Edmonds' planned purchase of the Old Milltown plaza park has hit a speed bump.A $282,766 purchase agreement with developer Bob Gregg appeared imminent in April, but environmental concerns have slowed the process.
Even though the lush and leafy 22-foot by 100-foot plaza is now park-like, it has an industrial history that raises real contamination questions, city attorney Scott Snyder said in April.
"This is a property you take a good, close look at," Snyder said. "The city is probably going to cap it -- it'll be a courtyard -- but you want to take a good close look and see what is under there."
Neither Gregg nor the city is anxious to assume those risks. The property was a garage in the early 1900s.
The city tried to build strong language into the contract regarding possible environmental clean up, but Gregg balked. Now, the city wants to know exactly what problems might exist.
This week, the council approved a $6,500 environmental study to examine the property.
The study is expected to take a few weeks, and results could be ready in July, Mayor Gary Haakenson said.
In April, Gregg also expressed concern to the Enterprise about who would be maintaining the park property. The plaza is immediately adjacent to Old Milltown, a commercial development, and so its maintenance is vital, Gregg said.
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Chris Fyall
cfyall@heraldnet.com
2 comments:
How come the City of Edmonds (City Council?) is smarter than the Edmonds School Board?
Maybe the City Council attracts better people because they get medical coverage for their families.
The Council is running a business, the District is providing kid warehousing. As long as everyone focuses on the kids, they won't have to answer any questions about the business of education.
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