After significant public opposition, city council unanimously voted to no longer consider selling Hummingbird Hill Park.
EDMONDS, Wash. — After a month of significant public backlash, the Edmonds City Council unanimously voted to scrap plans to sell a public park to help alleviate the city’s budget challenges.
This comes after Councilmember Vivian Olsen, who proposed the sale, formally requested the idea be removed from a list of 28 amendments to the city’s long-term plan.
“Thank you to Councilmember Vivian Olsen. It takes an evolved person to propose an idea — albeit an unpopular one — listen to feedback, and change course,” Edmonds resident Chelsea Rudd said during public comment.
On Monday, the council accepted Olsen’s request to withdraw three of her six proposals from consideration, including the sale of Meadowdale Clubhouse and the rezoning of the city library and the Francis Anderson Center.
Additionally, lawmakers approved Councilmember Neill Tibbott’s request to remove all three of his proposals, which had aimed to rezone and expand the use of City Hall, the Wade James Theatre, and the Francis Anderson Center.
Community opposition to the proposals, particularly those concerning Hummingbird Hill Park and the Francis Anderson Center, had been strong ever since the public first learned of them in March.
At an April 1 city council meeting, hundreds of residents packed the chamber, passionately urging councilmembers not to sell the park or community center.
“Men were crying in there. I was crying in there,” Marybeth Hovde, an Edmonds resident said.
Since then, multiple community groups have launched efforts to save the city’s parks, fearing that one property sale could set a precedent for more.
One Facebook group, Edmonds Activated, gained 700 members in a single week, all united in their opposition to the proposed changes.
“Once removed from the list Hummingbird Park and Francis Anderson Center will be back where they belong: in the loving arms of this community,” Rudd said.
