Scattered along the shoreline are the landmarks of Mary Hall’s youth.

The twin pilings left over from an old Mosquito Fleet dock, the apple tree laden with tart autumn fruit, the big round rock she and her siblings used to clamber up for plunges into the cold waters of Eagle Harbor.

And while Hall had the privilege of growing up with a waterfront playground, she recognizes that those opportunities are increasingly rare.

“It’s so sad when you’re driving around the island, trying to get to the water,” Hall said. “There’s so little, it’s only attainable by the wealthy or those who were able to buy it years ago.”

What Hall’s family and neighbors have enjoyed for decades, the public may soon tread as well – the 11.8-acre property may be the next purchase with open space bond funds. Bainbridge Open Space Commission members were unanimous Tuesday in recommending the parcel for purchase, with chair Andy Maron calling it “too important a property to lose.”

The city council is expected to consider the recommendation at its Oct. 23 meeting.

Viewed from the ferry, the Hall property is an incongruous swath of green between rows of houses north of the ferry terminal, flanked by the Hawley neighborhood at one end and Wing Point on the other.

Beyond the beach and a breastwork of driftwood, a sizeable marsh sprawls toward the foot of the bluff.

From there, a network of rude trails lead up the hillside through dense cedars and firs, past a year-round creek, eventually reaching Wing Point Road.

The property has been on and off the market since 1996, most recently listed at $899,000. After an appraisal, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust negotiated the price down to $790,000 and secured a purchase option that has since been transferred to the city.

What caught the land trust’s eye?

“The amount of land, for one thing,” said Tom Cunningham, BILT board president. “The saltwater marsh, the extent of the beach. There’s so much here.”

The 619 feet of sandy beach would make it the fifth-longest stretch of public shoreline on the island, behind Fort Ward and Fay Bainbridge state parks, Blakely Harbor Park and Waterfront Park.

Two decades ago, a developer had plans to put a community across the marsh – the buildings were to be on stilts, connected by boardwalks. That project fell through, as have the designs of other would-be buyers through the years. Doug Nelson, listing agent for Re/Max, said that “every developer in the county” has approached him about the land at one time or another.

“You have to explain to them that it’s not really ‘development property,’” Nelson said, adding optimistically, “It’s really best suited for what it’s going to be used for.”

It’s the second parcel to be recommended for purchase under the city’s open space program, bankrolled by $8 million in bond funds approved by island voters last year.

The city council in August approved purchase of a half-acre parcel at the south end of Rockaway Beach, said to be popular with divers for the array of marine life offshore. Cost was $585,000.

Therein lies one of the drawbacks of purchase – the commission will have exhausted 17 percent of available funds on two parcels totaling just over 12 acres.

But open space commissioners say several home sites could be carved off and sold, without compromising the property.

The land has been in the Hall family since 1947; if the city does buy it, Mary Hall said she would like to see it called “Hall Cove Park,” to mark her family’s longtime stewardship. She and her siblings like the idea the property being preserved, she said.

“I think my family really wanted to build a house down here,” Hall said, walking the beach. “It just never happened.”