There are still several unknowns regarding the development of a 7.25-acre, heavily forested YMCA property the city of Sammamish leases just south of Pine Lake Middle School.

On Tuesday, the Sammamish City Council members gave their input on potentially building a 40,000-square-foot indoor field house there.

“We’ve always heard there are not enough fields in Sammamish,” Councilmember Tom Odell said.

The parcel itself, however, poses some constraints, namely wetland buffers that could greatly shrink developable space and the restrictive tree ordinance that would require retaining 35 percent of significant trees within that developable area.

Councilmember Christie Malchow said the project needs public input.

“We repeatedly hear public comment about all the trees coming down, and here we have a parcel that is heavily treed with significant trees,” Malchow said. “I’m afraid if we go in and develop it the city becomes another offender in decreasing our tree canopy, which we’re attempting, at least in theory, to increase.”

The parcel is located in the 3400 block of 228th Ave. SE.

About three years ago, the city entered a 25-year lease with the Y, as part of its agreement regarding the Sammamish Community and Aquatic Center. The agreement, with an option to extend the lease to 50 years, also gives the city the option to purchase the land outright at fair market value.

“The desire was to secure the land for future recreational uses,” Deputy City Manager Jessi Bon said Tuesday. “We all felt that it would be a great disappointment if that property was lost.”

The city, as part of its leasing agreement, is to complete a development plan for the property by June 30, 2018.

This is not intended as a joint venture with the YMCA, but that could be considered, Bon said.

The zoning restricts the land use to recreational facilities; the city is responsible for the cost of such a development.

The potential 40,000-square-foot building could house two indoor fields, each 80 feet wide and 180 feet long; it would include a lobby, storage, restrooms and it would require more than 130 parking stalls.

“Where we start to run into trouble with this facility, if it gets much bigger, is if you desire to accommodate things like a birthday party room or locker rooms,” Bon said. “The costs are going up and the footprint starts expanding. We haven’t studied any of this, certainly, but just to plant the seed: We are limited.”

The 40,000-square-foot building could come with a $15 million price tag — Bon stressed this is an extremely rough estimate city staffers created, per Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo’s request, prior to doing further studies or consulting other experts, which comes later.

The council discussed and directed staff to look into partnerships that would reduce that price tag.

The facility would not be a substitute for the outdoor fields for game play, Bon said. It would be available for practices and indoor soccer leagues.

It would remain open until 11 p.m., as opposed to other outdoor fields, which close at 9 p.m.

The next steps in fleshing out plans for this site is to bring an arborist out to evaluate the trees and to do a preliminary geotechnical study and wetland reconnaissance. The staff would bring back this information to the council likely by November.

Anjali Myer, parks project manager, presented several potential indoor soccer facility design examples, including Arena Sports, which has locations around Seattle and the Eastside.

There have yet to be any official studies conducted on the area; the Tuesday presentation for council was based on all the information the city has on the site to date.

Myer also showed the Y’s previous site application from 2005, where the entire parcel is developed to hold a 55,000-square-foot building and parking for 284 vehicles.

“This is just a reference to show you what regulations might have allowed at that time,” she said.

Councilmember Kathy Huckabay suggested looking into creating parking under the building, so the city can reduce impervious surfaces.

“We could get creative and look at that,” Myer said. “We would have to keep in mind the height restriction.”

The council also pondered if this is the right location for such a facility and what other options there are to consider for this piece of property. Huckabay suggested an “adventure” park.

The city will have a better idea of what it could do on the land after it consults with experts and examines the area.

There will be a round table meeting on the city’s growth where residents are welcome to provide input on this and other topics at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 at Sammamish City Hall.

The council will revisit this specific topic in October or November.

City Hall is located at 801 228th Ave. SE.