Lowman Beach Park’s future without tennis court or seawall: City sets February 28th meeting

(WSB photo: Tennis-court-less, sea-wall-less possibility shown at 2017 meeting)

The city says it has a preliminary design for Lowman Beach Park‘s future, minus the failed seawall – and it will mean removal of the park’s tennis court. The design will be shown at a community meeting just announced for February 28th. The announcement from Seattle Parks today:

The Lowman Beach Park seawall is failing and needs to be removed. As visitors to the park have seen, the existing seawall is slowly falling over/sliding toward the water. It is Seattle Parks and Recreation’s goal to remove the remaining seawall and continue the shoreline restoration work that began when the south half of the seawall failed in the mid 1990s.

In May 2017, together with our design consultant Environmental Science Associates (ESA), we presented design options. We hired ESA as a design consultant in 2018 to continue the design process that began with the feasibility study, listed below. The design will take into consideration both the habitat benefits of the seawall removal and the coastal engineering ramifications of that seawall removal. Given the design constraints of the project, the existing tennis court will be removed. A remnant of Pelly Creek that currently flows under the seawall will be daylighted as part of the project.

The last community meeting was May 31, 2017; here’s our coverage. Documents from that meeting, and a feasibility study made public in December 2017 (covered here the following month), are also available via the project website. The February 28th meeting will be at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW; WSB sponsor) at 6:30 pm.

A-Red February 12, 2019 (3:54 pm)

I was a bit blown away that they built a great big sewer treatment station at Lowman but failed to put in a public restroom. Looking at the design, I still don’t see a public restroom.When we lived closer to Lowman, we used to picnic there all the time, and the kids would just pee in the neighbors’ yards. We weren’t the only ones either–saw other families doing the same all the time. Bet the neighbors didn’t like that very much, but there aren’t any options nearby.Sorry neighbors of Lowman.

quiz February 12, 2019 (4:26 pm)

Keep the tennis court!

anon February 12, 2019 (4:56 pm)

Sorry to see the tennis court go, but there’s some up on Fauntleroy. I would love to see this go back to normal beach as it was meant to be.

Also John February 12, 2019 (5:34 pm)

@Anon…. I agree. I thought we’re supposed to be removing all walls when the oppurtunity arises. A natural beach provides protection for small salmon and other sea life. The new sea wall downtown is far greater in height and had to be built. For that they cast into the face of the wall many shelves for kelp growth and shallow inserts for small fish to hide.

sgs February 12, 2019 (5:06 pm)

My head is just shaking at A-Red’s admission that the kids went on to people’s private property to pee, but what I really want to comment on is that I will miss the tennis court. My daughter and I play terribly and it’s nice that it’s a single court and we don’t bother anyone else with the ball going haywire. Super mom-daughter bonding time! Regarding the design, habitat improvement is more important than a tennis court, but it was really nice to have. Back to A-Red, I would rather my kid peed his pants than depositing human waste on someone else’s property.

really? February 12, 2019 (9:19 pm)

You’d rather your kids pee in their pants rather than “depositing human waste” in someone else’s property? Really? It’s kid’s pee. Lighten up. I’d rather they use a toilet, but there isn’t one, so…

Morgan February 12, 2019 (9:05 pm)

Too bad to lose an activity spot with spectacular view, but understand it’s untenable.Does this drawing at least keep some paved view platform? Hard time trying to tell.What about some smaller pickle ball courts in the meadow zone further back?

WSB February 12, 2019 (9:19 pm)

I’m sorry it seems to be murky but the drawing is from the 2017 meeting – a “concept” preceding whatever “preliminary design” they’ll unveil on the 28th, but as described it’s the same concept they went with – no seawall, no tennis court.

Guy Olson February 13, 2019 (12:46 am)

Will they be keeping the off-leash dog park?

chemist February 13, 2019 (9:09 am)

It never was an official off-leash dog park, although some used it that way. Sound like it will become an area with more accessible beach, where dogs are also prohibited.

Nature Lover February 13, 2019 (9:41 am)

I’m glad seattle parks is looking to model best practices as a shoreline property owner and restore the beach! It’s not a big area, but a more natural treatment will be better for Puget Sound, and the fish, birds, and marine mammals that we share this ecosystem with. I’m looking forward to seeing more wildlife in that little pocket park!

Craig February 13, 2019 (10:16 am)

Good to see the shoreline being brought back to what it needs, thus what us humans need. The orca will appreciate it too as fish will thrive in the new non seawall habitat. The tennis courts are rarely used and just up the hill there are 6 other nicer ones, so it’s not a true hardship for tennis people. I wish a non seawall approach would be considered for the Me Kwa Mooks seawall project too, but I think that is truly to prevent erosion of existing property and critical roadway, so different need.

Richard Kelly February 13, 2019 (11:29 am)

Why does the tennis have to go?that was built for the public during the Great Depression by FDR’s work programs. Seems a shame to destroy it when we could save it AND remove the sea wall.

M February 13, 2019 (2:27 pm)

I agree! Why can’t we have both a seawall-less shoreline and a tennis court?
- west sea neighbor February 14, 2019 (7:48 am)
  
  The tennis court takes up a lot of real estate for a sport that I’d guess most in the community don’t play, and is generally used only in dry weather (i.e., a minority of the year). Perhaps other people would like to have the area as open park space. I always kind of found the tennis court to be out of place and an eye sore. I’d rather see picnic benches.

Guy Olson February 13, 2019 (8:19 pm)

I’d be happy if they just mowed the lawn and got rid of all the blackberry bushes in the beach grass. Also, near the non-motorized boat launch there is a huge hole in the beach adjacent to the existing sea wall. It’s covered by a piece of thin plywood with “Hole” spray painted on it. That park is kind of in bad shape.

steve February 15, 2019 (2:29 pm)

I always liked the tennis court and I still miss the old tall swing that my children loved. Removing a failing seawall to daylight a creek (at least for a few feet), and restore some semblance of a “natural” shoreline all sounds very well-intended, but when the news reminds us daily of imminent sea rises of up to 3 feet over coming decades, I wonder how long it will be until we are forced to erect another taller seawall?

nature lover March 1, 2019 (11:43 am)

How did the meeting go last night? Any updates?

WSB March 1, 2019 (12:06 pm)

Lot of conflicts last night, unfortunately, but we had someone there recording it and I will be writing a story from that video – not until tomorrow, though. Our freelance videographer reported that it was a good turnout. – TR

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