It’s official: West Seattle Stadium site recommended as area’s second dog park

| Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

A month and a half after a Seattle Parks executive said it looked likely that West Seattle Stadium would be chosen for the peninsula’s second off-leash area, the recommendation was formally unveiled tonight.

The area on stadium grounds west of the golf course was one of two West Seattle finalists (as announced last June) in the site-selection process, along with Lincoln Park, but Parks’ Danyal Lotfi told the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners tonight that it was no contest – the stadium site won hands down. Lotfi said that out of 4,753 respondents to last year’s citywide survey, 2,000 had something to say about the stadium site, and 87 percent were in favor of it. What’s more, Lotfi said, they’re recommending permanent removal of Lincoln Park from any future consideration as an off-leash area, because “the community prefers passive activation” there. (Before choosing West Seattle Stadium and Lincoln Park as the finalists, Parks also studied possible dog-park sites at Me-Kwa-Mooks, Hamilton Viewpoint, and Delridge Community Center.)

So what happens now? First, the recommendation has to be finalized, and that won’t happen until a public hearing at the board’s March 14th meeting. Then, it would be up to Parks Superintendent AP Diaz to give final approval. Assuming all that happens, design would start this summer/fall, with construction funding available in 2025-2026. This would be one of two new dog parks the city builds then, along with Othello Park. And Lotfi said they have other recommendations to go with adding dog parks – particularly “with expanding the off-leash-area system, expanded enforcement of leash laws is needed.”

Woof Woof! February 22, 2024 (9:23 pm)

Credit where credit is due—to Dayal Lofti and Parks: you actually listened to people and acted accordingly. Yes! “Passive activation” for Lincoln Park is absolutely what is needed for this city jewel. I’m hopeful that the pickleball courts no one is asking for there is next… Seriously, outstanding work. Now, can you please work with Animal Control and have them enforce the existing leash laws at LP? Because the people who NEVER listen are the entitled off-leash scofflaws…

Alki resident February 22, 2024 (9:39 pm)

Pickleball that no one is asking for? Is that because you don’t want it there? There’s a lot of people who want it, thank you
- SE Dick February 22, 2024 (11:23 pm)
  
  Alki, dang, man, you just wanna go around again? I mean you’ve outed yourself, fully, for all those who hadn’t seen it (and I had): you’ve been living for many, many, years as part of a tiny minority in your overwhelmingly progressive community, marching proudly around in your Dumpster gear. Your venomous insistence on this very bad, unpopular proposal is more a function of your long-suffering resentment of libtard tree-huggers and all their informed, educated advocacy than it has anything to do with your dogged demand to play a disruptive and damaging game in a quiet green place. Your desperation to impose the will of a very few on the resident majority, your insistence that repeating “VERY loudly” that those few are many multiplies them, your indefatigable interest in advancing an administrative Parks misstep with nothing but glee at all the interested parties it would harm, all of it, man: it’s an assault and a disgrace. The easy cruelty you shot at one of your neighbors in the WSB forum that completely unmasked you suggests you may now, at this point in your long history, if not the whole time, be in the wrong place. Your fight to take that out on Lincoln Park is fuc*ing over.
Rf February 22, 2024 (9:51 pm)

I’m not sure what a scofflaw is but I do know the former Staples in Westwood Village is an ideal location for year round dry pickle ball courts. Not LP!
- Rob February 23, 2024 (5:57 am)
  
  That’s a great idea. Ether that or a weekend sawp meets.
- Jay February 23, 2024 (8:39 am)
  
  It would be a good thing if the city or county bought a Westwood Village property for public use. The way it’s going it’ll just keep being a revolving door of chains. This could break up the dying strip mall vibe. That shopping center is not a nice place, but it’s got potential.
SE Dick February 22, 2024 (9:53 pm)

Credit where credit is due: Kersti Muul, Denise Dahn and, imminently, attorney J. Richard Aramburu. WSB.
The Woof is on Fire February 23, 2024 (4:29 am)

Full support of this comment.
- SE Dick February 23, 2024 (2:46 pm)
  
  Thx; appreciate it. Comment was worded just that way bc, unless AP Diaz makes it his business to ignore a community’s well-reasoned and clearly-articulated majority priorities and desires for their public spaces, Ms. Muul primarily has now officially saved Lincoln Park from one threatened blight; and as in the effort to do so she I understand personally retained real estate and land-use attorney Mr. Aramburu to exhaustively and commandingly inventory the multi-pronged insults to legal public process and responsible land management inherent in a second threatened blight; and on looking today again at Ms. Muul’s http://www.protectlincolnpark.com and finding that 52 good people have brought either her or Mr. Aramburu within just a couple thousand dollars of not paying for the broad public good won by their really momentous efforts out of her or his own pockets; I’d hoped to humbly suggest: that either now, or when the second ugly threat to what SPR has now said clearly if in Don B’s “planner-speak” it recognizes is what “the community prefers” is as fully and finally ‘permanently removed’, a few more people who’ll breathe big sighs of relief in the relative quiet and retreat on daily or weekly walks through those spaces might go to that website and chip in a little more complete support for the efforts that saved them for another day. Pay Mr. Aramburu his fair full rate, let Ms. Muul buy herself a cup of coffee even; exceed that modest monetary target as ppl so routinely do on gofundme with far less reason and far less personally invested. If you’ll enjoy Lincoln Park as it’s been since the old tennis courts were decommissioned, if you’ll bow your head after seeing an owl or at the rare still sound of a woodpecker way up in the trees… c’mon, West Seattle: it’s yr once-in-two-generations membership drive. Don’t benefit albeit gratefully and let her eat it. Gentle people–pls chip in. (And celebrate.)

anonyme February 23, 2024 (6:06 am)

If “passive activation” at LP means active enforcement of leash laws, I’m all for it.

Agreed February 23, 2024 (8:19 am)

My dogs are always on a leash and we are routinely dodging off leash dogs whose owners “think” they have their dogs under control. This is extremely frustrating when you have a dog with anxiety and when you find dog poop around the park that has not been picked up. Be a responsible dog owner.
Rf February 25, 2024 (8:34 pm)

While we’re at being passive aggressive, let’s enforce the law of NOT feeding wild animals in LP. I witnessed the other day a family of 4 (grandparents with grandkids) getting harassed by a half dozen squirrels begging for food. One of squirrels even growled at this family. If folks keep feeding them, they will get even more aggressive while making it much easier for my dog to catch em.

Derp February 23, 2024 (6:48 am)

And now you can stay out of the golf course too.

KM February 23, 2024 (7:54 am)

Excellent news!

Seth February 23, 2024 (8:08 am)

Love how a convo about an offeleash dog park at the stadium degrades into pickleball arguement at LP. Yall need to touch some grass. I for one am happy with the stadium (I would have been happy with LP too for a dog park), but the stadium is closer to me.

ShermanO February 23, 2024 (10:09 am)

Since LP was the other option being considered, it seems obvious that how the community wants to use LP is a relevant discussion here.
- Derp February 23, 2024 (5:22 pm)
  
  It is a good conversation, but that decision is made by the parks dept, and the city. Not the community. The privileged people of West Seattle will do what they want, where they want anyway. So it really doesn’t matter

Don Brubeck February 23, 2024 (9:45 am)

“Passive activation” is my new favorite planner-speak nonsense phrase. Thankyou Danyal Lotfi and Seattle Parks & Recreation. Not sure if it means passively active, or actively passive, but either way, it will sound impressive in public meetings.

The world is run by those… February 23, 2024 (3:48 pm)

Who show up…. :/ Unfortunately for most of us with busy lives it’s hard to compete with the activist class who seem to have nothing but time on their hands. I’m stoked and excited that the city actually was able to make a decision, but bummed that there seems to be no middle ground and so much bureaucracy to do the most simplest of city projects. Side note: I went and checked out the site yesterday and it looks literally like a dump site. I dodged trash with my pup and said hello to a few campers who appeared to be moving some building materials to the woods below the Totem Pole. They were a lot more friendly and upbeat than most of my “welcoming and tolerant” neighbors around LP. To anyone that read this far, I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to do something fun. Cheers!P.S. Barred Owls are invasive to the PNW… that is all! (:

Woo February 24, 2024 (5:21 pm)

PS. Most humans are invasive to the Pacific Northwest.

Mrs. Myrtle February 23, 2024 (5:17 pm)

At least the golf course’s Dog face logo makes sense now.

oerthehillz February 23, 2024 (7:20 pm)

LOL, I’d hate to run in to that dog unleashed.

LAintheJunction February 24, 2024 (7:56 am)

Wonderful news. This will be a great location for an off leash dog park and help serve the immense need in the northern half of West Seattle that can’t alway make the trek down to Westcrest. Sounds like it might be another 1.5-2 years before it’s actually built though, hope my senior dog lives long enough to enjoy it.