Followup on a report we brought you last weekend, that the Parks Department is likely to take over a city-owned parcel at SW Manning/Admiral Way, once was proposed for sale on the open market: Just got the official announcement that the City Council’s Parks Committee gave its approval this morning to the plan to seek public comment before going ahead with that change — read on:

Here’s the full text of the news release:

The Parks and Seattle Center Committee of the Seattle City Council approved a Resolution seeking public comments on the proposed transfer of approximately 14,000 square feet of city property along SW Admiral Way from the Fleets and Facilities Department (FFD) to the Parks Department. FFD coordinates and manages the city’s real estate.

The property is located at the northwest corner of SW Manning Street and SW Admiral. It was acquired by the City in 1961 for construction of the West Seattle Freeway. Since the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has no current need for the property it was transferred to FFD several years ago for possible surplus and sale.

When the City first announced the possible sale of the property, community members including the Admiral Community Council requested that the City retain the property for greenbelt purposes. The property is zoned Single Family 5000 and if sold to private owners it would likely be the site of two buildable lots.

If the transfer occurs the property would remain in public ownership for parks or open space purposes. The Resolution calls for a public meeting to receive comments and ideas for future uses if the property were to be transferred to the Parks Department.

The public meeting will be scheduled in the vicinity of the property. Notice of the meeting will be provided to all citizens who have previously submitted comments, as well as property owners and residents living within a 1200-foot radius of the parcel, community organizations, and others who might be interested.

Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the Committee, said, “This property is an essential part of a greenbelt that stretches from the West Seattle Bridge off-ramp all the way to the Admiral Overlook. It is the site of a large Sequoia tree and should be transferred to the Parks Department to ensure that the tree is saved and the property is not sold for development.”