The Kirkland Seahawks?

Big congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on their Super Bowl win! Did you know that for for their first 32 years (1976 - 2008), the Seahawks were headquartered here in Kirkland? For the first 5 years, their offices and practice fields were on the shores of Lake Washington at what was once known as the Lake Washington Shipyards, but now more familiar to all of us as Carillon Point. Then, in 1986, the team moved to Houghton and established themselves due east of Northwest University, with offices, training facilities and 3 practice fields. Annual fall camp was held there between 1986 - 1997, with players staying in NWU dorms. Many stories abound, as player sightings were an everyday occurrence, as they made their way up and down 108th, patronized local businesses, with some purchasing homes in the neighborhood. Evening walks through NWU during training camp were a normal occurrence for many, as players were often out and about. A number of neighbors tell stories of watching practices from their deck and/or having conversations with the Hawks through their fence. But wait….we almost lost the Hawks! Almost exactly 30 years ago to the day, then owner Ken Behring announced his intentions to relocate the Hawks to Anaheim. Many can remember the moving vans arriving to begin the process of moving to Southern California. Thankfully, the NFL did not approve the relocation and threatened to fine Behring $500,000 per day if the team didn’t return to Kirkland. Phew!! It was in 1997 and amid pressure from the league, that Behring sold the team to Paul Allen. As they say…the rest is history….and Super Bowls!!

Emerson School Update & Public Hearing

A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th at 5pm at Kirkland City Hall to review an amendment permitting the construction of a new 2-story, 50,000 SQ FT public education building at the Emerson School campus. The current Emerson building and portable classrooms will be demolished; the gym and Northstar Middle School will remain. Improvements include landscaping and updated vehicle/pedestrian circulation. Enrollment will rise by 167 to 345 students. Comments may be made during the hearing or submitted in writing to the Hearing Examiner. For more information, click HERE. The Hearing Examiner will recommend action to the City Council, whose meeting date is yet to be determined.

On January 21^st, The Lake Washington School District Support Services team, along with members of the construction project team, met with Emerson families and community members.  The goal of the event was to share construction plans for the project which will kick off this spring. If you were able to attend this event and have feedback to share with the HNA Board, please reach out to [email protected] 

Questions for staff were focused on impacts on students and traffic during construction and general interest in the design of the new campus.  See the latest updates and design concepts on the district’s Emerson Construction page.  

HNA Community Meeting Announcement: March 10th 6-8 pm

Our first neighborhood meeting of ‘26 will be a information packed! Mark your calendar for Tuesday, March 10th. Neighborhood meet & greet at 5:30 pm, the meeting will begin at 6pm. Same location….Northwest University in the Heath Sciences building. Directional signs for parking will be posted.

We intend to provide updates on the key issues impacting Houghton, including: Houghton Village, The Metro K-Line project, Sheila Stanton Place (La Quinta).

We’ll be joined by the city’s Director of Planning & Building, Adam Weinstein. We continue to hear from neighbors wanting to know how revised state/local housing and land policies will impact our neighborhood. Such things as density, zoning changes and middle housing. We’ve asked Adam to help provide us with a better understanding of what this all means, with specific examples that may pertain to Houghton. What has Houghton building permit activity been like? What are the city’s short and long term goals for Houghton?

Save The Date….7/18

It’s the Houghton celebration of the year!

The Houghton Neighborhood Association Summer Soiree is back! Mark your calendar for this fun filled family event. Saturday July 18th from 4p-8p at Northwest University. There’ll be food trucks, games, kids activities, music, prizes and more!! Come celebrate summer with your Houghton and South Kirkland neighbors!