Friends of
Blakeley Crescent Park

Contents:

  Introduction
  Description
  History
  Map
  Site Plan
  Photos
  Current Events
  City Contacts
  Sponsors
  Contact FOBCP

Introduction

Friends of Blakeley Crescent Park (FOBCP) is a group of volunteer residents and business owners. We are working with the City to create a new small park next to the Burke-Gilman Trail and NE Blakeley Street, between 25th NE and 27th NE.

Phase I of the park is complete. A new sidewalk has been built along the north side of Blakeley and a new curb has been built along the south side, defining the edge of further enhancements in Phase II (see photo). FOBCP expects to complete Phase II of the park in the spring of 2002 (see description below).

FOBCP meetings are open to all interested residents and businesses. Besides design work, neighborhood volunteers will contribute "sweat equity" by clearing the area and planting native trees and plants. We currently have 200 hours of volunteer time pledged.

Our neighborhood volunteers include a general contractor, a landscaping contractor, two landscape architects, and other interested residents. Our neighborhood business representatives include Omni Group, a software development company whose property borders the park, and Intracorp, a company planning to construct a large condominium complex next door to Omni.

Businesses pledging money for park construction include the Seahawks, University Village, the Silver Cloud Inn, and Intracorp (who are also contributing design and engineering services). The park has also received significant grants from the City and the County.

Project Description

We propose to transform a neglected 2-block long right-of-way into a neighborhood park that will enhance the neighborhood and buffer the surrounding residential fabric from commercial uses and increasing residential density, while providing a pleasant amenity for Burke-Gilman trail users.

The primary goals of the project are:

  • To develop two gathering nodes that allow neighbors and Burke-Gilman users to use the site as both a travel corridor and a gathering space;
  • To create safe, formal pedestrian and ADA-accessible connections throughout the park;
  • To replace invasive vegetation with a mix of attractive, practical native plants and selected ornamentals;
  • To make the space more expressive of the neighborhood's history and identity, using artistic and interpretive elements.

The site is a combination of street and Burke-Gilman right-of-way, under the jurisdiction of both Parks and Transportation (see map). It is a long, narrow space, bisected by the Burke-Gilman trail, running east-west. The site slopes down from the street to the trail, steeply in some areas. Invasive non-native vegetation threatens to take over parts of the site, and the existing native and ornamental trees are struggling to survive. The site has formal access only at 25th Avenue, but there are several "desire trails" down the steep, erodable slopes to the Burke-Gilman. While the Burke-Gilman right-of-way is heavily used, the remainder of the site needs attention (see photos).

We propose to define the space as a park by formalizing the division between street and park. This would be accomplished by adding a curb along the south side of Blakeley Street (completed fall, 2000), creating an ADA-accessible walkway along the length of the park, adding street trees (north side completed fall, 2000), and formalizing access between the trail and the street at 26th and 27th Avenues.

We propose to create a pleasant place for informal gathering in the northeast corner, with an open grassy area for sitting or play. A kiosk with interpretive signage and artistic elements will illustrate the original ecology and early history of the neighborhood. A railroad once ran on the Burke-Gilman trail, Ravenna Creek ran through part of the site, and a mill stood on its banks. We would like Blakeley Crescent Park to preserve and honor this natural and human history.

Native trees and shrubs will replace blackberry thickets, which currently conceal parts of the park from the street. The effect will be a softer, greener, yet low-maintenance space. There will also be small beds of ornamental plantings to set off signs and other special features in the park.

A second gathering area will be developed in the southwest corner of the site, next to 25th Ave. The addition of amenities such as benches, trash receptacles, and interpretive signage will make the park more user-friendly and will encourage informal gathering (see site plan).

The transformation of neglected, leftover space into a park will benefit both trail-users and residents in a neighborhood that is growing ever denser and busier. The character of Blakeley Street is changing dramatically as small businesses and single-family dwellings are gradually replaced with large-scale mixed-use structures. In such a situation, accessible green open space is especially valuable from both an aesthetic and practical standpoint. Our proposal intends to knit the street, trail, and neighborhood together, and to create a space that can be a source of pride and interest for the neighborhood.

We expect that the site will see much greater use as an informal gathering space than it currently does as a result of the above enhancements. Our vision for Blakeley Crescent includes images such as these: visitors to the neighborhood might gather at the park before their morning run, walk or bike. Neighbors might choose to walk on the south side of Blakeley Street for the aesthetic appeal of the park. Nearby residents of high-density developments along Blakeley might enjoy a stretch of grass on a sunny day. A young family living in adjacent University Housing might spend a summer evening enjoying the glimpse of Mt. Rainier while their children scramble around the park. Residents of the retirement community across the street might stop for a rest after an evening walk. Newcomers to the neighborhood will learn how Ravenna Creek once flowed toward Lake Washington surrounded by plants seen on the site.

History

The idea for Blakeley Crescent Park came out of the neighborhood planning process. The park is "Key Strategy" #D22 in the University Community Urban Center Plan, published in the fall of 1998. Support for this type of project is also called for in the Neighborhood Enhancement Element of the Seahawks-at-Husky-Stadium Environmental Impact Statement. The project is also included in the 2000 Parks Comprehensive Plan Update.

Neighborhood residents and businesses have been involved in the project for more than a year. Activity started when the Northeast District Council (NEDC) and Football Northwest began work on a Memorandum of Understanding proposing the new park as a way to mitigate the impacts on the neighborhood when the Seahawks play at Husky Stadium. Football Northwest has pledged $40,000 per season for the 2000 and 2001 football seasons (the first $40,000 is committed to Transportation for construction of a sidewalk on the north side of Blakeley).

In the spring of 2000, volunteers formed Friends of Blakeley Crescent Park (FOBCP), elected officers, and started having regular design and planning meetings. Many members joined after attending FOBCP presentations at the spring and fall Ravenna-Bryant all-neighborhood meetings. The committee now has about twenty members.

The Silver Cloud Inn, the University Village, and Intracorp development group have all pledged significant funds and support, and the park has received two grants from the City, one from the Neighbhorhood Street Fund (used to build the curb in fall, 2000), and another from the Large Projects Fund.

Current Events

Where we are as of November 2001:

  • Transportation and Parks have agreed on a design they can both live with. It makes the park a little smaller on the east end, because Transportation may want to widen the 27th Avenue street end.

  • We are ready to present the "90%" design to the Seattle Parks and Transportation departments. We are waiting for an opening on their schedule.

City of Seattle Contacts

Subject Person Department
Primary Liaison for Blakeley Crescent Park Maureen Colaizzi
maureen.colaizzi@ci.seattle.wa.us
386-4006 		Parks
Transportation Department Liaison Mike Morris-Lent
mike.morrislent@ci.seattle.wa.us
386-1288 		Transportation
Large Projects Fund grant application Allynn Ruth
allynn.ruth@ci.seattle.wa.us
684-0301 		Neighborhoods
Neighborhood Projects expert Kate Kaehny
kate.kaehny@ci.seattle.wa.us
684-7165 		Parks
Neighborhood Projects expert Shauna Walgren
shauna.walgren@ci.seattle.wa.us
684-8681 		Transportation
Bicycle and Pedestrian expert Pete Lagerwey
pete.lagerwey@ci.seattle.wa.us
684-5108 		Transportation


Project Sponsors

Contact FOBCP

Chair: Kristen Lohse-Clark, fobcp@scn.org

Seattle Community Network

We are grateful to Seattle Community Network for hosting this home page.