Pierce County park with 160 acres is getting dog park, nature play area, trail upgrades
The sound of raindrops falling on leaves is a familiar tune to most, if not all, people who frequent Orangegate Park. Now, people can continue to enjoy that and more there for years to come.
The Pierce County Council adopted the master plan for the Orangegate Park project in October. That means the county’s Parks and Recreation department will begin designing and engineering the first phase of the project in 2022.
The park is at the intersection of 84th Street East and 46th Avenue East in Waller. It is about 160 acres, and the county purchased the park from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in 1998.
Community members in the area advocated for the county to purchase the park because they wanted to protect it from being developed into anything else, Tiffany Odell, senior planner of the project, said.
Residents were concerned the property might be developed into a mobile home site, said Larry Volland, co-founder of the Summit-Waller Community Association. Volland, who is a long-time resident in the area, has been monitoring the park since then.
“I’m kind of the one that goes around and picks up garbage on the streets around Orangegate,” Volland said. “The woods there is a gem and there’s been a couple of attempts to come up with a plan … now there’s a brand new plan, and I support it.”
Plans for phase one include the development of a parking area, restrooms, maintenance facility and a nature-based play area. The first phase of a 5-acre dog park would also fall under phase one, Odell said.
Improvements to existing trails are also included in phase one.
The first phase of the project will cost about $3.7 million and the second phase will cost about $1.3 million, Odell said. The county plans to ask the state for a $500,000 grant to assist with the costs for phase one while the county pays for the rest.
Phase two of the project includes a pump track for bikes as well as the second phase of the dog park. Funding for phase two has not been secured, she said. Construction on Orangegate Park is expected to begin in 2024.
“These people have been pushing for this park for years and years and years,” Odell said. “They’re finally getting it.”
In 2007, the county created a master plan to redevelop the park, but it was shelved because there was not enough funding to execute the plan, Odell said. It was not until 2016 that the council increased the county’s park impact fees.
In 2020, the county worked with local groups such as the SWCA to refresh the 2007 master plan, Odell said. The county also held public meetings online and distributed surveys to gain feedback on the project.
“The resounding answer was: ‘Please preserve this as a natural, beautiful, open space … don’t come in and cut down the trees,’” Odell said.
During the public outreach process, community members identified some issues in the park. Some have expressed safety concerns on the trails, homeless encampments in some areas as well as the lack of parking spaces.
Volland said some people drive motorized vehicles at the park. There has also been an issue with illegal dumping of garbage and unwanted items at night.
Developing the park will help slow down activities, Volland noted, as it will bring more people and “more eyes” to the area.
SWCA president Bob Koreis said the park is used not only by people in the neighborhood, but also equestrians.
Equestrians who frequent the park will be restricted to about 120 acres south of 84th Street East, Odell said. The north area or “North 40” of the park will have the most development.
“I’m really excited about this being developed as a nice resource for the wider community for a long time,” Koreis said.
