Edmonds mall’s plaza could be park

Published 10:56 pm Sunday, April 20, 2008

EDMONDS — The buildings in Edmonds might change, but city leaders hope a popular downtown resting spot never will.

City officials are close to buying the small, narrow plaza on the southwest corner of the Old Milltown shopping center to preserve the space as a public park, Edmonds City Council President Michael Plunkett said.

The plaza, which is at least three decades old, is landscaped with shrubs and flowers and has picnic tables, a gazebo and some benches. It’s bordered by a handful of storefronts in the old shopping center.

“It’s important because it’s been an open part of downtown, and people have come to actually expect it to be a little open area,” Plunkett said. “I’m exceedingly pleased that we’re coming close to actually purchasing it for some open space for the city of Edmonds.”

Under the agreement, the city would buy the property from Edmonds developer Bob Gregg for roughly $283,000, Mayor Gary Haakenson said. The City Council could vote Tuesday whether to approve the purchase.

Gregg, who owns Old Milltown, has been doing massive renovations of the iconic shopping center during the past year.

People who live and work around downtown Edmonds feared that Gregg would eventually expand the southwest corner of Old Milltown to cover the outdoor plaza. The city’s building codes would allow Gregg to build on the Old Milltown site all the way out to the sidewalks, but Gregg said he had no intentions of doing that.

Still, people were worried.

“The best way to ensure that (the plaza is preserved) was for the public to own it,” Gregg said.

If the city buys the plaza, it would be welcome news to Helen Bhak, an employee at Quiznos in Old Milltown.

Nobody wants the plaza to be taken away, she said. It’s one of the few places downtown for people to stop and rest.

“We have two umbrellas and 12 chairs outside,” Bhak said. “In the summertime, the 12 chairs are always full.”

Although Gregg and city officials have agreed on a sales price, lawyers for both sides are still ironing out the contract’s fine print, Gregg and Haakenson said.

Once the city buys the property, the plaza will be maintained under the Edmonds Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. For now, the plaza would be kept as it is.

“You won’t see much of a change there for a couple years,” Haakenson said.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.