EDMONDS — A fenced-off dirt field that was the site of the former Woodway Elementary School is on the verge of becoming a neighborhood park.
On Tuesday, the Edmonds City Council is scheduled to vote whether to approve plans for building a park on half of the 11-acre former school site, located at 23700 104th Ave. W. The new park would have a small baseball field, a basketball court, trails, a playground, a picnic shelter and restrooms.
“This has been worked on for a long time, and I think staff has done a good job,” City Council President Peggy Pritchard Olson said. “The sooner we move forward on this, then we can get a park there.”
Olson said she expects the park plans to be approved, but she also predicts a close vote.
The park has been a divisive issue for the council since the city bought the 5.5-acre parcel from the Edmonds School District more than a year ago. Some council members wanted the city to buy all 11 acres.
Burnstead Construction Co. plans to build high-end homes on the other half of the site. The school district received about $7.7 million from the sale of both halves.
Councilwoman Mauri Moore said she plans to vote against approving the park plans. She would rather wait to see if there’s any chance the city could acquire the other 5.5 acres, she said.
“I don’t think it’s over yet, I want to keep our options open until the very last minute, until some bulldozer comes and starts digging for houses, which I think is a big mistake,” Moore said.
The city also bought a strip of forested land on the north end of the park to serve as a buffer from nearby houses.
City officials have been working with a consultant to plan the park, Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson said. The planning process has included several public hearings, he said.
Haakenson said he likes the proposed plans.
“I think it will be a great amenity to that neighborhood,” he said. “We have long had a need to have a park in that part of town, and this will clearly fill that need.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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