UPDATED: Costs of the "The Redmond Central Connector" linear park and open space.

You may have seen the BNSF railroad rails stripped from their beds along Redmond Town Center this summer. Soon thereafter, a large stormwater trunk line was buried under the rail bed.  Next will be an expensive one mile linear trail and initial 10 acre downtown park installation.  The costs? 

In 2010, the City purchased four miles of former BNSF Railroad right-of-way in Redmond for $10 million.   In 2011, the City identified a phased approach to building a regional trail and linear park called the "Redmond Central Connector Master Plan."

Phase I of the Connector is a 1.1 mile regional trail from the junction of of East lake Sammamish Trail/Bear Creek Trail to the Sammamish River Trail. In addition, initial development of 10 acres of park space in the heart of Downtown Redmond is planned.

On June 21, 2011, City council approved the following expenditures for Phase I of the Central Connector:

• $395,000. LEGAL: *Stoel Rives, JD. for acquisition, easement agreements with King Cty, Sound Transit and Puget Sound Energy; DOT Surface Transportation Board meeting, possible BNSF Corridor litigation claims.
• $870,000 PROJECT MANAGEMENT, LANDSCAPE DESIGN: The Berger Partnership. (Includes $119,600 contingency)
• $90,000: CITY ADMINISTRATION: City of Redmond
• $115,000, John Flemming for Artistic Services (approved 12/2011)
• `$2.5 million for 1.1 mile of the four mile, $10 million corridor acquisition. [purchased earlier]
• _____________ cost of 10 acres open space (Downtown Park).  est.  $20 -30 million.

$3,855,000:  COSTS OF PHASE I, not including (1) open space land acquisition or other expenses.

The cost of 10 acres of downtown park space is significant, but unknown at this time.  I'll update this post, or another, when the figure's available.  Acquisitions and demolition of the Brown office building, Redmond Bicycle Shop, Quesnos, and small shops will be expensive.  Nonprofit  "Realize Redmond" is charged with raising downtown parkland funds.  Does anyone want to estimate the final cost for this "Master Plan" project?

(1)  "The Redmond Central Connector is on the former BNSF rail corridor that the City purchased for multiple city infrastructure projects including the nearly complete downtown stormwater trunk line, NE 161st Ave NE extension (complete), NE 164th Ave Extension (construction planned in 2012), and a future Avondale Way Extension.  The purchase price for the [four mile] corridor in 2010 was $10M."

Read about the project, see the consultant renditions here.
http://www.bergerpartnership.com/redmond-central-connector-moves-into-phase-1/

*Ref: AM NO. 11-128 (C.12)
Salvaging the Rails of the Redmond Central Connector, By Berger Consultants.
Central Connector City Site.
(1) Carolyn Hope, Senior Park Planner and Project Manager

By Bob Yoder
Updated, 12/15/2011