We love Pike Place Market. It is one of Seattle’s great places. Perhaps even its greatest place. But it is not the only great place in Seattle.
While we appreciate that Mayor Greg Nickels has proposed a $75 million package of improvements to the Market, we remain confused as to why he would let the Pro-Parks levy expire this year when there are unmet needs throughout the city.
That’s not just our opinion. Poll results released by the Seattle City Council on Tuesday show that the vast majority of residents support a renewal of the park levy. Given the choice between a very modest tax reduction or investing in Seattle’s neighborhoods, by almost a 2-1 margin Seattle citizens opt for a renewal of the parks levy.
That’s not surprising, given the success of the last parks levy. For those of us who have enjoyed new neighborhood parks such as Greenwood Park, Cal Anderson Park or Beer Sheva Park, we know that those places are not only the green lungs of our city but also the community’s heart. Those investments have made the city a healthier place to live with community connectors that promote active living such as the Longfellow Creek Trail or the Chief Sealth Trail.
Across the city, people came together with leaders to see events, performances and to help clean up our beleaguered urban forest, all of which was made possible by the ProParks Levy. And in a number of extraordinary cases, neighbors came together to make exceptional new iconic places in their community. These include the transformation of Powell Barnett Park, the acquisition of Fremont Peak Park and the Cascade People’s Center.
If you ask, you will find there are still vast unmet needs in the neighborhoods. In fact, a recent Parks Department document reveals nearly 352 unfunded projects. No levy can (or should) fund them all, but we can pick out the best ones to accompany increasing density.
So not only are there projects to be built, but there is also a great desire on the part of Seattle’s residents to invest in the livability of the city. Investments in the city’s “green infrastructure” promote a healthier, more active, more environmentally friendly cityscape, and they are also key to creating what the Cascade Agenda has called a “magnet city” — focusing growth in the city instead of sprawling over farms and forests.
To date, more than 25 community groups have formed the Green Legacy Coalition to encourage the mayor and City Council to assemble a package of projects that might be included on this fall’s ballot measure. Seattle as a magnet city is not going to be created solely by reinvigorating one great place, but by making hundreds of great places across the entire city. Renewing our investments in parks and green infrastructure is the right choice for this city.
