Remember back in May 2009, we told you about how Friends of Waterway 18 (the slice of land just to the east of Gas Works Park) were hard at work beautifying and making the area accessible to all? Well, a year later, the work is done, and they’ll be unveiling the results tomorrow, Monday June 21:
Seattle Parks Foundation, Friends of Waterway 18, city and state officials, and community neighbors will celebrate the re-opening of Waterway 18 with a dedication and ribbon-cutting event Monday, June 21, 2010 at 12:30pm. This newly restored green space enhances the waterway’s natural and recreational assets, and protects the beach for native plants, public lake access, and salmon.
Waterway 18, located in the Wallingford neighborhood just east of Gasworks Park, is a small stretch of shoreline that has survived the development of Lake Union, and was improved by Friends of Waterway 18 and Seattle Parks Foundation for increased public use. Known officially as Waterway 18, this 10,000 square-foot property is owned by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and is one of the last remaining natural beaches on Lake Union. Although the public has always had access to this site, it is easy to miss from land or water.
To improve this valuable public asset, Friends of Waterway 18 and Seattle Parks Foundation worked for three years with state and local agencies, community groups and local businesses to develop a design plan, secure permits and funding, and complete the restoration of Waterway 18. Over a dozen organizations partnered on this project.
“It is impressive how many organizations and individuals worked collaboratively to improve this public space,” said Jessica Shawver, Seattle Parks Foundation Program Manager. “We are so grateful to all those who stepped up to contribute time and resources to make this happen.”
Repopulating Waterway 18 with native plant species and removing invasive plants was vital to the restoration of the waterway. The shoreline armoring and concrete debris were removed from the Lake Union waterfront and restored with a combination of large logs, boulders, cobble/gravel mix, and native vegetation. The restored shoreline area was re-contoured using a well-graded mix of supplemental cobble/gravel material to help decrease wave energy, while a top layer of spawning gravel will enhance nearshore habitat complexity and maximize nearshore shallow-water habitat for juvenile salmonids. […]
The total cost of the Waterway 18 improvement project was $250,000 raised from City, State, and Federal organizations including a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from the City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods as well as from numerous individual donors.
Waterway 18 is located at 2199 N. Northlake Way. More information on Seattle Parks Foundation’s website: www.seattleparksfoundation.org
I will definitely be coming down there tomorrow to check it out.
The space looks great. But with all that time and effort I was surprised to see that it isn’t handicapped accessible. I walk with a cane and those steps are a challenge.
Melissa makes a good point. As Chair of Friends of Waterway 18, I am very familiar with the design and permitting process on this project. One of the original designs included a ramp, however the City of Seattle regulations did not allow impermeable surfaces (which include ramps), therefore it needed to be removed from the design. The steps, constructed from recycled curbs, have a crushed rock backfill which allows for drainage and are therefore permeable. Proper drainage was a big issue on this site.
Additionally, Waterways are not currently subject to ADA regulations due to the grade from the road to the water. Perhaps this needs to be changed and revised as more of these projects go forward to accommodate wheel chairs, strollers and the like.
I hope Wallingford residents, and many others, will enjoy the newly-restored Waterway 18 and help ensure its proper stewardship for years to come.
I’m inquiring with the city about connecting the waterway to Pacific at 35th. There is currently a stairwell that the city put in last year that connects from Pacific to Burke Gilman, but it it met at the bottom by a cyclone fence which means the only way down is a block or two walk in one direction or the other and back to get to the waterway. I’m hoping to do a neighborhood matching grant from the city. I think it would be great to have a citizen designed and installed (with funding help from the city) project. It would be nice to have it be beautiful and functional and not so utilitarian as the upper staircase.
Anyone interested in collaborating on such a project? Please contact me at [email protected].
I remember way back in the 70s when the Wallingford Community Council tried to get that Waterway cleaned up and worked with the Boy Scouts who moored boats there. My husband, Harry, was on the Council, one year as President, then as the chair of the Recreation Committee.