Lakewood gives green light to controversial $8 million plan to improve waterfront park
The Lakewood City Council unanimously approved a master plan for Edgewater Park, setting the stage for improvements the city says will increase access to Lake Steilacoom and resolve many issues for boaters and residents.
The $8.6 million master plan came under fire from neighbors, including Ebrahim Mirjalili whose home will be razed to make way for a parking lot on Edgewater Drive Southwest. In January a judge ruled in the city’s favor, saying Lakewood could use eminent domain to acquire his house for the project because the city contends about a third of it sits on public property predating Lakewood’s incorporation.
On Monday the City Council approved a conceptual plan for various park improvements and gave city staff approval to apply for grants to offset costs.
Lakewood has received complaints about the lack of parking at Edgewater Park for years, as well as traffic issues, invasive plants, lack of maintenance, no bathrooms and a steep and shallow boat launch, said parks director Mary Dodsworth.
If the city can secure funding, it plans to build a new car and trailer parking lot with 19 spots on the north end of Edgewater Drive Southwest, put one-way roads along Edgewater Drive Southwest and Foster Street Southwest, add crosswalks and replace invasive species with native species.
The master plan also proposes adding a designated fishing pier/beach, a designated swimming area with a beach, a designated hand-carry boat launch area, a new boat launch with a floating dock and a public toilet. Picnic tables, benches and a porch swing would be added, Dodsworth said.
More than 10 people spoke in opposition to the plan at the public hearing Monday, expressing concerns about eminent domain, more boat traffic on the lake, environmental impacts and park maintenance.
Dodsworth said on Monday the master plan addresses many of residents’ concerns and offered solutions to issues like a lack of parking, poor boat launch and deferred maintenance. Park improvements would happen in phases and come before the City Council for approval, she said.
“It was mentioned earlier this evening and I’ll reiterate it: It is a city goal to improve public access to water. The lakes are public waterways,” said council member Paul Bocchi, who went on to thank the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and staff for their years of work on the plan.
Bocchi said he was surprised and “a little bit disappointed” at the level of discourse about the park improvements given staff’s “good, well thought-out plan.” Any new construction or boat launch would meet current environmental and other permitting standards, “so the park will be the gold standard, really,” he said.
Mayor Jason Whalen said as “one of the privileged few” who lives on Lake Steilacoom “if there’s anyone here incentivised to not have traffic or more access or boats to the lake, it would be me.”
Whalen said his “wider duty sitting in this seat … is to represent the interests of not just me, or my family, or necessarily my neighbors, but those who would like to enjoy the privilege of having access to one of the waterfront lakes in Lakewood.”
On hot summer days Whalen said he’s driven down to Edgewater Park and seen families with young kids struggling to “find a patch of crappy grass to sit on so their kids could walk in and get cool.”
“It’s not right,” he said. “Our work as a council is to provide a vision for the future not just for the privileged few of us, but for all residents. And that includes residents who don’t have access to the lake.”
In terms of the proceeding condemning Mirjalili’s house, Whalen said the city takes those decisions very seriously and said this case involved “significant encroachment on the right of way.”
“The whole master plan concept can change over time, we may restrict it down based on resources. None of us wants to outspend resources we don’t have,” he said. “We want to do the bet we can for the greatest good for the residents of the city as a whole … and I hope you trust us to do it right.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2024 at 12:37 PM.
