Warren G. Magnuson Park
Sand Point Historic District

SAND POINT HISTORIC DISTRICT - VISION BEING REALIZED

Click to skip down to:

PROJECT UPDATE

Seattle Parks and Recreation thanks everyone for their interest and the time involved to provide comments on the improvement proposals. Many actions are underway this year which will bring Magnuson Park and the Sand Point Historic District even closer to its initial vision.

Starting in February 2008, the Mountaineers began renovations to transform Building 67, a former motor pool garage, into their new clubhouse. Going back to early 2005, a 30-year lease was approved by the City Council. Terms of the agreement include a $1.7 million capital investment and the construction of a rock climbing plaza that will be open to the public to offset rent payments. Occupancy is expected in late 2008.

Then over the summer two concession agreements were reviewed and approved by the City Council and include the following:

• Civic Light Opera will make improvements to the Magnuson Community Center Theater (Ordinance 122707, June 2008).
• Seattle Court Sports Unlimited will construct and operate the Sand Point Tennis Center (Ordinance 116270, July 2008).

At the end of September two more concession agreements were reviewed and approved by the City Council as follows:

• Building 11 LLC will improve and operate Building 11 (Ordinance XXXX, October 2008).
• Arena Sports Magnuson LLC will improve Building 27 and operate an indoor recreation center (Ordinance xxxxx, October 2008).

Land use code amendments to the Sand Point Overlay District are still under review by the City Council and scheduled to be discussed in mid-October.

DETAILS

Civic Light Opera (CLO) will improve and manage the theater in the Magnuson Community Center. The theater is currently used by CLO and other theater organizations but is a substandard facility. The long term concession agreement stipulates that CLO will invest $2.5 to $5 million over a 10 year period. Their goal is to create a state-of-the-art, live performance theater. CLO would raise funds and construct capital improvements in phases. Parks anticipates that no city funds would be used for the capital improvements. CLO will be required to accommodate a level of public programming accommodating other theater groups and which supports the youth theater programs operated by the community center.
» view site map, photos and description  

Sand Point Tennis Center Seattle Court Sports Unlimited will construct 10 courts on a site located between the Magnuson Community Center and the Firehouse. This long term concession agreement includes the construction of 6 courts inside an air-supported bubble, 4 outdoor courts and improvements to Building 41 for locker rooms, pro shop, and food/beverage concessions.
» view site map, photos and description  

Arena Sports will construct and operate a multi-use indoor recreation facility in Building 27. Arena Sports' will offer indoor soccer, basketball, and baseball programs, a health and fitness club, and limited food service. Arena Sports will operate these programs as a concessionaire under a long term lease. Programs currently operated by Arena Sports in Building 2 would be relocated to the renovated Building 27.
» view site map, photos and description  

Building 11 LLC will renovate Building 11 to house recreation-oriented mixed uses. This building currently houses tenants including artists and non-motorized boating programs. The concession agreement includes tenant mix of existing sailing and kayaking programs, a day care center, restaurant(s), and other as yet unidentified recreation oriented tenants. Restaurants would be limited to 2,500 SF, designed and managed to serve visitors at the park or other activities and not intended to be a stand-alone destination. This group will privately finance the entire project and would not use the building, land, or improvements to secure a private loan. In exchange for a long term agreement, the group will renovate and manage the building.
» view site map, photos and description 

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS 2008 - 2010

• Land Use Code Amendments. The Sand Point Overlay District permits additional land uses beyond those found in the two base zones; Single Family 7200 and Lowrise 3.
  
  Parks is requesting amendments that will support building redevelopment in the historic district by permitting additional principal land uses, mechanical equipment on rooftops, signs similar in size and placement to neighborhood business districts, the reconstruction of buildings on existing footprints, and expanding the boundaries of the Overlay District to include Building 27. The land use code permits uses that are either principal, or stand alone, and those that are accessory to a principal use. The amendment is proposing the inclusion of eight principal land uses: Dry boat storage, limited to storage of non-motorized, hand-launchable boats such as kayaks, canoes and sail boats; Motion picture theater not to exceed 500 seats within Building 47; Offices, limited to 86,000 total square feet in the entire subarea; Performing arts theater; Restaurants, without drive-in lanes, limited to no greater than 2,500 square feet per establishment; and Retail sales and services, general, accessory to other uses within the district, limited to 6,000 square feet per establishment. Single family zoning limits the height of structures to 35 feet, but in the historic district many buildings are 50-60 feet tall. To meet current building codes it is likely that larger heating and ventilation systems and, in some cases, elevators will be required. Both things require rooftop mechanical equipment which currently would not be permitted without obtaining a conditional use permit. This will allow certain types of rooftop structures to be added to existing non-residential historic buildings to extend up to 15 feet above the finished roof grade. Replacement of historic structures with new structures if they are built on the footprint of the historic structures they replace. Spaces between structures would continue to be maintained in open space use. Allow one new indoor and outdoor tennis structure, up to 45' in height, outside the footprint of a historic structure. Signs are tightly regulated in the Single Family zone and basically only permit address signs that are small. The historic district encompasses almost 100 acres and it can be difficult for visitors to see where programs are offered. Standards are proposed that will permit signs as large as 48 square feet on the walls of major buildings and individual signs for business establishments. Only external lighting fixtures may be pointed toward signs to light them. All signs would need to be consistent with The Signage & Wayfinding Master Plan for Warren G. Magnuson Park (2004) and the Sand Point Historic Properties Reuse and Protection Plan.
  » detailed comparison of existing and proposed code sections 



• Sand Point Way Access. To provide better traffic access to The Mountaineers clubhouse, the North Shore Recreation Area including Buildings 11 and 27, Parks is proposing re-establishment of a former driveway to the south of the NOAA Access Road. Staff are in discussions with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).



• Shoreline Management Permits. Portions of Buildings 11 and 27 are located within a Shoreline Management District. Washington State Department of Ecology and City DPD regulations regulate land uses within 200 feet of the Lake Washington shoreline. Parks will assist development partners in obtaining conditional use permits or shoreline text amendments.

*Note: To view a PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download it for free at www.adobe.com.