The Bothell Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will consider making a recommendation to the City Council on acquiring two plots in Shelton View Woods on Jan. 7.

The plots, located along 228 Street Southwest west of Meridian Avenue South in Bothell, are relatively open woodland. The Department of Natural Resources owns a 26-acre plot directly west of Shelton View Elementary School and south of a 16.5-acre plot owned by MC Coast LLC.

During a Dec. 9 Bothell Planning Commission meeting, the commission voted to let the Parks and Recreation Advisory board to make a recommendation to them on what steps should be taken to possibly acquire both properties.

The Planning Commission supports the city looking into purchasing the Department of Natural Resources plot for preservation as an open space or a park, but the MC Coast property includes large portions of a large hill near the center of the property.

Unregulated trails crisscross the properties, and many neighbors and area residents view the land as a cherished piece of the Bothell community. An online petition has garnered nearly 1,000 signatures in support of saving the woods.

MC Coast applied for a rezoning of their property earlier this year, allowing them to build more dense development on the property.

Their plot is currently zoned for one residential house per 9,600 square feet. The company applied to have this reduced to one residence per 4,000 square feet.

The Planning Commission considered this application as well as other alternatives which could allow MC Coast to develop in a cluster, leaving much of the woodland intact.

Other areas of concern were traffic access and possible zoning for a convenience store in the northeast corner of the 228 Street Southwest and Meridian Avenue South intersection.