By RICHARD COLE AND JOHN MARCHIONE

Regional cooperation on a project can seem rare these days. Therefore, it was nice to see King County Council member Larry Phillips’ opinion piece supporting the acquisition and use of the BNSF rail corridor in the May 20 edition of the Redmond Reporter.

This partnership among the Port of Seattle, King County, Sound Transit, Puget Sound Energy and the City of Redmond was recognized last year by the Cascade Land Conservancy for its foresight. However, this was not a deal the city signed on to at the last minute.

Ninety-nine years ago, a small group of pioneering farmers and merchants lived near a railroad taking our raw materials to market and bringing everyday goods for our citizens. The train stopped running to Redmond in the mid-1990s but the city saw the value this land offered to bring the community together.

For 15 years, the city worked on the acquisition of the rail corridor in Redmond. Five years ago, County Executive Ron Sims led the effort for the region to buy and preserve the whole corridor for public use.

After purchasing the land in June 2010, the city started a public process to design how to use the land. This included a number of open houses and one soggy, on-site event in September to gather your input. We examined issues concerning pedestrians, bicycles and trolleys (yes on the first two and no on the trolley). We gathered feedback on how the area should look and feel. The City Council worked through the plan this year and will adopt the master plan at its June 7 business meeting.

In Redmond, we call our portion the Redmond Central Connector because it encompasses rails, trails and much more. This vital corridor offers a route for a regional trail connecting the East Lake Sammamish and Sammamish River Trails, a Sound Transit light-rail station, a completed street grid linking Redmond Town Center to downtown, and underground space for a variety of public utilities including water, sewer and stormwater lines.

In recognition of this achievement, the city is holding a reception to celebrate the completion of the master plan for this corridor, and to encourage the public to take advantage of all it has to offer. The reception will be June 7, at Redmond City Hall, from 6-7 p.m. Please plan to join us and see the potential this corridor holds for the next century.

Richard Cole is a 24-year member of the Redmond City Council. John Marchione has served as mayor since 2008.