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Sammamish Town Center (not licensed)

Beaton Hill Park

Area of natural habitat at Beaton Hill Park with trees, grass, and other vegetation.
black and white photo of the Beaton Family, with a man, woman, and two children standing beneath a tree beside a house
Corinne, Darlene, John, and Jim Beaton in 1952

Project Update

Over the summer, the City completed routine maintenance on the property, in addition to demolishing the home and accessory structures which were in a state of disrepair. The demolition work required minimal tree pruning to reduce impacts from demolition activities.

There are no other planning efforts or improvements budgeted for at this time.

Overview

In the fall of 2018, the City purchased 9 acres of land at the northeast corner of 218th Avenue SE and SE 8th St to be known as Beaton Hill Park. The property provides flat, open, and forested areas populated by mature evergreens. The first step will be to complete a master plan for the park. Funds for a master plan have not yet been allocated in the Parks Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget. Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this new park property!

Property History

This property has been in the Beaton family since 1923, beginning with Angus and Helen Beaton. Their son, John, purchased the property in 1951 and relocated his family from Morton, Washington, to present-day Sammamish. John and his wife Corinne had three children: Jim, Darlene, and Dave.

The family utilized their property as farmland to grow fruits, vegetables, and hay. The land was home to cattle, rabbits, geese, and pigs. If you drove by this area before 2018, you may have seen cows grazing the expansive landscape.

Growing up on the property, the Beaton children worked hard to help milk the cows, churn fresh butter, and take care of their animals. The Beatons grew most of their food but would occasionally purchase items from the Sadlier's Country Store, located near what is now the Pine Lake QFC.

Jim Beaton recalls fond memories of playing in nearby streams with his neighbor to the east, Jim Sween. The Sween family is known as one of the first families to live on the Sammamish Plateau, and their 20-acre poultry farm was located near present-day Lower Sammamish Commons.

The Beaton family sold their property to the City in 2018 to be used as parkland. In helping to preserve the property’s character and developing the land into a park, the Beaton family will be able to enjoy the land they grew up on and provide irreplaceable green space for the community.