Parks
Seattle has experienced phenomenal population growth in its past – much more than we see today. A century ago city leaders recognized the need for parks and open space to accommodate rapid growth. The City's first planner, Virgil Bogue, hired the best, internationally recognized landscape architect, John Charles Olmsted to design some 37 parks throughout the city. Fortunately, city officials provided funding for those parks. We have them today. But they are not enough. Seattle needs more parks and green open space to provide recreational and scenic respites in our increasingly congested concrete and asphalt environment. New development must pay its share of the costs of acquiring new parks and preserving and enhancing open space.
My first priority as a City Council member will be to provide more funding for parks and open space.
This is a rendering of a Council-authorized massive new garage to be built at the Woodland Park Zoo. Even our city's first park houses an office building. Parks are supposed to be green respites from urban development. As a Councilmember, I will oppose building any new office or commercial structures in our parks. I will sponsor legislation to make new developmentin the city pay its share for impacts growth creates on our existing park system.