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Council reviews land‑disposition procedures and considers stronger protections for parks and Wildflower Park
Summary
Deputy Mayor and staff reviewed existing statutory, charter and plan protections for parks and beaches and previewed ordinance 5,766, which would require additional hearings and notices for dispositions of land over half an acre; council members discussed expanding park protections while preserving necessary exceptions for utilities and infrastructure.
City Attorney Kaylor briefed the council on protections already on the books and on draft ordinance 5,766, which staff will introduce at an upcoming meeting. Kaylor said the ordinance would add an enhanced process for disposition of lands over half an acre, including two public hearings and mailings to owners within a 500‑foot radius, and reminded the council that the charter already limits alienation of public beaches without voter approval.
Council member Wigdner reviewed the Wildflower Park restrictions adopted earlier and argued for an additional layer of park protection citywide that would limit uses of city‑owned parks to public recreation and related functions while preserving explicit exceptions for utilities and necessary easements. Other council members cautioned that any charter or ordinance language must be carefully drafted to avoid unintended constitutional or operational problems and to preserve legitimate infrastructure needs.
The council did not adopt language at the workshop; members directed staff and the city attorney’s office to continue drafting and to return a detailed ordinance and supporting list of existing protections for the public hearing sequence required by ordinance 5,766.
