The small pocket park at 12th & James Ct. is funded and in design. But its small budget only allows for the park itself, and didn’t include funds for another big neighborhood goal: turning the small street James Court into an integrated extension of the new community space.
The idea is to turn the street into a woonerf, which is a dutch idea that prioritizes pedestrian and cyclist traffic over vehicles. In this case, the street would get new green infrastructure, decorative paving, and other pedestrian features that would invite non-vehicle uses and tie the park to the new Seattle U housing that is now under construction on the north side of the street.
Project boosters presented their ideas to the city last week, and tell us that they scored highly on the city’s list of criteria (attached at left). The city is currently sorting through a large number of potential park projects and will be making final selections this fall, at which time we’ll learn whether a woonerf is in the neighborhood’s future.
Until now I thought “woonerf” is the noise I make when I accidentally slam my crotch into the bike seat or frame.
“WOONERF!”
This is a great neighborhood sponsored project. If you support the project – it could be one of the first “greening” of a City street in Seattle, please consider writing a letter of support to the Parks Department:
Attn: Suzanne Friedman, Project Manager
800 Maynard Ave S.
Seattle, WA 98134-1336
This is an important project that will help establish this part of 12th as pedestrian friendly, a space for neighborhood residents as well as students and workers from surrounding institutions. Support the woonerf!