About 200 residents crowded into Sammamish City Hall on April 25 to hear the latest on what’s said to be the most challenging portion of construction along the East Lake Sammamish Trail.

Segment 2B is the last segment of three to be widened and paved in the city of Sammamish.

The county submitted its 60 percent design plans for a Shoreline Substantial Development Permit to the city of Sammamish in mid-October 2016. It anticipates having 90 percent design plans completed by late 2017.

The public comment period from late December 2016 to late January generated more than 1,000 comments, city Community Development Director Jeff Thomas said. Of those, about 800 were unique comments, which the city passed onto the county. The county has until July 11 to respond.

“The trail has often generated a great deal of emotion and frustration,” Sammamish City Manger Lyman Howard said.

This particular section provides environmental challenges — there are eight passable fish culverts and stormwater drainage considerations — as well as challenges with residents, as 147 neighboring properties have encroachments within the trail corridor.

Docks that may or may not have been permitted to be on the public water front, or sheds and other structures located within the corridor are some examples of encroachments. In some cases, private fencing blocks the public from the public waterfront.

Residents with encroachments in the public right of way will either have to remove the structures or apply for a special use permit with the county.

There are also about 20 homes within the public corridor. In these cases, the county will not require homes within the corridor to be removed, King County Parks Director Kevin Brown said.

During Brown’s presentation, some residents audibly made their frustrations with the county known.

One person asserted that some residents have been paying taxes on the land the county says belongs to the public. Brown discounted this and said the best way to find out what someone is paying taxes on is to call the King County Assessor’s Office at 206-296-7300.

“This is a challenging project. This is an emotional project,” Brown said, echoing Howard’s sentiment.

The entire trail links Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood to Issaquah. Segment 2B runs from Southeast 33rd Street to Inglewood Hill Road and is approximately 3.6 miles long.

To obtain the Shoreline Substantial Development Permit, the county’s plans will first have to be approved by the city’s hearing examiner. This process will include an open record public comment period. The hearing has yet to be scheduled.

The meeting was a joint effort between King County Parks and the city of Sammamish. The meeting was not formally part of the permitting process, but part of King County’s outreach to keep the community informed on the trail’s progress.

For more information on the trail, visit King County’s website at www.kingcounty.gov/services/parks-recreation/parks/trails/regional-trails/popular-trails/east-lake-samm.aspx.