Kenmore Council to consider condemnation of temporary easements for NE 169th Street culvert project

What the records say

The City Council's Oct. 20, 2025 regular meeting agenda included Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0634, authorizing acquisition by negotiation or condemnation of temporary access easements needed for the NE 169th Street Culvert Replacement Project, presented by Environmental Services Director Richard Sawyer and Surface Water Capital Project Manager Andrew Silvia for discussion and potential adoption ¹. The ordinance text identifies three affected properties: 8122, 8202, and 8203 NE 169th Street ¹. Note a discrepancy in the records: the agenda header labels the item 'NE 196th Street Culvert Replacement Project Condemnation,' while the ordinance itself, its recitals, and all three site addresses refer to NE 169th Street; the supplied records do not explain the difference ¹.

• The ordinance covers temporary easements for a two-month data-collection period — surveying, soil testing, and environmental assessment using hand tools, with no work inside buildings — not permanent property acquisition or construction access ¹.
• City staff report that two property owners refused access despite months of negotiation, prompting the condemnation request ¹.
• The project is funded by the Surface Water Management Capital Fund, recently received a $750,000 King County Flood Control District grant with work required by 2028, and targets project completion by 2027; the estimated easement acquisition cost is described as de minimis ¹.
• The ordinance was filed with the City Clerk on Oct. 10, 2025, and would take effect five days after publication if passed ¹.

Why it matters

The ordinance would authorize the city to take temporary easements — with just compensation — from property owners who have refused access, so the city can complete surveying and data collection needed to design a culvert replacement meant to stop local flooding and restore fish passage on a street that provides the only public access to dozens of homes ¹. The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome; the ordinance's passage field is blank, so whether the council adopted it is not shown ¹.

What changed / what's next

• Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0634 was scheduled for discussion and potential adoption at the Oct. 20, 2025 meeting ¹.
• The ordinance authorizes the City Manager, City Attorney, or consultants to negotiate acquisition and, if negotiations fail, to file a petition in eminent domain ¹.
• The packet does not show whether the council adopted Ordinance No. 25-0634 on Oct. 20. Watch for the passed date, publication date, and any eminent domain petition for the three NE 169th Street parcels ¹.