Over the last two years, the City of Shoreline has acquired two key parcels along Littles Creek at the south end of Paramount Open Space, expanding a significant natural area just north of Seattle’s Jackson Park.
On September 23, the City of Shoreline completed acquisition of 14534 10th Ave NE, a 7,800-square-foot parcel with a three-bedroom house on it, for $968,500. On August 19, 2020, Shoreline acquired 14528 10th Ave NE, a 7,474-square-foot parcel that also had a three-bedroom house on it, for $539,000.
The City plans to demolish both houses and restore native vegetation on the sites to integrate them into the existing natural area, according to Nathan Daum, the City’s Economic Development Program Manager, who worked with the City’s real estate agent to complete the acquisitions.
Thornton Creek Alliance (TCA) advocated for the City to acquire these parcels in a letter sent to Shoreline in December 2016 concerning priorities for the City’s Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Arts (PROSA) Plan.
The parcels stood out in an analysis TCA conducted that year across the entire Thornton Creek watershed, which prioritized potential acquisitions.
TCA’s letter noted, “the cluster of potential acquisitions adjacent to Paramount Open Space stand out immediately for their number and their proximity to an existing natural area with very significant habitat values, including the largest wetland complex in the City of Shoreline—possibly the largest one in the entire Thornton Creek watershed. No other acquisitions within the Shoreline portion of the watershed rival this opportunity for protecting and enhancing habitat values.”
There was a total of five parcels in the “cluster” that TCA identified in 2016 as priorities. See above map, which accompanied the letter. The acquired parcels, outlined in orange towards the bottom of the map, were identified as “Second Tier Recommendations” because they were developed, making them more expensive to acquire and restore.
The “First Tier Recommendations,” outlined in red in the center of the map, along the eastern edge of the open space, remain TCA’s top priorities, because they are larger parcels that are mostly undeveloped.
An additional “Second Tier Recommendation,” outlined in orange towards the top of the map, also remains a TCA priority. This parcel is physically separated from the open space, but the natural systems are connected by forested steep slopes, which are protected under Shoreline’s critical area regulations.
The current PROSA Plan for Shoreline extends through 2023. The City is beginning the process of updating it for the next six years. TCA will submit comments to the City, renewing its recommendations for these remaining parcels.
Paramount Open Space is a valuable amenity not just for the Thornton Creek watershed, but for the surrounding neighborhood, which the City has zoned for denser development because of its proximity to the Sound Transit station, which will open in 2024 at NE 148th Street.
The City has generally prioritized park acquisitions east of I-5 and near transit stations, so there is a good chance that it will pursue these parcels if the landowners appear willing to sell, especially if there is a strong push for that from the public. You can add to that push by submitting your own comments to the City’s online open house for the PROSA update, https://shorelineparks.infocommunity.org/. The deadline is February 5, 2023.
