We were unstoppable! With huge community support building over the past six years, including YOUR amazing support, Bellevue City Council voted on December 10, 2024, to purchase the former Milt Swanson property from a private developer for $19.1 million, using in part a Conservation Futures grant from King County. The Trust for Public Land, a nationally-recognized nonprofit, assisted the city in fostering a conversation with the developer. Please consider donating to the Save Coal Creek Fund. Your donation will help our grassroots effort with getting the word out and with our legal efforts to stop this development.

The council vote was unanimous, and each member provided reasons for their vote to acquire the property. The video can be viewed using this link, starting at 1:00:27. For additional information about the purchase and vote, read the Seattle Times article published on December 13, 2024. Please send your thanks to Bellevue City Councilmembers for their bold action, by email at: council@bellevuewa.gov.

Next Steps?

Ultimately, the property will be added to the Coal Creek Natural Area, an existing Bellevue park that surrounds it on three sides. The fourth side is also parkland and a beloved King County hiking area—Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. Two King County councilmembers, Claudia Balducci and Reagan Dunn, provided crucial support for the acquisition.

Bellevue Deputy Parks Director Camron Parker has told Save Coal Creek that, “…the process to prepare and close the transaction will take a little more time. We anticipate closing and transferring ownership around the end of January. You will see some activity at the property as the current owner cleans up and clears out.” The Parks Department has listened to Save Coal Creek’s request to preserve one building on the property—the red horse barn built in the 1930s using traditional methods and serving as a reminder of the importance of horses in the mining community from 1890 to 1940.

The Steering Committee’s Impact

With backgrounds in parks management and advisory boards, law, local coal mining history, conservation advocacy, city planning (for a neighboring city), corporate sustainability, city council leadership (for a neighboring city), small business ownership, and environmental science, Save Coal Creek’s Steering Committee provided guidance starting in the spring of 2020. The committee includes Bellevue residents Steve Williams, Peter Marshall, Sally Lawrence, Dave Hamilton, Elaine Duncan, and Brigitta Witt, along with Issaquah Alps leaders David Kappler and Paul Winterstein.

Support Save Coal Creek

While this acquisition is a major milestone, it’s just the beginning. Save Coal Creek looks forward to working with the city to integrate the property into the Coal Creek Natural Area, ensuring its historical and educational value benefits the Bellevue community. We welcome your input as we move forward.

Although much of our work has been volunteer-driven, we’ve incurred significant legal and related expenses. The Issaquah Alps Trails Club (IATC) has generously covered $22,000 of these costs, but any support to help offset the remaining expenses would be deeply appreciated.

Please consider making a donation to IATC and designating your contribution for Save Coal Creek.

AVOID INCREASE IN TRAFFIC

Injecting 35 homes (with perhaps 100+ residents and 50 cars) would increase traffic on an already dangerous 40 mph commuter roadway. How will school buses, garbage trucks, and delivery vans get in and out? How will pedestrians be able to safely cross the road?

PRESERVE HISTORY

A much better use of this site, in harmony with the two adjacent wildland parks, will be to provide a trailhead interpretive facility with limited parking close to Lakemont Blvd. while preserving the rest of the site in its natural state and improving connections to Cougar Mt. Wildland Park.

PROTECT SALMON HABITAT

The site drains three sensitive wetlands containing four different fish bearing streams. Birds such as kingfishers, dippers and herons have been observed here; as well as sapsuckers, pileated wood-peckers, bats, swallows, owls, hawks, weasels, frogs & salamanders.

Protect wildlife

The area is a very active wildlife corridor and provides critical habitat for wildlife including deer, coyotes, bobcats, and bears who have been seen crossing Lakemont Boulevard. Thanks to Paul Van Atta for supplying the wonderful wildlife video footage of the bears!