Op-Ed: Vote for a strong LFP, and also for fairer taxes

By Josh Rosenau

Lake Forest Park is voting on a levy lid lift this November, an extra 22¢/$1,000 to maintain public safety services over the next 6 years. Last year, a very similar measure came 19 votes shy of passing. 

A year's delay brings our city closer to a crisis that could cost us the responsive, community-oriented police department we rely on, the compassionate alternatives to police response we've built with our neighbors, or the safe streets and sheltered parks we value.

Ours isn't the only levy lid lift on ballots in northshore communities this year. Kenmore and Mountlake Terrace are running similar measures, which would allow the city's property taxes to grow faster than would otherwise be possible under an outdated and flawed state law. 

Community members see their property taxes are rising steadily, often without realizing that the money flowing directly to their city — to the streets, police, parks, and community services that drew them to their homes — has been declining as a percentage of those taxes, and shrinking in its buying power.

Property tax rates to King County, school district, fire district, and others have risen because voters approved new taxes (or voted to let certain taxes rise with inflation, as the levy lid lifts all do this year). 

Those taxes are specific to each of those taxing districts. King County's Assessor collects all of those property taxes and distributes them according to the law and the actions of voters.

Lake Forest Park’s slice of that pie has shrunk steadily because voters haven’t adopted a levy lid lift or allowed tax revenue to grow with inflation. 

That means that total property tax collections citywide can’t increase more than 1% per year (except for a a one-time bump when a property is redeveloped). Because inflation is almost always higher than that rate, the city’s buying power declines steadily. 

Since that law was adopted in 2001, LFP’s property tax buying power is down over a million dollars each year. That loss makes it hard to even maintain the same services we had from one budget to the next, let alone keep up with new mandates or add the kinds of services community members request. 

The graph here shows the city’s property tax collections according to data from the King County Assessor, first in the actual dollars collected (also known as “nominal dollars,” shown in blue), and the same number adjusted for inflation (labeled as “buying power” and shown in green). It shows the steady drop in buying power, with a recent crash as the effects of the pandemic, tariffs, and war have accelerated inflation.

The city has two basic ways to close that gap. 

• One: raising taxes. 
• Two: cutting services in increasingly dramatic ways. The proposed tax increase in this case adds about $211 per year in property taxes to the median homeowner (less than Netflix). Closing a gap the size of the current structural deficit would cost the equivalent of the salary for the entire public works team or most of the police force. Selling a park might generate that much revenue, but next year we’d have to sell another.

These seem like dramatic examples, but when Brier’s levy lid lift failed, they cut their police department to the bone. When Edmonds’ levy lid lift failed, they started the process of selling parks, until public outrage forced a different path. Lynnwood just announced 14 layoffs across multiple departments and a property tax hike, all to close this same structural gap. Clyde Hill has already announced that if their levy lid lift fails this November, they will dissolve and be annexed by a neighboring city, losing control of their budget and local zoning.

Prop 1 is the solution Lake Forest Park needs today. But cities alone can't solve the underlying structural problem forcing us to ever more extreme measures. 

We need legislators in Olympia to see the chaos their 1% cap has produced, and implement a comprehensive fix so our property taxes will be fairer, while giving cities the ability to sustain services. 

Rob Foxcurran, the leading candidate to become King County's Assessor, has outlined a package of changes the legislature could pass immediately, so that cities wouldn't have to ask for voter approval just to maintain status quo service, while taking the property tax burden off of renters and working class homeowners. 

The millionaire’s tax passed last year was one step toward a fairer tax code, but the flawed property tax system is increasingly an existential crisis for our cities, and Olympia needs to address it in 2027.

Until the legislature acts, cities are stuck with the bad choices of 2001's lawmakers. We’ll continue to see cities placing existential choices on the ballot all over the state as we do this year. 

Those cities didn’t make bad management choices, they’re just asking voters to help our communities survive a flawed system. Only Olympia can really fix it, and legislators are on the ballot this November, too.

-- Josh Rosenau is a parent, conservation biologist, and policy advocate, and was elected to Lake Forest Park's city council in 2025. This essay expresses his personal views.

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Lake Forest Park NO KINGS Rally

Over 500 people gathered in Lake Forest Park for the No Kings Rally
Photo by Glen Milner

By Donna Hawkey

Photos by Donna Hawkey except as noted

Lake Forest Park’s (LFP) Democracy Corner buzzed on Saturday morning not only with cars and buses, but with about 535 rally attendees. Many were LFP residents, but Shoreline and Seattle were represented as well. There are no boundaries during this oppressive government; we know it’s important to unite, and to vote is urgent.

Lake Forest Park for Peace and Lake Forest Park for Justice co-hosted Saturday’s event. Democracy Corner is an ideal rally location with our watchful LFP police in attendance, a fire station with an ambulance at the end of the block, and easy parking and ADA access. A lawn with trees for shade on a hot day is a big plus. too. And the crowd was very engaged, but kind and courteous.

Gay Armsden voted before the rally, using the ballot box next to LFP city hall
Photo by Kenneth Berkun

Mayor Tom French addressed everyone on the importance of voting, especially early. He asked people to check on elderly or other neighbors who may need help getting to the ballot box, and he emphasized how precious our voting rights and our Constitution are, so we can’t throw that away.

League of Women Voters registered people to vote

The League of Women Voters attended to help answer any voting questions.

Elizabeth Simmons-O’Neil, LFP rally co-lead, read every comment from our attendees’ surveys and said, “People feel heartened at our rallies; we receive 100% positive feedback. Attendees tell us they love the energy, the crowd, the music, and coming together for the sake of our democracy."

"Build community as an act of resistance"
"Power to the People - Vote"

"Enthusiastic, hopeful, and energized by the possibility of change," was how LFP resident Gary Hawkey described the attendees. Many attendees tell us they appreciate the upbeat, feel-good music our DJ provides, and you can see people break out in joyful dance throughout the day. They say it all helps give them hope.

But hope is not what we need today. We need everyone to Vote! Vote today, and put it in a ballot box. Many at the rally had already voted.

Open (the ballot envelope). Vote. Put it in the nearest drop box now.
WA State Supreme Court. I vote for Melody, Hawk, Birk, Angelis, Stephens.

If you use the post office, take the ballot to a service representative and have them hand-stamp it in front of you. Otherwise, it goes into a big pile and waits another day for pickup. Please mail your ballots by October 23 to ensure they arrive on time. But the best way is the ballot box. And you can track your ballot

King County is a very secure place to vote, so do it today!

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Plant a Tree, Grow Lake Forest Park October 10, 2026

Have a little room in your yard for a new tree? The Lake Forest Park Tree Board, in partnership with the Lake Forest Park Water District, is giving LFP residents a chance to put down some roots—literally.

On Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 10am to 1pm, residents can pick up a free, high-quality native tree at the Water District offices, 4029 NE 178th St.

Sixty nursery-grown trees will be available, each approximately 3–4 feet tall and growing in a one-gallon container. Residents can choose from three native species:

1. Douglas fir
2. Cascara
3. Saskatoon serviceberry

Each species has different needs when it comes to sunlight, water, space, and eventual size, so take a little time to consider which tree will be the best fit for your yard. And because supplies are limited, it’s a good idea to have a second choice in mind.

The trees are intended for fall planting and will need regular watering during dry periods for the first several years as they become established. Watering bags will also be available, although some trees may need to grow larger before they can be used with them.

A few things to know: 

• The giveaway is for Lake Forest Park residents only, with a limit of one tree per household. 
• Trees will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and 
• residents will need to provide proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or utility bill, when picking up their tree.

Sixty trees may not sound like a forest—but every big tree starts somewhere.

For more information contact cbishop@cityoflfp.gov

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LFP Garbage Collector bids farewell to his customers

Lake Forest Park customers bringing their garbage bins in last week found a letter from their garbageman announcing his retirement and bidding them farewell.

It isn't just the trees that people love about Lake Forest Park.

Here's the letter:

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Lake Forest Park Yard Sale Day Saturday September 19, 2026

Here is the link to the current map

Lake Forest Park Yard Sale Day, is coming up on this Saturday September 19, 2026 from 9am-3pm.

There are 65 addresses on the map, with more being added everyday.

Looks like the weather will be wonderful too. It will be a great day to get out in the neighborhood, meet some neighbors, and practice sustainability!

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Road safety, tree canopy, city budget: Lake Forest Park residents address concerns to City Council at first town hall

About 100 people attend the LFP Town Hall on May 20, 2026
Photo courtesy Third Place Commons

By Nick Ng

About 100 people attended Lake Forest Park’s first town hall event Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at Third Place Commons. After Mayor Tom French and councilmembers introduced themselves, some residents lined up on either side of the stage to ask them a question. Councilmembers Ellyn Saunders and Matt Muilenburg were not in attendance.

Third Place Commons Board of Directors Vice Chair Erika Olson moderated the event. “[A] town hall is an enduring tradition that has been with us since the very beginning, earliest days of our American democracy, and that’s pretty cool to continue to uphold that tradition,” she said.

Road safety, e-motos

Lake Forest Park resident Catherine said road and pedestrian safety near her home in Horizon View is a concern. She described walking in front of her house as “death-defying” because she has two grandchildren who are deaf, and she said they won’t hear approaching cars from her driveway.

Catherine also talked about motorized bikes and scooters “zooming around Horizon View Park.”

“Do people need to have helmets or not?” she asked. “I remember when my granddaughter was about 10 months old, and she walked on the park walkways. I’d be terrified to have her up there right now.”

French acknowledged that e-bikes and e-motorcycles are a problem. “I can tell you right now that when I talk to the 37 mayors around this Puget Sound region, every one of them has had really serious issues around the country,” he said. “Sadly, there are fatalities, and the fatalities are largely in teens, and that’s just unacceptable.”

According to Senate Bill 6434 that Washington State Legislature passed in 2018, there are three classes of e-bikes or “electric-assisted bicycles”:

• Class 1: The e-bike’s motor provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and stops assisting when the e-bike reaches 20 miles per hour.
• Class 2: The e-bike has a throttle that can propel the e-bike and cannot provide assistance when the e-bike reaches 20 miles per hour.
• Class 3: Same as Class 1 except the motor stops assistance when the e-bike reaches 28 miles per hour.

State law also says “persons under sixteen years of age may not operate a class 3 electric-assisted bicycle.”

E-motorcycles or e-motos, however, can vary between 4 to more than 40 horsepower.

Mayor Tom French (far right) and members of the LFP City Council answered questions
Photo courtesy Third Place Commons

Regarding helmets, French said Lake Forest Park has an ordinance on wearing helmets when riding a bike. “It’s a full stop,” he said.

French said that Interim Police Chief Diego Zanella is working on the ordinances and will bring them to the City Council for consideration. He added that the Lake Forest Police Police have a new motorcycle, which will be used for traffic law enforcement, including all cyclists.

“We see people going by 35 or 40 miles an hour,” French said, referring to e-motos on the Burke-Gilman Trail. “It’s a miracle that we haven’t had issues.”

Tree canopy

Lake Forest Park Tree Board member Ross Baarslag-Benson told the Council that the City’s existing tree canopy is one of the “most effective things we can do for climate change and air quality” and “one of the biggest qualities of our Lake Forest Park.” He said that planting small trees takes many years to grow and give an adequate canopy, and the invasive English ivy is already covering some trees.

“What I’d love for the Council to do is to be creative and think about ways that we can help that,” Baarslang-Benson said. “It would be wonderful if we could go to Sound Transit and say, look, instead of planting these community trees someplace that’s not going to help us, provide us money so that we can hire two full-time arborists. Is that something that the Council can get behind?”

Councilmember Larry Goldman, who is also the council liaison to the Tree Board, said the board has a strong tree ordinance that prevents trees from being cut down and requires new trees planted to replace the lost canopy.

He said some board members have already proposed strengthening protections by revising the City’s ordinance on increasing the protection of larger-diameter trees because they are the “keystone species that provide a lot of biodiversity.”

Regarding ivy removal, Goldman said the City pays into the King Conservation District, which in turn maintains a fund of about $100,000 that the City can spend on any conservation project. He said that money might be used to support more ivy-removal and tree-health work.

Sound Transit bus lane

A Lake Forest Park resident, who did not identify himself, talked about the proposed Sound Transit bus lane project along State Route 522/ Bothell Way through Lake Forest Park. He recalled a community meeting at Lake Forest Park Elementary School about two years ago that drew about 400 people, adding that “everyone there was in opposition to the bus lane.”

He said the scale and the cost of the project, which he alleged to be $600,000 to $900,000, would involve cutting down about 400 trees and constructing a 9,000-foot concrete wall.

“You know what big problem is this solving? It’s to move people two minutes faster on buses that are halfway filled,” he said, adding that the project be “scrapped.”

Councilmember Paula Good said while “it's hard to stop a train as big as Sound Transit,” she said many residents may not fully understand the project’s potential impacts because they do not live near the SR 522 corridor. She also said she had not seen heavy bus ridership — no more than eight people during rush hour — and did not believe the project was necessary.

“I think [Sound Transit] is probably going to have a big sticker shock when they do see that because…9,000 feet of dirt is a lot of dirt, a lot of diesel.”

French said the bus lane project is part of the regional network with costs at about $561 million, based on 2021 estimates. “We said, absolutely not. You do not own those properties. We’re not going to submit permits on behalf of somebody who’s not in agreement with you.”

“There’s a whole scoop of people on 157th Place, and they’re all in opposition right now,” Goode said. “None of them have signed possession and use agreements, so the process with Lake Forest Park is Sound Transit cannot submit any permits until every property that they need has a possession-and-use agreement.”

People lined up on both sides of the room to ask questions of their elected officials
Photo courtesy Third Place Commons

City budget prioritization

Lake Forest Park resident Maddie Larson asked the Council what evidence and decision-making process they use to prioritize projects, such as safer streets, environmental goals, housing, climate and financial resilience.

Deputy Mayor Tracy Furutani said the Council relies on Finance Director Lindsey Vaughn and her staff to give them proposals. “That gives us a handle, at least one significant number on what some of these things that we proposed [would] cost,” he said. “We take that into account when we set up priorities as a Council. When the budget comes out later this year, you’ll see those priorities reflected in that.”

However, Furutani said there are “unintended consequences” that are outside of the City’s control, such as the state’s reduction of public defender caseloads, which “immediately tripled our public defense costs.”

“We tried to build in the cushion when the mayor talks about the fiscal cliff,” Furutani said. “He’s talking about the City requiring a 16% reserve. That is to say 16% of our operating funds has to be held in reserve for these kinds of emergencies. We don’t want to dip into that as much as we can, and so we’re basically trying to anticipate some of these unintended costs that we weren’t aware of at the beginning of the year by basically being as prudent as we can with our priorities.”

Other issues brought up include:

• How neighbors will be involved and informed before any change making NE 180th Street/Perkins Way one-way;
• Whether the City’s emergency management plan is truly “shelf‑ready” and operational in a major disaster scenario;
• Concerns about reasonable use exceptions (RUEs), their cost and risk to neighbors and the environment, and whether a moratorium or shift in burden of proof is possible.

Listen to the entire town hall at the City of Lake Forest Park’s YouTube Channel.

5-29-2026 Updated quote from Paula Goode

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Why a Community Organized Town Hall in Lake Forest Park?

By Sally Yamasaki

Lake Forest Park is a small town. It is similar to an island, just not surrounded by water, but rather by bigger cities. Just like many small island towns, it is not uncommon to go down to the community’s gathering place, the Third Place Commons at the Town Center and run into someone you know.

Politically, as in any town, it is not homogeneous. However, there is one issue in which LFP seems unified, and that is the preservation of the environment. In fact, protecting the environment is what made LFP an incorporated city back in 1961.

Perhaps this is why LFP’s tree canopy covers approximately 60% to 65% of the city's total land area, and to this day. One of the water providers, Lake Forest Park Water District still serves its customers chemical free water that comes from its five deep wells and eight shallow artesian wells.

If LFP is a small city, one might ask, “Why do residents need a Town Hall?”

Last fall, volunteer community members while doorbelling and talking to people during election time, found that even small towns cannot escape the day-to-day responsibilities of work, caregiving of children or parents, home chores and all the things it takes to keep life going.

There was a desire to know more about what was going on at City Hall, but to add on more responsibilities to the day to learn about city affairs was often too much.

That is when discussion came about with community organizations and members to have a Town Hall where in one night, Lake Forest Park residents can meet their representatives personally, learn what they are working on, and ask questions about issues to which they are curious to have answers.

Come to the Community organized Town Hall, Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at Third Place Commons. From 6:30 – 7:00pm there will be an open house with refreshments for community to gather and talk amongst each other and meet their City Council representatives face to face in an informal environment.

7:00pm the Program will begin followed by a Question-and-Answer period.

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King County Citizens’ Elections Oversight Committee (CEOC) - Attn: Lake Forest Park

Lake Forest Park residents are eligible to apply

The King County Council is recruiting members for the King County Citizens’ Elections Oversight Committee (CEOC). 

The CEOC is a 16-member committee of volunteers, who have interest or expertise in elections. The CEOC is charged with conducting oversight of election-related matters, and reporting to the King County Council its observations, findings and recommendations through an annual report.

The mission of the Citizens' Elections Oversight Committee is to help King County maintain public confidence in elections. The CEOC makes recommendations to the Council to improve the performance of the Department of Elections and helps ensure that accountability and performance of the Department of Elections is provided in a transparent manner that is meaningful to the residents of King County. The CEOC meets roughly five times per year.

One of the current vacancies for the CEOC includes a representative sponsored by either a junior taxing district or a city with a population of under twenty thousand. 

Lake Forest Park with a population of 13,630 would qualify under this category.

The term of this position is for the remainder of a three-year term, to expire May 2028. Qualifying junior taxing districts and cities may nominate either an employee or community member. The nominee will not represent the sponsoring entity. 

A letter, formal resolution or other communication from a person authorized to speak on behalf of a qualifying city or junior taxing district (i.e. city mayor, city manager or board chair) is required. Applicants must live in King County.

For more information or if you are interested in applying, please contact Lake Forest Park City Clerk, Matt McLean, or visit www.kingcounty.gov/ceoc.

Applications are requested to be submitted by close of business on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

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Visions of Ancient Lake Forest Park

By David Buerge

Reprinted with permission from the Post Alley Newsletter

It is difficult to envision Native American life as it was in modern, metropolitan Seattle. Along the northwest shore of Lake Washington, building the Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad in the 1880s and subsequent industrial and commercial development obliterated potential archaeological sites. A gardener or a child at play along a lake or stream bank may find stone tools (hundreds, possibly thousands of years old), yet they provide little more than hints.

But native Duwamish place names and mythology can broaden our perspectives and conjure visions. One of these is SAH tsu tseed, the mouth of McAleer Creek, in Lake Forest Park. The creek’s six-mile length drains Lake Ballinger bordering 205th Street Southwest. The lake is SAH tsu, “face,” and tseed identifies the mouth of the face.

But before treating this composite, we must travel first to Seattle’s nearby suburb, Lake City. There, a lakeside bluff where NE 125th Street meets Riviera Place SE here marked STLHUP, “Deep [at the] point”. 

Lowering the Lake Washington level 9 feet in 1916 surfaced shallows, but a deep remains nearshore. Some 1920s Duwamish informants described it for ethnographer Thomas Waterman as “a ‘very dangerous’ place at the edge of the lake. People swimming here were formerly ‘taken away’ by something supernatural.”

This describes a Dzug wah, a water monster that sucked people down to their deaths. Further south on the lake, Seward Peninsula may image such a monster: a long nose necked to a dangerous section of shore. STLHUP appears to be where a Dzug wah, a terrible, deadly monster, haunted the Lake City shore.

SAH tsu, whose mouth extended six snaky miles to Lake Washington, is like a Dzug wah. So do tributaries draining into Lake Ballinger, especially those heading at Halls Lake and Chase Lake. But unlike Dzug wahs, these are bountiful sources of life, not its destroyers.

Lake Ballinger’s modern fishery is a shadow of its former bounty. The lake is polluted and, only 35 feet deep, subject to increased warming. 

Common non-native fish introduced are yellow perch, smallmouth and largemouth bass, carp (discarded goldfish), invasive and destructive northern pike and the black crappie (from Middle English and French meaning “worthless, waste, crap”). 

Its few cold-loving native fish — coho, chinook and sockeye salmon, cutthroat and rainbow trout, char, Dolly Varden, pea mouth (minnows) and lampreys — are supplemented yearly by hatchery-raised lake rainbow trout and jumbo trout, a rugged hybrid of trout and char.

Before American settlement, large runs of salmon migrated from Lake Washington via McAleer Creek into Lake Ballinger and its tributaries. Most died after laying eggs, the effect of Dzug wahs. And Lake Ballinger holds a dark secret. As seen from maps, its face has an eye, Edmount or Ballinger Island, the first name unsourced, the second commemorating Richard Henry Ballinger, father of logger and developer, Ira Ballinger.

A bathymetric map shows a landslide entering from the southwest, an avalanche that sent a wave sweeping across to destroy fishing camps, burning into survivor memory the lake’s awful power. But fish came back and laid eggs. Hatchlings feed and grow into free-swimming fry and smolt and return to the sea, recycled in geographical features much like Dzug wahs. But these instead are powerful symbols of life; in SAH tsu’s case, six miles long.

In myth, DOH kweh bahl, Transformer, the demiurge who redeemed the world wrought by Old Creator, was kidnapped as a child by the Salmon Sisters who took him to live with their kin in houses beneath the sea. When he grew up, he returned to his people, travelling up-river and transforming a dangerous world into a habitable home.

He convinced the Salmon People to return as he did, but every year and give their robes of flesh to feed humankind if these would honor and celebrate their return. Taking the first arriving salmon and ceremoniously cleaning and roasting it, people shared in a sacramental meal. Afterwards they returned its bones to the river so its spirit could return to the Salmon People and assure them that humans still honored their sacrifice by taking only what they needed.

Salmon were a miracle one could witness, catch in abundance, prepare, taste, and eat. At SAH tsu tseed, the miracle happened annually, the lake’s long mouth consuming migrating fish that, if treated respectfully, would through rebirth disperse as new-born to repeat the miracle. This was true of every stream that entered Lake Washington and the sea, making waterways and landscapes sacred in a world of miracles.

Author David Buerge is a local historian

In our short history, we Americans do not come off well. We made the spiritual Duwamish homeless in their homeland; we commoditized and tore up the land, cut down the forests, and polluted the waters. 

Cut logs floating in Lake Ballinger were released down McAleer Creek, destroying gravel beds where fish spawned. 

Settlement of Lake Ballanger’s shore erased vegetation and wildlife, and phosphorus from lawn and garden fertilizer made it the most polluted lake of 34 lakes surveyed in the Puget Lowland in 1972. 

Raw sewage and other toxins flushed into lowered Lake Washington devastated its native fishery.

Yet thanks to Duwamish informants and their recorders, we know native names and myths. And the monstrous lethality of swallowing land and habitats awakens a desire to heal. Lake Forest Park is not alone inheriting a sacred, dynamic geographical feature, a holy symbol. If honored, it can be restored to make life abundant again and itself whole.

The cognates holy and whole derive from the Old English Halig, “consecrated, Holy.” We have grown in wisdom enough to seek environmental healing, to renew abundant land and waters. It may take time to accommodate the conception of wholeness with holiness, but by studying the Duwamish heritage, we learn that restoring waterways and landscapes are essential to our survival. We need all the help we can get.

Post Alley is a journalism collective which publishes daily articles from a variety of local writers. You can subscribe to a weekly newsletter with all the articles from the previous week.

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Celebrate the Pre-History of Lake Forest Park October 19, 2025 at Third Place Commons

By Sally Yamasaki

For two years David Buerge has researched and been writing the history of the area of what we now know as Lake Forest Park. Buerge will be discussing his manuscript, Sunday October 19, 2025 from 5:00 - 6:30pm at Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park Town Center, intersection of Bothell and Ballinger Way NE.

Below is an excerpt of an article written by David Buerge about Lake Forest Park in a Post Alley article, August 31, 2024.

--
Evidence of ancient settlement survives in Lake Forest Park north of Seattle on the northwest shore of Lake Washington. 

For the last year I have researched the area while writing this small city’s long prehistory. Its revelations are deep and abiding.

Humans have lived in western Washington for at least 14,000 years, from the Ice Age to the present. We know them from 19th century tribal names: Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Tulalip, etc. 

Today, the issues of fishing rights and casinos make headlines, but the tribes’ profound antiquity and management of the environment is less well known.

To start with the geography. Two creeks pass through Lake Forest Park: McAleer Creek draining Lake Ballinger and Lyon Creek headwatering in south Snohomish County. An 1859 township map shows them joined a half mile above the lake shore; later maps show them separate. 

Map of Lake Forest Park and surrounding area
Copyright David Buerge.

A single village on each salmon creek operated a fishing weir upstream. Villages intermarried with others to withstand hardship, as when a creek’s fish run failed.

In the early 20th century, native memory recalled place names associated with creeks. In the native Lushootseed language, Lake Ballinger was SAH tsu,“Face.” The mouth of McAleer Creek was SAH tsu tseed, “Mouth of the face.” 

Lyon Creek was Sts KUL, “a certain small bird,” probably Schuh chul, the winter wren Troglodytes, a small forest bird whose tinkling voice peacocks into bejeweled song.

Lake Ballinger’ bathymetry reveals an avalanche deposit that left a “face,” (as we describe bared slopes as faces) on the west shore. 

The lake was dangerous, but SAH tsu tseed, “Mouth of the Face,” conjures a greater surreal image of its ambivalence: breathing spawning salmon in to their deaths and breathing out fry to begin their anadromous odyssey at sea.

Come celebrate the completion of Buerge’s manuscript. The event is free and light refreshments will be served.

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"A People's History of Lake Forest Park' release party October 19, 2025 at Third Place Commons

Historian David Buerge at home

Did you know that Lyon Creek in Lake Forest Park was named after a family who “owned” lakefront properties in the late 1800’s?

Did you know that the creek had a name before that?

The Lake People, the first people to live in that area we now call Lake Forest Park, called the creek [Sts KUL] “a certain small bird” which could refer to the wren.

Lake Forest Park community members wanted to know more about what was here before it was colonized and renamed. 

So, they asked Shoreline Historical Museum and David Buerge, local historian, teacher, and published author of several books about the indigenous peoples in and around Seattle, if they would help create the manuscript called, “A People’s History of Lake Forest Park.”

After two years of extensive research, Buerge has finished his manuscript.

Please join us as our community celebrates the completion of Buerge’s research.

Sunday, October 19, 2025 from 5:00 to 6:30pm at Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park 17171 Bothell Way NE.

At the event, David Buerge will present his work along with remarks from 

• keynote speaker: Duwamish Tribal Councilmember - Ken Workmen, 
• Lake Forest Park Mayor - Tom French, 
• King County Councilmember - Rod Dembowski, 
• Lake Forest Park Elementary School teacher – Lisa Collins and 
• Shoreline Historical Museum Director, Kenneth Doutt.

The event is free. Light refreshments will be served.

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An Upbeat Protest Day in Lake Forest Park

By Donna Hawkey

Photos by Elizabeth Simmons-O'Neill

The Labor Day national "Workers Over Billionaires" protest in Lake Forest Park attracted an estimated 300 lively protesters. 

Held on "Democracy Corner" in Lake Forest Park (LFP), protestors mentioned many times how great it is to be together at these non-violent events, standing up for Democracy and our Republic. 

One protestor remarked that it's so helpful to have "local protests all over." He grew up in Lake Forest Park, currently lives in Redmond, but was visiting his aging mother in LFP. He was able to attend a protest, visit a place he remembers fondly, and spend time with his mother. 

Protest participants are grateful to the organizers who put these events together. And protest organizers say they are thankful for the consistency in good turnout.

Here are several quotes from protestors about their experience today:

"People were dancing, singing along, and clearly energized by the well-chosen music."

When asked why they attended today's protest:

"It's my local community, and I wanted to be with them in solidarity."

"I want my voice heard and encourage others to speak up and be active."

Some things they liked:

"As always in Lake Forest Park, an energetic event! Some hilarious costumes! Good to be with fellow activists!

"Loved the variety of signs, and glad you are collecting school supplies."

The LFP Voices for Justice community group, which organizes the protests, is a welcoming and inclusive community that encourages everyone concerned about authoritarianism to attend any protest. 

If you would like to join the contact list and stay updated about LFP's upcoming protests, please send a note to lfpvoices@gmail.com.

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Lake Forest Park housing production lags behind neighbors

Data from the Washington Center for Real Estate Research shows the number of net new housing units completed per 1000 residents in cities neighboring Lake Forest Park

By Oliver Moffat

As the city begins to update its development code, Lake Forest Park lags behind neighboring cities in building housing, especially affordable homes and  homeless housing

Amidst a housing affordability crisis and escalating homelessness, Lake Forest Park is lagging behind neighboring cities in building new homes, particularly affordable housing and homeless shelters.  

While neighboring cities are actively constructing homes, affordable housing and homeless shelters, Lake Forest Park is focused on updating its development code to only meet the minimum state mandates.  

The city has also taken steps to prevent homeless housing in its Town Center, despite state laws requiring cities to remove barriers to homeless housing.

A graph from the LFP Comprehensive Plan shows the number of existing homes versus targets across income bands

New home construction shortfall: 

Lake Forest Park is not meeting its affordable housing production targets and has the lowest rate of new home construction per capita compared to neighboring cities.

According to data from the city’s Comprehensive Plan, to meet assigned targets, Lake Forest Park should build at least 30 new affordable homes every year but instead is only building three new affordable homes per year. 

Those affordable housing targets were assigned by King County’s Affordable Housing Committee (AHC) who set the targets based on the total amount of housing needed across the county. 

Cities (such as Lake Forest Park) that have historically provided less affordable housing relative to other cities in King County were assigned a larger proportional share of affordable housing. 

According to data compiled from the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, Lake Forest Park has built fewer new homes per capita than any other neighboring city in North King or South Snohomish counties. 

Since 2020, the number of homes in Lake Forest Park increased by a net total of 34 units. With a 2020 population of 13,631, the city added less than three new homes for every 1000 residents. 

In comparison, Shoreline built 36 net new homes per 1000 residents, Kenmore created 12, and Mountlake Terrace delivered a whopping 86 units of new homes for every 1000 residents. Even Brier and Woodway added more units per capita than Lake Forest Park. 

County recommendation and city response: 

King County recently recommended Lake Forest Park amend its recently adopted Comprehensive Plan to increase affordable housing production. But the city is already working on development code updates without incorporating those recommendations.

On February 6, 2025 the county’s affordable housing committee said Lake Forest Park should amend its comp plan with six recommendations. 

Amongst those recommendation, the county said the city’s comp plan lacks policies that would meaningfully increase housing for low-income households and would fail to maximize the benefits of investments in the future Stride S3 rapid transit service.

In an emailed response to questions, a Lake Forest Park employee said the city believes the county’s recommendations are “…more fitting to implementation items, to be decided by the city on a local level.” The city may amend the comp plan this year and “the recommendations of the AHC will be part of that update effort,” he said. 

This year’s proposed comprehensive plan amendments were due on February 1st to be added to a docket of changes for consideration later this year. However, the county’s recommendations were received on February 6th after the docket cut off. 

In December, the county warned Lake Forest Park the city had delivered its comp plan too late to the county for review before adoption. 

Now, the planning commission is focused on updating the city’s development code to meet minimum state mandates. 

At the February 13 city council meeting, Councilmember John Lebo said the Planning Commission is working to bring the city’s development code into compliance with the state’s Middle Housing law before a June 30th deadline and is focused on meeting the minimum required under the law. 

“They are focused primarily on what I'll call a sort of a minimum requirement, which is that there are a couple of different alternatives within the minimum, which would be that you have two principals for every lot… The other is that you may have a principal residence with two ADUs. So those two options represent the minimum that are required,” said Lebo.

Neighboring affordable housing projects: 

Shoreline, Kenmore, and Bothell are delivering affordable housing projects, including shelters, permanent housing, and affordable apartments while LFP has acted to keep homeless housing out of Town Center. 

The Oaks Shelter in Shoreline has provided shelter for 60 people since 2021. The city of Shoreline donated land on Aurora near the YMCA and Costco where St. Margaret’s Place has provided 100 permanent homes for people who would otherwise be homeless since 2023. And a new severe weather shelter opened this winter in Shoreline. 

On Valentine’s day, Kenmore celebrated the opening of a new shelter for senior women and the future Larus apartments in Kenmore will provide 175 affordable units for seniors on low and fixed incomes. And the city of Kenmore recently won a legal battle to preserve affordable manufactured housing communities.

Last month, Bothell donated a downtown vacant lot for affordable housing. Both Bothell and Kenmore contribute to A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) to fund affordable housing and services. Lake Forest Park does not contribute to ARCH and in 2023, the Shoreline council directed staff to not pursue membership with ARCH.

Like other neighboring cities, Lake Forest Park contributes to the King County Region Housing Authority, budgeting $21,000 the city receives from a state sales tax for “Affordable/Supportive Housing” to pay a $16,834.32 annual contribution towards the Shoreline severe weather shelter.

Although the Lake Forest Park council passed an ordinance in 2023 allowing the city to donate property for affordable housing, the city has so far not done so. 

To the contrary, since 2021 the LFP city council acted six times to keep homeless housing out of Town Center. 

The state’s Emergency Housing law requires cities to remove barriers stifling homeless housing. Under that state law the city must allow emergency, transitional and permanent homeless housing near transit or anywhere that hotels are allowed.

But instead of allowing homeless housing in Town Center, the Lake Forest Park city council has banned hotels in Town Center in September of 2021, March of 2022, September of 2022, March of 2023, September of 2023, and most recently in November of 2024. The ban expires in March unless the council renews the ordinance. 

Information on how to contact the LFP city council and attend meetings is available on the city’s website.

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