Ten beloved views of the Space Needle are now officially protected by Seattle City Council ordinance. They include Alki Beach Park (Duwamish Head), Bhy Kracke Park, Gasworks Park, Hamilton View Point, Kerry Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seacrest Park, Seattle Center, and Volunteer Park.
This view protection legislation, approved by the Council on November 5, 2001, was the first of a number of actions that may be taken by the City to ensure that Seattle’s rich legacy of vistas and landscapes, from parks and view points to scenic rights of way, will be preserved for future generations. The approved legislation amended the City’s Environmental Policies and Procedures Ordinance SMC Chapter 25.05 to identify places in Seattle where views of the Space Needle warranted public protection from potential obstruction from new development.
The Council acted on recommendations from a study completed by DPD and the Seattle Strategic Planning Office (SPO) in April 2001. Titled "Seattle View Protection Policies: Space Needle View Inventory and Assessment," the study identified 10 public locations from which the view of the Space Needle would be protected under SMC Chapter 25.05.
Space Needle View Protection Report
Electronic versions of the Space Needle view protection report (Vol. I and II) are available in Adobe PDF format below.
Volume I: "Space Needle Executive Report and Recommendations"
Volume II: "Space Needle View Inventory and Assessment" (each chapter is a separate Adobe PDF file.)
- View Inventory and Assessment
- Viewpoints Locator Map
- Section I. Space Needle Inventory and Assessment Methodology
- Section II. Space Needle Inventory and Assessment Results
- Section III. View Analysis Matrix and Individual Site Reviews
- "HIGH" SCORE VIEW SITES
- "MEDIUM" SCORE VIEW SITES
- "LOW" SCORE VIEW SITES
- Section IV. Mitigation Options
- Bibliography
