Two cyclists pedal on the paved bike path through Leslie Groves Park in north Richland. Neighbors are unhappy with the city’s initial ideas for new park amenities along the Columbia River.
Richland, Washington
Richland is rethinking plans for new parking lots, pickleball courts and other amenities at Leslie Groves Park under pressure from neighbors to keep the Columbia River waterfront as pristine as possible.
Joe Schiessl, deputy city manager, told the Tri-City Herald they suspended planning for the 149-acre park after neighbors told the Richland City Council this week that providing it with amenities geared toward Human action would harm the community and jeopardize natural areas that support wildlife, including endangered butterflies.
Schiessl said the city clearly understood it was on the wrong path and was rethinking its approach.
“There is no urgency to develop a plan,” he said.
Open day postponed
An open house that was supposed to precede the Nov. 9 parks commission meeting is canceled and a citizen survey on the city’s webpage will be disabled.
Schiessl said planners will go back to the drawing board to revise graphics that currently show amenities such as an amphitheater, education center, bike maintenance stations, boat ramp and parking lots and aforementioned pickleball courts in the park.
Leslie Groves borders the Columbia between Van Giesen Street to the south and Snyder Street to the north.
A path along a seawall connects it to Howard Amon Park to the south, behind Porter’s Real Barbecue.
Together, Leslie Groves, Howard Amon and the connector trails provide the public with nearly uninterrupted access to the Columbia River in Richland.
Respected natural spaces
Any future projects will likely abandon the ideas promoted in the initial cycle.
Schiessl said the city likes that the north and south sections of Leslie Groves are better reserved for nature, while the central section — which already has a swimming beach, volleyball court, parking lots, tennis courts tennis and a boat ramp – is best reserved for sports and recreation.
The initial plan drew criticism from a group of Richland residents who live near Leslie Groves Park. About sixty of them expressed their concerns to the municipal council during the regular meeting on October 17.
The park was not on the council’s agenda, but eight people voiced their objections during the public comment section, where visitors can speak out on any topic.
Schiessl said it speaks volumes that citizens bypassed the usual process to tell the city what they thought. The city listened, he said.
Objections to improvement
Quinn Smith, who led the neighbors group, praised some aspects. Improved signs, a bee-friendly pollinator garden and a landscaping plan that would eliminate invasive Russian olives taking over the shoreline are welcome changes.
But neighbors said other aspects of the proposed plans would harm their neighborhoods and not be the best use of valuable park space.
Laila Krowiak, a 30-year resident, encouraged the city not to add parking lots, saying it makes no sense to pave the park to try to handle demand during weekend rush hours.
“Free parking is an insatiable beast,” she said.
Diana Moeller, another neighbor, said a natural area in the southern part of the park is rich in milkweed, which provides habitat and food for migratory monarch butterflies, now threatened with extinction. The milkweed area is home to butterflies and 20 other species, she said.
The original plan anticipated that a boat launch for kayaks and other non-motorized watercraft could damage it, she said.
“We must be stewards. »
Renee Smith opposed adding pickleball courts.
This growing sport is notoriously a bad neighbor thanks to the endless sound of “pickleball pop” – balls hitting paddles.
“There are better location options than Les Groves Park,” she told the city council.
Schiessl said the city is considering installing pickleball courts in Badger South.
How it started
The review of Leslie Groves Park began in 2022 when the Park Service mowed a natural area in Leslie Groves. Mowing is fairly common, but the city waived its three-times-a-year mowing schedule and the area was more overgrown than usual.
Mowers accidentally plowed up milkweed, drawing the attention of wildlife enthusiasts who understand its importance to birds and butterflies, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps owns Leslie Groves and leases it to the city as a recreational facility, similar to the agreement for Columbia Park in Kennewick. The Corps does not own Howard Amon Park, another popular Richland waterfront park.
To watch the discussion at the October 17 meeting, go to bit.ly/3QoWMq7.
The public comment portion begins around minute 40.
Schiessl said the city will update the dedicated Leslie Groves Park planning website, including graphics. Go to bit.ly/3tM05ie
Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications throughout Washington and Oregon. She earned degrees in English and Economics from the University of Puget Sound.
