With a 7-0 vote, Kenmore City Council on Dec. 14 approved a 10-year master plan for the development of Bastyr University.

“This is a very successful outcome,” said City Manager Frederick Stouder, who asserted that the unanimous vote showed the city had done its homework and that the agreement is a worthy one for Kenmore.

“They resolved all of our concerns to our satisfaction,” said City Councilman Allan Van Ness.

According to Van Ness, the city had asked for details on several issues, including emergency access to the campus, plans for water runoff or drainage and the school’s required commuter trip reduction plan.

Probably most importantly, though, the city was looking for guarantees regarding public access to Bastyr property, which is adjacent to St. Edward State Park.

Notably, the city will be leasing two ball diamonds and a soccer field from Bastyr. Stouder believes that agreement is especially notable given the fact Bastyr is a private college.

According to information provided to City Council, the lease agreement is for 11 years and begins in January. Basically, the fields will be available to Kenmore sports groups or for individual use seven days a week during specified hours. Kenmore groups will receive priority regarding scheduling of the fields.

In terms of the cost of the lease, the city will pay Bastyr $35,000 per year until such a time as the university receives permits for planned improvements to the fields. At that point, the rent on the fields jumps to $150,000. Upon completion of the improvements, the cost dips a bit to $135,000. Spread out over 11 years, the total cost of the lease is approximately $820,000, though the city is entitled to 50 percent of any revenues collected in the form of user fees.

No estimate of those fees was given. Bastyr will be responsible for the maintenance of the fields and the cost of improvements, which are to include, among other steps, regrading the soccer field, relocating two existing backstops and creating an irrigation system using an on site, non-potable water source.

“A lot of people worked really, really hard to make this happen,” Stouder said. Van Ness added that a couple of issues weren’t supposed to be worked out until late next year. But he said the more officials from both sides looked at the outstanding questions, the more it seemed those issues could be resolved now.

“It was just a matter of getting it down in writing,” Van Ness said.

“The opportunity to work closely with citizens, the Planning Commission, the city staff and councilmembers has been rewarding in itself,” said Bastyr President Daniel Church. “And the outcome — both the agreement and the relationship — augurs a wonderful future for the university and our community.”

“This accomplishment was the result of cooperation and commitment between the city and the university, and President Church’s leadership and vision at the university,” said Kenmore Mayor David Baker.

As revealed previously, Bastyr’s 10-year plan calls for, perhaps most notably, a new academic building and a parking structure. Bastyr already has broken ground on 11, two-story dormitory buildings that will house approximately 132 students. Completion is scheduled for summer of 2010.

The dorm project attracted a formal challenge from local environmental groups, but ultimately a hearing examiner upheld the city’s approval of the project. In the past, Van Ness has noted any future Bastyr development — not including the dorm project — will be subject to what he called much stricter drainage and runoff rules that should be adopted by council early next year.

“I’m just really pleased that Bastyr is trying to be a good neighbor,” Van Ness said after council approved the school’s plans.

According to the city, another aspect of those plans call for Bastyr’s campus population (a combination of students and staff) to increase from its 2008 level of 1,130 to between 1,400 and just over 1,700 by 2020. The city noted Bastyr is Kenmore’s largest employer.

Regarding other issues, such as emergency access to the campus and St. Edward Park, Stouder said the university had made commitments to the state and local fire officials.

Currently, the lone way in and out of Bastyr runs off Juanita Drive. St. Edward shares that access road. Among officials and some park supporters, there is a question as to what might happen should that road become blocked. Most importantly, the argument goes that emergency crews would have no way in to reach either the university or St. Edward.

In the past, Bastyr officials have said their intent is to set up a monitoring system on the access road. The idea is that, should the road become blocked, either Bastyr or the state would have the ability to quickly remove that blockage.