Sixty Acres Park in Redmond is the center of regional soccer in King County. It is also the hub of activities ranging from ultimate frisbee to rocketry and the flying of radio-controlled sailplanes.

On Monday, the Metropolitan King County Council adopted legislation that will expand athletic fields inside Sixty Acres Park while ensuring there will be space and time available for other park activities.

“Sixty Acres is one of our regional jewels,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, prime sponsor of the legislation.

“This agreement is the product of several years of negotiations to try to balance competing needs,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, a Redmond resident who represents District 3 in which Sixty Acres Park is located. “The county and citizens maintain ownership and have input about how it is managed. Regular meetings and input to the County Council will share how park use is being administered. All through the process, many changes have been made to respond to citizen input. It is difficult to find the balance between countywide usage of an asset and local usage. The parks department does not have the funds to maintain and improve all of the wonderful parks and open space in the county. Parks has developed agreements with many groups to share in the efforts to keep our county green and open for public usage and exercise.”

On Monday, the council authorized the county to enter into a 30-year use agreement with the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association (LWYSA) for development and use of athletic fields at both the north and south portions of Sixty Acres Park. Since 1984, LWYSA has leased the northern portion of the park, where it developed and has operated a soccer facility with numerous fields, concessions and parking. The lease agreement was updated in 1995 to grant the non-profit an exclusive 30 year concession through 2024 to the northern section of Sixty Acres Park.

Under the legislation adopted this week, the 1995 update would be canceled and the association will be responsible for the development of athletic fields on the southern portion of the park, where LWYSA is proposing to build seven to nine additional new athletic fields.

The fields would be developed to complement other field user groups, such as ultimate frisbee and radio-controlled airplanes, as well as drop-in use by citizens. LWYSA will hold annual meetings with the community to discuss park operations and resolve issues between itself, other user groups, and general public.

The council added provisions to ensure that:

• No permanent, artificial lighting of the fields will be permitted, except for the purposes of safety at walkways and parking areas and outside buildings.

• No camping will be allowed at Sixty Acres South, and camping at Sixty Acres North will be limited to three nights per year to accommodate an existing Ultimate Frisbee Tournament.

• King County will continue with good-faith efforts to assist the Seattle Area Soaring Society (SASS) to identify a separate, permanent site for flying radio-controlled model planes in King County.

In a related action, the Parks Department will move ahead with plans for a five-year lease on property near Carnation for such activity. LWYSA and SASS are also examining a proposed agreement that would allow SASS to hold four events per year and “Fun-Flys” every Wednesday night at Sixty Acres.

• King County, as the park owner, will retain the right to resolve any disputes that may arise between LWYSA, other user groups, and the general public.