Lake City Floodplain Park Development

Location

2318 NE 125th Street, Seattle 98125

Budget

The project’s construction contract amount is estimated to be $2.5 million.

The site was jointly acquired by Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). The total project budget is current $5,610,050. This project has been made possible through Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities, various grants and in partnership with the MidSound Fisheries Enhancement Group (MSFEG) and their successful fundraising efforts. Funding sources include:

Federal

· $1,100,000 - National Park Service LWCF Legacy Program

Washington State

· $500,000 - Dept of Ecology Non-Point Funding

· $500,000 – Recreation and Conservation Office, Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program

King County:

· $535,000 - King County Conservation Futures, property acquisition

· $2,170,050 - Flood Control District

· $105,000 Waterworks

City of Seattle

· $700,000 - Seattle Parks and Recreation - Park District Fund

Thank you to all of our funders!

SPR, SPU, and MSFEG are working together to secure additional design and construction funding through various grant opportunities.

Schedule

Planning & Design: 2021 - 2026
Construction: 2027 - 2028

Project Description

SPR is partnering with SPU and the non-profit MSFEG to develop a floodplain reconnection and public park.

=The goal of this project is to enhance water quality and wildlife habitat, help mitigate current and future climate-influenced flood flows, and provide public green space in a racially diverse and underserved urban community.

The parcel is entirely within the FEMA floodplain along 200ft of Thornton Creek channel, while also adjacent to a designated urban village. Floodplain reconnection and additional flood storage will provide climate resiliency in the future, while reducing the impacts of stormwater runoff into the creek, including water pollution and potential flood damage to residents along this section of the creek. Restoring a stream to decrease flooding often involves widening and adding bends to the stream channel, as well as adding wood and other obstacles to slow the water down. When the water slows down it decreases erosion potential and creates pools where stream insects and fish can gather to rest and shelter from predators. The expansion of the floodplain also helps the creek hold more water during a storm creating less local and downstream flooding.

Site Description

Thornton Creek is made up of 18 miles of urban waterways running through southeast Shoreline through northeast Seattle, where it enters Lake Washington. The Thornton Creek watershed is the largest in Seattle, covering approximately 12 square miles. Most of the water (including rainfall that picks up pollutants when it falls on roofs, streets, and parking lots) in those 12 square miles drains into Thornton Creek and its tributaries.

As Seattle has grown and developed, Thornton Creek has been altered from its original path. Much of the creek and its tributaries have been straightened and its surrounding wetlands filled. A few sections of Thornton Creek have been redirected through pipes underground. As a result =, the creek's natural capacity to store water has been decreased and it suffers from frequent flooding and poor water quality.

Over the years, flooding has caused damage to public infrastructure, such as roads and private property. In addition, decreased water quality has negatively impacted the health of the fish, birds, and other wildlife that live in the Thornton Creek watershed. Climate change is predicted to cause increasingly larger rain events, meaning more water in Thornton Creek during storms and more frequent flooding.

The land was previously privately-owned property, listed for sale in 2018. The community recognized it as an opportunity to create more green space in the Lake City and to restore and protect Thornton Creek. In response to strong community advocacy and support, Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities jointly purchased the property to create a public park and restore the natural area.

Community Participation

Thank you for your input that helped shape the design of the park! The project has hosted four public meetings that you can learn about below.

August 2024 Meeting

• Recorded Presentation
• Concept Design Options

December 14, 2022 Meeting

• Document coming soons

July 20, 2022 Meeting

• Recorded Workshop

March 3, 2022 Meeting

• Recorded Worshop
• Tour of the site