MEADOWDALE — A local developer gave up plans to build homes next to a salmon-bearing stream last year and donated the land for preservation instead.
The Snohomish County Parks Department is preparing to install a sign marking Sundquist Family Nature Park on 52nd Avenue West, next to Beverly Elementary School outside Edmonds. Lund’s Gulch Creek starts nearby and runs through the property.
“It felt like a good thing to do,” said Larry Sundquist, president of Lynnwood-based Sundquist Homes.
That’s not the only recent gift to the county parks department from a local developer. A deal was pending last week to take ownership of 3.3 acres from the Echelbarger family. The property sits in the Swamp Creek watershed, north of Alderwood mall.
Separately, a state contractor that rebuilt Highway 530 after the Oso mudslide handed over 36 acres acquired as construction right of way. That transfer from Guy F. Atkinson Construction to the county was authorized in late 2015 and went through early this year.
The plan is to keep all of the gifted properties as undeveloped open space, county parks director Tom Teigen said. The Meadowdale property might see a small addition, such as a picnic shelter. The Swamp Creek property, along with land nearby, might someday host a walking trail.
The Sundquist property had been slated to become phase two of the Glennwick Grove, a 40-home development to the west. The second phase would have involved the 5.7-acre parcel that ultimately was donated. Lund’s Gulch Creek and the ravine it runs through take up much of the property, so only four lots could have been built there. The land was appraised at $620,000.
The land was cleared in preparation for construction of what Sundquist said could have been a profitable project. He had a change of heart. The County Council accepted the donation last year.
“We know there’s a lot of passion for the stream,” Sundquist said. “After we looked at the whole thing, we thought it would be a nifty thing to give (the property) to the parks department.”
Downstream, Lund’s Gulch Creek flows through the county’s popular Meadowdale Beach Park.
County Executive Dave Somers said he was honored by the donors’ generosity.
“We appreciate all they do to build a permanent legacy of open space, land preservation and habitat protection,” Somers said.
“The Sundquist family donation includes the headwaters of Lund’s Gulch Creek, a crucial salmon habitat. These are priceless additions to Snohomish County.”
The County Council voted Dec. 5 to accept the land donation near Swamp Creek from Michael, Kathleen, Todd and Cari Echelbarger. The family is prominent in local real estate and development.
Michael Echelbarger said he approached the parks department after talking to council Chairman Terry Ryan about problems at the site, notably a homeless encampment.
“We were not able to control the activities on that property, so it really became a detriment to us,” he said. “The development potential was down the road quite a ways.”
The deal was scheduled to close Friday. The property was appraised at $350,000.
The county and city of Lynnwood already own larger tracts of nearby land for conservation and stormwater management in the Swamp Creek watershed.
By combining the sites, Teigen has said, the area might provide a refreshing outlet within a couple minutes’ walk of the apartment and condo complexes that have sprouted up along 164th Street SW. He imagines a perimeter boardwalk or trail around the properties that could extend for up to a mile and a half. There’s the potential for a trailhead across Alderwood Mall Parkway from the Fred Meyer store.
The concept is similar to the county’s North Creek Park a few miles to the east.
“We think we have enough folks just right there who would use that,” he said.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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