The King County Flood Control District Board on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 approved $150,000 for the City of Normandy Park to acquire a parcel on Miller Creek that will be turned into an open space pocket park.

The parcel on SW 175th Place is part of the Normandy Park Salmon View Park which will provide public access to salmon spawning along Miller Creek, Walker Creek and Sequoia Park.

The existing structures associated with the single-family residence on the property will be demolished by the City to restore natural function of the creek and prevent annual downstream flooding across 13th Ave SW.

This grant from the King County Flood Control District comes from the cooperative watershed management grant program, which provides funding for salmon recovery and habitat restoration projects submitted by local watershed planning groups, knows as Watershed Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs.)  

Funding for this grant program was doubled in 2020 when the district, under then-Chair Dave Upthegrove, committed to be a better environmental partner while still providing essential flood protection along the County’s major rivers. The increase in funding ensured an additional $50 million would be available for salmon recovery efforts over the next decade. This year, over $12 million in grants will be directed to projects in the Snoqualmie, Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish, Green/Duwamish and Puyallup-White watersheds.

“I’m really excited to see this new park take shape” said King County Councilmember and Flood Board Supervisor Dave Upthegrove. “This is a great example of local governments working together to protect and improve our environment and quality of life.”