Many Kenmore residents are perplexed each time they drive through Bothell or Kirkland and see upscale community design coming to life, while their own Kenmore neighborhoods are plagued with road “improvements” that more closely resemble construction barricades, or have poor functionality.
The tipping point came recently with the addition of traffic calming planters installed along Simonds Road, and other streets within the community. These concrete planters are ugly, to put it mildly, and serve to depreciate the surrounding neighborhood. In some cases, these planters appear dangerously placed, or even obstruct resident mailboxes, leaving some to question if they will receive their mail delivery. They are a far cry from the nicer options depicted in the brochure provided to residents during planning, which show pictures of nice-looking roundabouts, speed bumps, or chicanes (half-round planting beds with curb edges).
Adding to the frustration, some citizens noted a prior city budget that allocated $900,000 in traffic signal improvements for Simonds Road; one at 84th and another at 92nd. However, that money was apparently reallocated… to where we’re not sure.
But the planters are only the most recent in a long list of questionable design projects, the most notable being the traffic island at the entrance to the post office and Kenmore Camera shopping area. Yet Kenmore city officials stand behind their designs as functional and economic.
Sadly, in Kenmore, even when beautification efforts are applied, the results can be discouraging to many. Take the “Beautify This” campaign for the Cal-Portland cement silos at the north end of Lake Washington. Long considered an eyesore by many, a few citizens with seed money provided by the city seek to install artistic plastic wrap to cover the silos, much to the dislike of hundreds of residents. In the interim, the scenery is further littered as the silos have plastic advertising banners, for which the city fails to enforce any sign or billboard ordinances.
As the cities of Bothell and Kirkland flourish with attractive community improvements, Kenmore neighbors are becoming more and more frustrated and vocal. In fact, the Kenmore Neighbors Facebook page has hundreds of disparaging comments on these issues. Hundreds have also signed a petition on change.org.
“I was really for the Walkways and Waterways ballot measure, but if this is how our city planners execute those projects we are in trouble. I now have grave concerns.”
”Why can’t Kenmore have nice improvements like Bothell?”
“Hopefully the city is not being shortsighted in trying to save money…as the end result is a deterioration of property values, and therefore tax revenue.”
All is not dismal, though, as Kenmore’s City Hall is quite grand and has received awards. There are beautiful designs completed for a new bridge across the Sammamish River on 68th. Plus, the state has recently completed improvements along Highway 522 (Bothell Way) that look pretty nice, and generally enhance the area. However, those design projects were done by outside consultants, not Kenmore in-house staff.
Residents now await completion of the improvements on Juanita Drive as part of the Walkways and Waterways project, but do so in fear and trepidation. At the March 27 city council meeting, residents heard City Manager Karlinsey comment that he needed guidance on what was considered “ugly,” and what was considered “attractive.” Will the citizens of Kenmore end up with something nice and comparable to the planning design, or something that’s gone horribly wrong yet again?
For you folks at City Hall, we’ve had enough! Let’s step up the public works aesthetic and give Bothell and Kirkland some competition so we can be proud of our city. Concrete traffic planters and silo wrappers belong in Kenmore’s past, not it’s future!
BJ Morris, Kenmore
