WARM BEACH — Some people want to keep Kayak Point Regional Park more or less like it is.
Others prefer a long-term plan that would all but wipe out parking on the lower portion of the popular beachfront park north of the Tulalip Indian Reservation, to restore scenery and habitat.
The divergent opinions at a workshop Wednesday gave Snohomish County’s park officials a tough task; it’s up to them to merge the ideas into a single road map for the park in decades to come. The design hasn’t changed since the park opened in the early 1970s.
“Keep it simple — this is not a time to be extravagant,” said Brenda Adair Taylor, an avid beach watcher who has lived near the park for almost a half-century. “It’s a very user-friendly park, and I’d like to see it stay that way.”
Taylor was part of a group drawn to the most conservative of three proposed plans, which keeps more than 100 parking spaces on the lower level of the park. In fact, most of her group liked the park’s current configuration, with a few minor tweaks, better than any new plan.
At the other end, there were those who wanted to leave only about 15 parking spaces for the disabled in the day-use area near the beach, plus a half-dozen or so trailer spaces. Shuttles would bring people from expanded parking in the upper portion of the park near the camping areas. That would free up space for an estuary, interpretive sites and a recreation pavilion with a restaurant.
“If you want a pristine park, you should walk to get there,” said Jerry Masters, who serves on the county’s Marine Resources Advisory Committee.
Masters and others conceded that reduced parking would hamper potential for generating revenue at a concession stand or restaurant near the water. They also noted it would be inconvenient to launch boats because after putting boats in the water, people would have to park trailers in the upper lot and take a shuttle back down.
Still, Sandy Evans, a volunteer with People for Puget Sound, liked this plan because of its stewardship of land and water. Evans also said it would keep children safer by separating the playground and car traffic.
Other differences among plans were the number of lanes at the boat launch and the number of amenities. All plans restore natural areas, including the removal of a bulkhead on the south end, and improve traffic circulation. A common complaint was the location of the current boat launch, which is exposed to strong winds during summer.
Potential costs don’t factor into the park discussions at this point. Once officials identify a preferred plan, they will look into grants and other funding sources.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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