Kirkland Weblog

Squatting in Style

These are tough economic times for many. When I think of the traditional 'squatter' I can't help but envision some transient that moves from abandoned house to abandoned house.  But not the 2010 version. Not when you can get the locks changed on a vacant bank-owned $3.2M West of Market Kirkland home that is staged with $80,000 worth of furniture.  Just bring your boyfriend, settle in your children in and relax- who will notice?

Apparently people DID notice after a locksmith opened up the home and 'no trespassing' signs began going up. When police arrived on the scene, the alleged squatters said they owned the home and produced some insurance papers and stated they had paid money to their broker.  This isn't the first time this brilliant plan has been cooked up. Check out this website (whoa Nelly!).  The occupants may have later stated that they did not pay the broker anything and ever-so-kindly let the staging company have their furniture back. But they are staying put.  There is no Purchase of Sale agreement and none of the documentation provided seems to have been recorded. 

It sounds like the strategy is that if you occupy something that isn't yours, then you can assume ownership of it. And we're not talking about a fence line or an adverse possession claim.  This does sound a lot like my five year old's philosophy on many things, but in my grown-up mind these folks are simple intruders.  I guess if you're going try something this nuts, you might as well go big?! The whole convoluted story to the PD over the weekend (this is now a civil matter) was just to buy time so that they could go down to the courthouse on Monday and state they have a 'vested interest' in the home because they are occupying the house. The bank that owns the house served an eviction notice last night and they have 3 days to vacate. The lesson here is if you own or live by a vacant home be sure to check on it often. And keep in mind that just because we are losing our bottom lines doesn't mean we have to lose our ethics too.

By the way, WA state has very liberal laws to protect occupants, but this is most commonly seen with renters that stop paying. So, either these guys wait around for some sort of legal loophole pipe dream that will gum up our court system for months before facing prosecution or (if I were in their shoes) maybe they just disappear in the middle of the night.  Where to next, honey? I think I saw a fabulous place for sale in Medina.

Prostitution Ring Reaches Kirkland

A friend of mine lives not far from the house at 1942 Market Street (photo left) that got raided on Friday night.  She said she had been noticing more traffic in and out of the house, along with some unfamiliar cars parked at odd hours.  It appears  "Lisa Thai Massage" was merely a front for prostitution and was also linked to 3 other locations in Bellevue and SeaTac with common owners, managers and workers.  Maybe when they saw the graffiti a few doors down, they thought this was their kind of neighborhood.  No arrests were made at the Kirkland location, but detectives from King County Sheriff's Dept will be checking records and receipts (who knew those kinda joints were so organized?).~j

Car Prowls on the Rise

It's like Christmas morning for thieves when we leave our iPods, cell phones, laptops and GPS systems in our cars.  Especially when they are in plain view.  With the door unlocked.  Seriously- it sounds obvious but it happens all the time. I know about 10 people in my neighborhood that have had their cars broken into (or unwillingly entered) in the last few months.  It's an epidemic, apparently, so I wanted you to be in the know.

I called my handy dandy Neighborhood Resource Officer with the Kirkland PD, Officer Allan O'Neill (AONeill@ci.kirkland.wa.us), to let off some steam.  I don't know why this pisses me off so much- nobody broke into my car.  Clearly b/c all they would find are some Goldfish crackers and some lip gloss.  But all of my friends and neighbors are getting dinged and the thought of some sticky fingered creep lurking around our homes and cars really makes me want to unleash some kung fu.  Officer O'Neill confirmed my suspicions-- for full year 2007 there were 2 reported car prowls in my (Market) neighborhood and already so far this year there are 21 reported.  OUCH.  Although not as dramatic, prowls are also up in the rest of the city too.

Last week the Kirkland PD captured two car prowlers in my neighborhood with the help of their dog and a tip from a neighbor.  Congrats to our PD for the win.  These (brilliant) criminals also confessed to 10-12 other prowls.  But, unfortunately, for each one you catch there's more in the wings.  There are some things you can do to minimize your chances of being a victim.  First, don't keep valuables in your car- especially in plain view (this includes sunglasses and phone chargers) and lock up.  Also, be aware of your surroundings and team up with your neighbors to keep watch for unusual behavior/visitors in your neighborhood.  Don't hesitate to call 911 if something or someone seems suspicious to you.  Also, you should document the serial numbers of your valuables, so in the event that you do get hit there is a better chance of identifying your stolen items.

Be on the lookout, Kirkland!  The creepies are a crawlin' and it's only going to get worse.  Springtime is the biggest season for home break-in's (and especially apts/condos) because that's when everyone leaves their windows and doors open.  See-now there's a upside to this weather we've been having! Brrrrrr, no windows open here for sure.  Have you ever seen that show, "To Catch a Thief" ?  Two ex-professional thieves rob a volunteer's house and the whole thing is captured on video.  Freaks me out-it only takes a thief 5 minutes to clean your house out of all it's valuables so don't think that walk around the block with Fluffy is an ok time to leave your door unlocked.  Better safe than sorry.   ~j

How to Sneak 33,000 people into Kirkland

A Trojan Horse, perhaps?  Noooooooooo-it's annexation!

It's a buzzword around town these days and you can find LOTS of info on the city's website.  Kirkland is considering whether to annex the neighborhoods of Finn Hill, Upper Juanita and Kingsgate which are all part of unincorporated King County today.  This means that those areas would essentially become part of Kirkland, almost doubling our population to 81,000.  That's a tremendous change for our cozy little eastside paradise!

This might be a fabulous solution for the people of the 'Proposed Annexation Area'  (the "PAA").  Currently it takes an unbearable amount of time to get a police officer or fire truck to respond to them b/c they rely on King County services.  And maybe they'd appreciate some local government representation too.  I'm sure it wouldn't hurt their home values to be considered part of Kirkland either (many already have Kirkland addresses).  It's mostly upside for the PAA, except for maybe some that may prefer feeling more rural, or might feel more locally connected to Bothell or Woodinville or wherever is nearest to them.   And then there's a handful that fear higher taxes.  But mostly they're psyched for some good service.

What isn't clear to me is why this would benefit Kirkland or the people of Kirkland?  Our small town would suddenly rival the size of Kent.  Throw in another 30,000 people and we're Bellevue.  That means big expenses to expand our police/fire services/city hall/sidewalks/sewers/garbage/etc.   There is a proposed new 75 bed jail in the plan, but mysteriously no one seems to know where that would be located.  The state offers a kickback type incentive to make annexation more feasible, but that's only for ten years.  Then what?  The financial picture is troublesome.  Unfortunately, the 'PAA' is primarily residential and doesn't have many revenue producing/ economic development opportunities to offer up as an offset to the expenses it would create for our city.  And most importantly, the small town feel of Kirkland is what makes it so charming.

Here's the kicker:  Kirkland residents DO NOT get to vote on this issue.  Only the people living in the proposed annexation area do (seriously!).  Our City Council members need to know how we feel because this process is running like a freight train already.  The city folks are surely salivating at their impending promotions that come along with managing a bigger city.  I was at a neighborhood association meeting a few months back where a "city consultant" came and spoke about annexation and documented all of our questions/concerns.  There were 14 sheets of paper filled with ink around the room.  At the very end, a resident raised his hand and said, 'would you like to know what we think?'  And the answer was: "NO".   Then some fodder about how it was the wrong time in the process for that.  Since then, we are on to 'phase two' and city council members just keep nodding their heads along-the process will just keep going until it happens unless we give them a reason to reconsider. 

So, here's what you do.  If you support annexation, you can kick your feet back up with that glass of wine you're drinking- this thing is on auto pilot anyway.  If you'd like to preserve Kirkland as the community it is today you need act swiftly. Contact your local city council members to let them know how you feel.  There's also a particularly passionate Kirklander named Rob Butcher that has put together a website where you can sign an on-line petition and offer your help at www.savekirkland.com .  If you're on the fence and want more info, you can use this link through the city's website.  ~Janis

Where are the Holiday Lights?

Our kids are totally into the Christmas lights this year.  The gaudier the better- Griswolds are A-O-K with us.  Tell us your favorite neighborhoods in Kirkland to check out the lights.  We need some new destinations around town! Until I hear from you, I can hold my kids off with this website: http://www.uglychristmaslights.com/ But hurry, it's almost dark!   ~Janis

Downtown Block Party- July 1st

The First Baptist Church of Kirkland (701 First St) is celebrating their anniversary by throwing a block party on Saturday July 1st from 11:30-5.  In the parking lot on the corner of 1st and 7th there will be live jazz music, inflatables, a dunk tank (I wonder who?), face painting (photo left, maybe not this fancy) and plenty of food.  Feel free to stop by and join in some fun, everyone is invited and it's FREE.    ~Janis   

The Neighborhoods of Kirkland

We have lot's of great neighborhoods in Kirkland.  Did you know that each neighborhood has it's own Neighborhood Association?   It's the best way to get involved in what is happening in your part of the city and to have an impact on what is happening regarding city issues that touch all of us! Take a look at this cool map from the City Website and see the links to each neighborhood association below to learn more:

Central Houghton Association http://www.houghtonlives.com

Everest Neighborhood Association  (no  website)

Highlands Neighborhood Association  http://www.kirklandhighlands.org 

Lakeview Neighborhood Association   http://www.lakeviewkirkland.com/ 

Market Neighborhood Association  (no website)

Moss Bay Neighborhood Association www.mossbay.org

Norkirk Neighborhood Association  http://www.norkirk.org

North Juanita Neighborhood Association   http://www.NJNA.org

North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association  www.north-rosehill.org

South Juanita Neighborhood  Association  www.southjuanita.com

South Rose Hills/Bridle Trails Association  www.rosetrails.org

Totem Lake Neighborhood Association www.totemlakeneighborhood.org

Just a quick post today...comments?

Xmas Tree Burning: A 55 year tradition!

It all started 55 years ago in a vacant lot on 16th Ave, West of Market.   Several neighbors got together shortly after the New Year and had a bon-fire fire using their old, dried up Christmas trees. 

Since the original burning so many years ago the tradition has moved to one of the waterfront homes on 10th Street West.  Janis and I have been attending since 1999 and have enjoyed every year since.   We often meet folks who have moved away from West of Market, but still return for this "can't miss" event.   

The Silverndale's hosted the event for 39 years before recently selling their property.  The good news is that the latest owners, the Pearson's, have continued the tradition!   It's a fun event (rain or no rain) to see the trees go up like match sticks, share some pot luck, and watch the neighborhood kids run along the shore of Lake Washington.

 

This year we were fortunate enough to have some good weather!   There's nothing like roasting marshmallows or cooking a hot dog on an open flame, talking to good friends, while sipping a cold one.   

I am sure  there is much more to this greet tradition than I have covered here.  If you have attended in the past  and have a story or know more about this then we do, please post your comments now.   

Steve