This Wednesday’s WCC meeting will focus on Wallingford Waterways. Wallingford has eight public waterways, plus two street ends at Latona and Sunnyside.
See here on a map:
Going even beyond that map, here’s the status of all of our water access points, from under I-5 to under 99:
| Name, Location | Amenities, Usage | Condition |
| North Passage Point Park
Beneath I-5 bridge |
Views, benches, lawn, access to water for hand-launched boats. | Excellent condition. Very noisy. |
| 5thAve NE Street End
East side of Ivar’s Salmon House |
Entrance to Ivar’s and access to barge used for Ivar’s outdoor dining. Leased? | Used by Ivar’s, not accessible for other public uses. |
| Waterway 15
4th Ave NE on West side of Ivar’s Salmon House |
Views, bench, plantings, access to water for hand-launched boats. | Excellent small park. Heavily used. |
| Latona Ave NE Street End
East side of Waterfront Construction |
Views, parking. | Paved parking lot is valuable amenity for nearby businesses. |
| Waterway 16
2nd Ave NE on West side of Waterfront Construction |
Views, parking. May be leased to Waterfront Construction Co. No water access. | Poor condition. Gravel lot jammed with construction equipment, employee parking. |
| 1st Ave NE Street End | Vacated by city long ago. Not available to public | |
| Waterway 17
Eastern Ave N on West side of Westward restaurant |
Views, bench, possible access to water for hand-launched boats. | Not user-friendly for public. Asphalt and concrete waste in near-shore area. |
| Sunnyside Ave Street End Boat Ramp
Foot of Sunnyside Ave N |
Paved boat ramp with wooden pier on west side. | Heavily used for launching motor boats, particularly by Ride the Ducks tours. |
| Waterway 18
Canoe club boat haul out at foot of Corliss Ave N |
Views, grass, trees, shrubs. Good access for hand-launched boats. Storage for outrigger canoes. | Medium condition. Pier on west side reserved for Sea Scouts use. Inconsistent maintenance. |
| Waterway 19 (unmarked)
East edge of Gasworks Park |
Views, trees, shrubs | Water access prohibited by city and Dept of Ecology due to toxic waste in soil and water. |
| Waterway 20
Between Seattle Harbor Patrol and Center For Wooden Boats, aligned with Densmore Ave N |
Used by Seattle Police for storage of boats, flotsam, concrete anchors, boat trailers, propane tank, etc. | Cyclone fence and locked gate block public access. |
| Waterway 21
West side of Northlake Shipyard |
Overwater viewing platform with two benches and planter. Used as hangout spot for homeless men to sleep, drink and smoke. | Medium to poor condition. Dirty. Poorly maintained. |
| Waterway 22
Foot of Stone Way N |
Views, narrow dirt path separated from traffic by guardrail. | Poor. Improvements are scheduled by City. |
| Waterway 23
“Boating Facility” at Lake Washington Rowing Club at 910 N Northlake Way, slightly east of Aurora Bridge |
Foot ramp to large flat float. Heavily used by rowing club, with public access. | Excellent condition. |
The WCC is looking to upgrade waterways and plan a “waterway day” on October 3rd. Over time we hope more will become usable by the general public like waterway 15, shown here:
Interested? We hope you come join us this Wednesday at 7:15 PM at the Good Shepherd Center for a special presentation and discussion.
Many thanks to the organizers of this. Having spent much time in other waterway-plentiful cities like Copenhagen, Zurich etc, I’ve long thought that Seattle does a terrible job at making use of this amazing natural resource.
Regarding Waterway 22, the improvements that are planned aren’t of the waterway itself, but the nearby sidewalk correct?