A staff report prepared for the Jan. 9 council meeting by Public Works Director Mick Monken through City Manager Pete Rose stated, “… The city may wish to purchase park land on this lake at some point in the future in order to expand the quality of life and recreational opportunities of its citizens.”

The lake is located just off NE Woodinville-Duvall Road between 160th Avenue NE and 167th Avenue NE.

Maddex said that lake residents wonder if it is even legal to put a park on the lake. He said there were several restrictions on the original 1932 deed that have been carried forward on all the deeds held by Lake Leota residents.

Reading from a deed, he said, “‘At the bottom of all these conditions are covenants running with the land and all guarantees of purchase are bonded thereby.’”

One covenant states, “‘The uplands shall not be used for manufacture or public amusement,’” said Maddex.

The community also wonders about the economic impact of having a park on the lake.

Would property values decline? Maddex said that homeowners told him that they chose their homes because they were situated on a private lake. They always expected the lake to remain private.

The community also is concerned that additional lake users might have environmental impacts on the lake. Would the fish be affected?

Currently the homeowners around the lake pay to have the lake stocked annually. Were the city to put a park on the lake, they would expect the city to pay for this. But more importantly, would increased use affect the health of the lake?

“A major source of noxious weeds that are introduced to lakes are from boats that get moved from lake to lake,” said Maddex.

He said that if people were free to bring crafts onto the lake, the community would have no control over the health of the lake. For the lake to remain healthy, it should remain private.