City takes unusual tactic in bid to acquire parkland

The city of Edmonds is among more than 10 bidders for the former Woodway Elementary School, an 11-acre site likely to become a housing subdivision or a neighborhood park.

The Edmonds School Board last night was scheduled to get its first look — behind closed doors — at the bids, which were due March 31.

The city's offer is unusual.

The City Council crafted its last-minute purchase offer based on the highest competitive bid received by the school district, Mayor Gary Haakenson said.

But the city doesn't have the resources to immediately buy all 11 acres, he said. The city's bid offers to buy 5.5 acres now, for the highest per-acre price among the other bids. The city is requesting a delay until the year's end to purchase the remainder of the site at the same per-acre price, Haakenson said.

The school, on 104th Avenue West in the city's south end, closed about 30 years ago. Youth teams use the soccer and baseball fields, but the buildings' only tenant is a small Montessori school.

The city has tried several tactics in its effort to create a park on the school site.

In February, the city sent the district a letter requesting that the site be sold to someone willing to build a 4-acre park with the resulting development.

Haakenson has estimated that configuration could yield 20 houses plus the park.

The district forwarded that request to interested developers.

School Board policy grants priority to a city bid if it's competitive and "other pertinent factors are reasonably equal."

Marla Miller, the district's business-and-operations director, said some bids received by the March 31 deadline include the small park requested in February by the city.

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com