Debate over Redmond recreation land pits gliders, dogs against soccer goals

Drive north along the Sammamish River in Redmond and you'll come across a field that looks unremarkable — rough, splotchy grass, with divots the size of tire irons, all disconnected from any major roads.

But in King County, where new subdivisions continue to take shape and sports leagues boom in popularity, the field is 35 acres of recreation gold.

Big, unclaimed patches of public land — close to the urban core and usable for active sports and other activities — are almost nonexistent around here. And neighbors and county officials agree that Sixty Acres Park South in north Redmond should be used for some sort of recreation.

County officials want to give the land to the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association to build seven fields; neighbors and groups such as the Seattle Area Soaring Society want the property to stay untouched.

This isn't the typical land-use battle, pitting developers against environmentalists. This is a fight over what kind of recreation the land should support: the more popular, "active" team-sport variety — think soccer and ultimate frisbee — or smaller, quirkier, "passive" activities — flying remote-control gliders and model rockets, tossing boomerangs and walking dogs.

Both kinds of recreationists are in desperate need of land. Many Seattle-area soccer leagues are so pressed for space they practice in the dark or with several teams on the same field. Members of the soaring society need a large, flat, open space with north-south winds to lift their model gliders in the air.

In exchange for taking ownership of Sixty Acres South, the soccer association would sell most of its Muller Farm property, just west of Sixty Acres, to Lake Washington Technical College for about $500,000.

Information

Sixty Acres deal: To comment on the proposed Sixty Acres South land deal, contact members of the Metropolitan King County Council, who will likely consider the deal later this year. For contact information, go to www.metrokc.gov/mkcc/

Comments: Citizens can also direct feedback to King County Parks Director Kevin Brown at 206-296-8631 or kevin.brown@metrokc.gov

Opponents: www.save60acres.

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The disparate groups that currently use Sixty Acres South, such as the soaring society, rocket launchers and neighbors who walk their dogs there, fear they will no longer be able to use the property. And they're fighting hard — with a slick Web site and video, and enough passion to shout down county officials at a community meeting last month.

"This piece of land is unique. It's special," said Susan Bjork, who lives nearby and has walked her golden retriever at Sixty Acres South for more than two years. "It's every element of our community that meets down there. I don't see how that can be replaced."

A win-win-win?

To county and soccer-association officials, the land deal would address the greater good, providing more fields for thousands of soccer players while leaving room for other activities.

The association already operates 17 fields at Sixty Acres Park North, a county-owned, 60-acre property adjacent to the south lot. With seven more fields, it could keep some fields closed most of the time to allow the grass to regrow, giving the other groups a relatively consistent place to play, soccer officials said.

"Overall, I think we can work together," said Curt Bateman, operations director for the soccer association.

County Executive Ron Sims called the deal a "win-win-win" that resolves tension over previous land battles involving Sixty Acres and Muller Farm. He vowed to find another place for the soaring and rocket groups, though the soaring society is skeptical.

About 250,000 users come to the north property each year — including tens of thousands of Lake Washington soccer players and family members, as well as other soccer leagues, sports camps and an ultimate-frisbee tournament. The new fields would attract a relatively small number of new users — perhaps 10,000, said Bateman.

The active groups would use both properties from June to October, with the bulk of activity in September and October.

The number of passive users — who congregate on Sixty Acres South year-round — is unclear. Kevin Brown, the county parks director, said the number is probably in the "high hundreds to a thousand." The passive groups say they are larger than that but don't have an exact figure.

Hard feelings

The county and soccer association both face a lot of distrust. The soaring society and neighbors successfully fought a county plan in 2003 to build a sewage plant on Sixty Acres South. And the soccer association has alienated the passive-use groups over the years by keeping them off Sixty Acres North.

The association also has had well-documented problems over the past few years — bungled financial deals, bitter infighting and suspensions of board members.

"Let [the association] show they can work with the groups and with the land they have now" before giving them more property, said Lisa Tanzi, a neighbor.

New leaders have since got the soccer association back on track and growing again. Last month, it took down signs that said the north fields were closed to the public.

"We're dealing with some serious trust issues," said Joel Hussey, the association's president. But "we intend to be good stewards" of the land.

A Redmond hearing examiner must approve permits for the new fields and consider traffic and environmental impacts. The Metropolitan King County Council will also need to OK the deal. The whole process could take several months.

The neighbors and passive-use groups also say the swap would violate the terms of Forward Thrust, the 1968 bond issue that gave the county ownership of the land.

According to the neighbors, the bond issue required that the land be used for passive recreation, and any change would be illegal. The county disputes that, saying Sixty Acres South would still be used as a public park, which would fulfill the requirements of Forward Thrust.

For many neighbors and park users, the struggle to keep the 35 acres is personal. They remember launching Boy Scout rockets, teaching their kids how to fly gliders and visiting with friends while walking their dogs.

"The soccer folks are asking for more [fields]," said Jim Laurel, vice president of the soaring society. "All we want to do is survive."

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com