Agreement Reached on Mountain Bike Park in Redmond

After two years of resident appeals, a settlement agreement has been reached on a proposed Redmond Mountain Bike Park on public land next to Hartman Park.

Carolyn Hope, park planning and cultural services manager, announced the development in a group email on Monday. The Redmond City Council will vote on whether to adopt the settlement agreement at its April 16 meeting.

The following changes were included in the agreement, Hope said:

• 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, and
• Enhances vegetation along south and western sides of the site. 

If approved by city council, construction on the bike park could begin in late summer or early fall, according to the city's website.

The 2.5-acre Education Hill project has been a source of controversy since 2011, when a group of residents filed two appeals—one to the project's site entitlement plan and the other to the project's compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Both appeals were denied by a hearing examiner in late 2011 and then sent to city council, which also struck down the appeals.

The appellants had vowed to take the case to King County Superior Court, but Hope said Monday that the two parties had reached an agreement before the case hearing.

For more background on the Redmond Bike Park, click here.

Are you pleased with the terms of the settlement agreement? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments section.