The Fremont and Greenwood neighborhoods will see two parks in their communities expand with today’s unanimous approval by the Metropolitan King County Council of the allocation of Conservation Futures Funds, a program dedicated to the purchase of open space, agricultural and timberlands.

“Citizen involvement plays a large role in the distribution of Conservation Future funds, so these allocations are the culmination of grass-root efforts to ensure that open space remains in our growing urban communities,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips, whose district includes the communities of Fremont and Greenwood. “The people living near these parks are responding to a need and the result is more space for everyone.”

The funds allocated to Fremont Peak Park will go towards the purchase of property between 1st Avenue NW and Palatine Avenue at NW 45th Street. The property will allow better street visibility and access to the park, which has outstanding views of the Lake Union Ship Canal, Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and downtown Seattle. Greenwood Park is a new park development on the site of the former Otani Greenhouses at 87th and Fremont Avenue North. The Conservation Funds will go toward the purchase of parcels located within the park. Two buildings located on those parcels will be removed to increase the open space available in the park.

“I helped celebrate the groundbreaking of Greenwood Park in 2002,” said Phillips. “So I know about the effort of the community to help create this playground and oasis of green in the middle of their neighborhood. And the views from Fremont Peak Park are just incredible. I applaud our citizens for their continuing work on these jewels.”

The Conservation Futures Fund is supported by a countywide property tax, which by state law can only be used to purchase open space or resource lands. While county government and incorporated city governments are the primary applicants for these funds, citizen groups and individual citizens have received Conservation Futures Funding after demonstrating the local jurisdiction is committed to helping acquire the open space. Recommendations on parcels for purchase are made by a Citizen Oversight Committee.