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Moss Bay Neighborhood Association Report, Feb, 2002 |
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by Laura Lee Pritt, Moss Bay Neighborhood First of all I want to say thank you to the 11 respondents who answered my Kirkland survey in last months article. Eleven may not seem like many (it was less than I had hoped for but more than I expected), but any and all comments are useful when brainstorming solutions to a problem the size of Kirkland. The responses were mixed quite equally between people who had lived here for over 20 years and newer residents. Most shared the same sentiment that I think we all share; "parking remains the number one problem," "would love to have a hardware store back," and "there are no stores [downtown] which carry anything that the average person wants or needs." People say they would like places downtown to buy shoes, socks, a white t-shirt, everyday things. They say that since they cannot get these basic needs items in Kirkland they are forced to drive to other towns to purchase them. After mulling over all the responses, I have changed my opinion about why they drive to other towns to do their shopping. The long time residents gave me a history course in what Kirkland used to be like. They said there was a JC Penny, a Sears catalog center, a pet store, a big furniture store, a shoe store, a bakery, a stationary store, and a hardware store. They reminisced about the days when they could go downtown and shop at these stores to get what they needed for their families. Among these people was a woman who has lived here over 30 years who was able to tell me about her own downtown business and all the other retailers from the past. Over the years she had watched every one of them either go out of business or move out of downtown. She said many were struggling to make it when she got here, and it was not because there wasn’t enough parking or they were not the right kind of stores. They left because not enough people shopped in downtown Kirkland then either. Newer bigger stores with more selection and better prices had opened up, such as Bellevue Square and one stop convenient stores like Fred Meyer, and people started going there instead. It was as simple as that. One Downtowner summed it up by writing, "In no way will Kirkland ever be able to compete for shoppers with Bellevue Square or Redmond Town Center. The tremendous variety offered in those complexes, plus abundant, free parking, makes for shopping which is far more extensive than downtown Kirkland could ever offer." He went on to point out that Kirkland has created some niche retailers that seem to be making it, like the art galleries and fine dining. Having several of one kind of retailer creates a destination spot, which attracts buyers. Where else on the Eastside can you find such a concentration of fine art? Nowhere, that is why they come here. Another respondent, making a case for retail that works downtown, pointed out the fact that there are a "few specialty retailers like Betty’s who survived more that 30 years in business, so it can be done." He is right; the key is that the "specialty" retailers are the ones who survive. Where else can you get a lime green robe with pink flamingos on it? Nowhere but Betty’s. Now lets talk about parking. From the statements above, parking obviously isn’t the main reason people don’t shop downtown. The parking problem, however, is affecting the downtown business, as is proven by the closing of Vidal’s restaurant. In last months Courier, Vidal Bitton explained that the slower economy, coupled with a large city-parking fee, has forced him to close his doors. He claimed the parking fee was instrumental to Six Degrees closing as well. Lack of parking spaces is the more noticeable problem. I have had the same experience as one respondent who said that she has passed by the fish market several times and not stopped because she could not find parking. I have done the same with Sur la Table and it is frustrating. The hardware store, lets talk about the hardware store. The True Value we had in Park Place was convenient, yes, but lets face it, they didn’t carry a wide selection with great prices. I would go there if I needed something quickly. If I was doing some serious shopping I went to Lowes and I bet you did too. I am not saying we don’t need a hardware store, I am saying we need one that suits our needs better, which would keep us from going to other stores outside of Kirkland. So what is to be done about all of this? As one person wrote "…an efficient way to park, get what you want, and leave. The easier it is to accomplish those 3 things the more often I will be inclined to take short, frequent trips there." Another wrote, "Kirkland needs something like a Redmond Towncenter." The only hope we have for this type of convenient one-stop shopping is Park Place. So how about this for Park Place: improve the parking (and pedestrian traffic), add a Radio Shack, a computer store, an art supply store, and a dry cleaners, expand the book store, the bakery and the office supply store, move Sur la Table and the Fish Market there and viola, you have one stop convenient shopping! A shopping center with these amenities would sure keep more of my tax dollars in Kirkland. As for the hardware store, there is simply not enough room at Park Place for the size of store that would keep us all from going to the one we are currently going to, so how about if a large one is opened up on Rose Hill (maybe across from Costco so if you are going there you can swing by the hardware store too). As for parking solutions, a couple of people suggested alternate transportation in the way of light rail on Burlington Northern, bringing back the trolley, or a shuttle between Juanita and downtown Bellevue to help bring people in and out without adding to the parking and traffic problems. "Honey, lets take the trolley into town for dinner." Sounds good to me. One person suggested adding another couple levels to the parking on the corner of Lake St and 85th, noting that it wouldn’t be the most attractive solution but that it would solve the problem. Another had the idea of putting a large garage under Waverly Park, keeping the park on top. Great idea. To revitalize the downtown core one suggestion was to put in a museum. This would fit with the "arts" theme that is already happening there and could be built where the parking lot is on the corner and have several levels of parking for public use. She also suggested turning the waterfront parking area and shops into a plaza and opening it up to Lake Street. Talk about a great destination spot! Others suggested connecting the waterfront to downtown to Park Place with some kind of corridor noting that a "physical disconnect occurs at the backside of… the antique mall." Another thinks the antique mall site would be a great place for a town square, which could be the home of the weekly market "and covered for year-round use." Clearly a nice connector between downtown and Park Place. Another noted the under utilized waterfront suggesting that we add to the marina with shops and amenities making it a destination spot for boaters. This does seems like an under tapped market, why aren’t we accommodating boaters? "Honey, lets take the kids for a boat ride up to Kirkland for some chili dogs." Sounds good to me. One family man pointed out that there aren’t many places that appeal to families in downtown. The waterfront itself does so with the great beach area, but then were are you going to take your children for lunch? Hey, a museum would be a great place for kids to go! I think eleven people taking their time to share their opinions and knowledge about Kirkland is pretty great. It sure has opened my eyes to seeing downtown Kirkland in a new way and I hope it has for others too. I will take this information to the DAT (Downtown Action Team), the CED (Community Economic Development Committee) and the KDL (Kirkland Downtown on the Lake) and try to get the ball rolling on some solutions for making Kirkland a more livable community. Want to help? Index of Courier Articles | Moss Bay Home
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