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Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 1 INTRODUCTION In August 1998 the City of Redmond purchased the Sammamish Valley Park site from Benaroya with impact fees and King County Open Space funding. The City of Redmond “Parks, Arts, Recrea- tion, Culture & Conservation (PARCC) Plan”, updated in March 2010, identifies Sammamish Valley Park as a 32-acre undeveloped “resource park” located in the Sammamish Valley neighborhood in the north part of the city. The MacLeod Reckord design team was hired in April 2009 to assist the City with the development of a master plan to guide future development of the Sammamish Valley Park. At the beginning of the master planning process, Sammamish Valley Park was identified as a “community park” with the goal of developing athletic facilities on the site. The design direction shifted towards a natural resource emphasis following a wetland delineation that showed 65 percent of the site as a class 2 wetland. This master plan design evolved in response to city and neighbor- hood needs and goals as established in the Comprehensive Plan and the PARCC Plan, and identi- fied during the planning process. The purpose of this document is to summarize key components of the master planning process and provide recommendations for improvements to Sammamish Valley Park, which may then be adopted by the Redmond City Council. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 2 Figure 1 – Vicinity Aerial ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 3 SITE ANALYSIS Existing Conditions, Opportunities and Constraints SITE CONTEXT AND HISTORY Sammamish Valley Park is located in Redmond’s Sammamish Valley neighborhood at the north east corner of the intersection of Willows Road and NE 116th Street adjacent to the northern boundary of the city. The site is approximately 3.2 miles north of downtown Redmond. Unincorporated King County borders the north edge of the park. The Sammamish River runs in a northerly direction about 1300 feet east of the park. See Figure 1 – Vicinity Aerial. Currently there are no developed parks and approximately three miles of trails within the Sammamish Valley neighborhood. Sixty Acres Park, a 94.3 acre community park in unincorporated King County, is located within walking distance of Sammamish Valley Park and the Sammamish River Trail, both on the east and west sides of the Sammamish River. The property directly to the north of the Sammamish Valley Park site changed ownership during the master planning process. It was previously owned by the Lake Washington Youth Soccer As- sociation (LWYSA), and is now owned by Full Circle Farm. It is currently being developed for agricultural use. See Figure 2 – Context Aerial. Undeveloped privately owned (Button) property borders the east side of the site. This site is being developed as a tree farm with a possible future residence. There are visible signs of an old river oxbow on the Button property near the east edge of the park site. The privately run Willows Run Golf Course faces the south edge of the property across NE 116th Street. A 100 foot wide linear property to the west of the park separates the site from Willows Road. The property, which is the former Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad right of way, is currently owned by the Port of Seattle. The City of Redmond is in the process of pur- chasing the abandoned line for use as a multi-purpose trail, a number of capital projects and for light rail. Several business parks occupy the hillside across Willows Road to the west. A resi- dential neighborhood lies farther up the hill to the west of the business parks. Sammamish River 60 Acres Park Sammamish River Trail Dirt road on Full Circle Farm site Wetland at west side of Button Property View of Mount Rainier across Willows Run Golf Course View north along BNSF Railroad ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 4 Figure 2 – Context Aerial ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 5 Historically the Sammamish River Valley was used for agricultural purposes. Some parts of the river valley are still farmed. The park site has not been in agricultural use for at least five years. REGULATORY ASSESSMENT Land Use Codes The current Redmond Comprehensive Plan identifies the Sammamish Valley Park site as “Urban Recreation” (UR). During the 2011 zoning code update, zoning for the Sammamish Valley Park and the Button Property will change from “Agricultural” to “Urban Recreation” (UR) in accordance with the previous changes to the Comprehensive Plan. The properties west of Willows Road are defined as “Business Park” (BP) in both the Zoning Code and the Comprehensive Plan. The King County Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan define the Full Circle Farm property to the north of the park as “Agricultural” The zoning code restricts location of buildings on properties between the Sammamish River and Willows Road to within 200 feet of the property line adjacent to the BNSF railroad right of way. Building heights on the park property are restricted to 35 feet. The front and side yard building set- backs are 30 feet, and the rear yard setback is 40 feet. See Figure 3 – Site Analysis. No easements encumber the site. Legal Limitations Legal factors limiting uses on the park site include: • Purchase & Sale Agreement for the park site included a Special Warranty Deed that restricts uses of the land • The Green Valley case restricts impacts on adjacent agricultural land ( City of Redmond vs. Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board State of WA) • Impacts fees used to acquire the property limit land use to community, neighborhood or re- source park • King County Open Space Bond funding used to acquire the property must be used to pre- serve wetland and wetland buffer areas Environmentally Critical Areas The City of Redmond Critical Areas Map series, dated 5/28/05, identifies the following critical areas: • Seismic Hazard Area occupies the entire site except a narrow area along the west edge. • 100 Year Flood Plain occupies the entire site except a narrow area along the west edge • Mixed Wetland / Upland occupies the entire site except a narrow area along the west edge • A Class 3 Stream is mapped along the southwest and south edge of site • The Fish & Wildlife Habitat map identifies the site as “Transfer Development Rights Ease- ments”. • No Erosion Hazard Areas, Landslide Hazard Areas or wildlife corridors are mapped on the site. According to the FEMA FIRM flood map for the site area, the 100 year floodplain is at an elevation of approximately 31.9 feet on the survey at the south side of the site and 31.7 feet near the north side of the site. The 500 year flood elevation is approximately 1 foot above the 100 year flood plain level. See Appendix B – Site Survey. Buildings should be located above the 500 year flood line. A wetland delineation report was completed in June 2009 near the beginning of the master planning process. See Appendix A– Wetland Delineation Report. The report identifies a 20.95 acre category 2 wetland that occupies most of the site. The Watershed Company’s wetland report (Appendix 1) references the Redmond Community Development Guide (RCDG) Chapter 20D to determine po- ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 6 Figure 3 – Site Analysis ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 7 tential wetland buffer widths on the Sammamish Valley Park site. The potential buffer widths for a category 2 wetland are 100 feet for high impact uses, 75 feet for medium impact uses and 50 feet for low impact uses. Standard buffer widths may be altered on a case by case basis through buffer reduction or buffer averaging. According to the RCDG (20D.140.30-020), high impact includes uses such as residential (more than 1 unit / AC), industrial, institutional or retail sales, and high intensity recreation such as ball fields. Medium impact includes uses such as residential development (1 unit / AC or less) and paved trails. Low impact includes such uses as unpaved trails, natural re- source preservation. The RCDG references the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) document “Wetlands in Washington State – Volume 2: Guidance for Protecting and Managing Wet- lands”. In this document, table 8C-3 on page 5 of Appendix 8-C lists examples of high, moderate and low impact uses. Relevant examples that are not specifically listed in the RCDG include crops that require annual tilling and a greenhouse as high impact uses; orchards, crops that do not re- quire tilling and utility corridors with a maintenance road as moderate impact uses; and bird watch- ing, and utility corridors without a maintenance road as low impact uses. Based upon the examples given in the RCDG and DOE documents, it is the opinion of the design team that a recreational building or community center would most likely be considered a high impact use, picnic shelters would most likely be considered a medium impact use, and boardwalks with a low impact structural support system would likely be considered a low impact use. The final decision on any of these des- ignations would be made by the City of Redmond. In addition to the mapped class 3 stream, the design team identified another class 3 stream within the BNSF railroad right of way adjacent to the northwest edge of the site. Both of the class 3 streams require a 100 foot development setback. Class 3 stream buffers may be altered through buffer averaging if certain conditions are met. There is no evidence of endangered species fish in streams on or adjacent to the park. See Appendix C– Stream & Fish Report. The City of Redmond Critical Areas Map series, dated 5/28/05, identifies the nearby Sammamish River as a Class 1 Stream and a FEMA Floodway, and the King County Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) maps the River as “Chinook Distribution”. Wildlife corridors are shown along the Sammam- ish River and crossing the Full Circle Farm site. These critical areas do not directly affect develop- ment on the park site. Permit Requirements Several environmental permits may be required to develop this site. These permit requirements and considerations are described below. The US Army Corps of Engineers Clean Water Act, Section 404, NWP 27, requires a biological as- sessment per the federal Endangered Species Act for work within the wetland and the Class 3 stream. Section 401 Water Quality Certification and Construction Stormwater General Permits will be required from Washington Department of Ecology. A Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) is re- quired per the Washington Dept of Fish & Wildlife for any over water structures and realignment of the class 3 stream. This requires a Joint Aquatic Resource Permit Application (JARPA). A SEPA checklist has been submitted for review for the Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan. Any future development applications for this site will require a SEPA Determination. The City of Redmond will require Critical Areas Review (including floodplain certification), a Building Permit and a Clear & Grade Permit for each phase of this project. City of Redmond will review the plans for conformance with their goals regarding water efficient planting & irrigation. The City will review the project for frontage improvements as well as a right of way use permit. The city will also review water and sewer design and provide a water availability certificate to assess fire flow re- quirements for the park. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 8 EXISTING PARK USES The park is currently undeveloped. The north western quadrant of the site is mowed grass that may be used for informal recreation. Most of the site is protected wetland and wetland buffer. Rem- nants of a building foundation remain at the central west side of the site. A dirt road located within the BNSF right of way at the northwest edge of the site leads to the old foundation. EXISTING ACCESS, CIRCULATION AND PARKING Vehicular Access & Parking Located to the west of the site and the BNSF railroad is Willows Road, a “collector arterial”. The south side of the site is bordered by NE 116th Street, a “minor arterial”. Currently there is no direct vehicular access to the site from either Willows Road or NE 116th Street. An existing dirt road crosses the railroad right of way to the Full Circle Farm property about 600 feet north of the park site and follows the railroad right of way to connect to the northwest corner of the site. The design team initially considered three options for vehicular access: 1. Future city ownership of the BNSF railroad right of way allows for potential direct vehicular access across the future multi- purpose trail from Willows Road to the northwest portion of the site. Conformance to traffic safety requirements such as offset or alignment with driveway and road intersections would be re- View of park site from southeast corner Dirt road along northwest edge of site North edge of site South edge of site NE 116th St Bridge across Sammamish River NE 116th St at Willows Road ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 9 quired. If located directly across from the Physio Control driveway on Willows Road, the Sammam- ish Valley Park driveway would cross a class 3 stream that is on the west side of the tracks. 2. A second alternative would provide vehicular access to the northwest corner of the site via the exist- ing dirt road within the BNSF right of way. Since this access would be shared with the property to the north, the city would like to have a joint use agreement with Full Circle Farm prior to including it in the design as an option. In addition, this option parallels and crosses a stream and, based on available wetland and topography maps, would probably impact wetlands and be within the 100 year floodplain. Additional study would be needed to determine exact impacts. 3. Vehicular access from NW 116th Street to the southwest (non-wetland) sector of the site is impeded by the need to cross a large expanse of wetland and wetland buffer. Wetland/stream impacts and high cost would make this choice the least acceptable of the three. Bicycle Circulation & Access Designated bike routes with bike lanes are located on both sides of Willows Rd and NE 116th Street. The Sammamish River Trail that runs along the east side of the river is a primary north-south bike route. A multi-purpose trail is planned for the BNSF right of way adjacent to the site that will connect downtown Redmond with points north. Primary bicycle access to the park will be from the future multipurpose trail on the railroad right of way. The park could provide some parking and a rest stop for trail users. Improvements could be made along NE 116th Street to enhance the non-motorized connection to the Sammamish River Trail and 60 Acres Park. Bike racks should be included on site. Pedestrian Circulation & Access No designated pedestrian walkways or trails connect to the site at this time. Currently there are no street frontage improvements along 116th or Willows Road next to the project site. The only side- walk near the site is on the west side of Willows Road between the NE 116th Street intersection and the Physio Control property. Pedestrians who want to walk along the east side of Willows Road must use the roadway shoulder or they could walk along the BNSF railroad tracks. Pedestrians walking on NE 116th Street would use the road shoulders or the designated bike lanes. The only available informal pedestrian access to the site is along the existing dirt road connecting to the northwest corner of the site from Willows Road or the railroad right of way. A barbed wire fence, steep slopes, vegetation and a stream all deter direct pedestrian access to the site from the railroad right of way or NE 116th Street. Primary pedestrian access to the park could be similar to that for bicycles. Increased demand for pedestrian crossings of adjacent streets may indicate improvements at the Willows Rd & NE 116th Street intersection. Walking and interpretive trails with viewing platforms could loop through the site. Explore potential for an off-road pedestrian trail connecting to/across the Sammamish River. Public Transportation King County Metro bus routes are currently available along Willows Road. Route 244 connects to Kenmore P&R and Kingsgate P&R to the north and Overlake Transit Center to the south. Route 291 connects to Kingsgate P&R to the north and downtown Redmond to the south. Both bus routes are limited to peak commuting hours. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 10 EXISTING UTILITIES Electrical Power, Telephone and Fiber Optic Underground power and telephone lines follow the north side of NE 116th Street. Overhead power is located on the west side of Willows Road. There is a fiber optic cable on the east side of Wil- lows Road. Natural Gas Puget Sound Energy maps indicate 4 inch natural gas main on the east side of Willows Road and a 4 inch gas line that ends just east of the intersection of Willows Road and NE 116th Street. Water The City of Redmond is the purveyor of water for the site. A twelve inch water main located on the west side of Willows Road extends to a point approximately 750 feet north of the NE 116th Street intersection. The water main has fire hydrants on the west side of the Willows Road spaced at about 250 feet apart. The site is currently not metered. Sanitary Sewer/Septic An eight inch sanitary sewer main is located on the west side of Willows Road. Twelve inch and 14 inch sanitary sewer mains are located on the south side of NE 116th Street. There is a section of sewer main the extends up the east side of Willows Road to ap- proximately 400 feet north of the NE 116th Street intersection. Storm Drainage The Sammamish Valley Park site generally drains from the west to the east. There is one drainage basin and no storm water facili- ties within the park site. Existing off site storm water facilities in- clude a 200 foot long bio-filtration swale located parallel to Wil- lows Road, and about 100 feet north of the large culvert crossing between the road and the railroad tracks. The swale treats storm water from Willows Road. The water from the swale discharges into a culvert that crosses the tracks. The water follows the exist- ing class 3 stream to the south east corner of the park site and ultimately discharges storm water to the Sammamish River. EXISTING NATURAL SYSTEMS Hydrology A ditched “Class III” stream enters the west side of site under the railroad tracks through a 36” concrete culvert. See Appendix A – Wetland Delineation Report. There is approximately 12” of stand- ing water in front of the culvert. The stream then flows south within the BNSF right of way, then east along the NE 116th St right of way. It exits the site at the southeast corner and follows a ditch through the Button property along the north side of NE 116th Street to the Sammamish River. Prior to entering the river, the Bioswale along Willows Road ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 11 stream passes through the levee in a 36-inch CMP to be dis- charged down a steep, rocky riverbank, typically 4 to 5 feet verti- cally above the river surface. The height of the perched outfall is the primary factor preventing fish access to the park site from the river. A second class 3 stream was identified near the northwest edge of the site within the BNSF right of way. The wetland delineation indicates that Wetland A is a “Category II” wetland and encompasses most of the site. The primary source of hydrology for Wetland A comes from a high ground wa- ter table. Hydrology is supplemented by precipitation and water from a culvert carrying the class III stream. The wetland occupies larger area than identified in the 1990 wetland report by David Evans & Assoc. This is most likely due to changes in wetland de- lineation guidelines as well as changes resulting from additional impervious areas in surrounding development created since 1990. The water table on site is approximately three feet below ground surface. The entire site is within the 100 year floodplain (below the 31.7 to 31.9 contour), except for a narrow area along the west side of the site. The site area within the 500 year flood zone could experi- ence very shallow flooding during a 100 year storm. Vegetation The site is vegetated by some native field grasses and meadow foxtail. Invasive reed canary grass dominates the wetland. Hima- layan blackberry was observed at the edges of the site. Mowed lawn occupies most of the northwest quadrant of the site. Inter- mittent groups of native trees, including one ornamental Haw- thorn tree, line the railroad right of way to the west of the site. Wildlife Wildlife that has been observed within and near the park includes a bald eagle, ducks and a variety of native songbirds. No fish were observed in the stream. Topography The site is generally flat with a slight rise in grade at the west side of the site. Slopes are mostly less than 3% and do not exceed 8% in the steepest areas. See Figure 4 - Topography Soils The Natural Resources Conservation Service maps the native soils on the site as: • 23.2% Indianola Loamy Fine Sand (west side & south west corner of site) • 65.3% Tukwila Muck (most of the wetland area) • 7.6% Alderwood Gravelly Sandy Loam (northwest corner of site) Class 3 stream west of BNSF railroad tracks near northwest edge of site Wetland Buffer signage Young eagle on Button Property Mallard Ducks ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 12 Figure 4 – Topography ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 13 • 2.1% Earlmont Silt Loam (northeast corner of site) • Snohomish Silt Loam (southeast corner of site) According to the wetland delineation report, the existing wetland soils are very dark brown silt with high organic content. A sulfidic odor detected at several locations is an indicator of prolonged inundation. Prior to purchase of the site in 1998, a Phase I and II Environ- mental Site Assessment was conducted. The study revealed no conditions that require remediation or concern for human or eco- logical health. The report warned of the possible existence of un- derground storage tanks near the remains of an old barn founda- tion. EXISTING VIEWS There are open expansive views to, from and within the site due to the relatively flat topography and low vegetation on site and on adjacent properties to the north and east. Important views from the higher, non-wetland areas on the west side of the site include Mt Rainier to the south, and across the river valley to the east to a forested hillside. The Sammamish River is not directly visible from the site as its banks are heavily vegetated. Large office buildings look out over the park site from the hillside to the west. Trees along the railroad right of way screen office views to/from the de- velopable non-wetland area on the west side of the park site. Pic- turesque farm buildings and agricultural uses can be seen to the north, as well as NE 124th Street, a “primary arterial”. Views into the site from Willows Road are broken by existing vegetation along the railroad right of way. City Staff Recommendations The consultants presented a proposed project process and schedule to City of Redmond staff on April 1, 2009 for their input. The city shared information and ideas about related regulatory issues, city and neighborhood needs and values, and program- ming ideas for the park. Key issues addressed include: • Site zoning is to be updated from agricultural to urban rec- reation to agree with the comprehensive plan • Move public meetings from August to September to avoid summer vacations • The city needs indoor recreation facilities • Outdoor recreational facility needs include women’s fast pitch softball with basketball and volleyball as potential off season activities. Soccer fields are a lower priority. • Provide trailhead for future multipurpose trail along the BNSF corridor • Explore agricultural uses such as p patches • Preserve Mt Rainier view Mount Rainier view from site ---PAGE BREAK--- Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan 14 Public Meeting No. 1 • Create a sense of mystery that draws in visitors with varia- tion in topography, vegetation and open water and other visual features. • Enhance wetland for potential wetland banking for city transportation projects On May 15, 2009 the design team met with city staff on the site to discuss knowledge and ideas for the park in the context of new information from the wetland delineation and site survey. Key is- sues addressed in addition to existing conditions observations include: • The extent and distribution of the wetland limits possibili- ties for sports fields and the necessary support facilities on the site. • A biologist from the design team will evaluate the existing stream for presence of fish. A meeting with city staff was held on June 18, 2009. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the preliminary site analysis, site potentials / constraints, and potential program elements / alterna- tives and receive city direction in preparation for the first Sam- mamish Valley Park Master Plan public meeting. Key site analy- sis issues addressed include: • Staff was surprised at the large size of the wetland • Refer to “UR”, not zoning for building restrictions on this site. The consultants met with city staff on July 18, 2009 with updated “final” graphics to receive further city comment in preparation for the first Sammamish Valley Park Master Plan public meeting. See Appendix F for meeting minutes. Public Response An overview of the project and analysis of the site were pre- sented to the first public meeting on July 16, 2008 for their input. Citizens asked that location of bus routes, bike lanes and site re- lationship to downtown be added to the presentation graphics. See Program Development chapter for discussion about park pro- gramming that took place at this meeting. See Appendix F for meeting minutes.