Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Freeway Park Association invite the community to an Open House and Panel Discussion on Monday, October 28 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Please join us at Town Hall Seattle in the Forum Room, 1119 8th Ave., Seattle 98101. This is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the history of Freeway Park and the proposed project improvements, and to share your ideas for repairing, restoring and enhancing Freeway Park. The audience will be invited to ask questions of the panel and provide feedback on the initial design ideas.
“Freeway Park is an internationally recognized masterwork of landscape architecture and one of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s treasured parks,” said Jesús Aguirre, Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent. “This park is the first of its kind in the world and demonstrates how innovation can bring together urban infrastructure and green open space to serve community.”
Designed by Lawrence Halprin and constructed in 1976, Freeway Park was the first to ever be built over an interstate highway. The park is a respite from the city’s urban environment and is a result of community activism, forward-thinking, and Seattle’s civic process.
The first half-hour of the event will be an Open House followed by a moderated panel discussion starting at 7 p.m. with Randy Gregg, Portland Parks Foundation Executive Director; Alison Hirsch, USC School of Architecture Director of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism; Kenneth Helphand, University of Oregon Professor Emeritus in Landscape Architecture; Charles A. Birnbaum, President + CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, and other panelists.
SPR has $10 million in funding from the Washington State Convention Center Expansion Project as part of the public benefit package associated with the Convention Center expansion. The funding will repair, restore and enhance Freeway Park. The majority of the funding ($9,250,000) is dedicated to capital improvements at the park and the remainder ($750,000) is focused on activation within Freeway Park.
The initial scope of the capital improvements is based on the Finding Freeway Park concept plan, produced by the Freeway Park Association, and identifies infrastructure upgrades, lighting, wayfinding and possibly a new restroom. The design phase is expected to be complete with all necessary permits/approvals and construction bid documents by June 2021.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the project kick-off event on September 2019. To view the presentation from that event and to learn more about the project please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/freeway-park-improvements.
For additional questions or to request special meeting accommodations please contact David Graves, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at 206-684-7048 or David.Graves@seattle.gov or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/freeway-park-improvements.