Burke-Gilman may get LFP rules

LAKE FOREST PARK — The portion of the Burke Gilman Trail that extends through Lake Forest Park has twists and turns other than its physical contours.

While King County prepares to update and redevelop the segment of the trail from NE 145th Street to Tracy Owen Station at Logboom Park in Kenmore, the Lake Forest Park City Council has proposed an ordinance to ensure environmental and safety standards are included in redevelopment plans.

The portion of the trail targeted for redevelopment is 30-years-old and the two-mile stretch is narrow in many areas.

The objective of adopting an ordinance, said Council member Mary Jane Goss, is largely a result of Lake Forest Park officials’ desire to protect environmental standards when the trail is redeveloped. The county, not the city, owns the portion of the trail that extends through Lake Forest Park.

“Since we are not the ones that are going to improve it, we want to make sure that the environment is protected,” Goss said.

Ordinance 907 proposes two changes, which have been exceptions to the Burke Gilman Trail in the past. The first change would affect how trails are regulated in sensitive areas and requires portions of the trail in sensitive areas buffers to be constructed of pervious materials, meaning a surface that allows water to pass through. Materials such as asphalt and concrete would not be allowed. According to city officials, this would mostly affect the two bridges that extend over McAleer Creek, which have asphalt surfaces. If the county decides to widen the trail within 50 feet on either side of the creek, all materials would have to be pervious, such as grading, certain types of gravel, or any material that drains water.

The second change would require the Burke Gilman Trail to have a Conditional Use Permit. Criteria for the permit stipulate it must be designed so that different users, such as bicyclists and pedestrians, are separated. This could mean a line on the trail to divide users, or two separate surfaces, such as a paved surface for bicyclists and a gravel surface for pedestrians.

A Conditional Use Permit would also mean at-grade crossings, where the trail intersects with a vehicular roadway or driveway, would only be allowed where there is no other practicable alternative.

City officials say a solution for at-grade crossings is to create a bridge or tunnel. This would eliminate stop signs at areas where the trail intersects the public roadway and on a stretch of the trail where there are driveways. That, however, presents potential problems for homeowners who do not want a bridge overlooking their property.

In order to adhere to this criteria, King County officials would likely have to conduct a study to evaluate if a bridge or tunnel should be installed, or conversely prove it would not be necessary, said city officials.

“Any places that the trail meets up with the public roadway or an individual driveway, are not allowed,” said city administrator Karen Haines. “This shall be allowed only where there is no practicable alternative and should include reasonable provisions.”

Council member Alan Kiest said this part of the ordinance is intended to require the county to address safety issues before a Conditional Use Permit is granted. “We are trying to get the proper controls in place before the county tries to modify the trail,” Kiest said. “This is putting us in the proper legalities of the county.”

While city officials are preparing the ordinance, county officials are assessing how the trail, which was built in 1975, can be brought up to date and in compliance with existing American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials guidelines. When assessing what updates need to be made, Trail Program Manager with King County Parks, Tom Eksten, said designers are considering that the trail needs to be suitable for another 30 years into the future.

Eksten said some options for redesign, which were presented to the city council in October, include a minimum 12-foot wide trail with a minimum three foot shoulder on each side and possibly separating the pedestrian users on a separate, but parallel, soft surface to avoid user conflicts with bicyclists. Consultants with Atelier Landscape Architects have done preliminary engineering work.

A final plan was expected to be completed in April, but was delayed due to a traffic engineering study. A public hearing is scheduled 7:30 p.m., May 13 at City Hall.