Daily Journal of Commerce
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Bothell buys 35 acres from the Boy Scouts By KATIE ZEMTSEFF
Journal Staff Reporter The city of Bothell is purchasing 35 acres of open space from Boy Scouts America in a $460,000 deal that is expected to close today.
The land is one mile from the city center, along Interstate 405. It is undeveloped mature forest with wetlands and streams, and is surrounded by an urban area that city officials expect will see significant growth in the next 18 years.
Funds for the purchase were raised by Friends of North Creek Forest, a nonprofit citizens group that received money from the Washington State Department of Commerce, as well as Snohomish and King counties.
Jim Freese of Friends of North Creek Forest said the purchase follows 10 years of grassroots citizen efforts. “You don't find this kind of forest in a city. This is a game-changing piece of property. When a city saves something like this, it alters the future, for fisheries, for education and for all Bothell citizens.”
Before Friends of North Creek got involved, another citizens group called Help Our Woods contributed time and effort. The groups raised $600,000 to finance the acquisition.
Joy Johnston, public information officer for Bothell, said citizens involvement allowed Bothell to purchase the land without using any city tax revenue. She said Bothell only has about 200 acres of parkland now, so 30 acres will make a big difference.
The city will preserve the land as open space for passive uses. At some point, the area might get trails but there is no need now for consultant services or a master plan.
Bryan Zemp, a broker with Windermere Bellevue Commons and a long time Boy Scout, said the Scouts are not in the development business and wanted to sell the land. Over the last five years, he said he's helped the organization sell five other properties that were given to the Scouts. Money from the sales goes back to operations.
He said the organization took a loss on the property, but he said he “can't think of a better win-win.” The Boy Scouts may help maintain the property or build trails.
“The Boy Scouts are willing to take a loss and Bothell's willing to take a risk and (the Friends of North Creek Forest) already have things lined up. It's just a great, good story. It does give me hope,” Zemp said.
The property was given to the Boy Scouts in the 1970s by the Fortin Family. A number of development plans were proposed over the years. The most recent was in 2004 when CamWest wanted to use the land as part of a housing development. The plan fizzled in 2008 due to the economy.
This year, Zemp was asked to help sell the land.
Zemp said the group would like to buy more land in the area, so it was important to secure this piece first. The North Creek Forest is a mile long and extends from Canyon Park Junior High on the north to North Creek wetlands near the University of Washington Bothell campus on the south. It links to the Sammamish River.
Zemp said working on the land deal was also interesting to him on a personal level. While researching it, he discovered that his father was on the executive board of the Boy Scouts as vice president of properties when the land was given to the organization. He also discovered that the father of current Council President Tom Piggot was council president in the 1970s.
Zemp said he and Piggot are finishing something their fathers started.
Bothell buys 35 acres from the Boy Scouts By KATIE ZEMTSEFF
Journal Staff Reporter The city of Bothell is purchasing 35 acres of open space from Boy Scouts America in a $460,000 deal that is expected to close today.
The land is one mile from the city center, along Interstate 405. It is undeveloped mature forest with wetlands and streams, and is surrounded by an urban area that city officials expect will see significant growth in the next 18 years.
Funds for the purchase were raised by Friends of North Creek Forest, a nonprofit citizens group that received money from the Washington State Department of Commerce, as well as Snohomish and King counties.
Jim Freese of Friends of North Creek Forest said the purchase follows 10 years of grassroots citizen efforts. “You don't find this kind of forest in a city. This is a game-changing piece of property. When a city saves something like this, it alters the future, for fisheries, for education and for all Bothell citizens.”
Before Friends of North Creek got involved, another citizens group called Help Our Woods contributed time and effort. The groups raised $600,000 to finance the acquisition.
Joy Johnston, public information officer for Bothell, said citizens involvement allowed Bothell to purchase the land without using any city tax revenue. She said Bothell only has about 200 acres of parkland now, so 30 acres will make a big difference.
The city will preserve the land as open space for passive uses. At some point, the area might get trails but there is no need now for consultant services or a master plan.
Bryan Zemp, a broker with Windermere Bellevue Commons and a long time Boy Scout, said the Scouts are not in the development business and wanted to sell the land. Over the last five years, he said he's helped the organization sell five other properties that were given to the Scouts. Money from the sales goes back to operations.
He said the organization took a loss on the property, but he said he “can't think of a better win-win.” The Boy Scouts may help maintain the property or build trails.
“The Boy Scouts are willing to take a loss and Bothell's willing to take a risk and (the Friends of North Creek Forest) already have things lined up. It's just a great, good story. It does give me hope,” Zemp said.
The property was given to the Boy Scouts in the 1970s by the Fortin Family. A number of development plans were proposed over the years. The most recent was in 2004 when CamWest wanted to use the land as part of a housing development. The plan fizzled in 2008 due to the economy.
This year, Zemp was asked to help sell the land.
Zemp said the group would like to buy more land in the area, so it was important to secure this piece first. The North Creek Forest is a mile long and extends from Canyon Park Junior High on the north to North Creek wetlands near the University of Washington Bothell campus on the south. It links to the Sammamish River.
Zemp said working on the land deal was also interesting to him on a personal level. While researching it, he discovered that his father was on the executive board of the Boy Scouts as vice president of properties when the land was given to the organization. He also discovered that the father of current Council President Tom Piggot was council president in the 1970s.
Zemp said he and Piggot are finishing something their fathers started.
