On Friday, December 11, Sammamish Parks & Recreation will fill Building 120 with kids in pajamas, popcorn, hot cocoa, ornament-making tables, characters from Frozen, a food truck and a family movie. For most of the past year, the public couldn't get into the building at all. The City's Building 120 project page says it is "not currently available for rentals."
The timing is the story. In the proposed 2027–2028 budget dated October 13, the City Manager wrote that a decision to lease or sell Building 120 is "expected in 60 to 90 days." Sixty days from October 13 is December 12, the day after Frosty Fest. The window closes January 11. The city's biggest family holiday night falls right before the building's future gets decided.
A Church Wing, a College, and Then a Question
Most people know it as the CWU building, and the city's event page still calls it "formerly known as the Central Washington University Building." CWU never built it, though. The two-story, 30,807-square-foot building at 120 228th Ave NE went up in 2008 as the community and office wing of a church whose main building was never constructed.
The city bought the former Mars Hill Church property for $6.1 million, with the Council approving the purchase in March 2015, according to a 2016 MyNorthwest report. The point was to bring higher education to Sammamish. The city's 2025 transition presentation says it never meant to own the building long term. It wrote CWU's lease with incentives and a purchase option, and CWU never used that option. CWU decided not to renew and moved out in June 2025. The city took full control on July 1, 2025.
That makes this the first time in more than a decade that the city has to decide what the building is for, with no tenant already lined up to answer the question.
What's Inside on a Regular Weeknight
The city extended the existing subleases for a year so current users wouldn't be disrupted. Most of them ended July 1, 2026. Here's what's left, according to city records:
- The YMCA has a lease through December 31, 2026, giving it exclusive use of the gym, stage, restrooms and storage for up to 39 hours a week. That covers weekdays from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Microsoft leases 27 parking stalls through the same date, paying the city $992.50 a month.
- The city itself turned one classroom into records storage and has used the building for Police and Fire training. A March 2026 staff report said no other public uses had been added because the staff and budget weren't there.
Both remaining leases end December 31. That date also falls inside the decision window.
In April 2026, a consultant found the building structurally sound, with its major systems working but aging. The report called community reuse possible with investment. The one piece of 2025 work it lists is the parking lot, which was striped and sealed. That fresh striping is where Frosty Fest guests will park. The event page lists parking on site.
Eight Groups Asked to Run It
The Council started a three-phase study of the building on January 20, 2026. Phase 1, the building assessment, is done. After hearing the results in April, the Council added more options to study: selling the property, converting it to mixed use, ground leases, a city annex, sustainability upgrades, and adding Big Rock Park South to the market analysis. Phase 2, community engagement, is listed as paused.
The city then took a different approach and asked who would actually run the building. Its operator interest form was open for four weeks and included an optional walkthrough. Submissions were screened on four criteria: whether the group can get the required insurance, whether it can pay for and staff the facility, whether it commits to community access, and whether it has run a building of similar size.
| Organization | Met all four city thresholds |
|---|---|
| YMCA | Yes |
| Timberlake Church | Yes |
| Sammamish C3 | No |
| Rock and Roll Rink | No |
| Sammamish Chinese School | No |
| Indian American Community Services | No |
| Old Friends Club | No |
| Block Party Quilters | No |
Staff reported that the YMCA and Timberlake Church both said they would need no ongoing city subsidy. The other six fell short on at least one criterion, such as financial capacity, experience at this scale, or an expected need for city support. The proposals cover a wide range of ideas: a community center, skating, classes, senior and youth services, dementia respite and quilting. Taken together, the list shows what different groups in town want room for.
Sammamish C3 has made its case publicly. In an October 15 opinion piece in the Sammamish Independent, the group called for a shared community center with youth and senior activities, arts and performance space, recreation, nonprofit services and event space people can rent.
The September 15 session was for information only, and the agenda bill ended with this:
"Staff will return later this Fall with a recommendation and request for Council direction."
The Zoning Change Keeps Every Option Open
A second process has been running alongside the operator search, and it's further along. The city has applied, as laid out in its October 20 Council agenda bill, to change the site's Future Land Use Map designation from Neighborhood Residential to Mixed Use Center. That would let the property be rezoned from R-6 to Community Business, a decision that would go to the city's Hearing Examiner. The city's project narrative says a Mixed Use Center designation could allow civic, community-service, cultural, gathering and recreation uses, along with affordable and workforce housing. It describes the neighbors as a shopping center to the north and Town Center development to the west and south.
Staff were direct about how the two processes fit together. The building's use "has not yet been determined," and the redesignation "will provide benefits in any scenario," whether the city leases, sells or moves ahead with community planning. The zoning step leaves every option open for the decision coming after it.
Here's how the dates line up:
- November 18, 2025: The Council puts the map amendment on its docket.
- September 18 to October 2, 2026: SEPA comment period. The city received no comments.
- October 15, 2026: The Planning Commission holds its public hearing and recommends approval.
- November 17, 2026: The map amendment is set for a City Council public hearing.
- December 11, 2026: Frosty Fest at Building 120.
- December 12, 2026 to January 11, 2027: The 60-to-90-day window for the lease-or-sale decision. The budget message says a budget amendment will follow whatever the city decides.
- December 31, 2026: The YMCA and Microsoft leases end.
No one sent in a single SEPA comment, so Frosty Fest is the most visible public moment the building has had in this whole process.
Making an Evening of It on 228th
Building 120 sits a little north of the city's geographic center on 228th Avenue. Skyline High School is 1.2 miles south, and the Civic Center across from Skyline holds the library, the Sammamish Community & Aquatic Center, the skatepark and the farmers market. City Hall is farther down the same road at 801 228th Ave SE. Frosty Fest puts one more stop on that stretch for a night.
A few things to plan around:
- Frosty Fest, Friday, December 11. It's free. The city's October newsletter lists it from 5 to 8 p.m. The event page says more details are coming, so check it before you go. Wear cozy pajamas, as the city suggests, and plan on dinner from the food truck.
- Dessert up the road. Eight Turn Crepe opened its first Washington location on May 2 at 470 228th Ave NE, serving Japanese-style crepes, tea and boba, according to the Sammamish Independent.
- Coffee with Council, Saturday, December 5, 9:30 a.m., at Met Market Sammamish. It's the last scheduled Coffee with Council before the decision window opens.
- City Council meetings on December 1 and December 15, 5:30 p.m., at City Hall. These are the regular meetings on either side of Frosty Fest.
If you have questions about the building, the city lists Janie Walzer as the contact on the Building 120 project page, at [email protected] or (425) 295-0640.
At Society Northwest, we're following the Building 120 decision as it comes up this winter. If you're curious what's changing along 228th, or which nearby places are worth your Friday nights, reach out. We're always glad to talk Sammamish over cocoa.
