EVERETT — Neighborhood activists have long complained that most of the parks in Everett are in the north part of town.
Over the next decade, that should start to change.
City officials are holding three parcels of land that are slated to be developed into parks in south Everett i
n coming years.
One would expand Edgewater Park off Mukilteo Boulevard.
Another is a one-acre parcel on the east edge of Silver Lake, known as the Green Lantern property.
A third is a half-mile-long strip of forested land south of the Everett Mall that would become an urban oasis.
There is no definite timeline for the development of the parcels, said Paul Kaftanski, Everett’s Parks and Recreation director.
The development of each depends on when money becomes available and where each sits on the city’s priority list.
The expansion of Edgewater Park is parks department priority, Kaftanski said. In 2008, the city paid just over $720,000 for the land and a small house on it.
It would have been more expensive to acquire land and develop a park from scratch.
“We concluded our best bet was to add to Edgewater Park rather than start fresh somewhere else,” he said.
Neighbors will be asked to weigh in on a plan for the renovation and expansion of the park before the work happens.
After Edgewater, the next of the three parcels to be developed will probably be the land south of the Everett Mall.
The city purchased the 15 acres of forested land in 2008 for about $1 million. It’s located west of I-5 between Bruskrud Road and 112th Street SE near a densely populated neighborhood.
The city is in the midst of changing the zoning of this and the Edgewater parcel to parks land. In comments directed to the city for that change, neighbors supported the proposed park but expressed concerns about extending access to the park through nearby neighborhoods.
The property is mostly wetland. That makes it ideal as a “passive” park in which people can stroll on trails and boardwalks, Kaftanski said.
“It will be an opportunity to sit, stroll and enjoy what you see,” he said.
It also presents an opportunity for the city to improve wetland that feeds into creeks.
The environmental benefits of this property also make it ripe for grant funding, he said.
The Green Lantern property is farther down the city’s to-do list.
Creating more parks in south Everett is a stated goal of the city.
The city needs to move forward carefully to ensure the city can afford to maintain and operate any parks it adds, Kaftanski said.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com
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