To get an idea of what the final design entails before the meeting, take a look at the enhancement plan (.pdf). As always, the community meeting is open to the public and will be held at Bayview Manor, located at 11 W. Aloha St.
On Thursday, April 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. FOLKpark will hold the third and final community meeting at Bayview Manor, located at 11 W. Aloha St., where they will present the final concept design for the redevelopment of Lower Kinnear Park by HBB Landscape Architecture based on community input from the first two meetings.
According to FOLKpark, the final concept design “coalesced around six major themes” expressed at the first two community meetings:
Activate the park with improved trails to increase accessibility for all and expand ADA accessible areas of the park while opening sight-lines to increase sense of personal safety;
Leverage supplemental funding through the Green Spaces Levy for an off leash dog park;
Respect the park’s historical significance and uses by creating gathering spaces, viewpoints and restoring the tennis court;
Restore the natural environment by removal of invasive plants and addressing issues of drainage and re-vegetation of a dying/changing forest, building a forest for the next 50-100 years;
Enhance the entrances with a common identifying feature/planting and signage to attract visitors; and,
Provide a connection to other trails in the Seattle Parks system and to the waterfront by expanding the trail system to the Helix Bridge and at the same time remove pedestrian and biking traffic from crowded streets.
If you’d like to sneak a peak at the final design before the meeting, take a look at the enhancement plan (.pdf). FOLKpark also encourages those interested in the redevelopment of Lower Kinnear Park to pass out meeting announcement fliers (here and here) to friends and neighbors in Queen Anne.
FOLKpark has been working to redesign and revitalize Queen Anne’s Lower Kinnear Park with the support of a $15,000 Department of Neighborhoods grant and many community volunteers who have dedicated weekends to cleaning up the park.
Over the past few months the organization has enlisted the help of HBB Landscape Architecture to develop four concept designs for the enhancement of the park, built from community feedback at a series of public meetings. In order to finance Phase II of the project–design development and construction drawings–the group is applying for Department of Neighborhoods Large Project Fund, and is asking for community support in winning it. In an email sent out last week FOLKpark Volunteer Coordinator Phil Prahst wrote,
FOLKpark is applying for funding through the City’s Department of Neighborhoods Large and Simple Fund to take the conceptual design for Lower Kinnear Park into the next phase of design development and construction drawings.
Part of the application asks that we list individuals by name, address, phone and email that are willing to volunteer time or donate money to the project during the time frame of this grant, which is August, 2010 through January, 2011. I know we have asked you before, but we need your permission to use your name, etc.
FOLKpark is asking those planning on volunteering time or making a donation in the next year to fill out this short survey, which will be provided to the Department of Neighborhoods for grant consideration. For more information visit folkpark.org.
On Thursday, April 8, FOLKpark will be presenting the final conceptual plan for Lower Kinnear Park to the community at a public meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bayview Retirement Community, located at 11 W. Aloha St.
And on Sunday, April 24 FOLKpark will be leading a clean up in Lower Kinnear Park in honor of Earth Day. Volunteers are invited to come celebrate nature and clean up the park by clearing out invasive (ivy, holly and blackberries) from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Department of Park and Recreation will be providing tools.
FOLKpark will be hosting an Upper Kinnear Park Clean-up from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow, Saturday, March 20.
Volunteers interested in helping with some planting west of the comfort station should meet at 9 a.m. in the gravel area. Parks and Recreation will be supplying plants and tools. Everyone is welcome.
This event is being organized by the Church of Scientology Environmental Task Force. For more information contact Dave at davidscattergood@gmail.com.
One Lower Queen Anne woman, Camille, was assaulted outside her apartment late last Tuesday night, having her bag snatched only after she was repeatedly kicked in the face and chest by the assailant.
Many neighbors who heard her screaming during the ordeal, and many more who live in the area, were so moved by Camille’s story and concerned with the growing prevalence of violent crime in Uptown as of late–especially in the area between the Counterbalance and the entrance to Lower Kinnear Park on Roy that is very poorly lit–that they’ve decided to organize a new Block Watch program to connect neighbors and hopefully prevent future assaults like this one.
Reader J.P. Flores, who is spearheading the effort, wrote in the comments,
I am fairly new to the area (10 months or so) But I love my Neighborhood. I haven’t seen anything about a Neighborhood Watch in this (Specifically from Counterbalance Park to Kinnear Park along Roy where most of the recent disturbances have been happening) And I would like to propose one. I am married and I don’t like that I have to worry about my wife walking to the store or even from the car to our apartment. I know there are a lot of other young couples in our community who I am sure feel the same way. I would also urge the businesses in this area (On The Boards, The Sitting Room etc..) to participate as it is their community as well. Shall we do something about it? Let’s make this neighborhood safe for our kids and all those who live in this beautiful part of town.
J.P. has agreed to organize the Block Watch if he can find enough interested parties, and hopefully local businesses, to participate. If you’d like to take park in the Counterbalance to Kinnear Block Watch, contact J.P. at jflor84@gmail.com or comment below.
For more information on Block Watches or to find one in your area, contact SPD Crime Prevention officer Contact Terrie Johnston at (206) 684-4741 or terrie.johnston@seattle.gov. If businesses in the area would like more information on what they can do to encourage public safety, they can contactFran Tello at (206) 684-4730 or francisco.tello@seattle.gov. Read up on ways to get involved with community crime prevention here and here.
(Editor’s Note: Nick Feldman is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)
On Thursday night, nearly 60 landscape architects, parks department officials and Queen Anne residents convened at the Bayview Retirement Community to give feedback on the potential options for the rejuvenation of Lower Kinnear Park. The second of three meetings followed a gathering of 40 people on Jan. 19 in which neighbors voiced their concerns to community planning group FOLKpark and architecture firm Hough Beck and Baird.
Using large maps with overlays of the proposed changes, Dean Koonts and his team of architects took turns explaining the three “preliminary drafts” they created based on input from community members at the previous meeting and from the online survey, to which there were 88 responses.
Of the 59 attendees, 27 chose to discuss the development of an off-leash area (OLA) for dogs as the meeting split into discussion groups. After an hour of dialogue, the group relayed their suggested area size (5,300 sq. feet) and their desire to integrate it into the park’s landscape.
“It would be a great asset to the neighborhood to have an off leash park considering how far away every other off leash area is,” Brad Weinberg wrote on FOLKpark’s Facebook page. “To have a designated area for off leash play would open up the rest of the park for those people who aren’t dog owners [and] would limit people from using the rest of the park as an off leash area.”
While there are 11 OLAs in Seattle, none exist in the Queen Anne neighborhood, and in 2006 the Park Department Superintendent designated Lower Kinnear Park as the best site for that purpose. However, according to Parks and Green Spaces Levy manager Rick Nishi, the allocated funding source doesn’t allow for off-leash projects until later years.
The three large draft plans were fundamentally different, but the two major components that each concept shared were increased compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and a reestablished linkage to the waterfront via the “North Trail Link,” (.pdf) one of the ideas from the previous meeting that Koonts said “came through loud and clear.”
“Plan A” (.pdf) primarily focused on the northeast slope, re-engineering the hillside and easing the grade to make it more easy to navigate. While the cost of that effort was a concern for many of the community members in attendance, there was a general consensus in support of the plan’s expanded plaza on Mercer Street. Koonts also mentioned that this option best fits a designated OLA.
The most notable feature of “Plan B” (.pdf) was its elevated trail and boardwalk, as well as refurbished and redesigned tennis courts—ideas that drew mixed responses from community members based more on cost effectiveness than the design itself.
Focusing more directly on safety and sustainability, “Plan C” (.pdf) featured popular ideas such as rain gardens and other stormwater solutions as well as less popular ones such as a connecting set of hill-climb stairs near West Mercer Place.
HBB now plans to adjust their drafts in order to create an action plan and cost estimate, taking into account the feedback from the most recent discussion. With that plan, FOLKpark plans to apply to the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund in early April seeking an amount likely near $700,000. They then plan to hold the third and final community meeting on April 8 at 7 p.m., also at the Bayview, to establish a community consensus on the preferred plan.
FOLKpark initiated a rejuvenation of the five-acre urban forest after winning a $15,000 grant from the city’s Department of Neighborhoods last year. They chose HBB based on the firm’s history with sustainable green design and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED).
This Thursday, February 25, FOLKpark will be holding the second in a series of three community meetings on the enhancement and development of Lower Kinnear Park, where HBB Landscape Architecture will be presenting three alternative conceptual park improvement plans, as well as a fourth concerning the north trail link.
FOLKpark held its first planning meeting back in January, asking participants to tell them what they wanted out of Lower Kinnear Park. The alternative plans were drafted based on ideas and input from community members. Now FOLKpark is asking those interested to come back and give their thoughts on what the architects have brought to the table.
“There will be lots of opportunity that evening for the community to comment on what they like and what they see as challenges. The three plans each have different elements that came out of the January community meeting and the public survey (that had 88 responses!) that emphasized expanded and improved trails, connection to the waterfront and a stronger connection to Mercer Place,” said FOLKpark chair Debi Frausto.
Here is an overview of what each of the conceptual plans will entail:
Plan A: Reworking the drainage and slope; gentler trail connection to Upper Queen Anne; replanting the slope with native urban forest vegetation, providing several “activity” nodes/viewpoints; strong Mercer Pl. connection. Download map here (.pdf).
Plan B: Increasing connection with upper Queen Anne; tree house lookout; vertical stair climbs; walking trail/elevated boardwalk through the trees; ADA accessible routes; restore/replant tennis court area. Download map here (.pdf).
Plan C: Relocating tennis court to trailside and interior of park; grassy hill to roll down; connecting stairs; Roy street entrance planting area provides transition into the urban forest with “rain gardens” and sustainable stormwater solutions. Download map here (.pdf).
North Trail Link: Extending a trail to an SDOT right-of-way directly across from the Helix Bridge allowing for greater public access to the waterfront. Download map here (.pdf).
In addition to the draft plans, FOLKpark and HBB will be presenting comments and ideas from PROView (a review board of the parks department), and the Landmarks Preservation Board at Thursday’s meeting. The Department of Parks and Recreation will also give the community an update on the proposed off-leash area in Lower Kinnear Park.
The redevelopment of Lower Kinnear Park is being funded by a $15,000 grant from the city’s Department of Neighborhoods, awarded to FOLKpark last year.
Thursday’s meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bayview Retirement Community, located at 11 W. Aloha St.
Last month community members gathered to tell FOLKpark what they wanted out of the Lower Kinnear Park enhancement. The developers took notes on your suggestions, but before presenting a draft plan at the next public meeting at the end of the month, there will be another opportunity to discuss the future of the park and share your opinions.
FOLKpark, along with urban advocacy group GreatCity.org, will be hosting a free brown bag discussion this Thursday, February 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at architecture and urban design firm GGLO, located at 1301 1st Ave.
Here’s what FOLKpark had to say:
More than a century ago, the Olmstead brothers developed the “Emerald Necklace” plan – a set of paths and vantage points creating a sense of continuity throughout downtown Seattle. Imagine a looping urban trail that includes a breath of fresh air in Myrtle Edwards Park, art in the Sculpture Park, breakfast spots in Belltown, the Seattle Center, coffee spots in lower Queen Anne, and tennis or picnic in lower Kinnear Park. An entire day of activities, highlighting Seattle’s finest, all in one easy stroll. The hidden and overgrown lower Kinnear Park link is a missing gem in this plan.
Community members and urban designers are invited to talk about how “completing this missing link in an urban loop that dissolves the boundaries between the Waterfront, Belltown, South Lake Union, and Queen Anne.” There’s no need to RSVP – just show up and share your thoughts.
Dean Koontz from HBB Landscape Architects (the firm handling the development of Lower Kinnear Park), Alan Hart of VIA Architecture and Debi Frausto from FOLKpark will be leading the discussion, looking for ways to create an Uptown Loop that “can strengthen pedestrian accessibility and secure the relationship between urban forests, walkable city streets, community amenities, residential living, and waterfront vistas.”
For more information, visit FOLKpark’s website. Read up on past meeting progress here and here. HBB Landscape Architects will be presenting the draft plan for the park at the next public meeting on Thursday, February 25 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Bayview Retirement Community, located at 11 W. Aloha St,
If you missed the FOLKpark meeting a couple of weeks ago, but would like to share your opinions for the enhancement of Lower Kinnear Park, there’s still time to tell the planning committee what you think. Just take FOLKpark’s short improvement survey (it’s only seven questions, so it won’t take long). And if you missed the meeting, you can read up on the topics discussed, or watch the video for a quick overview.
The next FOLKpark meeting be on Thursday, February 25 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Bayview Retirement Community, located at 11 W. Aloha St, when the landscape architects will present a draft plan for the park to the community.
Last week nearly 40 people met at the Bayview Retirement Community to tell community-group FOLKpark and architecture firm HBB Landscape Architecture what they want out of Lower Kinnear Park. And now organizers are asking those who couldn’t make it to the meeting to weigh in on the future of Lower KP, the first park planted in Seattle.
Though they’ve been together for less than a year, FOLKpark has been operating under an aggressive time-line to revamp the five acres of urban forest, winning a $15,000 grant from the city’s Department of Neighborhoods to fund the project.
Last Thursday the group printed off large posters of the park in its current state and asked community members to sit down in small groups, each with a leader from FOLKpark, the city or the architectural firm, and literally cover the maps with markers and post-it notes highlighting suggestions for park developments, redesigns, additions, problem areas – any ideas for the enhancement of the park.
FOLKpark chair Debi Frausto asked participants to consider how they like to use the park/would like to use the park, how the enter and interact with the park, what would give the park a stronger connection to the community, what does the park give back to the neighborhood, and what stories, if any, they have of the park, when brainstorming ideas. At the end each group presented their ideas, while graphic recorder Patti Dobrowolski created a pictorial visualization made of up everyone’s input. (See the final product here).
Some of the major concerns were safety, lighting, adequate trails for biking, strolling, and short routes for those walking through the park on their regular commute, highlighting the park’s historic story, making the best use of communal space (ideas for an environmental/educational play area and community pea patch were discussed), inviting entrances, parking and building a link from Uptown to the waterfront through the park.
“We just started a discussion about the Uptown Loop showing Kinnear Park as the missing link to the waterfront via the Helix Bridge on the Discussion Board. Would you like to walk down the hill and get to Myrtle Edwards Park?” Frausto wrote.
HBB took notes on the ideas and suggestions from the neighborhood and will create a draft plan for the park, to be presented to the community at the next public meeting on Thursday, February 25 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Bayview Retirement Community, located at 11 W. Aloha St. In the meantime, Frausto encourages those who couldn’t make it to the meeting to engage in further talks/share their ideas on the FOLKpark Facebook page. Also, stay tuned for a video (currently being edited) of highlights from the evening.
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