When something leaves the corner of NE 68th Street and 108th Avenue NE, it tends to move toward downtown Kirkland. PCC moved its grocery to Kirkland Way in 2022. The pickleball courts from the temporary Houghton Park and Play reopened at Peter Kirk Park this July. MEOW Cat Rescue has signed for a new space on Kirkland Way too. Meanwhile the city-owned Houghton Village Shopping Center is on the market, and an ice arena is being built where the park and ride used to be.
So for now, much of the corner's everyday use is happening about a mile north. The first scheduled return is the Kraken Iceplex and Kirkland Community Center, which the City of Kirkland projects will open in fall 2027. Below is what has moved, what's still open, and what the next year looks like for anyone who passes this intersection on a regular basis.
Where everything went
The moves happened one at a time over four years. Put together, they look like this:
| What used to be at the corner | Where it is now or is headed | When |
|---|---|---|
| PCC Community Markets, Houghton Village | 430 Kirkland Way | Moved in early 2022 |
| Pickleball at Houghton Park and Play | Six courts at Peter Kirk Park | Opened July 2, 2026 |
| Park and Play skate features | Expanded skatepark at Peter Kirk Park | Construction expected Winter/Spring 2027 |
| Community garden plots | New section of Rose Hill Meadows | Opened April 2026 |
| MEOW Cat Rescue, Houghton Village | 525 Kirkland Way | Target of early 2027, not yet scheduled |
PCC closed its Houghton Village store in early 2022 and moved less than a mile away, to 430 Kirkland Way. The City of Kirkland had bought the shopping center for public purposes, and the Seattle Times covered the purchase that June.
Across the street, the city bought the Houghton Park and Ride in early 2024 and added temporary recreation features, calling it the Houghton Park and Play. That closed on May 4, 2026, to clear the site for the iceplex. The city's Park and Play page lists where each feature went. Peter Kirk Park's tennis court is now six dedicated pickleball courts, which opened July 2 at 3 p.m. and are open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk. The pump track and bike features are still under assessment.
For skaters, the dates have shifted once already. The Park and Play page set a goal of starting construction on the Peter Kirk skatepark in late 2026. The newer June 2026 update on the Peter Kirk Park page says design work continues through fall, with construction expected in Winter/Spring 2027. That plan would more than double the skatepark, from about 4,500 square feet to more than 10,000.
What still keeps the corner open on a weekday
A few businesses at Houghton Village still give people a reason to stop there.
- BiBi Persian and Mediterranean lists its address as 10724 NE 68th Street on its own website. The posted hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7, Sunday from noon to 6, and closed Mondays.
- Sports Physical Therapy says its Kirkland clinic is in the Houghton Village Shopping Center at 947 6th St South. Its location page offers physical therapy, massage and personal training, and says walk-ins and new patients are welcome.
- MEOW Cat Rescue is still at its current Houghton Village space at 10600 NE 68th Street while it builds out its future home.
The MEOW notice explains the timing. The rescue says on its new home page that it has secured 525 Kirkland Way and will stay in Kirkland, but it has not yet scheduled a move date. Early 2027 is its target, and it plans to keep operating during the move. Visits to the rescue will keep bringing people to the corner through the winter. After that, the trip will be to Kirkland Way.
The city's 2022 inventory listed other tenants at the center. We couldn't confirm which of them are still open this fall, so a call ahead is the safest bet before stopping in.
The first thing coming back is the biggest
The Kraken Iceplex and Kirkland Community Center is a partnership between the City of Kirkland and the Seattle Kraken. It is being built on the former park and ride site, entered from NE 70th Place. Construction began in June 2026.
According to the city's project page, the building will include:
- Two NHL-regulation ice rinks
- A city-operated community center, which the city says would become Kirkland's largest, with flexible program rooms and fitness space
- A full-service public restaurant
- A team store
- Space for community programs, events and seasonal activities
Two details matter most to people who live nearby. Kirkland residents will be able to get up to two hours of free open skate each month. The restaurant is also meant to fill a gap the city names directly:
"Brings a full-service restaurant to an area with few dining options."
The city leases the site to the Kraken for 34 years, and ownership returns to the city at the end of the lease. The site may also become home to the Seattle Torrent professional women's hockey team.
The city's latest written update, from June 26, 2026, said many trees on the property would be removed. The Kraken will make fee-in-lieu payments for some of the larger trees to support tree canopy restoration elsewhere in Kirkland. After tree removal come demolition, drilling for temporary support walls and excavation for underground stormwater vaults. Kirkland Television posted a September 2026 video update, which is linked from the project page.
Houghton Village's sale decides the rest
The iceplex has a building permit path and an opening season. Houghton Village has a plan, a listing and no buyer yet.
The City Council adopted the Houghton Village Development Plan on December 9, 2025, and voted in February 2026 to start the sale. CBRE was selected in June to handle it and listed the property in July. City Council has final approval of any offer.
The adopted plan sets out what a qualifying project of up to five stories would include:
- About 145 homes, with a 10% flexibility band, and at least the affordable housing Kirkland code requires when permits vest
- About 25,800 square feet of commercial, retail and/or community space, also with a 10% band
- At least 18,000 square feet of open space, made up of an Entry Court of about 2,000 square feet, a 12,500-square-foot Central Courtyard and a 5,500-square-foot North Plaza
The retail figure is worth comparing to what's there now. The existing center is about 29,600 square feet, so the plan keeps close to the current amount of shop space and builds homes and courtyards around it. The plan says that space could include grocery or food retail, but it doesn't require a grocery store or name a retailer. So no one can say yet whether a grocer will come back to the spot PCC left.
The plan also doesn't lock in a schedule. The city's December 2025 council memo says the plan doesn't compel redevelopment. A future owner could choose a different path, including a three-story project that doesn't use the plan at all. The plan's permit window runs 10 years from adoption. The sales flyer gives no dates for demolition, construction or opening. The north side of the street has a date of fall 2027. The south side has none yet.
This fall, the trail nearby is closed too
One of the easiest ways to walk or bike past the corner is also closed right now. King County has closed the Cross Kirkland Corridor between NE 52nd Street and 108th Avenue NE. Contractors are repairing a damaged culvert under the county's Eastside Interceptor Section 14 sewer pipe, building a retaining wall and stabilizing a nearby stream.
The closure began September 8 and is expected to last three months. Counting forward from that start date points to early December, but King County hasn't announced a reopening date. The county's October 7 update says the work is extensive and the closed section isn't safe for pedestrians. People nearby can expect:
- Work on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Heavy equipment on the trail
- 24-hour lights and pumping for the temporary sewer diversion pipe
- Generator noise and possible odors at diversion sites
A posted detour is available. King County's August 25 bulletin shows it on a map rather than listing the streets. The signs on site are the most reliable guide.
A calendar for the in-between year
Here is the sequence as currently published, counting from today, October 8, 2026:
- Now through about early December 2026. The Cross Kirkland Corridor segment from NE 52nd Street to 108th Avenue NE stays closed, with construction work on weekdays.
- Now through the winter. Iceplex site work continues on the former park and ride. MEOW stays at its Houghton Village space while it builds out on Kirkland Way.
- Early 2027. MEOW's target for moving to 525 Kirkland Way. This is a goal, not a firm date.
- Winter/Spring 2027. Expected construction window for the larger Peter Kirk Park skatepark.
- Fall 2027. Projected opening of the Kraken Iceplex and Kirkland Community Center, with its restaurant and free monthly open skate for residents.
- No date yet. A buyer, a council vote and any redevelopment at Houghton Village.
Until about this time next year, the pickleball courts and the grocery are at Peter Kirk Park and on Kirkland Way. The skate features are headed to Peter Kirk Park and the garden plots are at Rose Hill Meadows.
If you own a home near NE 68th Street and want to talk through what the iceplex and the Houghton Village sale could mean for your block, Ankush Bharti follows both projects and is glad to go over the public plans with you, without any pressure. Let's Connect.
