Kenmore Planning Commission was scheduled to discuss corner stores in residential zones

What the records say

In a memo dated Jan. 27, 2026, Kenmore Senior Planner Brittany Chue told the Planning Commission that at its Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 meeting, staff would present an introduction to corner stores and accessory commercial units (ACUs) and request discussion on where they could be located and what land uses would be permitted ¹. The same memo said the discussion would also cover regulations: maximum size, parking requirements, permitting requirements, operating hours, setbacks, height, and other standards ¹. The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome ¹. The presentation materials describe the two tools as distinct: corner stores are small, independent neighborhood-serving retail shops, often on corner lots and typically 1,500–3,000 square feet, while ACUs are small commercial uses accessory to a primary residence on the same lot, similar in concept to accessory dwelling units ¹. The presentation noted that Washington House Bill 1175, which it said was approved by the House and under Senate consideration as of January, would require cities to allow neighborhood stores and cafes in residential zones, with a 500-square-foot minimum size, at least 12 consecutive hours of operation, and a ban on selling nicotine products in residential zones, while letting cities regulate maximum size, parking, and operating hours ¹. Staff also laid out Kenmore's current picture: commercial uses are mostly downtown and along SR-522, with a few Neighborhood Business parcels at Juanita Drive NE and NE 153rd Place, and 1,709 of the city's 2,551 registered businesses (2025) are home-based ¹.

• Staff planned to introduce corner stores and ACUs to the Planning Commission on Feb. 3, 2026 and ask for discussion, not a vote ¹
• Discussion topics included permitted land uses, locations, maximum size, parking, permitting process, operating hours, setbacks, and height ¹
• The presentation said HB 1175, approved by the House and under Senate consideration as of January, would require cities to allow neighborhood stores and cafes in residential zones with a 500-square-foot minimum and at least 12 consecutive hours of operation ¹
• Kenmore's commercial uses are mostly downtown and along SR-522, with a few Neighborhood Business parcels at Juanita Drive NE and NE 153rd Place ¹
• Of 2,551 registered Kenmore businesses in 2025, 1,709 were home-based ¹

Why it matters

The rules under discussion would decide whether a resident could open or walk to a small shop or cafe inside a Kenmore neighborhood, rather than only downtown or along SR-522 ¹. The presentation frames the tradeoffs as walkability, small-business support, and neighborhood vitality against questions of size, parking, hours, and location ¹. Because the Feb. 3 meeting was only an introduction and discussion, no decision on those standards had been made in the records reviewed ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The Planning Commission's Feb. 3, 2026 agenda included a staff introduction to corner stores and ACUs and a request for discussion on locations, permitted uses, and regulations ¹
• The record set a schedule of continued discussions on March 3, April 7, and May 19, 2026, a public hearing and recommendation on July 7, 2026, and a Planning Commission recommendation to the City Council on July 27, 2026 ¹
• The Planning Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing and make a recommendation on July 7, 2026, and to present recommendations to the City Council on July 27, 2026 ¹
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome, and no adopted standards appear in the supplied packet ¹
• The presentation describes HB 1175 as under Senate consideration, so the bill's final status is not established by these records ¹