The Sammamish City Council unanimously voted to defer making a decision on what to do with the 7.25-acre YMCA property, located behind Pine Lake Middle School in the 3400 block of 228th Ave. SE, until a professional plan update and a land acquisition study are completed.
Councilmember Christie Malchow proposed the city defer during council reports at the council’s regular meeting Tuesday at City Hall, stating without those plans, it would be difficult for the council to make an educated decision on how the city should proceed.
Malchow’s motion included that the council authorize the city manager to meet with YMCA staff to renegotiate the terms of the lease agreement for the property and extend the deadline one year for providing the YMCA with a development plan, from June 2018 to June 2019.
In a presentation to the council, Parks and Recreations Director Angie Feser and Project Manager Anjali Myer provided an update on the YMCA property study.
A wetland reconnaissance, preliminary geotechnical analysis and an arborist evaluation were conducted, with all studies taking place in August and September.
The wetland reconnaissance showed the property’s southern wetland area required a 100-foot buffer, while the eastern wetland required a 75-foot buffer. The property’s two streams were classified as seasonal, non-fish bearing streams and required 50-foot buffers.
Myer said the geotechnical analysis showed that soil conditions on the property was suitable to support a building, should the city wish to do so.
The arborist report’s tree assessment found the health of the trees on the site were “fairly stable,” Myer said, with a recommendation to preserve clusters of trees wherever possible.
Five trees in the northwest corner were flagged to either be removed or reduced to snags, and 15 trees in the southeast corner of the property were found to have laminated root rot.
Though a market study hasn’t yet been conducted, Arena Sports CEO Don Crowe, in attendance at Tuesday’s council meeting, speculated a single-field facility was likely sustainable for the Sammamish community.
Deputy City Manager Jessi Bon told the council a feasibility study would be necessary to decide the next steps on what the city should do with the property. It would include completing a public process, a market analysis and a concept design.
For the development plan, Bon stated the lease called for the land to be used for recreational purposes and the YMCA interpreted a “recreational facility” on the site specifically to be a building, an option that the city was still discussing with the Y, and an interpretation the city may not necessarily share.
Should the city decide to purchase the land at fair market value, it would cost $1.9 million.
Bon added the city could rely on the Parks and Recreation Commission to prepare a recommendation for the council.
During council reports, Councilmember Tom Odell stated he was in “complete agreement” with Malchow “that we need to figure out a number of things before we figure out what we do with this property.”
“This may not be best location, we don’t know,” Odell said. “For $1.9 million, frankly, the best thing for us to do might be to buy it. But I’m not going to presuppose that decision.”
