Checking in on Seattle's Ambitious Waterfront Park Plans

The details of the park, which would span 26 blocks and 20 acres between the Stadium District and Belltown, sound lovely: “There would be viewing platforms that reveal vistas of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains. And cantilevered walkways made partially from glass, which would transmit sunlight to migrating salmon as they travel along the bay’s seawall. A small beach would extend west from Pioneer Square, with water lapping the nearby sidewalk at high tide.”

The design for the park is by James Corner Field Operations—the design firm of New York City High Line fame. But the park’s grand plans still come with a lot of caveats.

First there is the delayed project to build a new tunnel or Highway 99 to replace the capacity of the Alaskan Way viaduct. Then there is the ongoing question of funding, which has has remained unresolved for the park plans since inception.