Northshore School District and Wellington Hills Park

October 2015 (almost a year ago) we discovered there had been secret meetings and a deal between Snohomish County bureaucrats and Northshore School District bureaucrats at which Snohomish County would sell Wellington Hills Park to Northshore School District. for $11.2 million. 

The public was never informed or asked for comments on this "deal".

As citizens we've attended all sorts of Snohomish County meetings, we've followed the flow of ECAFs (Executive/Council Approval Form) ... we've regularly contacted various County offices and inquired, "Anything new concerning Wellington?"

Not once was there a peep, hint or statement concerning the County's plan to sell the Park.

Now, back to that School Board meeting.

That evening the School Board was asked to vote their approval on the purchase agreement for Wellington Hills Park.

It was painfully obvious - the Board was not aware of many of the issues and details associated with Wellington Hills Park... such as, there were existing lawsuits in existence concerning the site.

Two board members wanted more time to look into the matter ... they were voted down (3 to 2).

To justify the potential purchase, an enthusiastic bureaucrat declared to the Board:
For new school property, we look for 'cheap, flat and dry' land.

At that point, I thought to myself -

"It doesn't sound like the Board has all the facts concerning the Wellington Hills site, its particular uniqueness or its value to the local community - yet they voted to purchase it, how odd."

My second thought, "I wonder if I could sell them the Brooklyn Bridge?"

I have many more photos of the "flat and dry" Wellington site.... but that's enough for one post.

Wellington Hills Park, Woodinville Washington - What is it that everyone wants?

As I see it, there are three players in the Wellington Hills Sweepstakes.

1. Snohomish County Government & assorted special interests & lobbyists

2. Northshore School District

3. People
 

What is it they want?

Group No. 1 wants the money associated with development.

Group No. 2 wants more land for more schools.

Group No. 3 wants a park.


How does each group view the greater Wellington Hills area - including the park?

Group No. 1: Development

Here is what happens when there's fast-paced development and not much else.

 Group No. 2: Land

Northshore School District sees Wellington Hills Park as a site for two new schools.

The next photo is from the Everett Herald. Imagine the pickup truck is driving on 240th Street with the proposed high school located on the south side of street. (another school would be on the north side of 240th)

Group No. 3: Park

Everyone who's stopped at Wellington Hills Park understands its value as a natural green space - an open space.  There is no other natural park like it within the swirl of this region's expanding development.

when it comes to protecting your home, voting isn't enough

If neighbors hadn't pulled together, the county's dept of parks would have built their sports complex back in 2012.

While the battle to save the park isn't over, take some comfort knowing - if you stand tall you can protect your community from unnecessary, inappropriate change.

 The newest threat to our community is real.

If you think building two schools on the Wellington Hills Park site won't negatively change this community... you should go talk to the people living near the new North Creek school on 35th, north of Maltby Road.

Good Idea - Or Obsolete Idea

Northshore School District’s plans for building two schools on the Wellington Hills property is disturbing on many levels.

Primarily, the Wellington Hills site should remain a community park. That’s plain and simple.

Of considerable importance is what Snohomish County has done – and not done – concerning Wellington Hills Park … and that’s another story, and one of lawsuits.

But the main point of this posting is this: I was surprised by the archaic feel of Northshore's proposed plans for new schools, that is, the design+location of their in-construction and proposed new schools.

Key points:

 • The Wellington Hills area has a stable or slightly shrinking population.
 • Millennials have already created new housing-living-employment trends. 
 • Northshore’s latest school, North Creek High School, in final construction, is, in my opinion, architecturally dated - especially when considering environmental issues, land and space value and modern living-employment trends.
 • Limited taxpayer dollars

Please read or listen to the following KUOW news story:  

"The Suburban Office Park is Finally Becoming Obsolete"  

"Every day, 10,000 baby boomers reach the traditional retirement age of 65. But many choose to stay in the workforce part time, or opt to do contract or freelance work, something that's driven millennials into leadership positions—the group is now the largest share of the American workforce. 

These shifting demographics are re-shaping suburbia. Office parks—sprawling corporate campuses—are now nearly obsolete: Nearly 1 billion square feet of inventory sitting idle, a figure that adds up to about 7.5 percent of the country's office inventory. Shopping malls are also being driven to extinction by changing consumer habits—about 15 percent will fail or be converted within the next 15 years, something that's telling a bigger story about where Americans like to work, live and shop. 

And as malls and office parks shutter, communities are looking for ways to revitalize these spaces to fit modern work and retail habits. Ellen Dunham-Jones, co-author of "Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs" and a professor of architecture and urban design at the Georgia Institute of Technology, explains."

... take a look around ... this may, in part, explain why we see empty commercial-industrial buildings ... and suggest better alternatives to the old-fashion approach of ripping up acres of property and altering neighborhoods for new schools.  

Perhaps some of those shuttered office parks are perfectly suited for new schools.

 

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Here’s a current photo of a suburban high school built in 1960 ... 56 years ago!

Here's Northshore's proposal for Wellington Hills

 Pics of the under-construction North Creek High School