On September 27th, the Seattle City Council, which serves as the Metropolitan Park District Board, passed its funding plan for 2023-2028 in a 8-1 vote, with Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4) casting the lone dissenting vote. While a few new amendments were approved before passage, the spending plan as a whole remained very similar to the latest package assembled by Councilmember and Park District Chair Andrew Lewis (District 7). The most notable amendments include funding for the Garfield Superblock in the Central District and two oversight amendments, the first to track performance data related to the controversial Park Ranger program and the second to increase accountability around spending for capital improvement projects.
As mentioned in previous reporting by The Urbanist, Lewis’ spending plan was slightly more expensive than the plan presented by Mayor Bruce Harrell and addressed some community priorities that had come up during public outreach such as increasing equity in parks projects and creating new off-leash areas for dogs. Overall, the spending plan doubles the typical annual Parks District property tax assessment for the median home value from $155 to $343 in the first year, which may leave some Seattleites wondering what they will receive in return. From year-long access to all park bathrooms, to climate resilient updates to community centers, there are a lot of changes headed to Seattle’s parks. One of the most exciting developments, however, is the new parks that will be created as a result of the plan.
In total, the funding plan will pay to fully develop four new parks and fund Phase 1 development, which encompasses community outreach and design planning, of two additional parks. Let’s take a tour of these new parks headed to neighborhoods across Seattle.
Fully funded new parks
The new parks that will receive funding as a result of the plan include: Terry Pettus, Lake City Floodplain, Cayton Corner, and Gateway Park North. All of these parks will be located on city owned land that is currently undeveloped or in need of redevelopment.
Terry Pettus Park
Terry Pettus Park in Eastlake will bring a public plaza, picnic area, green stormwater infrastructure, and habitat restoration with native plants on a Lake Union street end site currently equipped with benches and a dock.
Lake City Floodplain Park
The Lake City Floodplain Park will create a new community green space that will support the health of nearby Thorton Creek. Seattle Parks and Recreation, along with partners including King County and Seattle Public Utilities have been conducting community outreach on plans for the site, including an online open house with opportunities to provide feedback. According to the project timeline, a design proposal is supposed to be shared with the public this fall.
