Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) Superintendent Jesús Aguirre has approved the names of two new parks: a 1.7-acre neighborhood park that is part of the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community and a new park in the heart of Fremont. SPR invited the public in October 2016 to submit potential names for these sites to the Parks Naming Committee.
The Yesler Neighborhood Park project will be named Yesler Terrace Park. The scope of this project is to develop a 1.7-acre neighborhood park that is part of the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community. The intent of the park is to serve as a gathering place for current and future residents of Yesler Terrace as well as people who live and work in the surrounding community. The 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy provides $3,000,000 for a new park at Yesler Terrace. Additional funding has been secured from the Seattle Housing Authority, State of Washington Recreation Conservation Office Recreation Grant, RAVE Foundation, Stim Bullitt Park Excellence Fund, Wyncote Foundation, and Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Foundation. The overall budget now totals $4,330,000. More information can be found here.
This new park space will be an integral part of the Yesler Community Center and Yesler Terrace. The Park Naming Committee recommended Yesler Terrace Park to highlight the terrace view, recognize the connection of the park spaces, and clearly define the location of the park.
Troll’s Knoll Park Development will be named Troll’s Knoll Park. This project utilized existing public land to create a new park in the heart of Fremont. The park is a model design of a sustainable park space and provides a critical pedestrian link to other areas of Fremont, particularly bus stops and the developing neighborhood business district in northern Fremont. The Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund allocated $685,000 to this project. More information can be found here.
The Parks Naming Committee recommended Troll’s Knoll Park because it has become the commonly used community name for the site and because the name reflects the site’s proximity to the popular Troll’s Knoll sculpture.
Criteria considered in naming parks include geographical location, historical or cultural significance, and natural or geological features. The Park Naming Policy, clarifying the criteria applied when naming a park, is available here. For more information about the park naming process, please contact Paula Hoff, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at 206-615-0368 or paula.hoff@seattle.gov.