Happy Valley Park will expand into a derelict property on Donovan Avenue after the Bellingham City Council voted unanimously Monday night to purchase the lot.
A one-story house with boarded-up windows and a detached garage will be razed so the 13,000-square-foot lot can be added to the adjacent park, according to a city press release.
The council agreed to pay $615,000 for the property at 2710 Donovan Ave., with the sale expected to close in early June. The city is using Greenways funds from a voter-approved property tax that will collect nearly $5.5 million this year.
“This property is perfectly situated to expand and improve the neighborhood park and connect to nearby trails,” Mayor Seth Fleetwood said in the release. “Acquisitions such as this are a critical component of the most recent Greenways levy, and I am pleased to see this accomplished.”
City officials will take suggestions from the public on the types of improvements that should be built into the expanded area of Happy Valley Park. Currently, the park includes a playground and a picnic shelter. Connelly and Padden creeks both run through the park.
