Several residents of lower Queen Anne filled the conference room at the Uptown Neighborhood Center to learn about which parcels of property might be recommended by the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department to house the new park.
Lower Queen Anne resident Dan Kress said he likes parks and was interested in hearing about the choices for a location.
" I really like the Queen Anne and Roy site," Kress said. "It's easy to get to and right where it's all happening. It's close to Kinnear Park and far from Seattle Center."
Like Kress, an overwhelming majority who filled the conference room also preferred the currently vacant lot where Queen Anne Avenue North and Roy Street intersect. They liked the amount of sun that the site gets and the vacancy of the property, which means no "attractive" buildings would have to be torn down. Many attendees at the meeting said they felt the public would use it.
But some had concerns.
"Our residents endorse the (park)," said John Kellar, Home Owner Association (Barclay Court). "Their only concern is that the park would be a haven for transients and defeat the purpose of a nice park."
Others cited concerns including noise level, heavy traffic and accessibility.
In November 2000, voters approved an eight-year Pro Parks Levy that designated $270,000 towards the construction of a new park in the neighborhood and $1 million to $2 million to buy the property. Over the past few months, Seattle Parks and Recreation Department staff has visited six properties proposed as possible park sites. The parcels are located at Queen Anne Avenue and Thomas; First Avenue North And Mercer Street; First Avenue North and Roy Street; Queen Anne Avenue and Roy Street; Second Avenue West and West Republican and Third Avenue West and West Republication.
After visiting the sites, and talking to community members and property owners, the parks department narrowed the choices to the empty lot at Queen Anne and Roy and the two properties on West Republican, plus possible additional property in between the latter two parcels.
During the Uptown Alliance meeting, park staffer Bill Blair discussed the reasons for eliminating the other three sites.
"Queen Anne and Thomas is a nice site, but it's very close to Seattle Center," he said. "Also, the owners and the community would like to keep the nice brick house preserved, and we're looking for a park not another building."
The department also determined that the First Avenue North and Mercer Street property would better serve the community by continuing to be used for commercial purposes.
"Some businesses felt strongly that this site is crucial to the health of the business district," said Blair. "Foot traffic fell off after Tower Books closed, and once Easy Street Records opened, customers increased. Also the owners of the site [Diamond Parking] weren't willing to sell."
Since the First Avenue North and Mercer Street lot was no longer available, the adjoining property at First Avenue North and Roy Street was eliminated because of its small square footage.
The next steps, according to Blair, include forming an advisory committee consisting of both residents and businesses.
"We want to look at what would and could happen at the remaining sites to make a good park and how much resources it would take to develop the site," said Blair.
Parks department staffer Donald Harris said the new park is important to the neighborhood because "people need a place to get out of their residence." Harris also emphasized the critical nature of making the right choice.
"This is a park for 100 years, and we don't want to make a mistake with short-term decisions. We want to get it right," Harris said.
The parks department hopes that the acquisition process will wrap up by the end of the year. However, development of the property could take time.
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