Summary

King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles introduced legislation aiming for the County to take over City Hall Park and consider how it might be better used in the future.

Story

Just as City of Seattle and County workers finished closing down City Hall Park Friday as part of a process to relocate its occupants who have been residing in an encampment and to clean it up, King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles introduced legislation aiming for the County to take over the park and consider how it might be better used in the future.

“I applaud the work that has been done by the JustCARE group to find shelter for the many people who were residing in the park and the effort being taken now to restore and secure the grounds. This was not an easy task,” Kohl-Welles said. “With this step having been taken, it is time for us to reimagine this space to ensure that it is safe for people to congregate, recreate and traverse safely for years to come. We can also take this moment to think big about its future use. I strongly believe that this property should be managed and owned by the County rather than the City of Seattle because of its close proximity to the courthouse and other county campus buildings.”

While its use as part of a larger civic campus is one option, Kohl-Welles’ legislation requests the County Executive also consider developing affordable housing on the site as well as planning to provide support and relocation for any future encampments that might crop up on the site.

The motion would request a report from the Executive by November 15 of this year. The legislation has been referred to the Council’s Committee of the Whole.