Planning CommiZZion's meeting

Last night's meeting at the Planning Commission was a disaster.
Not for the hard work of the commission members, but for the lack of respect some people in the audience showed others with dissenting views - as well as the rules of the meeting.

The meeting was essentially all about looking at rules/regulations to curb the construction of "monster houses" that are totally out of "wack" in the neighborhood(s). One such regulation that was disucssed was the FAR, Floor Area Ratio. Essentially limiting the amount of square footage one can build on a certain lot. For some people living on smaller lots, it did not sit well. Others, me included, wanted more stringent regulations in order to prevent "over building" on smaller lots.

Kirkland is changing on a daily basis these days. The value of the land is such that most builders/developers do not see any rationale in keeping a smaller, older, house and remodeling it. No, in order to be "marketable", it has to be a new house with 3,000 (new) sqf or more. Realtors at the meeting claimed that "anything esle cannot be sold". Surprises me when I see old ramblers, in all shapes and qualities, selling for anything north of $600K and not staying on the market very long.

I have nothing against these big houses - as long as they are also given big lots - and a design that somewhat blends in with the surrounding neighboorhood. That said, there are some good examples on mega houses, "out-of-neighborhood-style", that have been nicely designed in to the surrounding area. A few of them (Tuscan style) can be found along Waverly Way.
But, squeezing big houses in close together on tiny lots changes an open neighborhood, and the city, in a way that is hard to revert from. Once that change has taken place, and all open space is gone, I dare to challenge those who wanted to "preserve" property values in the first place by building bigger. Once we have changed our beloved city, and allowed for all the trees, the open spaces (I am not saying parks), the sight lines of lakes and mountains, the city is no longer the same. The increased density have created something few of us longer like, less love.

When I hear comments like "I can not build 4 bedrooms on same level as the kitchen", I think immediately that the lot is too small, or the rooms are too big. It is a tough choice, but if you want the lake and city view, very short walk to downtown Kirkland, you will have to buy two smaller lots and combine them for the big house. Or give up one of the "desires", or move, or ...