Showing posts with label city of lake forest park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label city of lake forest park. Show all posts

Rules for political signs in Lake Forest Park

Friday, August 13, 2021

Campaign Season Reminder – Rules for Political Signs

During this upcoming campaign season, the City of Lake Forest Park would like to remind the community about the rules for political signs:

  • Political signs may be placed on public rights-of-way or on private property with permission of the owner. 
  • However, they must be situated in such a way as to not create a traffic or safety hazard. 
  • All political signs must be removed within five days following the election.
  • According to RCW 29A.84.040, “A person who removes or defaces lawfully placed political advertising including yard signs or billboards without authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable to the same extent as a misdemeanor that is punishable under RCW 9A.20.021. The defacement or removal of each item constitutes a separate violation.”

The LFP Police Department patrol officers are aware of these regulations and are keeping an eye out for violators.



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Lake Forest Park passport office expands hours

Sunday, July 25, 2021

In response to overwhelming demand for passport application appointments, the City of Lake Forest Park is in the process of bringing on board additional passport agents to work on Saturday.
 
More appointments have been opened for Saturdays in August as well as all scheduled passport days for the month of September.

Passport hours (appointments required)
  • Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12:00 – 4:00pm
  • Saturdays from 10:00am to 3:00pm

For information about documentation needed to apply, fees, hours, and more, visit the Passport Services webpage.

To make an appointment, click here or call City Hall at 206-368-5440. Please note that appointments fill up very quickly.



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Wear your life jacket when paddleboarding in Lake Forest Park

Saturday, July 17, 2021

The 'paddleboarder' pictured here is a KCSO MRU deputy who agreed to 'take the plunge' during a recent multi-city water rescue training exercise on Lake Washington.

 By Tracy Furutani

Education, not enforcement, will be the emphasis of implementing the recent Lake Forest Park ordinance that mandates the wearing of personal flotation devices (PFD) while using human-powered watercraft, such as paddleboards.

The law was passed at the May 13, 2021 City Council meeting, and went into effect later that month.

“We’re not arresting anybody,” said Lake Forest Park Police Chief Mike Harden. 

He noted that his department was still considering options on the law’s enforcement, noting that the LFP Police Department does not have a boat or a Jet-Ski. 

State law currently requires that people using human-powered watercraft carry PFDs but does not require wearing them.

“We don’t have a mechanism to get out in the water,” said Lt. Rhonda Lehman of the LFPPD, thus the department’s officers will be using social media and city council meetings to get information about the law to the public. 

She referred to the Wear It Washington safety campaign as a source of good information on safety on the water.

The idea behind this ordinance was being discussed before the pandemic, according to Tom French, the LFP City Councilmember who sponsored the legislation. 

“In 2011, there was a heat wave that resulted in record [lake] fatalities that spring,” he said, which resulted in the King County Council passing a temporary requirement for wearing PFDs while on the water. 
“First responders were getting hurt [during water rescues],” said French. Additionally, as noted in the preamble to the ordinance, “there were 53 boating fatalities in Washington in 2020, 24 of which involved paddle craft.”

Lake Forest Park contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Rescue Dive unit to patrol the Lake Washington waters along the city’s shore. 

“We’ve had a ton more [calls for service],” said Deputy Kyle Broderson. 

He noted that there were only four deputies assigned to the unit, with two assigned to Lake Washington and two to Lake Sammamish. He said that therefore response times to incidents could be upwards of an hour, so requiring the wearing of PFDs could increase water safety.

The Northshore Fire Department, which serves LFP, is supportive of the new measure. 

“Nothing is changing,” said Deputy Chief of Operations Doug McDonald. “All our firefighters maintain [and wear] PFDs operating around the water.”

The department is ordering an inflatable to assist in rescue operations. In addition, there are nine staff members who are certified rescue swimmers.

Other cities acknowledge that water safety is a concern but are using different strategies. 

“I support this [ordinance],” said Nigel Herbig, the deputy mayor and a city council member of Kenmore, but “a regional approach is better.” A rule crafted by the King County Public Health Department could make the rules about wearing PFDs more uniform across the county, he said.

The City of Bothell’s authorized kayak and paddleboard concessionaire, Bothell Kayak, requires its clients to wear PFDs when on the water in their equipment.

LFP Councilmember French agrees. “My fervent hope is that we see a regional response to this,” he said. “It’s a public health consideration.”



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Cities of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and Bothell say "Help Save Bus Rapid Transit Along SR 522!"

Friday, July 16, 2021


In an unprecedented joint campaign, the cities of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and Bothell are together urging their citizens to lobby Sound Transit to save the much touted Bus Rapid Transit service along Bothell Way (SR 522) to the 148th Transit station.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Systemwide, Sound Transit is seeing lower revenues than projected and higher costs than anticipated (mostly due to the pandemic). The Sound Transit Board and staff are going through a “realignment” process, meaning that they are looking to significantly delay some of the ST3 projects. 

Our 522 BRT (bus rapid transit) project could be one of the projects to be delayed to 2030 or beyond! That’s where you can help. 

The Sound Transit Board has not yet made a decision, but their discussions are ramping up. The preliminary recommendation is to have 522 BRT included in Tier 1, the category with the shortest delay. 

We need citizens to remind the Sound Transit Board all of the reasons why this BRT project must stay funded and stay in Tier 1 planning!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Before the July 22 meeting, write a letter to the Sound Transit Board urging them to keep 522 BRT on schedule and in Tier 1. You can send it to the board at emailtheboard@soundtransit.org.

Attend the July 22, 2021 Sound Transit Board meeting at 1:30pm via Zoom. Sign up for public comment and state your support for 522 BRT. Find meeting information here.

The attached flyer has additional information and can give you some talking points in making the case for 522 BRT. 

IT'S EASY TO ADVOCATE!

The cities of Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park and Shoreline are seeking interested community members to form a coalition of citizens and business leaders advocating for the timely delivery of the Sound Transit SR 522/NE145th Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Joining the coalition and advocating for this project will require a small time commitment with simple ways to show your support, such as signing letters or attending meetings.

Join the coalition email list:


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Take a Trip through Time for Lake Forest Park’s 60th Anniversary on Saturday, July 24th

Wednesday, July 14, 2021


Did you know that the City of Lake Forest Park officially turns 60 this year?

Originally founded in 1912 as one of the Seattle area’s first planned communities, Lake Forest Park evolved through 50 years of growth before finally incorporating officially in June 1961.

Now Third Place Commons invites you to join in commemorating the city’s diamond anniversary with “The City of Lake Forest Park 60th Anniversary: Historical Reflections” with Vicki Stiles, Executive Director of the Shoreline Historical Museum, on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 1pm.

Following welcome remarks from Lake Forest Park Mayor Jeff Johnson, Stiles will take you on a trip through time, examining the people and events that helped make Lake Forest Park uniquely what it is today.

This free Zoom event is part of Third Place Commons’ year-long series of virtual programs under the TPC At Home umbrella. Don’t miss this chance to learn the story of a very special place that over 13,000 people now call home.

Register here

For more about this and other free virtual events – as well as upcoming in-person events including Crafts Day at the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market (on July 18th) and the return of live music – visit ThirdPlaceCommons.org

Third Place Commons – a community supported 501(c)3 nonprofit organization – has been building real community in the heart of Lake Forest Park for over 20 years. In addition to presenting its largest program, the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market, Third Place Commons now also fosters real community in digital space with TPC At Home programs.



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Parks and Pedestrian Connections community meeting videos available online

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Lake Forest Park citizens: 

If you were unable to attend the recent community meetings to discuss Parks and Pedestrian Connections, videos of the meetings are now available on the City’s website:

Community meeting on June 29, 2021

Community meeting on June 30, 2021



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No big celebration for Lake Forest Park's 60th birthday - but just wait until 2036

Saturday, June 19, 2021


City of Lake Forest Park Turns 60 on Sunday, June 20, 2021

Thanks to the pandemic, there is no fanfare planned for the 60th anniversary of the incorporation of Lake Forest Park on June 20, 2021. 

Nevertheless, lots of information about the City and its history is available on the LFP website. Check out the History Pages for historical facts and lots of interesting old photos commemorating the City’s history.

Join us in 2036 for the 75th anniversary celebration, when the time capsule from the 50th anniversary event in 2011 will be unveiled!



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Lake Forest Park passport services to resume on Thursday, July 8, 2021

Friday, June 18, 2021

Lake Forest Park City Hall will resume offering passport services on Thursday, July 8, 2021. 

In a change from previous practice, passport applicants are now required to make an appointment.

Passport Services hours are Monday, Thursday, and Friday, from 12:00 to 4:00pm, and Saturday, 10:00am to 3:00pm.

Masks are required when inside City Hall and the City follows current CDC COVID-19 guidelines.

Applicants will need to sign up online or call City Hall at 206-368-5440 to schedule an appointment.

Information about how to sign up is on the City’s Passport Services webpage. We will begin scheduling July appointments on Monday, June 21, 2021. Since the REAL ID Act requirements have been postponed to May 2023, it is not necessary to rush to get a passport or passport card if you are flying domestically.

Also available on the Passport Services webpages are the documents needed to apply for a passport, fee information and forms of payment accepted, and frequently asked questions.

Regular processing time currently takes up to 18 weeks from the date of application. Expedited processing (for an additional fee) currently takes up to 10 weeks from the date of application.



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Lake Forest Park needs more people for Wednesday's focus group on park and sidewalk projects

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Lake Forest Park Elementary
Call for More Focus Group Members for Wednesday, June 16 , 2021 – City of LFP Park and Sidewalk Projects

This is a call for volunteers to join a Zoom discussion about the City of Lake Forest Park’s park and sidewalk projects this Wednesday, June 16, 5:30-6:30pm. 

We have room for a few more city residents to participate in an interactive research session.

Share your interest in volunteering by emailing your responses to the following questions to the City by 4:00pm on Tuesday, June 15:
  • What is the grade school nearest you?
  • How long have you been a resident of Lake Forest Park?
  • How many people are in your household?
The City will then reach out to respondents with additional information prior to the Zoom discussion


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City to share information on options for parks, recreational facilities, sidewalks, walkways, and bicycle connections throughout Lake Forest Park

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Blue Heron Park photo by Mary Jo Heller
The City of Lake Forest Park will hold community sessions June 29 and June 30, 6-8pm on zoom to share information on options being considered for parks, recreational facilities, sidewalks, walkways, and bicycle connections throughout the City. 

You will hear about potential projects and funding options including:

  • Sidewalk and walkway projects that improve safety and connections throughout the City, which were rated highest by residents during the previous Safe Streets project community discussions (particularly walkways for our 3 elementary schools).
  • Improvements and recreation facilities at existing parks, including projects identified with community input that are in the City’s recent Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails Plan.
  • A public process resulting in the development of a Master Plan, identifying future improvements and recreational facilities at our new lakefront park just north of Lyon Creek Park.

"We want to hear from you and your neighbors! Please come and share your feedback at one of two scheduled community meetings. We’ll meet via Zoom Tuesday, June 29, and again Wednesday, June 30, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

"The meetings will be webinar-style, with your feedback invited using an interactive online tool. Please have a second device such as a smartphone connected to the internet to use to share your comments.

"Choose the session that works best for you and invite a neighbor. Your input is important to help guide your City Administration and City Council as we plan for the next 5-10 years of community improvements and amenities."

Save your preferred date:
  • Tuesday, June 29, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., or
  • Wednesday, June 30, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The Zoom link will be sent via a City Newsflash the week of June 21.

--City of Lake Forest Park



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Dale Turner Family YMCA and Cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park honored by Washington Association of School Administrators

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Shoreline Schools Superintendent Rebecca Miner and Shoreline City Manager Debbie Tarry.
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

The Dale Turner Family YMCA and Cities of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park were recently honored by the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) for their support of schools and students during the pandemic.

The three organizations were each presented with Community Leadership Awards by WASA at the association’s recent regional virtual awards ceremony on May 21, 2021. 

L-R: Shoreline Schools Superintendent Rebecca Miner, Dale Turner Family YMCA Branch Executive Megan Castellano and Dale Turner Family YMCA Executive Director Carolan Cross.
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

They were nominated by Shoreline Schools Superintendent Rebecca Miner, who also delivered the award plaques to the recipients in person this week.
“Since our schools were forced to close on March 12, 2020, the City of Shoreline, City of Lake Forest Park and the Dale Turner Family YMCA engaged in offering a system of support and child care for families and students in our district,” said Superintendent Miner.

 

Lake Forest Park City Manager Phillip Hill and Shoreline Schools Superintendent Rebecca Miner.
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Recognizing that child care was the most immediate and pressing need many families were faced with, the three organizations quickly mobilized their resources and staffing to begin offering child care and remote learning camps, and offering scholarships and funding so that those programs would be offered for free to families in of that support.

“We are incredibly grateful for the outstanding efforts of the Cities and YMCA during this very challenging year,” said Superintendent Miner.


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Sound Transit challenges Lake Forest Park Town Center ordinances

Friday, May 21, 2021


On April 30, 2021, The City of Lake Forest Park was notified that Sound Transit filed a petition with the Growth Management Hearings Board appealing four of the five ordinances that were adopted by the City Council relating to development in the Town Center zone.

  • 1217 Town Center, 
  • 1218 Development Agreements, 
  • 1219 Off-Street Parking 
  • 1220 Landscaping 
The petition was assigned Case No. 21-3-0008 and is available here.

In the petition, Sound Transit says, “... Development Regulations enacted by the Ordinances would effectively preclude the Bus Rapid Transit parking garage in violation of GMA requirements, including by making its development impossible or impracticable.”

The City stated that it intends to defend its ability to protect the character of the built and natural environment in the Town Center zone, the heart of Lake Forest Park, through its locally adopted development regulations, that reflect the goals and objectives of its elected officials and residents as determined through a robust public process of Town Halls, Community Meetings and Public Hearings.

One of several designs that MG proposed for Town Center.
The Bus Rapid Transit parking garage space is in blue

In January of this year, Merlone Geier, the owners of Town Center, advised the city that, 

"...despite our feedback to the Lake Forest Park City Council, and given the timeline that the City is pushing for, the code as proposed will not result in redevelopment of the Town Center.

"We will continue to work with our existing and future tenants to provide a grocery and pharmacy anchored neighborhood retail center here at the Town Center. 

"The incorporation of housing (affordable and market rate), open space, enhanced sustainability measures and all of the associated public benefits, will not come to fruition based on the code that has resulted from this process."



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LFP Early Registration for Summer Recreation Programs with the City of Shoreline begins Thursday, May 6, 2021

Thursday, April 29, 2021


Live in Lake Forest Park? Interested in recreation? Take advantage of recreation programs offered through the City of Shoreline. 

Lake Forest Park residents are eligible for a 24-hour early registration period prior to the start of each season’s programs plus an 8% discount on all program fees (not rentals) through the entire year! 

Summer 2021 early registration for Lake Forest Park Residents starts Thursday, May 6, 8:00am.

The City offers scholarship reimbursements for eligible youth and specialized recreation participants who reside in the City and are registered for and attend cultural, recreation, or aquatic programs and camps. For more information, go to our webpage or call City Hall, 206-368-5440.

You may also find more information on how to register, scholarship opportunities, or the partnership with City of Shoreline at: http://www.cityoflfp.com/index.aspx?NID=396.

Click here to view the Recreation Guide: https://www.shorelinewa.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation-cultural-services/recreation-programs




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Lake Forest Park finances weather the pandemic

Friday, March 5, 2021

By Tracy Furutani

A year into the pandemic, the City of Lake Forest Park is financially sound, according to city leaders speaking at the February 18, 2021 meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee of the City Council. 


As Councilmember Tom French put it: “Because of the hard work of the staff and the administration, we are in a very enviable position compared to our neighbors and compared to many cities in the region.”
"The City of Lake Forest Park budget graph shows expenditures by various governmental departments for the 2019-2020 biennium. The length of the bar represents the total expenditure in dollars, and the percentage indicates the percent of the allocated budget the expenditures represent; a yellow bar means that department exceeded its budgeted amount. The bar for "Street Maintenance" is incorrect; it should not be over budget. Source: City of Lake Forest Park."
 
“We were just coming out of realizing that at the end of July that we were 16 percent down on revenue and so at that point we had to be extremely cautious,” said City Finance Director Lindsey Vaughn. 

“For the most part, we did end up in a better financial position [than had been expected].” 

For the last three quarters of last year, the city’s general fund revenue was down only down three and a half percent, she said, though she did point out that some of the shortfall was made up by one-time funds, such as the federal CARES Act. She mentioned that every single city staff person took (unpaid) furlough days.

“This is really kind of a pride point for our city that we have staff who care so much they would be willing to take those furlough days, and we are really really grateful to them,” said Deputy Mayor and Councilmember Phillippa Kassover.

“’Furloughs’ is an easy word to say, but it really affected a lot of the staff quite a bit,” said Mayor Jeff Johnson. “It’s really about them and what they did and what they accomplished with less hours and with less money. It just is pretty amazing.”

Vaughn led a review of the city’s finances: Revenue from passport sales for the 2019-2020 time period was down nearly a half, compared to the previous two years, and money from the Business and Occupations tax, traffic safety camera fines and the gasoline tax were all down 4 to 17 percent.

On the other hand, revenue from the Real Estate Excise Tax was up over a third from the previous biennium, as was money from the Sales and Use Tax, both of which were a welcome surprise. These figures led the committee to a discussion about planning future budgets.

“I think that one thing that we’ve really learned through this,” said City Administrator Phillip Hill, “is we have a couple of revenue sources, one being passports and the other being red light cameras that aren’t as reliable as maybe one thought in the past and so we need to reconsider how those are allocated and how we pay for the other things that the citizens want in this community.”

French envisioned a plan where the traffic safety camera revenues are used for safety improvements like sidewalks and safe crossings rather than balancing the city’s budget.

Hill mentioned that negotiations with two of the city staff unions were happening this year, and the budget impact of those contracts was unknown.

“Before the pandemic hit, we were actually starting a conversation about the revenue needed to take care of our parks acquisitions and starting to think about some of those needs,” said committee chair and Councilmember John Resha. “Those needs haven’t gone away.”

Councilmember Lorri Bodi agreed that the completion of the acquisition and the development of the lakeshore park was a priority. 

“[That park] is a huge potential public amenity, but if it drags out fifteen years, it’s going to be less of a public amenity,” she said. 

She also mentioned that plans for improving Horizon View Park had been put on hold, as had work on sidewalks and the Safe Streets campaign. “One of the legacies of the pandemic is we have so many walkers and if anything we have more walkers than we used to before,” she said, noting that she had heard that there was no dedicated fund for creating sidewalks.

The committee talked about the need to develop alternate funding for budget priorities.

“I may be so bold as to actually use the term ‘levy lid lift’,” said Kassover, referring to the successful 2001 state initiative that requires cities to hold a vote if they want to increase their property taxes by more than 1% annually. “I want to start having that conversation soon.”

Johnson said that he remembered the last time the city tried to raise the property tax lid and felt the city was in a better position now. 
“We’ve done ourselves a great favor by being very transparent and very good at taking care of the money,” he said, “We can’t ask people [that] we need help, without proving that we’ve done all we can do to take care of what we’ve gotten. It’s not hard to see where the [city’s] money goes.”

Resha summarized: “[The city] did all the right things, and we did some really hard work, and the staff throughout the city really stepped up, but we also have some deferred issues that we’ll have to deal with as an impact from that, so this is a great news story, but it did come at a cost.”



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LFP Council holding Town Center and multifamily tax-exemption program Public Hearings February 25

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

LFP City Council to hold two public hearing at its Thursday council meeting

At its regular meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2021, the Lake Forest Park City Council is holding two public hearings as part of the Town Center Code and Design Guidelines update.

The meeting begins at 7:00pm and will be held virtually, via Zoom. Click here for the agenda and Zoom participation information. Public hearings are held at the beginning of the meeting, very close to the 7:00pm meeting start time.

The first public hearing is to consider proposed amendments to the Lake Forest Park Municipal Code (LFPMC) and Design Guidelines Pertaining to the Town Center Zone (Ord. 1217) and Related Regulations in the LFPMC for Development Agreements (Ord. 1218), Off-street Parking (Ord. 1219), Screening and Landscaping (Ord. 1220), and Multifamily Tax Exemption (Ord. 1221).

The second public hearing concerns a proposed designation of Residential Targeted Areas for a Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program (see Ord. 1221) within the City limits.

The Council has been working on the Town Center code and design guidelines update in response to the Sound Transit 3 project, and is approaching the end of the process, with a plan to approve the update before the current moratorium on Town Center development expires on March 31, 2021.

Under state law, cities are allowed to provide for exemptions from value-based property taxes, on the qualified multifamily housing developments in order to stimulate the construction of new, rehabilitated, or converted multifamily housing within “Residential Targeted Areas.” 

These are known as Multi-family Tax Exemption (MFTE) programs

As part of the Town Center code and design guidelines process, the Council is considering the adoption of such a program within the City, designating four areas as “Residential Targeted Areas”: Town Center, Southern Gateway—Corridor, RM-900 Residential Multifamily, and RM-1800 zones. 

Owners of property within areas designated as Residential Targeted Areas would be able to apply for the MFTE.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the public hearings and provide comments to the Council.

If you would like to sign up to speak at the meeting ahead of time or find out how to submit written comments for the public hearings, click here. There will also be an opportunity during the hearings for attendees to use the “raise a hand” feature in Zoom and get in the speakers’ queues for these hearings.


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Call Lake Forest Park City Hall to schedule a pick-up for free cloth masks

LFP City Hall
Photo by Steven H. Robinson
As part of the State’s effort to ensure everyone has access to face coverings, the City of Lake Forest Park has cloth masks for distribution.

The City is offering pick-up by appointment for distribution at City Hall.

Details:
  • Call City Hall to schedule a pick up and the quantity you are requesting at 206-368-5440.
  • Appointments to pick up masks can be made Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 12:00Noon.
Where:

Lake Forest Park City Hall
17425 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending doubling of cloth masks. 



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"The City of Lake Forest Park's 60th Anniversary: Historical Reflections" Saturday on zoom - get link before noon Friday

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Lake Forest Park 1916
Shoreline Historical Museum


LFP Program February 20, 2021 at 1:00pm

The Lake Forest Park Friends of the Library and the King County Library System
Sponsor a "Zoom" Presentation Commemorating
the 60th Anniversary of Lake Forest Park!

"The City of Lake Forest Park's 60th Anniversary: Historical Reflections," a presentation by Shoreline Historical Museum Director Vicki Stiles, will reveal interesting stories and wonderful photos that show just how Lake Forest Park became a treasure on the shores of Lake Washington.

Program starts at 1:00pm on Saturday February 20, 2021. 

Please register before noon on Friday February 19th

Register Here!

The Shoreline Historical Museum is supported by The City of Shoreline and 4Culture. Museum Members and Friends! We are currently open, with COVID 19 safety precautions in place.


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LFP Officials defend proposed Town Center zoning changes

Monday, February 8, 2021

Town Center photo by Steven H. Robinson

By Tracy Furutani

City leaders in Lake Forest Park strongly defended proposed Town Center zoning changes against a strongly-worded letter from the Town Center owner critical of those changes.

“We listen very carefully to what the citizens say,” said LFP Deputy Mayor and councilmember Phillippa Kassover. “I think what [zoning code changes] you’ll see is all based on what we heard from the community.”

“We recognize the extensive effort that has gone into the preparation of these code changes,” said Jamas Gwilliam, vice-president of development at MerloneGeier Partners, the owner of the Town Center property, in the letter dated January 14, 

“but continue to believe that the City has either chosen to ignore our comments calling for a balanced set of development standards for the Town Center, or has knowingly adopted a position that is fundamentally at odds with our ownership interests.”

“The Council's first priority is to protect the interest of Lake Forest Park citizens and the current draft code reflects that,” said Planning Director Stephen Bennett. 

“The current draft also creates many opportunities for MerloneGeier to obtain some flexibility through the negotiation of a development agreement with LFP. MerloneGeier has done that for their project in the Shoreline and they may need to consider taking that approach in Lake Forest Park as well.”

On MerloneGeier’s Town Center blog, they state, “The incorporation of housing (affordable and market rate), open space, enhanced sustainability measures and all of the associated public benefits, will not come to fruition based on the code that has resulted from this process.”

Mayor Jeff Johnson was disappointed by the potential loss of public benefit, including environmental mitigation. “It was really a bummer… we had an opportunity to work together on wastewater runoff and stream quality,” he said.

“The city’s finances have never been a driving factor in this,” said Kassover, commenting on the fiscal effect of non-development. 

“It just simply isn’t an issue for us at all. We don’t make decisions about development based on finances, but based on what’s good for our community.”

MerloneGeier did not respond to requests for clarification about their plans for Town Center.

The City Council will have a work session at 6pm Thursday, in which Bennett and the city planning staff will present the final draft of the zoning code changes. This session will be followed by the regular council meeting at 7pm.

There will be a further Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting on Tuesday, February 16, followed by another COW meeting on Monday, February 22

The city council plans to hold a final public hearing on Thursday, February 25, before adopting the zoning code changes in time to meet the deadline of the moratorium on Town Center development expiring in March.

Kassover was pleased that the proposed zoning code changes were not just about Town Center. 

“I’m really glad that the council was addressing affordable housing in the plan,” she said. “I’m really excited the multifamily tax exemption chapter will affect other areas other than Town Center,” such as areas along Bothell Way near Southern Gateway, and along Ballinger Way.

She struck a final conciliatory note: “I very much hope that, when we have a final document, MerloneGeier will feel as excited about the future of Town Center and its possibilities and potential for a really forward-looking exquisitely environmentally sensitively designed commercial and residential space.”

Updated 2-9-21 to correct Kassover quote


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Track changes to the Town Center code-related ordinances

Saturday, February 6, 2021

As the Lake Forest Park City Council continues consideration of the Town Center Code Update, the Planning Department has posted to the City’s website a “track changes” copy of the five Town Center Code-related ordinances. 

Click here to review the document.

The City Council will be reviewing and discussing this latest draft of the Code Update at its Work Session meeting on February 11, 2021, beginning at 6:00pm.

The item will also be discussed at the Regular Business meeting, which begins at 7:00pm on February 11. Zoom information for attending the meeting will be posted on the agendas.

Interested parties are asked to note the following:
  • The changes tracked in the posted draft ordinances contain only the edits made to the ordinances since the December 24, 2020 drafts were posted and distributed.
  • The final ordinances will show, in track changes, all edits made from the current Lake Forest Park Municipal Code (LFPMC). 
  • A public hearing will be held on February 25, 2021, beginning at 7:00 p.m., to consider all changes made since December 24, 2020.


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Lake Forest Park Police report December 10, 2020

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Heatmap for the month of November 2020: Each blue dot is a call for police service generated by dispatch or an officer. This map represents 599 calls for service incidents in November.

During an attempted burglary of a residence, the homeowner fired one round from his handgun towards the burglar. The suspect screamed and ran away. A K9 track was unsuccessful; however, Detectives are following some hopeful leads.

There have been a few nighttime burglaries, including one at the Honorary Austrian Consulate at NE 160th / 36th NE where they entered an unlocked vehicle and used a garage door remote to enter the attached garage.

Another burglary was done in an occupied residence in the same area (165th/35th). The homeowner confronted the burglar and they fled. 

Several vehicles and a boat were prowled overnight. An UberEATS type of delivery driver left his vehicle running while he went up to a house to make a delivery. The vehicle was promptly stolen.

We have had several reports of mail theft, including from locking mailboxes that had been pried open. This is usually the case during this holiday period. Over the last year, we have had 14 deaths in the city (not covid related) and unfortunately a community member walking his dog, discovered a resident had committed suicide using a firearm in his driveway.

--From the City Administrator's Police Department report at the LFP council meeting 12/10/2020



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