Kirkland Will Enlarge McAuliffe Park

From the City of Kirkland: The City Council goals of expanding and improving the City’s parks and open spaces were reinforced by their unanimous vote to move forward with adding 1.29 acres to McAuliffe Park during a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, August 2.

“McAuliffe Park is a treasured and historic landmark of our City,” said Councilmember Dave Asher. “Our plan for urban change throughout the City has been to preserve and expand open spaces like McAuliffe Park when feasible. It’s a rare opportunity to expand one of our existing parks, and we’re excited about this opportunity to invest in precious, green space.”

The City Council voted to pass Ordinance O-4590, which authorizes the City Manager to proceed with the purchase and sale agreement of a property adjacent to McAuliffe Park called the Richards Property.

The Richards Property, which contains a dense stand of mature Douglas fir trees, was identified as a key acquisition target for the City by the Parks Department. If it were instead redeveloped for residential purposes, City staff estimated that 6-8 homes could be built there.

City staff included the Richards Property in an overall Park Acquisition Strategy report presented to the City Council at their June 13, 2017 retreat. Acquiring the Richards Property in order to expand McAuliffe Park supports the City Council’s broader plan for urban change, which keeps density to specific areas like Downtown and Totem Lake while preserving and expanding open spaces in other neighborhoods.

McAuliffe Park is an 11.6 acres park in the Juanita Neighborhood. Created by the City through a series of land acquisitions occurring between 1998 and 2001, the park features historical structures and offers park visitors a variety of recreation opportunities such as community gardening, a playground and forested trails.

“One reason Kirkland residents love living here is because of our City’s many green spaces that are spread throughout our neighborhoods,” Asher said. “By expanding McAuliffe Park we’re making a permanent investment in Kirkland’s quality of life.”

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