City officially accepts property donated by longtime Edmonds resident



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Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson (left) and Peter Bennett (right) discuss Shirley Johnson, a longtime resident of Edmonds who donated her property to the town of Edmonds. (Photo by Cody Sexton)

City leaders and community members gathered on Thursday to celebrate the fact that Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson received the keys to a property donated to the city for a community park and garden.

Located at 9309 Bowdoin Way, the property was bequeathed to the city by longtime resident Shirely Johnson (née Shirley Spicer), died in January. Without a family to inherit the property, Johnson decided in 2018 to leave his house in the city, provided that it is used “as a park and / or community garden site and / or to cultivate and grow plants, fruits, vegetables and more … all for the Town of Edmonds and for the citizens of Edmonds and the local community.

The property was bequeathed by Shirley Johnson to the Town of Edmonds for use as a community park.

The 1.4 acre site is adjacent to Yost Park, with fruit trees and blackberry vines covering much of the property. For years locals called it the Spicer Farm and Johnson’s mother raised chickens.

During Thursday’s event, Nelson spoke about the importance of green spaces and the impact Johnson’s donation will have on the city.

“We are delighted to continue his legacy and make this a wonderful extension of our park system,” he said.

Edmonds City Council voted at its business meeting on September 21 to accept the donation of property.

The 1.4 acre property has apple trees and blackberry vines growing in the wild.

Since the city was unable to provide security for the site prior to the transfer, Edmonds attorney Pete Bennett oversaw the process of enclosing the house, removing debris, mowing grass and other maintenance work. Bennett’s father, Chet, was also a lawyer who represented Johnson’s family. One memory Pete Bennett had was the number of estate agent business cards piling up on the doorstep. Still, Johnson refused to budge, Bennett recalls.

“They all wanted to buy this place,” he said.

As with any new municipal park, Edmonds staff will then develop a master plan for the property to determine how the space will be used for the benefit of the community. The house the family lived in was built in 1925 and is currently uninhabitable. The city plans to demolish it, which will create more green space, said director of parks, recreation and cultural services, Angie Feser.

“It’s a great site for community engagement with a great story,” she said.

– By Cody Sexton



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