Major Maintenance Project Information
Freeway Park Renovation

Address: 700 Seneca St; Seattle, WA 98101-2737

Current Status

The water returned to the Pigott Corridor fountains on June 25, 2008, however, there have been unforeseen engineering difficulties and the water has been turned off. Mayor Greg Nickels turned the water on during a neighborhood celebration. Along with refurbishing the fountains Parks installed new pedestrian lighting. The design team was lead by ORB Architects.

In November, City Council approved the Mayor's proposed $2.5 million budget for Freeway Park for the 2007-2008 biennium.

Landscape Renovation
Phase 2 of the Landscape Renovation Plan commenced in February 2009. After the phase 2 tree and shrubs have been removed and the soil prepared, new plantings shall be installed. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed by May. Phase 3 shall commence in late September and finish up in winter 2010.

Iain Robertson, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington has been retained to complete recommendations to restore and renew Freeway Park's landscape. Professor Robertson met with Lawrence Halprin FASLA, the Park's original designer to discuss the landscape renovation. Parks and Iain Robertson presented the Landscape Renovation Plan to the Design Commission on May 15, 2008 and it was unanimously approved. Danadjieva and Koenig Associates did some preliminary work on the Landscape Renovation Plan in 2006.

Landmark Designation
The proceedings to nominate Freeway Park as a Historic Landmark have been postponed until later in 2007.

The Historic Landmark Preservation Board met in November 2006 to review the status. Primarily due to issues raised by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), nomination was tabled until further discussions between the City and WSDOT can occur.

Project Description

The current goals of this project include:

• developing a landscape improvement plan,
• working with the original park designer,
• developing kiosks for the future use of wayfinding signs,
• developing recommendations for improvements to Pigott Corridor,
• and the addition of one (prototype) bench,
• additional benches will be added using a donation process, administered by the Seattle Park Foundation.

Park History
When Freeway Park was originally designed and constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, its design intent was to create a park providing promenades, views of Elliott Bay and a green space in the middle of the city. The trees have grown over the years to such an extent that their canopies now shade much of the understory shrubs and ground cover plants. The grass and lawn that still remains are challenged due to lack of light. The selective removal of these trees is part of an overall plan to make the park more inviting to everyone and to encourage its active use by children, neighbors, downtown workers, and visitors using the Convention Center and Visitors Bureau.

Other park improvements scheduled to occur in 2006 are dependent on the approval of proposed additional funding.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Freeway Park Neighborhood Association President (FPNA) - David Brewster
Email: davidb@townhallseattle.org
Phone: (206) 652-4255
Fax: (206) 652-5858

2004-2005 - Project for Public Spaces (PPS) workied with Seattle Parks and Recreation, Freeway Park Neighborhood Association and other community groups to develop strategies to activate Freeway Park. PPS developed a conceptual plan to provide a range of activities to draw members of the diverse Downtown and First Hill communities together in the park. The goal was to create a sense of community in Freeway Park that includes families, visitors, local business and neighbors, by providing activities and amenities for social interaction, while maintaining a sense of security.

Freeway Park Neighborhood Association and Seattle Parks and Recreation sponsored a series of workshops and smaller focus group meetings with the community over an 18 month time period.

Highlights of the schedule include:
10/04 Visioning Workshop #1
12/04 Activation Elements Workshop #2
01/05 Final Report Open House
07/06 Open House for Landscape Improvement Plan Meeting Notes (PDF)

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