Why can't Chambers Lake Park become a large scale BMX/Bike Park?

I received an email in response to my update asking a very good question regarding the Chambers Lake Park interim use development.

"Is there a legitimate reason why "This particular park ….. could host some bike activity other than single track trails."?

We have a deficit of areas to ride off road and a 46 acre park that might have walking trails might also have riding trails. There may well be many users on the east side of Olympia who don't want to travel to Capital Forest or Evergreen to ride off road. With little in the way of other options missing this opportunity to put in a several mile single track circuit along side of walking trails seems to diminish riding in this area. BMX riding is great and single track through a park could still be part of this development."

Several reasons make this a park not appropriate for a large bike park to include anything more than a 100X100 dirt jump park.

The first being that the park is 46 acres however when the city obtained it a covenant was set in the deed limiting most of the park to conservation efforts. Only 9 acres can be developed into a recreational area . The 9 acres that can be worked with is mostly flat open field that was farm land once but has a chunk taking up most of the wooded area in that 9 acres designated wetlands.

The area really needs an off leash dog park. The money does not exist to develop that here yet but it is in the plans and I agree that the develop able property being mostly flat and open would suit that purpose better.

The park may also get some non traditional youth recreation opportunities like a sand pile, rock climbs and such other than the usual swings and slide.

Their is no parking beyond 9 spaces and any development to happen here at first can not generate more than 20 car trips a day to the site. To put anything larger than a small set of jumps here for the neighborhood youth would generate more car traffic and require several hundreds of thousand of dollars of road front improvements for sidewalks, sewer and more. No bus service within a 1/2 mile of the park also means that users will be riding the Chehalis Western Trail to access the site.

I feel that all this makes the ideal bike related use for the park the already planned 8 foot wide pedestrian/Bike path that will eventually one day circle the lake and a small jump park for the youth of the area to replace Amtrak and other recently lost areas around Yelm Highway.

We will find a spot and funding for something bigger in Oly, Lacey, Tumwater or close in county properties with some patience.

For now email me as much detail on what you would like. Maybe even with sketches or pictures and help support something small for this or another Yelm Highway area park.