Two of the fixtures around NE 68th Street and 108th Avenue NE are on hold at the same time, and other parties are setting the timelines for both. The Cross Kirkland Corridor between NE 52nd Street and 108th Avenue NE has been fully closed since September 8 for King County sewer work. A few blocks north, the City of Kirkland has listed Houghton Village, the shopping center it bought four years ago, for sale. Council will decide on any offer.
So far, only one occupant of that corner has posted a forwarding address and a target date. MEOW Cat Rescue has secured a space at 525 Kirkland Way and hopes to move in early 2027. Everything else depends on a construction crew finishing "by the winter" or on a buyer who hasn't been named.
Three timelines on one corner
| What's changing | Who sets the timeline | What's been published | What hasn't |
|---|---|---|---|
| CKC trail, NE 52nd St to 108th Ave NE | King County Wastewater Treatment | Full closure starting Sept. 8, estimated at three months | A firm reopening date |
| Houghton Village shopping center | Kirkland City Council | Listed with CBRE in July 2026 | An asking price or a buyer |
| MEOW Cat Rescue | MEOW | New space at 525 Kirkland Way, early 2027 | An exact move date |
The table sorts the corner by who is in charge. A regional utility and a city council control the two biggest changes. The smallest is a nonprofit working from its own plan.
The trail closure runs on a sewer pipe's schedule
The closure is about what runs beneath the trail. King County's October 7 update says crews are repairing a damaged culvert that runs under the County's Eastside Interceptor Section 14 sewer pipe. They are also building a retaining wall and stabilizing a nearby stream. The County calls the work "extensive" and says the closed section "is not safe for pedestrians." The City of Kirkland identifies that stream as Houghton B1 Stream. The project's environmental checklist, filed with the state, says the stream's flow reaches Yarrow Bay. It also lists construction access from NE 52nd Street, possibly from 108th Avenue NE, and along the corridor itself.
Sewer service can't stop while the pipe is being protected, so crews have moved flows into a temporary above-ground pipe. King County's project update lists what people near the work should expect:
- Work on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sound from heavy construction equipment during permitted hours
- 24-hour lights and pumping for the temporary diversion pipe
- Sound from a generator powering the pumps
- Odors at diversion sites
The County says the 3,000-foot temporary diversion pipe stays on the west side of the trail during the culvert repairs. It also says no public-health risk was identified from the 2025 leak that came before this work. A signed detour is in place.
The timing is worth reading closely. The County's notices give a three-month closure starting September 8, and the newest update says work will wrap up by winter. Neither gives a calendar date. The City's own Cross Kirkland Corridor page still describes the closure as starting "as early as Sept. 8," so for current status, King County's bulletins are the better source.
The closed piece matters more than its length suggests. The CKC covers 5.75 miles through the middle of Kirkland. It is a ten-foot-wide crushed gravel trail from the South Kirkland Park & Ride to the Totem Lake Business District. Closing the stretch between NE 52nd and 108th Avenue NE cuts Houghton off from that route at its southern end.
Houghton Village went from city project to sale listing in eight months
The shopping center's timeline is longer, and its turns came at City Hall. The Seattle Times reported in June 2022 that Kirkland had paid $14 million for the center that May. That account said PCC had closed earlier in 2022, that roughly ten tenants remained, including a teriyaki restaurant, a cat rescue, and a dry cleaner, and that the City had told tenants they were welcome to stay. That 2022 roster hasn't been replaced with a current public one.
The City's stated reasons for buying were broad: affordable housing, school space, nonprofit program space, arts and cultural space, and City recreation space. The City described the site as a "walkable ten-minute neighborhood with frequent transit service." Here is how the plan turned into a sale:
- May 2022. The City buys the center at 10702 NE 68th Street for $14 million.
- December 9, 2025. After community engagement and a public hearing, Council adopts the Houghton Village Development Plan.
- February 3, 2026. Resolution R-5719 authorizes the City Manager to start a sale. It says market conditions meant affordable housing proposals would need "substantial City subsidy" and would not raise enough to repay the interfund loan that financed the purchase. Council had said it intended to repay that loan in 2026.
- June 2, 2026. Resolution R-5736 declares the property surplus and authorizes the City to keep soliciting offers for Council to consider.
- June–July 2026. The City selects CBRE as broker in June, and CBRE lists the property in July.
The adopted development plan was in place for less than two months before the sale process began. Puget Sound Business Journal summed up the arc in August: "Kirkland bought Houghton Village during the Eastside's tech boom with plans for affordable housing and community space. Four years later, the city is putting the property up for sale."
According to the City-hosted offering flyer, the property is a 2.2-acre site, about 95,656 square feet, with roughly 29,600 square feet of existing retail space, zoned HENC 1. The City says it is open to offers from public, private, and nonprofit buyers. No asking price appears in the City's published materials. Those materials also don't say whether a buyer would have to keep the affordable housing or community space from the 2025 plan. Council's vote on an offer is the next point where the public will learn what happens to the corner.
MEOW signed for a new space before a buyer appeared
MEOW Cat Rescue lists its current address as 10600 NE 68th Street, Suite F, and posts public shelter hours on its website. In 2026 updates, the rescue ties its move to the redevelopment of Houghton Village and says it wants a secure, long-term location. It has secured 525 Kirkland Way and hopes to move in early 2027. It will stay at Houghton Village while the new space is built out.
MEOW posted its first move update in February 2026, the same month Council authorized the sale. The rescue's plan doesn't depend on who buys the center or when Council votes. For now it is the only corner occupant to publish a next address, and for anyone who visits the shelter, nothing changes this fall. The doors at Suite F stay open through the build-out.
Walking around the fence this fall
Losing the CKC segment changes Houghton's walking options more than its errands. Three City parks nearby cover different kinds of walks, and all three list hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Watershed Park. The City describes 75.5 forested acres with walking trails and an overlook. Entrances are at the south ends of 114th and 112th Avenues NE and at NE 45th Street and 110th Avenue NE. A short spur runs from 108th Avenue NE toward the CKC, so check the County's detour signs before taking it.
- Yarrow Bay Wetlands. Listed at 9830 NE Points Drive, the wetlands cover 73.3 acres. Two signed public trails lead in, one at NE Points Drive and 101st Way NE and one on Lake Washington Boulevard NE about 500 feet north of NE 38th Place. This is also where Houghton B1 Stream's flow ends up, below the culvert crews are rebuilding.
- Doris Cooper Houghton Beach Park. At 5811 Lake Washington Boulevard, this is the waterfront option, with a playground, picnic areas, and a volleyball court.
Watershed works best for a wooded loop close to the closure. The wetlands and the beach both sit along Lake Washington Boulevard, west of the work zone, and are well away from the diversion pumps.
When the culvert work wraps up, the trail should reopen on King County's schedule, which may come before Council has an offer to vote on. MEOW's move is set for early 2027, and Houghton Village's future will be decided at a Council meeting that hasn't been scheduled yet.
If you own near NE 68th Street and want to know how a city-run sale like this one usually plays out, Greely Group can walk you through the public record and what each step means for the blocks around it. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll keep it calm, clear, and specific to your corner.
