City delays on Portal Park re-energize Belltown’s quest to “Recharge the Battery”
Thanks to Jon Kiehnau, Steve Horvath, Aaron Asis and Steve Hall for this account of the latest twists in seeing the final remnant of the former viaduct reclaimed as urban green space.
Most people have heard of a stunning Waterfront Park set to rise up in place of the former Highway 99 Viaduct. But largely overlooked is a much smaller patch of land just a few blocks north in Belltown at the site of the former Battery Street tunnel.
With nearly 2-acres of “found land” in the heart of Seattle’s most densely populated neighborhood, excitement has been brewing for a decade about this opportunity to create a unique public space with majestic open views of the Stadiums, Port of Seattle, Mt. Rainier and Elliott Bay. But a year after planning and design were to begin, the site is still barren, surrounded by a chain linked fence topped with razor-wire and no plan to unlock its value.
Despite investing over $3.35 billion in the deep-bore tunnel and Waterfront Park, the modest “Portal Park” proposal at Battery and Western was left unfunded. Then in 2019 neighborhood volunteers rallied former City Council Member Sally Bagshaw to secure funding for park design and planning in 2020. But before that work could begin, Mayor Durkan froze the funds to explore the protracted process of adding a public school to the site, potentially squandering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for urban residents and visitors alike.
The parcel, currently controlled by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), is still in limbo threatened by competing City interests and a bureaucracy able to waive Seattle Municipal Code requirements for street-adjacent greenspace and the willingness to ignore recommendations of the City’s own Urban Forestry Commission.
Enter Belltown United, a collaboration of the neighborhood’s community council, business association and other organizations. Belltown United hopes to revive Portal Park as a valuable civic project to benefit Seattle’s most economically diverse neighborhood and all the City’s residents and visitors.
Research shows active parks and public spaces positively impact public health and community well-being if they are available and accessible to everyone. Belltown United is clear-eyed about nuisance uses and believes proper planning, design, programs and maintenance can overcome challenges faced by myriad other Seattle public spaces.
Recently the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department announced a delay in its 6-year park planning cycle to “allow for additional community outreach and understanding of changing community needs due to the pandemic and recovery efforts.”
Belltown United and Friends of Historic Belltown are taking up the gauntlet to engage the City and formally relaunching the Portal Park “Recharge the Battery” campaign. You are invited to join the conversation and hold our elected leaders accountable to follow through on a long-promised green project with great social and environmental impacts to meet the needs of our urban community.
Learn more about the effort by contacting us at belltownunited.org/connect and check out the site at: Portal Park Site Images - Past and Present.
