The temporary off-leash area planned at Westcrest Park next year will be the city’s first, according to Seattle Parks.

That’s part of what the project briefing at HPAC‘s October meeting revealed.

As first reported here in August, West Seattle’s only off-leash area will be closed for months next year while a persistent drainage problem is fixed. Earlier this month, Parks announced a plan to set up a temporary off-leash area north of the Westcrest P-Patch.

Parks’ Emily Griffith was at the HPAC meeting to talk about the plan and listen to community comments.

She said that the drainage project is important because “Westcrest floods pretty regularly” and that’s led to problems including erosion. Regrading will be part of the half-million-dollar project, as will fencing repairs and, while they’re there, accessibility improvements in the north parking lot.

As originally promised, the current “small/shy dog area” will remain open in addition to the planned temporary area, which is “open lawn” right now but will get temporary fencing. It will be restored to “lawn” after the six-months-or-so construction is complete and the regular off-leash area is reopened.

Questions and comments started with one attendee wondering whether the project will include lighting improvements. Answer: No.

What about using another area of Westcrest? Explanation: Much of the big grassy space atop the park is the lid of the underground reservoir (buried 10 years ago – here’s what it looked like, underground too, before that), a Seattle Public Utilities facility, and that can’t be used for an off-leash area. They can’t use trails, because those would have to be fenced.

Did you consider the city-owned Myers Way Parcels? asked HPAC chair Gunner Scott, especially if Camp Second Chance leaves that space in March? No, they hadn’t.

Dates aren’t finalized yet but the Westcrest construction is expected to last about half a year, “spring through fall” of 2020. The project webpage is here.

ADDED: Here’s what the city showed at the meeting, to pinpoint what’ll happen where: