Englewood to move Bellevue Park zoo barn out of FEMA floodplain; design contract goes to council Sept. 15

Englewood Parks staff told the Sustainability Commission that the city plans to move the Bellevue Park zoo barn out of the FEMA-designated floodplain and begin design work after the City Council approves a design contract on Sept. 15.

The relocation follows a feasibility study that identified three potential sites in the park outside the floodplain, with a preferred site near Pirates Cove and the path to the area known as LB3. Adrian Torres, the city’s open space manager, said the feasibility work is complete and that the project remains in pre-design: "We're far from being ready to build," Torres said, and staff expect to begin design once the contract is approved.

Why it matters: much of Bellevue Park lies inside FEMA-mapped flood zones and a federally defined floodway. City staff said the floodway limits what can be built or placed in that area; improvements or additions to existing structures can trigger federal requirements that force relocation or major retrofits. Moving the barn would allow the city to add accessible routes and other facilities without the legal and engineering constraints that apply inside the floodway.

Key details

- Budget: Parks staff said the Bellevue project budget is $9,000,000. The feasibility study cost roughly $180,000; staff estimated design costs will be about $700,000, leaving an approximate working construction budget in the neighborhood of $8,000,000 once planning costs are deducted.

- Timeline: Parks staff will ask City Council to approve the design contract on Sept. 15. Staff said design work will begin after council action; construction will follow a separate procurement and schedule.

- Site selection: Of three sites identified, the staff-preferred option is a location near Pirates Cove, behind the current zoo barn footprint and up toward the pedestrian path to LB3. Staff said that option best meets operations, fire access and ADA access needs while avoiding the mapped floodplain.

- Parking and operations: Torres said the preferred location would likely leave the parking close to its current arrangement; one concept that used the parking lot was rejected because it would remove parking spaces.

Floodplain, floodway and regulatory constraints

Tyler Gallas, Englewood’s stormwater program manager and floodplain administrator, briefed the commission on FEMA designations and implications for Bellevue. He said FEMA’s 2024 maps (staff described them as current for the area) show multiple zones across the park: Zone AE (the 1% annual-chance floodplain), Zone X (the 0.2% annual-chance or "500-year" floodplain) and a designated floodway where channel flows concentrate.

Gallas explained that "structures" for regulatory purposes are features with three walls and a roof; benches and similar passive features are not structures. Structures placed in Zone AE must be designed to avoid flood damage — typically by elevating or floodproofing habitable space. The floodway is stricter: "You cannot do any construction, any fill, no placing dirt, no placing really anything, in that floodway unless a no-rise certification can be provided by an engineer," Gallas said. He added that the no-rise analysis typically models effects on the channel one mile upstream and downstream and can be costly.

Grandfathering and "substantial improvement"

Staff clarified how existing features are treated. The Bellevue Park train and its associated small building currently sit within mapped flood areas. Gallas said the train and building are currently grandfathered so long as they are not improved beyond thresholds that trigger FEMA’s "substantial improvement" or "substantial damage" rules. He described the threshold concept: routine maintenance and repairs are allowed, but additions or improvements that reach the federal threshold require bringing the structure into current floodplain standards.

What can be placed in the floodway

Gallas told the commission that passive recreation — trails, interpretive plantings, and other low-profile, non-filled features — is generally allowed and often the preferred use of floodplain and floodway lands. By contrast, anything above grade (planter berms, heavy edging, permanent structures, unanchored light posts) may require a no-rise certification and engineered anchoring to withstand flood forces.

Commission reaction and next steps

Commissioners raised questions about parking loss, ADA access (staff said ADA ramps or switchbacks may be required to reach creekside features), tree removal, and the timeline for community meetings. Parks staff said the design team has been selected (Logan Simpson was identified as the team that worked on the Bellevue master plan) but the city must secure a contract before design work begins. Staff said they will hold at least two public meetings and that the commission and members of the public will have opportunities to provide input to the design team.

The next formal step staff identified is the City Council action on Sept. 15 to approve the design contract. If council approves the contract, staff said they will begin design and will circulate concept drawings to the oversight committee, the Sustainability Commission and the public.

Ending

The Parks Department asked commissioners and residents to provide input now so the design team can consider sustainability, native plants, accessibility and passive recreation options during early concept work. Detailed design and construction timelines will be set after the council authorizes the contract and the design phase begins.