City signals intent to partner with NPRSA on aquatic/community center property; staff to draft MOU

Council discussed a staff briefing on a potential partnership with the Northshore Parks & Recreation Service Area (NPRSA) for two city‑owned parcels intended for an aquatic and community center.

Staff reported the city closed on both parcels the day before the meeting and said NPRSA had secured additional King County grant funding contingent on documentation of intent to partner and the city bringing the property to the project. The presentation emphasized the conversation was nonbinding and that staff would draft an MOU documenting high‑level intent for NPRSA and King County.

Council members broadly favored a lease approach that would allow the city to retain ownership and some oversight rather than an outright sale. Supporters said leasing (including nominal‑dollar leases) could protect the city from having to monetize the property within a bond package and preserve fallback options if a future levy failed; one council member noted many pools operate on thin margins and cautioned that any lease or rent should not jeopardize the project’s financial viability.

Questions focused on whether a sale would be tied to a bond measure, the relative cost of the property compared with total project costs, and liability differences between lease and sale. The city attorney said liability can be addressed contractually in a lease through indemnity and defense clauses and that a lease does not necessarily present greater liability than ownership.

There was no motion or vote; staff concluded there was sufficient consensus to proceed with an MOU for council review and formal approval at a future meeting.