Healthy Environment
Goals include increased health of and amount of tree canopy cover and other green infrastructure, improved outdoor and indoor air quality, decreased incidence of asthma, and increased access to affordable, healthy, and culturally-acceptable foods in the Duwamish Valley.
2023 Progress Highlights
View the full 2023 Annual Update
South Park Pump Station
The Pump Station opened in Summer 2023! SPU and the Duwamish Valley Program hosted a pump station opening celebration event in September 2023, where over 250 community members and City employees attended.
The pump station helps to move water off the roads and sidewalks during high precipitation events. SPU and SDOT are also planning a second round of drainage and conveyance improvements to select streets in the industrial area of South Park.
Tree Planting & Maintenance
Greening Industrial Lands
In 2023, OSE finalized spending its 2022 budget allocation to plant trees on industrial lands in South Park. The City also allocated an additional $300,000 in 2023 to help support the effort to improve tree canopy in industrial areas in South Park and Georgetown. OSE made progress in supporting the installation of tree boxes on four sites to help get trees located in South Park while also avoiding permitting complications. The four sites are Beyond Clothing, Gateway Park North, 10th and Elmgrove, and Rain City Skate Park.
Maintenance of Green Infrastructure
In 2023, OSE invested $267,000 to support DIRT Corps to maintain green infrastructure in the Duwamish Valley.
Climate Change Mitigation and Air Quality Improvements
Heavy Duty Truck Electrification
This year, OSE launched a pilot program to support heavy-duty truck drivers to convert their vehicles to electric! This pilot project contained $1 million in support.
The Port of Seattle was awarded $12 million to build charging stations for heavy-duty and drayage trucks that support Port operations. OSE is currently exploring additional funding options to support the conversion of heavy-duty trucks to electric.
Oil Heat Conversion
43 homes converted from oil to heat pumps – providing year round heating and cooling comfort.
Avoided 21,500 gallons of oil per year. Decommissioned 43 oil tanks – helping to avoid future costly oil leak clean ups. Homes saved an average of 50% on heating costs or about $800 or more per year.
Affordable, Healthy Food
OSE continued its partnership with Frutería Sandoval through the Fresh Bucks program. Frutería Sandoval completed their first full year of processing the new Fresh Bucks e-benefit supporting the business in implementing the new benefit processing system. Through their relationships in the Duwamish Valley, Frutería Sandoval does the most Fresh Bucks business of any of the program’s independent grocery partners!
2022 Progress Update
Tree Planting & Maintenance
Greening Industrial Lands
OSE received $300,000 to begin work to green industrial areas next to residential parts of South Park and Georgetown. About 10% of this funding was used to collaborate with community groups, like Just Health Action, to continue identifying industrial property owners interested in greening their land. The rest of this funding has been allocated to construction, which was conducted on 3 sites in 2022 (6th Ave at Seattle Design Center and Beyond Clothing in Georgetown, and 11th Ave S & S Elmgrove in South Park), and will continue in 2023 with additional projects including at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall and 4th Ave at Seattle Design Center.
Maintenance of Green Infrastructure
This year, OSE invested $75,000 in the maintenance of existing green infrastructure in the Duwamish Valley to help promote clean, healthy air. Seven green infrastructure projects were maintained, and OSE partnered with DIRT Corps as well as helped to train 15 local youth through this work.
Planting in the Right-of-Way and Removal of Concrete to Build Green Infrastructure
Over the course of 2021 and 2022, SDOT in partnership with OSE’s Urban Forestry program planted over 200 trees. These trees were planted in the right-of-way (the space between the sidewalk and the street). Additionally, SDOT worked to remove concrete to create space for green infrastructure. On Dallas Ave S, SDOT repaired the sidewalk. However, there are some large trees in-place.
In 2020, SDOT also completed a new sidewalk and sidewalk replacement on 8th Ave S between S Southern St and S Sullivan St that preserved existing large trees providing canopy coverage on this street.
Climate Change Mitigation and Air Quality Improvements
NEW: South Park Water Quality Facility
Connected to the broader Resilience District work, SPU is building a water quality facility in the industrial area of South Park, likley the Silver Bay property, a 3-acre parcel where up to half could be for community benefits that aren’t directly related to the water quality facility itself. A formal MTCA cleanup process has been initiated with WA Department of Ecology to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the site.
South Park Pump Station
SPU is continuing construction on its South Park Pump Station, which will send stormwater to the Duwamish River during high tide events and reduce flooding.
Heavy Duty Truck Electrification
OSE has been working closely with the Duwamish River Community Coalition, African Chamber of Commerce, International Council on Clean Transportation, and others to create an equitable implementation plan to offer City financial incentives for the purchase of new electric trucks, and create off street secured parking and charging stations funded by Seattle City Light.
Access to Affordable, Healthy Food
Support Emerging Local Businesses
Frutería Sandoval completed their first full year of processing the new Fresh Bucks e-benefit supporting the business in implementing the new benefit processing system. Frutería Sandoval does the most Fresh Bucks business of any of the program’s independent grocery partners!
Implement Alternative Efforts to Fill the Healthy Food Gap
This past year, OSE worked with Seattle's Human Services Department (HSD) to ensure that food programs functioned over during the summer. HSD supported food banks and meal programs through: Cultivate South Park, Lifelong, Puget Sound Labor Agency, South Park Senior Citizens, Sound Generations, and Georgetown Food Bank.
Additionally, HSD supported summer food service programs at Concord Elementary, Deaborn Park Elementary, Dearborn Park Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Safe Futures Youth Center, United Samoan Organization, YMCA @ Concord Elementary, and the South Park Community Center.
2021 Updates
OSE launched an effort to electrify heavy duty vehicles in the Duwamish Valley; Seattle City Light (SCL) installed two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in South Park; SPU began construction of the South Park Pump Station; and OSE connected community members to Fresh Bucks and Emergency Grocery Vouchers and provided business support to Frutería Sandoval.
2020 Updates
OSE supported Duwamish Valley youth capacity building via an air quality research study, connected community members to Fresh Bucks and Emergency Grocery Vouchers, and provided business support to Frutería Sandoval.