Council Endorses Green Loop Outreach Plan; staff to contact roughly 70 private landowners before public release

Parks staff and consultants presented a preliminary Green Loop implementation plan Jan. 6 that identified phase‑1 routes on public land and phase‑2 alignments that rely on partnerships with private property owners. The project builds on community work stretching back more than a decade and leverages King County parks levy funding and other grant sources.

Staff said community outreach produced nearly 900 survey responses, with strong representation from Fin Hill and Juanita neighborhoods; priorities included wildlife habitat protection, park access and property acquisition for key trail segments. Phase 1 alignments use largely public land and street shoulders; Phase 2 alignments would reduce street sections by placing trails in green corridors, but require negotiations with roughly 70 private landowners in hatched areas that staff identified.

Staff recommended a two‑step outreach: (1) send customized letters to roughly 70 property owners in the hatched polygons and broader notices to property owners within about 200 feet of the alignments so those most impacted see the preliminary maps before broader publication; and (2) host a community meeting (staff proposed Feb. 25 but council gave staff flexibility up to April 1) to solicit feedback and refine alignments and priorities. Council discussed acquisition priorities, privacy concerns, conservation easements, and the possibility of pursuing conservation futures or other grant funding for key parcels.

Council unanimously adopted staff’s outreach approach as amended to allow staff scheduling flexibility. Staff will return with a draft implementation plan, funding strategy (including potential conservation futures and King County levy reimbursement opportunities), and recommended phasing for acquisition and trail construction.