Submitted by The City of Olympia
At its regular business meeting on August 18, the Olympia City Council will consider approval of an option to purchase real estate owned by Wonderland Holdings LLC, consisting of approximately 75-acres southwest of Ken Lake. This parcel, located between Kaiser Road SW and Lakemoor Drive, was previously referred to as the proposed Kaiser Heights Development.
Acquiring open space and natural areas to meet current and future park needs was a top priority identified by the community during a public process the City recently conducted as part of its update of the Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan. The option to purchase would preserve the City’s ability to acquire the 75-acre property if voters approve the proposed Olympia Metropolitan Park District (MPD). The City Council has taken action to place an MPD ballot measure before the voters on November 3, 2015.
Consideration of this option will occur following recent City Council action to secure an option for 74 acres of land in Southeast Olympia in an area known as the “LBA Woods.” If both the Kaiser Heights and LBA Woods properties are purchased, the Olympia park system will grow by 149 acres. This would be a significant step in fulfilling the previously established goal of the 2004 voted utility tax ballot measure to acquire an additional 500 acres of new parks.
