Residents can tell the Kent City Council what they think of a proposal by the city to surplus a portion of the city’s Morrill Meadows and East Hill parks for construction of a new YMCA.
The public hearing is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 220 Fourth Ave. S.
The city is considering whether to surplus land on the East Hill includes Morrill Meadows Park on the west at 10600 SE 248th St., and East Hill Park on the east at 10920 SE 248th St., and all of the former residential properties situated between the two parks. If approved, the surplus would involve the sale of approximately about 2 acres of the existing 23-acre site to the YMCA for the construction of a community recreation facility that will include a pool.
YMCA officials expect to have the design for the $25 million, two-story building completed by spring 2018 with construction anticipated to start that summer and be completed in 2019.
In addition to selling land to the YMCA of Greater Seattle, this joint project will also require removal of open space restrictions placed on portions of the property because they were acquired with grant funds through the state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), and funds through King County’s 1989 open space bonds, as supplemented by King County’s conservation futures program.
For those portions of the property that will no longer meet open space requirements, the city will negotiate with the state and county to convert, purchase or develop such replacement property as is necessary for the project to proceed, and which the city will maintain as open space in accordance with state and county requirements.
Preliminary, forward thrust funds were thought to have been used to acquire the East Hill Park site, but after further research and discussion with King County, city staff confirmed that those funds were not used.
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