Parks and Green Spaces Levy
Opportunity Fund

The Levy Citizens Oversight Committee finalized their recommendations for  the first round  Opportunity Fund projects in December, 2010. City Council and the Mayor’s office approved the list below in April 2011.  Thank you to all the community organizations that brought these projects forward.

• 19th & Madison Neighborhood Park
• Bitter Lake Reservoir Park Enhancements
• James Court Woonerf
• Jimi Hendrix Park Development
• John Muir Elementary PG Improvements
• John Street Enhancement Project
• Lewis Park Reforestation
• Lower Kinnear Park Enhancement Plan
• McGilvra Place Green Infrastructure
• Beaver Pond Natural Area at Thornton Creek Restoration
• Puget Ridge Edible Park
• Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands
• Santos Rodriguez Memorial Park
• The Troll's Knoll
• University Heights Open Space South Lot

=this project is complete

Highland Park Spraypark, Northacres Spraypark and 14th Avenue NW Park are three additional projects that will receive funding from other Levy sources.

• The Opportunity Fund provides $15 million in funding only for community initiated park development or property acquisition projects. Parks is awarding approximately $7 million towards projects in this first funding cycle of the Opportunity Fund.

Detailed criteria will be developed by Seattle Parks staff and the Levy Oversight Committee for the second round  of Opportunity Fund allocation in the 2012/2013 funding cycle.  

With guidance from Seattle City Council, the Levy Oversight Committee developed criteria for evaluating, nominating, and recommending a package of Opportunity Fund projects to the Mayor and City Council.

Parks was excited about the broad interest the community showed for the Parks & Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund. We received almost 100 project proposal applications. Thank you for such an amazing response!

Staff applied the criteria and made preliminary project proposal recommendations to the Oversight Committee. The Committee reviewed each proposal, and over the course of two weekends in September, toured the top 33 project proposal sites.

In April 2011, The Parks and Green Spaces Opportunity Fund recommendations were approved by City Council and the Mayor.

• 2008 Parks & Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund Ordinance #122749
• 2011 Council Bill #117122

Opportunity Fund Timeline History

• December 6, 2010 –Briefing/Discussion on City Council Budget and Final Project Recommendations to Parks Acting Superintendent
• January 2011 – Project Funding Recommendations to Mayor and City Council
• February 2011 – Targeted City Council Approval of Project Funding Recommendations
• April 2011 – Begin Project Implementation
• Detailed criteria will be developed by Seattle Parks staff and the Levy Oversight Committee for the 2012/2013 funding cycle.

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