Plan to Preserve Park in Ballinger Neighborhood Nears Reality

Shoreline City Council members offered praise Monday for a much-hyped plan that would allow the school district to sell a 16-acre piece of property in the Ballinger neighborhood but retain six to seven acres for a park as the council prepares to make a final vote on the plan next week.

Monday’s study session discussion was short but encouraging for members of the neighborhood who worked closely with city and school district officials to develop the plan, with council members applauding the hard work of city staff and the collaboration between each party during the planning stages.

“This is an excellent example of the public coming together with public institutions,” Councilmember Terry Scott said. “This is a win-win. The opportunity for development to come in and have a park to be part of this seems like something that could be very attractive to development—because you are going to have a park right there for the residents. This could be something we watch as the economy unfolds. I am very proud of the work that was done on this.”

Deputy Mayor Will Hall said he was impressed at the positive note the plan took after a year of anxiety and distrust among community members when the city and school district looked at several options for the piece of land, including a wildly unpopular plan to make the extra property the site of a municipal jail.

“This project is a great example of people coming together, but it’s even more significant than that,” Hall said. “The difference between the level of anxiety, frustration and distrust that existed just one year ago to now is another important message out of this.”

If passed by the City Council, the plan would allow a developer to purchase the property at a higher density in exchange for six to seven acres of land for park space.

The Planning Commission amended the plan at its meeting on March 3 to ensure that the park area would be dedicated in the southern portion of the property—in the area that has been used as recreational space for decades.

Ballinger neighborhood resident Sean Osborn told the Planning Commission he was adamantly against the plan, saying it would lower his property value and put unwanted stress on the surrounding families.

Osborn said he was not informed about the plan or the process, despite several neighborhood meetings and a website devoted to the project.

City Planning Director Joseph Tovar paid a personal visit to Osborn’s house to gauge the impacts a potential development could have on the area. Tovar then recommended requiring a developer to add vegetation along the northeastern part of the property, where Osborn lives and foliage is sparse, to help mitigate the impact. The Planning Commission included Tovar's recommendation in the revised zoning language.

Tovar stressed that this plan was only to preserve the open space and allow the school district to start the process of selling the property, saying a plan of what a park might look like is a long way down the road. He said that decision would have to go through the park planning process, which would include public hearings and City Council action at some future date.

The council is expected to make its final decision on the plan at its meeting on Monday, March 28.