Countywide levy leads to South Delridge land purchase

Back in 2022, King County voters approved a levy for bringing the Conservation Futures program back to its original rate. This week, County Executive Dow Constantine announced some of the land purchases that will lead to, and they include a bit of land in South Delridge. First, from the countywide announcement:

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced $107 million in land conservation awards – approved by the King County Council – that will protect more than 3,000 acres of open space to advance climate resilience, farmland access, environmental justice, recreation access, and habitat restoration.

A few of the 53 projects include helping the City of Auburn build its first downtown park and public space, permanently protecting the lowland forests of Camp Sealth on Vashon Island, creating more greenspace near affordable housing in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, and helping a community-based organization create an urban farm near Sound Transit’s Rainier Beach Station.

The funding package continues the accelerated pace of land conservation in recent years, which is the result of several actions: Voters’ approval in 2022 of Executive Constantine’s initiative to restore the local Conservation Futures Program to its historic funding rate, bonding against future revenues to protect natural areas before they are no longer affordable, and cutting in half the amount of matching funds cities and other partners are required to provide.

The South Delridge purchase is described in the announcement as:

Seattle’s Westwood-Highland Park Urban Village acquisition: Combining new open space with future acquisition of repurposed properties owned by the Seattle Department of Transportation to secure a full acre in a rapidly developing neighborhood and provide more park access near White Center.

So we asked for specifics. County spokesperson Doug Williams replied:

Specifically, the land we’re talking about is to the southeast of the Delridge Way / Southwest Barton Street intersection: maps.app.goo.gl/8S2FkL1hpshqJa6V6

The grant funding will be used to reimburse Seattle for their recent purchase of the vacant square of land you see just to the southeast of the treed triangular land. The idea is to combine the treed triangular land with that vacant land and a street closure (that little chunk of 18th Avenue Southwest on the eastern border of the treed triangular portion) to create a nearly one-acre piece of public open space.

Community advocates had long worked for a park in that area, though their effort has gone dormant. We’re checking on next steps for the site’s future.

11 Replies to "Countywide levy leads to South Delridge land purchase"

  • HS January 15, 2025 (12:15 pm)

    Wow, it looks like Kenmores Landmark Park is going to be a wonderful asset for that community.  I’m happy to read of the Westwood/Highland Park “nearly one-acre” future plans for public space. It’s much needed in that area. 

  • Platypus January 15, 2025 (1:31 pm)

    That will be such a nice little spot, grab a coffee and a treat

  • Curtis January 15, 2025 (1:38 pm)

    This is presently a homeless camp that will not be addressed for over a month, next to a property that was lit on fire last year while being leased to DESC.  Can’t get much worse.

  • DRW January 15, 2025 (2:29 pm)

    Now can we get the garbage at 18th and Henderson of our Urban Village picked up? I reported it 2 weeks ago.

  • EH January 15, 2025 (5:15 pm)

    @ WSB, do you know any more about what department of the county or city is responsible for next steps with this project? We live on this block and have been following the progress towards turning this land into a park for many years, since at least 2018. We attended community meetings around that time where an architectural plan was shown (I think you covered this too), but it seems to have been in limbo for years. Any ideas about where we might direct community advocacy in support of this park actually happening?? 

    • WSB January 15, 2025 (5:48 pm)

      This suggests Seattle Parks, which I’ll be following up with, ran out of time today (well, I’m not out of time, but the folks I need to reach are done for the day).

  • KayK January 15, 2025 (5:57 pm)

    HPAC actively supported and advocated for this land acquisition in partnership with Parks and African Community Housing & Development. The site is certainly challenged right now but Parks is looking for ways to activate it. Great to hear of the neighborhood interesting. EH – We can help connect you with Parks. 

  • Joy January 15, 2025 (7:03 pm)

    I live nearby and my neighbors and I would like this information as well. We’re very interested in this site becoming a park.

  • EH January 16, 2025 (10:59 am)

    @WSB @Kayk @Joy Thank you, please keep us neighbors posted on how we can connect with Parks and advocate for this park!

  • KayK January 16, 2025 (12:20 pm)

    What we understand from Parks is that there is an agreement between Parks and SDOT to deed over the Triangle to Parks. The long term vision is that 18th SW between the Triangle and this new property will be vacated of traffic (except for emergency vehicle access). As we know, Parks works slowly, and we have been told that this is likely on a 6 year timeline. In the meantime, they have leveled out the lot and have been considering ways it could be activated in the interim. We helped put in a request for a mini-pitch on the site, but the idea didn’t get funding this time around. It would be super great to get more immediate neighbors involved in helping figure out what could work there. Email us at HPACChair at gmail if you want to help out!

  • Erica Bush January 16, 2025 (9:20 pm)

    Chiming in with Kay as a HPIC community member. It would be great to build a committee through HPIC to advocate and plan for interim uses while capital funds are organized. There have been a few of us working on this effort over the years and will need more to see it through! 

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