Councilmembers present: Alan Kiest, Carolyn Armanini, Mary Jane Goss, Nate Herzog, Roger Olstad, Ed Sterner

Councilmember excused: Dwight Thompson

Staff Present: David R. Hutchinson, Mayor, Douglas Jacobson, City Administrator; Sarah Phillips, Government & Community Relations Coordinator; Tema Nesoff, Human Services Coordinator; Evelyn Jahed, Deputy City Clerk

Others present: 44 visitors

Mayor Hutchinson called the study session to order at 7:34 p.m.

Mayor Hutchinson opened the public hearing on the Lyon Creek Waterfront Property at 7:35 p.m.

Steve Worthy of Worthy & Associates and Brian Way, landscape architect designer, gave a brief presentation on the Lyon Creek Waterfront Property. They discussed the draft master plan report and the background and history of the property.

Government and Community Relations Coordinator Sarah Phillips gave a presentation on the policy framework of the shoreline master program associated with the Lyon Creek property. She discussed the public process and timeline, public concerns with respect to the endangered species act, and the anticipated budget and assessed value of the property. She discussed the various grants for which the city has applied and the updated appraisal for the property.

Bruce Reagan, 17360 Beach Drive NE, said he has lived in Lake Forest Park for 26 years and expressed his concerns regarding environmental issues and safety around the neighborhood. He discussed the busy intersection on Bothell and Ballinger Way and presented to council photos that were taken by him of violations occurring at this intersection. He said his main concern was the limited parking space available to the public and the lack of emergency vehicle access.

Todd Turner, 17345 Beach Drive NE, said he lives adjacent to the park and probably is the most affected property owner. He said one of the most serious concerns is the parking problem, and he discussed off-site and on-site parking.

Judy Bevington, 3542 NE 187^th, encouraged the city to fund the project. She said there is very little shoreline park access, and she would enjoy having this park in the city. She noted that this is one of the prime habitats for salmon as well as for other wildlife in our city.

Tom French, 17364 Beach Drive NE, said he applauds the city’s efforts to increase green space in the city but expressed concern regarding how the property will be funded. He noted the loss of tax revenue from the property, and he said the passage of I-695 will impact the future maintenance of this property. He said costs to demolish the existing building will be higher than estimated and costs to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, landscaping and privacy screening costs will also be higher than estimated. His question was how is the city intending to finance this property since he has not seen these details in the plans. (Council approved 5/25/2000)

Rob Miller, 17358 Beach Drive NE, expressed his concerns about the budget as presented in the draft master plan report. He said these costs were optimistic, and the budget needed to be re-evaluated. He stated his opinion that costs for converting the property to public use for ADA requirements and development costs such as lighting and maintenance which he did not see addressed. (Council approved 5/25/2000)

Don MacGilvra, 4909 NE 187^th, urged the city to retain ownership of this property. He urged the development of the existing parks already owned by the city and said he considers viable assets for the city and for our children and grandchildren.

Richard Marshall, 3537 NE 165^th, said that this is a beautiful piece of property, but he has concerns about the insurmountable problem with the parking. He also expressed concern regarding the maintenance costs for the property and that the city does not have the funding in hand. Security, safety and traffic issues are a concern to the property owners already.

Scott Donaldson, 17417 Beach Drive NE, expressed concern regarding accepting the grant for the Lyon Creek property. He said he has not heard how environmental impact issues will be handled by the city since this property is considered a sensitive area. In addition, he expressed understanding of the Sammamish Slough earthquake zone and the phenomenon of liquification in an earthquake on fill material in the area. (Council approved 5/25/2000) He said that access to the lake is great, but the funds for purchase and maintenance are not available. He urged the council to reject the grant and to sell the property.

Laszlo Pal, 17409 Beach Drive NE, said he has lived here for 31 years. He expressed concerns regarding the city’s acquisition process of the property and felt it was handled in secrecy without citizen input. He stated that public input was solicited after the acquisition and that the current plans do not satisfy him as presented.

Debra Born, 3715 NE 162^nd St, expressed her concerns about the lack of communications between commissions and administration, and feels that her concerns are not being listened to. She expressed her concerns over the Parks and Recreation recommendation which urged that available city resources be spent on existing parks. She stated her concerns that the city needed more active parks rather than passive parks. (Council approved 5/25/2000) She indicated that the city has already made their decision to keep this property, but she pleaded to put the needs of the people first.

Janice Schaefer, 16738 37^th Ave NE, said she concurred with Born’s comments and felt that the city is going too fast on this issue. She urged the city to look into other parks that the city already owns. She noted that since the city has been unsuccessful in securing grants for the property, we should sell the property and fund the parks that the city already owns.

Steve Plusch, 4731 NE 201^st Place, believes that Mr. Scott Donaldson has made the best argument for the city to retain this property because it is an environmentally sensitive area.

Carol Dahl, 14828 39^th Ave NE, has lived here in Lake Forest Park since 1975, said she applauds the city for the purchase of this property and urged the city to be a leader in the issue of salmon recovery. She said she feels it is a legacy to leave for future generations and needs to be retained. She said a multifunctional property with access to waterfront which will serve as an outdoor classroom for children should be in the public domain. For the record, she noted that in the April 22, 1998 Parks and Recreation minutes shows that discussion of the Morris property did take place during this meeting. She strongly urged council to retain this property and that funding will become available.

Liane Newman, 16715 32^nd Pl. NE, said this is a very important piece of property. She believes it is a valuable asset for the city and is ideal for educational purposes for the children and should be kept as a natural habitat. She distributed to council copies of her letter on this issue.

Mamie Bolender, 16730 32^nd Pl. NE, has lived here in Lake Forest Park since 1960. She said that the city has a strong interest in our environment and that this opportunity should not be missed. She said this property should remain a natural area and strongly urged the city to retain this property.

Scott Victor, 17713 Beach Drive NE, a resident since 1973, read a letter from Don Fitzpatrick also a Beach Drive resident who could not be here this evening. The letter expressed concerns regarding safety, traffic, parking and financial issues. He also stated that the costs for the total project were unclear and that there are also environmental issues that needed to be addressed. He stated that the development of this park just didn’t make sense.

Jim Talbot, 19012 22^nd Ave. NE, thanked the city for purchasing the property and urged the city to keep it. He said he is willing to contribute to the cost of the property.

Derek Brown, 17856 28^th Ave. NE, stated that he is in favor of keeping the property and believes sensitive areas should be in public ownership and he concurred with Mr. Talbot’s remarks.

Mike Lantz, 18225 47^th Pl. NE, said he believes it is a great idea, but it is not a true park property. He said the property is too small, has no access and is limited in its use. He said the maintenance costs are unknown. He believes the city made a mistake and should have done a due diligence study prior to purchasing the property. He felt there is no clear plan for this property yet and questioned why the city is proceeding without having the funding in place.

Allison Reagan, 17360 Beach Drive NE, since 1974, reiterated the common sense issue. She said we all make mistakes. She urged the city to be responsible stewards and to sell the property.

Yuichi Shoda, 16727 32^nd Ave. NE, encouraged the council to look into the future. He said he is grateful to have the park in public domain and to retain this property will make this a legacy for the future.

Dave Shneidman, 17356 Beach Drive NE, said he believes that the city should live within its budget. He stated that it didn’t matter who owned the property, the salmon would always be there.

There being no further comments, the public hearing on the Lyon Creek Waterfront property was closed at 9:21 p.m.

A ten-minute recess was called for at 9:22 p.m.

The meeting was resumed at 9:40 p.m.

Hutchinson noted that the Lyon Creek Waterfront issue will be discussed at the April 27, 2000 council regular meeting and a decision will be made at that meeting.

Cynthia Driscoll, Shoreline Water District manager, noted the assumption area on a map and discussed the contents of her letter distributed earlier to council.

In response to Olstad, Driscoll said Shoreline Water District had initiated discussion with the Seattle Water District regarding other alternatives.

In response to a question from Armanini, Driscoll discussed the purveyor’s costs involved and the costs associated with this system.

In response to a question from Armanini, Driscoll discussed possible options that may be available to our city if the city of Shoreline takes over the water district.

Kiest referred to the research proposal on the April 17^th letter with respect to costs and Driscoll discussed the analysis the district has conducted and the research being done on water quality.

In response to a question from Sterner, Driscoll said she believes Shoreline water rates will be comparable to Seattle rates.

Doug Jacobson discussed the shared leave program and noted that the police department currently has this program in place.

Councilmembers discussed issues related to compensatory time and leave, confidentiality language, and compensation.

There being no objection, the meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m.

Evelyn Jahed, Deputy City Clerk

APPROVED:

David R. Hutchinson, Mayor

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