Sammamish council declines schematic design contract for Big Rock Park South after heated debate

Sammamish City Council on March 3 voted down a motion to authorize the city manager to execute a schematic design contract with HBB Landscape Architecture for Big Rock Park South, after members questioned the timing and lifecycle costs of the project. The motion, for a clarified contract amount of $606,956.25 for schematic design work, failed on a 5-2 vote.

Councilors and staff framed schematic design as the next technical step in implementing the adopted Big Rock Park master plan: it would fund topographic surveys, hydrology and stormwater studies, utility stubs and design details needed to move from a conceptual plan toward construction. "Schematic design is considered 30% of that completed construction document," Parks Project Manager Michelle Arab said, adding schematics help validate feasibility and probable construction costs.

Opponents cautioned schematic design would commit the city to drawing conclusions about building reuse without a completed economic or operating analysis. "I would like to see an inventory of our spaces, what they are across the city, what their planned usage is, the cost to support all those — recurring and nonrecurring — before committing," Councilmember Michael Boyer said, pressing staff for a holistic facilities and lifecycle-costs comparison. Several council members said that without clearer operational estimates, producing detailed building designs risks saddling the city with high long-term maintenance costs.

Supporters emphasized the project would also advance park infrastructure and allow the city to safely open portions of the donated 51-acre site. "This has been in the budget; our goal with schematic is to get more information to inform the next budget cycle," Parks Director Anjali Meyer said, noting the adopted master plan included phased elements and that roughly two-thirds of the schematic work pertains to park infrastructure rather than the buildings.

Donor Mary Piggott, who gifted the land, told the council she does not favor preserving the deteriorated house on the property and urged prioritizing park access and amenities. "I would hate to see the city waste money on trying to fix it," she said.

Staff said HBB Landscape Architecture was unanimously selected through an RFQ process and that schematic design would include the engineering and surveys needed to determine site hydrology and parking requirements. Cost estimates presented to the council showed a total projected cost to build the full master-plan improvements of roughly $17 million, with about $11.5 million estimated for construction and the remainder for contingency, taxes and soft costs.

After extended debate about sequencing, budgets and whether to pursue a separate early economic analysis, a motion to authorize the city manager to execute the schematic design contract (including the city manager's reserve) failed 5-2. The council recessed briefly and directed staff to return with alternative approaches that could address council concerns about timing, operational costs and program needs.

Next steps: staff said they would take council feedback and explore options — such as reducing initial scope, adding an earlier economic analysis, or clarifying building-versus-park priorities — then return to the council for further direction and potential reconsideration.