Recently there have been three concerns about Terry Pettus Park:
The length of time that it is taking to complete work on the park,
The posting of a Land Use Project 3037258-LU to the south of the park, and
The absence of the protective fence.
For those who are concerned about the inconvenience of the park closure, please note that safety is everyone’s priority. The pier is currently unsafe. Eastlake is blessed with many areas to access Lake Union as we begin the summer. The nearest to the North is Lynn Street followed by Louisa Street.
Terry Pettus work will start late this year. The new design as well as street treatment had extensive pubic comment. We will all look forward to enjoying the great new and expanded area along the Lake Union waterfront.
Below is a full clarification from Toby Ressler, project manager, dated June 5:
Length of time and Land Use posting: This project is slightly unique in that most of the park type use is within City of Seattle ROW (right of way). The only portion of property that is directly owned by Seattle Parks is the 1949 Fairview Ave E addressed property adjacent to the existing street end. Under Ordinance 111551 from 1984 Seattle Parks and Recreation maintains the landscape areas or street end portions of the ROW along Fairview Ave E at Roanoke, Lynn and Newton Streets. The 2001 Fairview Ave E is an address for the street end location or Terry Pettus Park but is not a parcel as it is all within the ROW.
We have submitted for both a Substantial Shoreline Development Permit and Building Permit with the City of Seattle to renovate this existing street end and additional Parks owned parcel. As part of the Substantial Shoreline Development permit process for the development of this parcel, there is a required comment period that closed 6/3 related to the potential use of this property within the Shoreline district as we must meet the land use code requirements that require us to protect shoreline ecosystems, encourage water-dependent uses and provide public access and enjoyment of the shorelines.
We are also in the process of obtaining a SDOT Street Improvement Permit (SIP) for all the work that is occurring within the intersection at Fairview & Newton adjacent to the street end. This permit covers the requirements for street, curb and sidewalk improvements.
Missing Fence: We did install a fence and closed the lower portion of the Park due to the concerns that is was not safe for public use. Seattle Parks did not reopen the Park and it looks like the fence was voluntarily removed by someone else. We will need to reinstall the fence.
We are eager to begin construction on this project as soon as possible and fully renovate this street end Park.
Image of Terry Pettus Park