Kenmore council extends Swamp Creek interim zoning rules through June 2026

What the records say

The Kenmore City Council held a public hearing on Dec. 8, 2025 and passed Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0638, which amends and extends interim regulations for an additional six months for 13 identified parcels close to Swamp Creek in proximity to SR 522 and 80th Avenue NE ¹. The ordinance was passed at the regular meeting on the 8th day of December 2025, per the ordinance text included in the meeting packet ¹. The interim regulations prohibit townhome development on the affected parcels, and properties that do not develop under the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) provisions must meet the base density of the underlying zone and include at least 25% of total units as affordable units ¹. Because the existing interim regulations were set to expire Dec. 23, 2025, the ordinance required an emergency declaration with a supermajority council vote to take effect before that date; the packet does not record the vote count ¹. The item was presented by Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director Debbie Bent ¹. Staff anticipate bringing forward permanent regulations for the parcels in coordination with WDFW stream-buffer requirements in the first quarter of 2026 ¹.

• Ordinance 25-0638 extends and renews the interim regulations for an additional six months, through June 8, 2026, for 13 identified tax parcels near Swamp Creek, SR 522 and 80th Avenue NE.
• The interim regulations prohibit townhome development; properties not developing under TOD provisions must meet underlying-zone base density and include at least 25% affordable units.
• The ordinance required an emergency declaration with a supermajority council vote to take effect before the prior interim regulations expired Dec. 23, 2025; the packet does not record the vote tally.
• The extension continues a series of six-month renewals dating to interim regulations first adopted Feb. 14, 2022 (Ordinance 22-0543), most recently extended by Ordinance 25-0629 on June 23, 2025.
• Staff plan to bring forward new regulations for the Swamp Creek parcels, developed alongside WDFW stream-buffer requirements, for council consideration in the first quarter of 2026.

Why it matters

For owners and residents of the 13 affected parcels along 80th Avenue NE and NE Bothell Way, the townhome prohibition and the affordable-unit requirement for non-TOD development now continue through June 8, 2026 instead of lapsing Dec. 23, 2025 ¹. The extension buys time while the city develops new regulations intended to incentivize Swamp Creek channel restoration, with proposals expected in early 2026 ¹. Residents who wanted to testify could pre-register through the Virtual Public Comment Request Form, which opened Tuesdays at 12:00 noon and closed Mondays at 12:00 noon, with confirmation from the City Clerk's Office ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The interim zoning rules for the 13 Swamp Creek-area parcels, which would have expired Dec. 23, 2025, now run through June 8, 2026 under Ordinance 25-0638 ¹.
• The packet does not record the council's vote tally on the emergency declaration or the ordinance's publication and effective dates, which the ordinance text leaves blank ¹.
• Permanent replacement regulations for the parcels are anticipated in the first quarter of 2026; their content will determine whether the townhome prohibition and 25% affordable-unit requirement continue ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.