No Zipline Park in Woodinville

The controversial plan to put in Woodinville has been scrapped by the company that proposed it in the wake of protests from homeowners in the neighborhood.

GravityWorks notified the county that it was abandoning plans to open a park that would have included 12 ziplines, a lodge (the old Boys and Girls Club building would be remodeled) and gift shop, maintenance building, at the 38-acre Gold Creek Park. The county in turn notified organizers of Preserve Gold Creek Park, the opposition group that formed to keep the park out of Hollywood Hill and Gold Creek Park.

Here is the text of the letter the county sent:

Dear citizen,

We are writing to inform you that GravityWorks has withdrawn its proposal for a zipline facility at Gold Creek Park in pursuit of another location. Consequently, we are cancelling the June 6th public meeting. Working with partners and the community, King County Parks has a goal of creating collaborative and sustainable projects and events that create recreational opportunities, while preserving our 26,000 acres of open space as outlined in our business plan.  As part of this process we have appreciated the input you have provided and your engagement in this effort.   We hope that you continue to enjoy the park and please do not hesitate to call or email if you have any questions.

 Sincerely,

Butch Lovelace ~ Program Manager ~ King County Parks 

Since the project was announced in April, residents of Hollywood Hill, where Gold Creek Park is located, opposed the plan. The grassroots organization did not so much oppose a zipline adventure park as the location for this project.

“It’s all about perspective isn’t it?” said Valentina Giovannetti, Hollywood Hill resident and an organizer of the Preserve Gold Creek Park group. “Someone in the Parks Department views the unspoiled wildness of Gold Creek Park and sees an opportunity to partner with a commercial operation to build an adventure park with ziplines crisscrossing its entire 38 acres of forested hills and valleys in the heart of King County. ... They smell welcome income from licensing the park to outfitters who will package groups of excitement-seekers.”

The county may have garnered as much as $160,000 in annual revenue if the 30,000-40,000 visitors the zipline developers were hoping to attract used the adventure park.

“It’s just inappropriate,” grumbled Jon Garber, a realtor in the area for 32 years, at one of the opposition groups events (). “You don’t license an adventure park in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood.”

Residents opposing the park’s development said the park was avidly used by hikers and equestrians and were concerned that those people would be pushed out from using the county park if the zipline was developed.

Woodinville Patch was unable to reach Butch Lovelace at the county or GravityWorks for comment.