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Relative: 25-04-24 1st Installment-20250904T062400Z-1-001/25-04-24 1st Installment/32782_Installment_1A_Email_March_21-30__532_/Untitled (125).msg
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From: Caroline Chapman
To: Caroline & Horia Dociu <carolineandhoria@gmail.com>
Subject: 
Date: 2025-03-25 09:01:08.807930-10:00

 

Dear Councilmembers & Mayor Birney,

I am emailing not as a former Parks Planning Manager, but as a Redmond resident who has benefited from the Old Firehouse Teen Center. 

As you consider the building’s future, I urge you to consider leasing it to an arts and music nonprofit or other group that can continue making this a beloved hub for community. This would preserve the OFH’s vital role while allowing City of Redmond teen programs to continue elsewhere.

A Community Land Trust model could be a viable solution—keeping the City’s ownership of the property while providing a low-cost lease to a nonprofit to run community-based programs. This approach offers several advantages:

*	Expanded fundraising and volunteer opportunities unavailable to the City would be available to a non-profit.
*	Non-profits may have flexible facility standards that may better align with the building’s current condition.
*	Alignment with the PARCC Plan, which supports partnerships to enhance city services.
*	Additional recreational and arts programming available to community members provided outside of the City Parks & Recreation.

Additionally, the City could explore Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) as a cost-effective way to establish a new teen center. In one downtown building under construction, developers have committed 10,000 square feet of community space in exchange for density bonuses—demonstrating a proven path forward (for reference, the OFH is 7,900sq ft). POPS could allow for faster, more affordable development of a dedicated teen space without the burden of the City constructing a new facility.

When Redmond teens were surveyed for the PARCC Plan, one of  their top concerns was mental health. The Old Firehouse has long provided a safe space for connection, creativity, and belonging. As Redmond grows, let’s ensure we preserve the places that make our community strong.

I am committed to help identify or establish a nonprofit to continue arts and music programming at the Old Firehouse if this is a path the Council would like to take. Let’s work together on a solution that benefits everyone.

Sincerely,
Caroline Chapman

 

 

Caroline Chapman

Senior Planner, City of Redmond



  425-556-2418

  cchapman@redmond.gov <mailto:cchapman@redmond.gov>  

  www.redmond.gov <http://www.redmond.gov/> 

MS:4SCC • 15670 NE 85th St • PO Box 97010 • Redmond, WA 98073-9710

Notice of Public Disclosure: This e-mail account is public domain. Any correspondence from or to this e-mail account is a public record. Accordingly, this e-mail, in whole or in part, maybe subject to disclosure pursuant to RCW 42.56, regardless of any claim of confidentiality orprivilege asserted by an external party.

 

 



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