Kenmore Sound

Community · Outcome pending · Sep 23, 2025

Draft park plan: WaterWalk trail would need private waterfront land

A draft update to Kenmore's parks plan says a WaterWalk trail connecting Log Boom Park to Tl'awh-ah-dees Park would require acquiring or getting dedication of privately-owned waterfront property 1.

What the records say

Kenmore's draft Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan update, discussed at the Planning Commission's Sept. 23, 2025 meeting, identified a “Water-Walk Trail” as a key opportunity. The trail would connect Log Boom Park on Lake Washington with ƛ̕ ax̌ʷadis (Tl'awh-ah-dees) Park at the confluence of Swamp Creek and the Sammamish River. The record states the trail “would require acquisition or dedication of privately-owned property in between” to become a reality 1. To support that idea, the draft includes policies to inventory and continue identifying public and private parcels for the WaterWalk, and to pursue public access when key waterfront properties redevelop 1.

  • The draft PROS Plan identifies a WaterWalk trail between Log Boom Park and Tl'awh-ah-dees Park as an opportunity.
  • The record says the trail would require acquisition or dedication of privately-owned property between the two parks.
  • The draft includes policies to inventory public and private parcels for the WaterWalk and to seek public access when central waterfront properties redevelop.
  • The PROS Plan update is anticipated to be adopted in January 2026; the current plan was adopted in February 2020.

Why it matters

Kenmore residents have long sought improved access to the city's 7+ miles of shoreline, according to the plan's obstacles section 1. The WaterWalk would create a continuous pedestrian route between two major waterfront parks. But because it depends on private landowners, the city would need to buy property or get landowners to dedicate land — either directly or when central waterfront properties redevelop, as the draft plan notes 1.

What changed / what's next

  • The draft PROS Plan states that the WaterWalk trail would require acquisition or dedication of privately-owned property, and adds policies to identify and pursue such parcels 1.
  • The record shows the Planning Commission discussed the draft PROS Plan at its Sept. 23, 2025 meeting, but the records do not establish whether the plan was ultimately adopted 1.
  • The plan was anticipated to be adopted in January 2026, according to the draft 1.
  • The draft also calls for developing a Waterfront Master Strategic Plan and seeking external funding or partnerships to advance waterfront access 1.
  • The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.