Task Force proposes zoning changes to preserve open space at Aldercrest Annex

City of Shoreline, Shoreline School District, Ballinger Neighborhood Association and Friends of Aldercrest are co-hosting a meeting on Thursday, January 27 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Living Wisdom School, 2800 NE 200th Street in the Ballinger Neighborhood to discuss the specific details of the proposal and to solicit comments from neighbors.

From the office of the Shoreline City Manager

For decades, residents of the Ballinger Neighborhood and the surrounding areas have enjoyed using the open space at the Shoreline School District’s Aldercrest Annex property located at 2545 NE 200th Street in Shoreline for sporting and leisure activities. A proposal put forward by the Aldercrest Annex Task Force would allow residents to continue to enjoy open space there even if the School District sells the property for future development.

In November, the Task Force reached unanimous agreement for how to rezone the property. The proposed rezone would require any future developer to dedicate 6 to 7 acres of the 16-acre property to the City for park space in exchange for an increase in the density allowed on the northern portion of the property.

Photo courtesy Friends of Aldercrest

Originally the site of the Kellogg Middle School, the Shoreline School Board voted to surplus the Aldercrest Annex property in 2008. The School District wishes to sell the property and use the proceeds to create an endowment for Shoreline schools, furthering its educational mission.

Representatives from the Shoreline School Board, the Shoreline City Council, the Ballinger Neighborhood Association and the Friends of Aldercrest made up the Task Force membership. In June 2010, the Shoreline City Council directed City staff to organize a task force to explore options for preserving open space at the Aldercrest Annex while ensuring the School District remained financially whole.

The Task Force, with assistance from City and School District staff, met four times over four months to refine a proposal first put forward my members of the Friends of Aldercrest. It was a collaborative effort with the result being a unanimously agreed upon proposal to be submitted to the Shoreline Planning Commission for consideration. The proposal includes proposed amendments to the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Development Code. The amendments would create a special land use district for the site that would guarantee the dedication of park space to the City of Shoreline on the southern portion of the property in exchange for an increase in allowable density on the upper portion of the property.

If you would like to hear more about the proposed amendments, City of Shoreline, Shoreline School District, Ballinger Neighborhood Association and Friends of Aldercrest are co-hosting a meeting on Thursday, January 27 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Living Wisdom School, 2800 NE 200th Street in the Ballinger Neighborhood to discuss the specific details of the proposal and to solicit comments from neighbors.

A public hearing is scheduled for February 17, 2011, before the Shoreline Planning Commission. If approved, the amendments will then go to the Shoreline City Council for final approval in March.