Land Acquisition

What is land acquisition?

Land acquisition is the process of procuring property through purchase, donation, conservation, etc. Between 1999 and 2021, the City has acquired 675 acres of public land.

Why is the City acquiring land?

The recent increase in private development throughout Sammamish has started conversations about acquiring more land to:

• protect habitat;
• retain tree canopy; and
• preserve the natural beauty and character of the community.

The City Council and City Administration are committed to preserving open space in Sammamish for the benefit of future generations. The City recognizes public acquisition may provide the only opportunity to preserve land under increasing development pressure. The primary goal of the land evaluation process is to guide the preservation of the City’s remaining relatively undeveloped parcels.

Land Acquisition Strategy & Implementation Program

In 2017, the City adopted a Land Acquisition Strategy & Implementation Program. There are two purposes to this program:

1. The first is prioritizing acquisition efforts.
2. The second is standardizing the evaluation process used by City staff to screen properties for Council consideration.

The early stages of this program involved an extensive public outreach process. The intent was to better understand specific community desires regarding new land acquisitions. The results confirmed that the community overwhelmingly supports the acquisition of land for public use.

The community’s highest priorities are for:

• new trails;
• preserving tree canopy;
• protecting streams and corridors;
• preserving wildlife habitat; and
• increasing waterfront access.

Acquisition efforts are focused on properties that will help preserve Sammamish’s natural beauty and provide greater recreational opportunities. Acquisition can support the vision of trail connectivity. 

Sammamish Park Land Acquisition History

Year Acquired	Park Name	Acreage
1999	East Sammamish Park	19
1999	Evans Pond Trail	0.5
1999	Northeast Sammamish Park	6
1999	Pine Lake Park	19
2000	Evans Creek Preserve	174
2001	Ebright Creek Park	12
2001	Sammamish Landing	4
2002	Sammamish Commons	27
2002	Beaver Lake Preserve	59
2003	Beaver Lake Park	83
2005	Additional Evans Creek Preserve Parcels	5
2006	Illahee Trail	13
2007	Steve and Rosina Kipper Preserve	17
2008	Additional Sammamish Landing Parcels	6.3
2011	Big Rock Park Site A	16
2011	Thirty Acres Park (Soaring Eagle)	30
2013	Additional Evans Creek Preserve Parcels	28
2013	Additional Parcels Along Sahalee Way	7
2013	Big Rock Park Site B	20
2016	Klahanie Park	64
2018	Additional Parcels Along Sahalee Way	11.15
2018	Property Along George Davis Creek	0.75
2018	Beaton Hill Park	9.32
2020	Property Along NE 6th St	13.7
2021	Parker Properties	14.88
2021	Big Rock Park South	14.87
		TOTAL: 675

Suggest a site!

The City is currently accepting site nominations for staff consideration. If you think the City should consider a specific property, please give us more information using the Site Nomination Form.