Kenmore staff proposed allowing neighborhood retail throughout residential zones

What the records say

A staff memo dated May 28, 2026, prepared for the Planning Commission's June 2, 2026 meeting, recommends allowing neighborhood retail and services throughout residential areas based on community engagement and Commission direction ¹. The recommendations would permit eating and drinking places, specialty shops, and neighborhood markets in residential zones (R-4 through R-24) as well as Neighborhood Business and Community Business zones, with drinking places (bars and taverns) remaining prohibited in residential zones ¹. Proposed standards include a 2,500-square-foot cap per establishment, one building per use, operating hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, no minimum parking for neighborhood retail in residential zones, and wall-sign-only signage with lighting limited to business hours ¹. Conversions of existing homes to commercial or mixed use would be Type I decisions decided by the city manager, nonappealable and without public notice, while new commercial construction would be a Type II decision appealable to a hearing examiner ¹. The memo is a staff recommendation for Commission discussion; the packet does not establish what action, if any, the Commission took at the June 2 meeting ¹.

• Staff recommend allowing eating and drinking places, specialty shops, and neighborhood markets throughout residential zones (R-4–R-24) and in Neighborhood Business and Community Business zones, while continuing to prohibit drinking places such as bars and taverns in residential zones ¹.
• Proposed standards include a 2,500-square-foot maximum per establishment, one building per use, daily operating hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., no minimum parking for neighborhood retail in R-1–R-24, and signage limited to wall signs (25 sq. ft.) or A-frame signs (6 sq. ft.) ¹.
• Conversions of existing residential buildings to commercial or mixed use would be Type I decisions — decided by the city manager, nonappealable, and without public notice — while new commercial construction requiring site plan review would be a Type II decision appealable to a hearing examiner ¹.
• Community engagement showed strong support: 190 responses to the first survey, with eating and drinking establishments (76%), specialty shops (66%), and neighborhood markets (61%) the top-requested uses, and 36% of respondents preferring retail allowed on all residential lots ¹.
• The memo's tentative timeline calls for draft code review over the summer, a public hearing tentatively at the September 2026 Planning Commission meeting, and a tentative Planning Commission recommendation to City Council in early October ¹.

Why it matters

If adopted, the proposal would change what businesses can open in Kenmore's residential zones — cafes, small markets, salons, gyms, and art studios could operate near homes, subject to size, hours, parking, and signage limits ¹. Residents who want to weigh in have a tentative public hearing at the September 2026 Planning Commission meeting, with a tentative Planning Commission recommendation to City Council in early October; the memo labels both dates tentative ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The proposal would move eating and drinking places, retail sales, personal services, indoor recreation, and indoor arts uses from conditional or restricted status to permitted uses in residential zones R-4 through R-24, with new size, hours, parking, and signage standards ¹.
• The packet does not establish what the Planning Commission did with these recommendations at its June 2, 2026 meeting; the outcome will only be known from subsequent records ¹.
• Open questions the memo poses to the Commission include whether to keep the 2,500 sq. ft. cap or retain conditional permitting for larger 5,000 sq. ft. establishments, whether to prohibit tobacco, vape, alcohol, or weapon sales in residential zones, and whether restaurants in residential zones may serve alcohol ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.