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Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 19 MASTER PLAN ALTERNATIVES Preliminary Alternatives Preliminary sketches of three design alternatives were developed based upon input received from city staff and the public. Restoration of the wetland was a primary feature in all of the designs. De- velopment of the non-wetland areas took three distinct directions: maximizing athletic facilities, em- phasis on agriculturally related uses, and facilities that reinforced natural resource restoration and education Meeting with Full Circle Farm A meeting with Andrew Stout of Full Circle Farm was held on September 17, 2009 to gain a better understanding of Full Circle Farms (FCF) vision for their land and potential opportunities for compli- mentary development. Key outcomes of this meeting were: • FCF would like to provide interpretive trails on their property that could connect with the park trail system. They would like to provide hay rides, demonstrations and / or a self guided tour of the farm. • FCF has a parking lot in the north-west corner of their site which they would be willing to share with the city for SVP overflow parking for special / joint events and uses that relate to FCF goals such as P patches, a farmers market and organic farming / cooking classes. • FCF would like to have access to the potential classroom / meeting space in the park to teach about organic gardening. • FCF would like to assist the city in constructing the P patch gardens. See Appendix F for meeting minutes. City Staff Recommendations A meeting was held with city staff on September 17, 2009. The purpose of the meeting was to pre- sent and receive city comment on the three draft alternative designs for Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan in preparation for the second public meeting. Key results of the meeting held earlier today with Full Circle Farms were summarized. Staff had the following comments: General • This neighborhood could handle a larger recreational building better than some other neighborhoods • Add a kiosk with a message board to all schemes. • Use of sustainable design and materials is a priority. Comments on Alt 1 -Athletic Emphasis • Locate the play area farther away from the field • The building should incorporate flexible space. The sides of the building should open onto the adjacent outdoor spaces. • De-emphasize locker rooms • Add tall fencing to prevent balls from going into wetlands. • Consensus at this meeting was that the athletic alternative is not a natural fit for this site • Add a basketball court if possible. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 20 Comments on Alt 2 -Agricultural Emphasis • Consolidate classrooms into picnic buildings. • Design the picnic shelters with flexible space to be used as covered farmers market, class- rooms, and performance space. • Possible additions to the building program are storage space, a café, kitchen facilities and spaces for special events, a pre-school or summer camp. • Include common storage buildings in the P patch area. • Provide vehicular access between the P patches and the parking lot. • Make this alternative less formal at the north end. • Increase amount of parking. Experiment with a linear parking scheme for the preliminary master plan. • Add potting shed with gathering areas for gardeners. Comments on Alt 3 –Natural Resource Emphasis • There are too many buildings shown in this draft alternative. Consolidate the buildings. De- lete the concessions building or consolidate it with the restrooms. Delete the bike and boat rental building. • Provide space at the dock to store boats for rent • The stream from the pond to the backwaters should be navigable. Possibly extend the navi- gable water to the north part of the site. • Stock the pond with fish and provide places for the public to fish. • Reduce the amount of parking. • Put more emphasis on viewpoints and various ways to access the water. • Add more landscaping and significant trees. Like a big open field. • Locate play area close to picnic area. See Appendix F for meeting minutes. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 21 Master Plan Design Alternatives The design team advanced the three alternatives based upon from city staff comments. See Fig- ures 6, 7 and 8 depicting Alternatives 1, 2 and 3. The three alternatives share the following common characteristics: • The most intensive types of park development, such as buildings and parking, are limited to the north west corner of the site to avoid vehicular crossings of the streams and wetland area • A future multi-purpose trail is shown within the existing BNSF Railroad right of way at the west edge of the park site. All alternatives would accommodate trailhead functions once the multi-purpose trail is built. • Vehicular access off of Willows Road is shown at the center west side of the site. The loca- tion is within a narrow zone that is not restricted by existing streams, wetlands or the existing bio-swale and has adequate setbacks from existing driveways and intersections. • All three schemes contain a small (39 to 41 car) parking lot with auto/bus drop-off areas lo- cated close to the vehicular access zone. • All intensively developed areas are outside the wetlands and a 75 foot wetland buffer area. Wetland buffer averaging is assumed to compensate for some overlap of development within the 100 foot wetland buffer zone. • Trails and boardwalks with interpretive viewpoints encourage enjoyment of the wetland. • A children’s play area is associated with picnic and/or community plaza areas • Picnic and community plaza areas are located with views and easy access to parking • Restoration of the entire wetland and wetland buffer areas are included in all schemes using a variety of approaches. The existing stream is enhanced and re-aligned in a natural con- figuration within the park. The open water areas within the wetland would be supplied pri- marily from ground water table that currently lies close to the surface. • All park features and pathways are ADA accessible • Views of Mt Rainier, the Sammamish Valley and the restored wetland are maintained from various locations within the park. Taller vegetation is carefully located to preserve important views. • A connection to Full Circle farm is maintained form the northwest corner of the site. • The city would like to maximize the use of sustainable design in this project. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 22 Figure 6 – Alternative 1 Athletic Emphasis ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 23 Alternative 1- Athletic Emphasis Alternative 1 has the following distinguishing characteristics: • A two story, 80 ft by 170 ft. multipurpose recreation build- ing occupies the central portion of the developed area of the site. The building could accommodate functions such as a large multiuse room for sports practice or special events, an indoor running track, meeting space, small locker rooms, weight or exercise room(s), restrooms, and a lobby. • A fenced natural turf softball field with a 200 foot outfield occupies the north part of the developed area • A 41 car parking lot is associated with the multipurpose building • The boardwalk and pathway system connects to two view- points with interpretive signage. The pathway system does not cross the stream or connect with NE 116th Street. The north path has a small loop. • Pedestrian access to Full Circle Farm is maintained • Wetland restoration work incorporates “depressions” at the north part of the wetland and “backwater” areas along the realigned stream. The open water areas would be supplied primarily from ground water table that currently lies close to the surface. The “depressions” would hold shallow water during the wet seasons and would dry up during the summer. The “backwater” areas would hold some water year round. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 24 Figure 7 – Alternative 2 Agricultural Emphasis ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 25 Alternative 2- Agricultural Emphasis Alternative 2 has the following distinguishing characteristics: • P patch gardens occupy the north part of the developed area of the park and near Full Circle Farm. Two small storage buildings serve the gardens. • Pedestrian and farm vehicle access are maintained to Full Circle Farm to the north. Gardeners may use this vehicu- lar access to deliver large items to the P patches. Vehicu- lar access to the gardens from the parking lot, controlled by lockable removable bollards, is available across the community plaza. • A restroom building with classroom space and a small kitchen is associated with the main community plaza / picnic area as well as the P patch gardens • A large, centrally located community plaza could accom- modate activities such as performances, a farmers mar- ket, outdoor classes, and picnicking. Picnic / perform- ance / classroom structures surround the west end of the community plaza. A viewpoint with interpretive signage anchors the east end of the plaza. A small herb or demon- stration garden separates the plaza from the parking lot. A play area on the north edge of the plaza is visible from the P patch gardens. • A 39 car parking lot located to the south of the community plaza • Wetland restoration work incorporates an open water (pond) area at the north part of the wetland and “depressions” along the realigned stream. The “depressions” would hold shallow water during the wet seasons and may dry up during the summer. The open water pond would hold water year round. Some parts of the pond would be up to 6 feet deep. • The boardwalk and pathway system creates a large loop through the wetland that crosses the stream and connects to NE 116th Street near the south east and southwest cor- ners of the site. A viewpoint with interpretive signage is located along the loop trail in the upland area at the east side of the site. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 26 Figure 8 – Alternative 3 Natural Resource Emphasis ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 27 Alternative 3- Natural Resources Emphasis Alternative 3 has the following distinguishing characteristics: • The 39 car parking lot is centrally located within the devel- oped area at the west side of the site. • A large open lawn area north of the parking lot could ac- commodate picnicking and passive recreational games such as Frisbee, crocket, badminton and volleyball. • The community plaza to the south of the parking lot ac- commodates small community events, picnicking and spe- cial events such as weddings and small performances. Beyond a trellis, the adjacent elevated viewpoint and inter- pretive site is oriented towards the views of Mt Rainier, the river valley and the restored wetland. A 105 x 40 foot com- munity center at the west side of the plaza contains meet- ing rooms, an interpretive center, restrooms and a small kitchen to serve special events. A 45 x 40 foot picnic shel- ter borders the north side of the plaza. A play area at the east side of the plaza overlooks the wetland. • Wetland restoration work incorporates “depressions” at the north part of the wetland, a large mostly navigable open water (pond) area with an island at the central part of the site and “backwater” areas along the realigned stream. The “depressions” and “backwater” areas would hold shallow water during the wet seasons. The “depressions” may dry up during the summer. Some parts of the pond would be up to 8 feet deep. The public could rent small, human powered boats at the dock. The pond would include a water oriented interpretive trail. • The boardwalk and pathway system creates a large loop through the wetland that crosses the stream, follows open water edges and connects to NE 116th Street near the south east corner of the site. A large viewpoint with picnic tables, a shelter and interpretive signage is located along the loop trail in the upland area at the east side of the site. The pathway system passes a variety of environments including the various wetland features and some upland wooded areas. • Pedestrian access to Full Circle Farm is maintained ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 28 Public Response The second public meeting was held on September 24, 2009. (See Appendix F for complete meet- ing notes.) Following a brief review of the site analysis and park programming, the three alternative designs were presented to the public. Members of the public attended the Parks & Trails Commis- sion meeting on October 1 as well. The following is a summary of public comments made at both of these meetings: Likes • Preference for Alternative 2 or a combination of Alternatives 2 and 3 • Keep P patches in the design if there is a demand for them • Trail connections to NE 116th Street • Classroom space in a natural setting • Facilities for teaching and sharing • Donation of crops from P patches • Preservation of historical agricultural and natural resource uses in the Sammamish River Valley • Possibility of partnership with Full Circle Farm including shared use of parking lot for over- flow and classes • Emphasis on sustainable design • Proximity to restored of natural environment would attract events Dislikes and Concerns • The softball field seems too small and squeezed onto the site • Concern about adequacy of parking in Alternative 1 • Dead end trails shown in Alternate 1 are not desirable • A boat dock in the floodplain could be a problem • The pond in Alternative 3 is too small for kayaks • Concern about impact of a big building on this site • Question the need for a large recreational building • Mosquitoes and algae possible in open water areas • Concern that wetlands look man made. • Duplication of P patches elsewhere in the vicinity • P patches are not close to houses Suggestions • Make wetland look natural, not man made • If possible, add a parking lot in the south west corner of the site • Provide places for outdoor classes • Include other forms of agriculture besides P patches • Provide paddle boats in the pond instead of kayaks. • Create a place for controlled teaching of boating to children • Consider crossing improvements at the 116th / Willows intersection • Include a demonstration garden • A farm stand or farmers market would compliment agricultural uses • Keep park open and bright in winter. Limit trees over trails. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 29 Parks & Trails Commission Response Alternatives 1 through 3 were presented to the Parks & Trails Commission on October 1, 2009. Fol- lowing public comment and discussion of the three alternatives, the Commission commented in fa- vor of developing the design as a combination of Alternatives 2 and 3. They felt that wildlife would benefit from minimal disturbance to natural site amenities. See Appendix F for meeting minutes. Staff Response The design team discussed the results of the public meeting and Parks & Trails Committee meeting with staff. Staff instructed the consultant to proceed with a design that combines Alternatives 2 and 3 for the preliminary master plan. See Appendix F for meeting minutes. Budget Cost Estimate A budget cost estimate for a preliminary master plan that would combine Alternatives 2 and 3 was completed by the design team. The budget costs are summarized below: Wetland area (20.95 AC, 912,582 SF) $3,421,565 Wetland buffer area (4.89 AC, 213,008 SF) $436,666 Developed area (6.38 AC, 277,913 SF) $3,021,478 Subtotal $6,879,709 20% Contingency $1,375,942 Total $8,255,651 ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 30