Reed Park Master Plan — Craig's Hill

Reed Park

Reed Park Master Plan Adopted

At their March 18, 2024 City Council Meeting, the Ellensburg City Council unanimously passed 'Reed Park Master Plan Option A (February 2024)' 7-0. The plan addresses pedestrian safety concerns brought forward by the community by creating a separated pathway throughout the park, maintains the total number of parking stalls at the park and American Legion, preserves the overlook viewpoint, and provides much needed park infrastructure improvements. City staff would like to thank the community for all the feedback that has been provided regarding the plan over the last two years. Throughout the master planning process, we have been reminded time and again how important this park is to the history of our community, and we believe the plan adopted by Council will continue to honor that history and create many more memories for generations to come.

Please click on the link to view the March 18, 2024 park presentation City Council Meeting March 18th, 2024 (youtube.com) which starts at the 58-minute mark.

For more than a year, the City has been working on a park master planning process for Reed Park to address longstanding community concerns about pedestrian safety, park behavior, and driving behaviors of those entering, exiting, and using the park. Addressing these concerns with a new park design was requested in September 2020 by community members who live near the park and deal with these challenges every day. Revised Reed Park Option A (February 2024) is scheduled to be reviewed and considered for action at the City Council meeting on Monday, March 18, 2024.

Reed Park Master Plan Design Goal: to improve park safety by expanding non-motorized access opportunities to and within the park, while still maintaining existing park elements that make Reed Park unique to the community.

Hillside Geotech Report (March 2023): Unrelated to the park planning process, the City had a planning-level Geotech report for Craig’s Hill completed in early 2023 as we embarked on a discussion with Kittitas County about resolving the incorrect parcel ownership and responsibility for the hillside slope and the appropriate any mitigation actions to be taken. This level of geotechnical evaluation is often completed to evaluate risk and explore mitigation. Any future projects that would be completed on the hill would require additional work and engineering. The report suggests that the slope has maintained its general configuration for some time (p.2).

Geotechnical Report for Pump Station Improvements (June 2023): The Geotech report that was completed for the Craig’s Hill Pressure Zone pumphouse project is a project-specific report that is required for any construction within a designated critical area (per City Code). If there were risks from this project work, the report would outline actions to address (mitigate) those risks through design or construction practices as part of the project work. It’s an example of the level of detail required before any project is done on Craig’s Hill. The report did not identify any geotechnical risks that needed to be addressed.

Phasing Plan: The City does not have a dedicated funding source for park improvements which necessitates implementing a four phased approach for park construction. Under this scenario the park will be built in three phases, depending on funding priorities.

Letter of Support from American Legion Post 8: On February 13, 2024 the Board of Director from the American Legion Post 8 submitted a letter supporting the revised park plan, expressing appreciation that their concerns about parking were heard and reflected in the park plan.

Revised Reed Park Option A (February 2024): This plan will be presented to Council for consideration at their March 18, 2024 meeting. This plan is a culmination of over two years of planning and community input. While not every concern voiced by the public can be addressed or reflected in the park plan, this option addresses many of the issues the community voiced throughout the planning process while still addressing park safety, pedestrian access, all while maintaining the unique elements which make Reed Park a very special for our community.

Changes from previous version of the plan include:

  • No net loss of parking – Current parking configuration allows for 68-70 stalls, depending on the length of the parallel stall. The American Legion counted a total of 70 spaces in the Park and along Craig Avenue (using 19’ per parallel parking stall) and the City used 22’ per stall, yielding 68 parking spaces. The Revised Option A (February 2024) includes 69 parking stalls, yielding no net loss of parking stalls.

Legion Current (19 ft per stall)
City Current (22 ft per stall)
Revised Option A- Park Plan

Linear ftSpacesLinear ftSpacesLinear ftSpaces
Overlook
19
19
15
Lower Overlook (east of Legion)19891507
8
South Craig4011942019
23
Adjacent Legion
3
3
3
Legion Lot
20
20
20
Total

70
68
69
  • Reduces the walkway from 10’ to 8’ throughout lower section of the park
  • Includes a recommendation for four phases of construction which minimizes larger disturbances to the Legion and surrounding residences, provides the city the opportunity to identify additional park development funding sources
  • Shifts the restroom building approximately 125’ east of where it was located in previous plans addressing safety concerns voiced by American Legion staff and customers

What is a Master Plan? Please remember that a master plan is only a conceptual plan. The Reed Park Master Plan is a concept plan. Any work to begin construction of future phased projects identified within the plan would require further analysis (critical areas report, SEPA review, project-level geotechnical engineering report, and civil plans). Construction would also mandate a stormwater drainage system that could catch and redirect the runoff which could better protect the slope long-term.

  1. Why is the City considering changes to Reed Park at Craig's Hill?
  2. Is the City trying to take over the American Legion property?
  3. Is the City removing all of the Upper Parking on Craig’s Hill?
  4. What features will the new Reed Park master plan include?
  5. What will happen to Rodeo parking?
  6. How will the project be funded?
View All FAQs

Reed Park Options

Elements Included in Park Options (revised Option A, Option D, and New Options E & F):

  • ADA Public Restroom – when public parks are updated, people expect public restrooms as a standard amenity. All park designs have included a restroom, centrally located for park visitors who walk, roll, or drive to the park.
  • ADA Walking Path – to improve pedestrian safety, all park designs provide a separate walking/multi-use pathway through the park. Some traffic calming solutions are proposed (narrowing of street at crosswalks, etc). Sidewalk extension from Alder Street connecting to the central walking path through the park.
  • Trees – in order to reconfigure the park, several trees will need to be removed and replaced in new locations throughout the park. Many of the trees in the park are near end-of-life and will need to be replaced soon. Each plan provides for more trees to be planted than would be removed during construction.
  • Fire Lanes – all park designs include adequate radius for trucks and fire apparatus on northbound and southbound Craig Avenue, and preserves the 20’ required fire lane for the American Legion assembly hall. The road same width is not required for residential facilities.
  • Overlook Parking – This is where design options vary most. Each option includes some overlook parking, with varying design. Revised Option A is closest to the current park design, with separation between parking stalls. Option D provides for an extended green space for recreational use.
  • Overlook Views – each plan configuration varies.
  • Benches and spaces for leisure - each plan contains more benches, picnic tables, and telescopes to enhance park visitor experiences.
  • Future bus pull-outs – these features are considered.
  • Residential Access – Craig Avenue is a public street and access to existing residential properties has been provided in each design. Option D includes a “hammerhead” for fire apparatus, which is required where a driveway is more than 150 ft from the closest turn-around.
  • Street Width – Street width for northbound and southbound Craig Avenue is compliant with fire codes and public works standards.

Reed Park Master Plan Process

The goal of the planning process is to develop a park master plan focused on improving park safety by expanding non-motorized access opportunities to and within the park, while still maintaining existing park elements that make Reed Park unique to our community.

Through the park master planning process, our elected officials are provided with the necessary information to make decisions about park design that reflects the community's wishes and desires. The first stage in park development is the design phase. This is where the community, stakeholders, and other interested parties can share their vision of the park. From this a master plan is developed. The second stage, and often the most challenging, is identifying the where the funding for the park development will come from. The final and most and exciting part is the construction of the park. This is where all of the public participation, planning, and partnerships come together.

Milestone #1: Community survey

Milestone #2: Public meeting to present the schematic master plans

Milestone #3: Create draft master plan

Milestone #4: Public meeting to refine the preferred master plan.

Milestone #5: City Council review & adoption (adopted March 18, 2024)

Reed Park

History of Reed Park and the decision to develop a Master Plan

Sitting atop historic Craig's Hill, Reed Park has served as a city park facility since 1933, providing our community with views of the city of Ellensburg, as well as much of the Kittitas Valley. Reed Park has historically been used for a variety of purposes, some of which are very unique. Reed Park is a place to see weather events unfolding in real time. The spot to take out of town guests to show them our beautiful city and surrounding area. A place for our local teens to talk and hang out. A cheap seat to an event taking place inside the rodeo arena. However, over the course of the last 10 years there has been a significant increase in the number of cars driving to the park throughout the day, to the point where it impacts not only the immediate neighbors of the park but those living along or near Maple Street, Alder Street, and Poplar Street.

At the September 8, 2020 City Council meeting, the Council heard from Reed Park neighbors requesting that the City develop a new master plan for Reed Park. Park neighbors shared their story of what it’s like living near the park, or along one of the streets accessing or leaving the park.

The message from the neighbors was consistent and clear: They have concerns with pedestrian safety, the number of cars driving to and from the park, the driving behaviors of those driving to or from Reed Park, and general park behavior. They stated that the community as whole is reluctant to use the park because of the behaviors and attitudes exhibited by those currently using park, the majority of which are thought to be high school and college age.

At the October 14, 2020 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, a motion was passed recommending that the City Council move forward with making physical changes to the park. A second motion was passed recommending that the City use park impact fees to hire a landscape architect to handle the public participation process in developing a master plan that focuses on pedestrian safety, traffic circulation, and viewpoint access.

The Commission recognizes that the popularity and history of Reed Park necessitates the need for a comprehensive public outreach and participation process.

This page will be updated periodically. Subscribe to the City of Ellensburg's monthly e-newsletter for updates about Parks & Recreation and other City projects. For questions about Reed Park, contact Parks & Recreation Director Brad Case.

Craig’s Hill Water Pressure Improvements Project – 2024/2025

The project increased water pressure to residences and businesses in the Craig’s Hill neighborhood by about 8 pounds per square inch (psi) and increased available water storage in the Craig’s Hill water tower. This project has been in the City’s Water System Plan since 2014 and was needed to improve the performance of the water system and meet increased water storage demands.

A booster pump house was built next to the water tower and a new higher pressure water main was installed. Electrical service was extended along Craig Avenue to provide power for the new pumps.  

Reed Park Interlocal Agreement

The Interlocal Agreement between the City of Ellensburg and Kittitas County provides a framework for the management, maintenance, and preservation of the Craig's Hill hillside. Adopted in February 2025, the agreement resolved long standing boundary line issues regarding County and City property near or at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds, as well as spelling out the maintenance responsibilities associated with the slope and a commitment for ongoing review and analysis of the hillside condition. The parties also agree that cost and expenses incurred under this Agreement shall be split into equal shares, with each party responsible to pay for its share.