Editing Kenmore, Washington (section)

===Incorporation and downtown revitalization===
Kenmore residents considered incorporation many times since the town's founding; one such incorporation vote failed in 1954.<ref name="khs-timeline">''[http://www.scn.org/kenmoreheritage/timeline.htm Kenmore Heritage Society Timeline]{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},'' Kenmore Heritage Society. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.</ref>  The idea gained popular support through the 1990s, however, partly in response to the passage of the [[Washington State Growth Management Act]] of 1990. Formation of an exploration committee in 1995 led to a successful public vote shortly thereafter, and the city formally incorporated on August 31, 1998, 97 years after its original founding.<ref name="incorp" />

[[File:The Hangar at Town Square.png|thumb|The Hangar at Town Square]]

Following incorporation, the new government set about devising a local set of zoning codes and a downtown development plan with the intent of reviving and rebuilding the traditional core areas of the city.  A significant component of this plan involved extensive use of land now owned by the city, in the area known within the plan as the Northwest Quadrant. An open invitation was extended to all architects and developers to submit development plans for this newly available area in December, 2005.  The City Council chose to negotiate primarily with Kenmore Partners LLC in April 2006. Design plans were submitted to the city the following summer, with a conceptual overview made available to the public at the same time.<ref name="revital-downtown">"[http://www.downtownkenmore.com/ Revitalizing Downtown Kenmore] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022195512/http://www.downtownkenmore.com/|date=2006-10-22}}." ''[[Kenmore Partners, LLC]].'' Retrieved on March 24, 2007.</ref> In 2012, the City of Kenmore and Kenmore Partners LLC broke off their development agreement. After the split, Kenmore sold off 4.75 acres of former park and ride property in 2013 and sold two parcels north of Town Square in 2016 to MainStreet Property Group LLC to develop into mixed-use buildings. In 2017, Kenmore opened a community center called the Hangar at Town Square, a community gathering space which is available to the public to reserve for free.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kenmorewa.gov/our-city/projects/completed-projects/downtown-kenmore-redevelopment-project|title=Downtown Kenmore Redevelopment Project|website=City of Kenmore|access-date=Jul 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719042738/https://www.kenmorewa.gov/our-city/projects/completed-projects/downtown-kenmore-redevelopment-project|archive-date=July 19, 2023}}</ref>

Kenmore's oldest roads, now known most often by their county-assigned number systems, originally had more traditional names such as Cat's Whiskers Road (61st Avenue NE), Squire Boulevard (later Red Brick Road, now Bothell Way/[[SR 522 (WA)|SR 522]]), and Remington Drive (NE 181st Street). These traditional names were reinstated in 2007 as secondary names in the downtown area.<ref name="traditional-streetnames">"[http://www.scn.org/kenmoreheritage/khsnewsspring07.pdf Street Signs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706014100/http://www.scn.org/kenmoreheritage/khsnewsspring07.pdf |date=July 6, 2016 }}." ''Kenmore Heritage Society Spring 2007 Newsletter.'' Retrieved on April 2, 2007.</ref>

In 2009, Kenmore started building a new city hall on the corner of 68th Avenue Northeast and 181st Avenue Northeast. The building received a LEED gold rating and features solar panels, energy efficient lighting, and a rain garden among other energy-saving features. On May 22, 2010, Kenmore formally opened the new city hall building.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--not stated-->|date=May 6, 2010|title=New Kenmore City Hall open house is set for Saturday; grand opening is May 22|url=https://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/new-kenmore-city-hall-open-house-is-set-for-saturday-grand-opening-is-may-22/|work=Bothell-Kenmore Reporter|location=Kenmore, Washington|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718230840/https://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/new-kenmore-city-hall-open-house-is-set-for-saturday-grand-opening-is-may-22/|archive-date=July 18, 2023|access-date=Jul 18, 2023}}</ref>