Lake Forest Park outlines $12.93 million lakefront park plan; $2.5 million funding gap expected to be decided in January

Lake Forest Park — City staff presented an update Thursday on the Lakefront Park project, telling the City Council the project’s full estimated cost is $12,930,000 and that the city has secured about $10,400,000 in grants to date while the city has spent roughly $1,400,000 on design and permitting.

The presentation said the final element of funding — roughly $2,500,000 tied to a trailhead grant program — is expected to be confirmed in January 2026 when the next round of applications opens. City staff said all other funds are currently secured and that staff will pursue backup options, including applying again to the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) if necessary.

Council members pressed staff about unresolved operational costs and site logistics. Councilmember Good said she was “concerned about the location with regard to safety and parking,” citing limits on on-site spaces and pedestrian circulation to adjacent parking. City staff responded that the proposed design includes 10 on-site parking spaces, three of them marked accessible, and that operational controls could restrict parking (for example issuing permits to renters) and that a parking study performed earlier in the project supports the proposed post-occupancy parking plan.

The nut graf: the project is largely grant-funded and advancing through permitting, but council members raised unresolved questions about operations and maintenance costs, insurance, security, utilities and parking that staff recommended the city refine as the design reaches 100% and before construction bidding.

Most important details - Cost and funding: Staff said the total project budget is $12,930,000. Secured grant funds total about $10,400,000; the city reports approximately $1,400,000 already spent on design, permitting and staff time. A remaining approximately $2,500,000 tied to a trails/trailhead grant is anticipated to be decided in January 2026.

- Schedule and next steps: Staff said the current cost estimate is based on 70% design and that the team will re-cost at 100% design after permits are resolved; permit responses have been submitted and the next steps include scheduling a Hearing Examiner review and moving to 100% design and bid once permits are cleared.

- Operations and maintenance (O&M): Staff provided a focused O&M projection for the first five years after opening and longer-term reserves for fixture and appliance replacement at 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. The consultant-driven estimate does not include insurance or event-specific licensing costs; staff said insurance will be handled through WCIA (Washington Cities Insurance Authority) once final structures are defined. Councilmember Good and others requested a clearer ‘‘incremental cost’’ estimate showing new annual costs the city must budget beyond current preserve maintenance. One council member offered a range during discussion, saying annual operating costs “might be $300,000 to $400,000 a year depending upon how many times somebody flushes the toilet,” which staff said illustrates the sensitivity of utility and staffing assumptions to final program choices.

- Programming, building use and capacity: Staff said the community center footprint has been sized to allow flexible uses (meetings, classes, rentals) and that the building’s maximum standing capacity is estimated at 159. Furnishings (tables and chairs) and a storage room sized to hold them are included in the project budget. Staff described a smaller annex (previously “Cabin 6”) that has been engineered with increased floor structural loading to preserve programming flexibility.

- Parking and access: Staff said the current site design provides 10 spaces on site (three accessible) and includes a dedicated safe walk from the City Hall parking lot. Staff noted the project team reviewed urban examples that rely on transit and shared street parking; they also referenced earlier parking study work for the site. Councilmembers asked staff for operational approaches to manage limited on-site parking for rentals and events.

- Funding options beyond grants: Staff noted potential community fundraising strategies — element sponsorships such as bench or tree sponsorships, paver sales, or program sponsorships — that could be used to cover operations or to close funding gaps if the $2.5 million grant is not awarded.

Quotes and attributions are recorded from meeting speakers. City project staff said, “The City has successfully secured and identified grants to cover the anticipated cost of this project,” and added that confirmation of the final $2.5 million is expected in January 2026. Councilmember Good said she remained concerned about site safety and parking.

What the council directed or asked staff to do - Staff to provide a full project budget showing how the total project cost is allocated (a council member asked for that to be filed with city administration). - Staff to re-cost the project at 100% design and to work with parks maintenance and landscape crews to refine utility and ongoing maintenance assumptions. - Staff to return with clearer incremental annual O&M ranges, including estimates for insurance and potential staffing needs, before construction bidding.

Why it matters: the Lakefront Park project converts owned parcels and an existing preserve into a larger public park with two trailheads (a paddling trailhead and a land trailhead connecting to the Burke-Gilman corridor). The council must weigh near-term construction funding strategies against long-term operating costs that will affect the city budget.

Ending: Staff closed the presentation saying permits are in process and that the team will move to 100% design and bidding after the Hearing Examiner decision. Councilmembers thanked the project team and asked for follow-up materials on budget detail and O&M assumptions ahead of later council decisions.