On April 16, Redmond City Council is scheduled to vote to approve a settlement agreement between an appellant group of Redmond residents and the City of Redmond regarding the Redmond Bike Park.

Council’s approval will authorize Mayor John Marchione to sign the agreement, which has already been signed by the appellants and is the result of settlement discussions that began in late 2012 and early 2013 between the two parties.

Carolyn Hope, park planning and cultural services manager for the City of Redmond, said planning and designing for Redmond Bike Park, located on a piece of public property adjacent to Hartman Park on Education Hill, began in May 2009 and the Parks and Recreation Department submitted permits and final design documentation to the Planning Department for approval to begin construction two years ago.

In May 2011, the project was appealed by a group of concerned neighbors.

Hope said the neighbors were concerned that the bike park would be built too close to the nearby wetlands and houses. They were also concerned about the noise and traffic the park could add to the area and the possibility of injuries.

Another concern was the size of the facility. Hope said with the newly proposed plan (above, original plans below), the park has not shrunk much but they have shifted the park away from the southeast corner and eastern side of the site, away from the wetlands.

When the neighbors appealed the park project, they were heard by a hearing examiner in the fall of 2011 and a decision was made in favor of the city. The appellants appealed that decision to City Council, who in the winter of 2012 favored with the city. The project was appealed again to King County Superior Court but the two parties came together before the case was heard and were able to reach a settlement agreement.

The parties agreed to some changes in the design of the proposed bike park, as described below:

• Moved bike features and site furnishings away from southeast corner and eastern side of site.
• Removed elevated wooden features and double black diamond trail.• Expanded the staging area at the starting mound.
• Enhanced vegetation along south and western sides of the site.

“Overall, this proposal still achieves the goals of the project and will provide significant enhancements to the riding area,” Hope said. “I’m glad that we found an agreement that preserves the purpose of the park.”

That purpose is to provide a park that caters to bikers of all abilities.

While the Redmond Bike Park project was being appealed, she said she couldn’t talk about it to anyone except those involved in the case — couldn’t share what was going on or the proposed plan changes.

“Hopefully everyone will support the proposal,” Hope said.

Once the new plans for the Redmond Bike Park are approved and signed, the city will then resubmit a permit application and begin construction upon approval. Hope predicts construction will begin around the end of summer or beginning of fall.

The first time around, construction for the bike park would be done by volunteers — a lot of whom were high schoolers. Hope said many of those teens have graduated so they will have to find a new group of individuals to help build the park.

“We have to rally the troops again,” Hope said.

For more information about this project, visit www.redmond.gov/bikepark.