School District, the City, and the private sector to encourage shared facilities in, or near, the Station Area and/or optimize utilization of shared use agreements; specifically, jointly explore the Houghton Park & Ride as a site for future school capacity that is nearby, and connected to, the Station Area.

Policy SA-96:

Foster partnerships with institutions of higher learning to aid in workforce development, support cultural endeavors, and accommodate transitioning public school students.

Policy SA-97:

Plan for, and coordinate, construction staging at a subarea-wide level in advance of development.

Figure 19: Representative Infrastructure Projects