2. VISION STATEMENT

The Norkirk Neighborhood is a stable and tranquil community of neighbors who represent a diversity of ages, households, incomes, and backgrounds. Norkirk community members highly value the distinct identity of their neighborhood as well as its proximity to downtown Kirkland.

Norkirk residents are good neighbors because they have a strong sense of community while welcoming newcomers. A primary contributor to this sense of community is that the Norkirk Neighborhood is a pleasant and safe place for walking. From the sidewalks, people greet neighbors who are working in their gardens or enjoying the quiet from their front porches. Children play in yards and in the parks or ride their bikes along streets where they recognize their neighbors. Norkirk is linked to other Kirkland neighborhoods and commercial areas by safe bike and pedestrian routes and local transit.

Norkirk residents prize their beautiful surroundings, including open spaces and abundant trees. From numerous spots throughout the neighborhood one can view Lake Washington and its shoreline, the Olympics, or Mount Rainier. The parks, woodlands, and wetlands are considered the neighborhood’s backyard, and community members care for those places.

The neighborhood has a unique civic presence and identity. Many City services and facilities are located here, attracting community members from outside the neighborhood. The Norkirk Neighborhood is home to both City Hall and the City Maintenance Center where the work of local government takes place. Kirkland Middle School is situated next door to Crestwoods Park.

The Norkirk Neighborhood comprises a variety of housing styles and sizes with bountiful light and vegetation between structures. The neighborhood feels uncrowded. Neighbors cherish many homes dating from early in the 20th century. The existing residential areas successfully integrate a variety of housing types such as accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, and cottages, which provides choices for a diverse community.

Annual Norkirk Neighborhood Picnic

Multifamily development at the southern boundary of the neighborhood provides additional housing choice and a stable transition between lower-intensity residential areas in the core of the neighborhood and the more intensive commercial and residential development in downtown Kirkland. Additional multifamily development and commercial activities are located along the Market Street Corridor. Here, the alley and topographic differential eases the transition between the residential area and the Market Street Corridor, minimizing potential conflicts with commercial uses. These commercial areas provide important shopping and services for both neighborhood residents and the region. Design of new development within the Market Street Corridor is complementary to the adjacent residential portions of the Market and Norkirk Neighborhoods, helping to create seamless transitions to the residential core.

Industrial and office uses in the southeast portion of the neighborhood are compatible with the residential uses that surround them. Located near the Cross Kirkland Corridor, this area provides a central City location for technology, services, office uses, wholesale businesses and the City Maintenance Center. Landscape buffers, building modulation and traffic management help integrate this area into the neighborhood.

Norkirk is an outstanding neighborhood in which to live, work, and visit.