Drafter
Clerk 01/20/20111
title
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the King County executive to enter into an amendment to the project agreement and the deed of right granted to the state of Washington and recorded as No. 20000614001958 to remove certain use restrictions from limited areas of Soaring Eagle regional park and to permanently protect an additional two hundred forty-eight acres of the property for conservation purposes.
body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. King County acquired Soaring Eagle regional park, which is formerly known as Section 36, with the assistance of grant funds from the urban wildlife habitat category of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program administered by the Washington state Recreation and Conservation Office ("RCO"). In exchange for the grant, the county entered into a project agreement with the RCO ("project agreement") and granted the state a deed of right for conservation purposes ("deed of right"), affecting a "floating" three-hundred-thirty-acre conservation easement.
B. The conservation easement granted to the state of Washington under the project agreement and deed of right is located within the area designated as conservation zones on the Section 36 Regional Park Master Plan-Opportunities and Constraints Map, which is Attachment A to this ordinance.
C. When the county acquired the property, it had been used extensively by mountain bikers. Mountain biking continues to be a major recreational use on the site, and the mountain biking community has been active in trail maintenance, relocation and restoration, mapping and signage. However, the RCO has indicated that mountain bike use is inconsistent with urban wildlife habitat grant funding.
D. After King County acquired the park, it granted utility easements to the Sammamish Plateau water and sewer district, covering approximately four acres within the park.
E. On March 10, 2008, the King County council passed Ordinance 16032 authorizing the executive to enter into the Intergovernmental Land Transfer Agreement By and Between King County and City of Sammamish ("interlocal agreement") to transfer approximately thirty acres of the park to the city of Sammamish, which is Attachment B to this ordinance.
F. The interlocal agreement recognized the potential for developing active recreation facilities at the site and provided that the project agreement and deed of right would be amended so that the thirty-acre parcel would no longer be subject to the use restrictions imposed by the project agreement and the deed of right.
G. The King County parks and recreation division has worked with the RCO to negotiate an amendment that would conform the project agreement and the deed of right to be consistent with current and proposed future uses of Soaring Eagle regional park and to further expand the conservation protections at the park by protecting an additional two hundred forty-eight acres of property for passive recreation. All of the parties support this solution to address the applicable funding constraints, protect additional property for passive recreation and allow additional active recreation in certain areas.
SECTION 2. The King County executive is hereby authorized to execute an amendment to the project agreement and the deed of right substantially in the form of Attachment C to this ordinance, and to execute any other documents and instruments
necessary or convenient to effectuate the amendment of the project agreement and the deed of right consistent with this ordinance.
advertising requirements
Area paper
10 days, not more than 25 prior to hearing
Display/box border notice
News release
Newspaper: Seattle Times
Publishing: April 6, 2011
Public Hearing: April 18, 2011