AUBURN, Washington — An Auburn park on the Green River that often attracts homeless campers will undergo some major changes.
The park just off of 104th Avenue Southeast has been nicknamed "Broken Beer Bottle Beach Park," according to park-goers and nearby residents.
Bob Gerend has a grand view of the Green River from the backyard of his home. He and his wife have lived in their current home for the past 16 years.
Gerend said homeless people are pretty fond of a spot near the beach.
"Sometimes they would come to the water here - couple times without clothes," Gerend said. "We've had some people that have set up camp across there in the woods and we have been concerned because they would have fires."
City staff members said they are hoping improvements to the park could change its reputation.
"We have found in Auburn that when we [get] increased public use, the positive attitude outweighs the negative we see at some of our spaces," said Daryl Faber, director of Parks, Arts and Recreation for the City of Auburn.
For years 10 acres of the land belonged to King County and 10 acres belonged to the state. When the city took over ownership, the goal was to turn the beach into something better.
Gerend said this project could be both good and bad.
"Perhaps more supervision would reduce the possibility of having some unseemly characters there, but it would attract a lot more people and we would lose a lot of the serene setting that we have now," he said.
The city plans to build a parking lot with 30 to 40 spaces. This means families who access the beach will no longer need to park off the shoulder of the often busy 104th Avenue.
Park-goers can also expect to see a small playground, looping trails and a public bathroom.
"When there are eyes on space, good things happen and that's what will happen here. We found that in our other parks [with] a mix of active use and open space," Faber said.
Construction is expected to begin next summer and the city hopes it will be ready for the public in 2021.