After a decade-long wait, the park project on 14th Ave NW is nearly finished. Now known as the Gemenskap Park Development, the project converts two full blocks of 14th Ave NW between NW 59th St and NW 61st St, replacing the gravel parking median and portions of the old road. The park is on the east side of 14th, shifting both lanes to the west and removing the middle parking area.
The delay this summer was because Seattle Parks was waiting on water to be installed in the park. With water, they’ll be able to finish the remaining planting and install grass.
Funding for the park came from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Acquisition Fund in which $24 million went to creating 20 different parks throughout Seattle. Roughly $2.9 million was allocated to the Gemenskap Park, with anticipated construction costs at $1.65 million.
Previously known as the 14th Ave NW Project, the Gemenskap (pronounced Yuh-MEN-skawp) Park was renamed in 2016. Gemenskap is the Swedish word for community, so-named because it is a community initiated project.
Back in 2012 when the park project came up, there were 11 Kwanzan cherry trees and two big leaf maples in the planned project area. An SDOT arborist inspected the trees and discovered the cherry trees were infected with tortrix, an invasive insect that feeds on the bark and girdles the tree, making it susceptible to further infestation. They were removed, as was one of the maples, and have been replaced by serviceberries.
Thanks Gary Tucker for posting the above photo in the My Ballard Group
may as well just leave that tarp there for the new residents that will no doubt show up as soon as the “park” is ready…more wasted money.
similar to the little traffic disruptor at the south end of the 17th ave greenway – recall the city 1st had a kooky lol whimsical little hut set up there? of course the bums took it over. then it was removed, now, glory be, there are a few tents set up in the middle of it. wonderful use of our streets…
Yes, the park on 17th kills me. When it first went in I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’d seen. Then when I drove by last week, I saw the house gone and homeless tents in it’s place. It’s an absolutely perfect example of the stupidity and decline in Seattle. A photo of this “park” should be on a postcard in a Seattle gift shop.
what house gone?
They built a little wooden house when they converted the intersection into a “park.” It looked like a completed dilapidated, about to fall down kids playhouse on day one.
I mean, you realize that it *intentionally* looked dilapidated, right? It had the poem that goes “There was a crooked man…… in a little crooked house” written in it.
Note that I’m not weighing in on whether it was a good idea to put it there.
I know, but unless you lived nearby, 99% of people didn’t bother to stop at the ugly park surrounded by white road markers to read that. Everyone just thought it was a crappy looking house.
“Gemenskap”.
Is that Danish for “stupid location”?
i think it means, “here, vagrants – have another public amenity to ruin.”
I want to thank TIM for getting me here. I’m a homeless and I am bringing 15 of my friends to camp here in this flat, wonderful park. Thank you, Ballard! I <3 U
This is my neighborhood and I love how this little park is turning out. A few vocal people keep complaining about the reduction in parking spaces, yet I live right next to the park and have never had to park more than 2 blocks away from my home. That’s the same distance as before the park was installed. We got rid of ugly parking spaces and got a little bit of green. Try and be greatful every now and then, friends.
@ Parkside: you have GOT to be a newbie. You have apparently tightened your horse blinkers SO much you can’t see the shreds of human debris permeating this area, taking over whatever they want to. Living here for over 60 years now I can tell you how much this area blows today, and how’s silly your statements truly are. When my single older lady neighbor moved out, a schlub moved in, divided the place, and everybody there owns a car and now clogs the area. The others surrounding him have 3-4-5-6 autos and boats in their driveway. Are they part of any solution here, or part of THE problem? And with property taxes going up + up, do you think this is going to go away, or get worse? Ballard: where Manhattan meets Berkley = Nuevo riche hipsters. Left leaning hipsters.
Oh dear, Scott forgot to take his meds again :(
Oh look the local cuck is here.
I have no idea why you are so obsessed with cuckolds and soybeans, Harley. A therapist could probably help you out with that obsession though:
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/community-human-services/mental-health-substance-abuse/services/mental-health.aspx
“The Winter Bums have landed ” ! Be setting up soon Ballard ……Thanks !
I’m sure a lot of Ballard residents will really enjoy visiting this park, it looks really appealing. Some place I’d really like to visit. Can’t wait till it’s done.
It took me waaaaaay too long to realize that Gemenskap is Swedish for gemeinschaft. Now maybe I’ll actually be able to remember the name!
Have you ever been to the Mine Shaft, Damon?
How about we clean up our EXISTING parks and green spaces from all the junkie/tweaker camping filth before building more places for them to destroy? Burke Gilman Trail between Fred Meyer and Fremont is a daily circus of hobo fights, overdoses, and disgusting behavior. GET SOME PRIDE IN YOUR CITY. How has demanding hygiene, safety, and healthy mental environments become an “alt right political position”? PATHETIC
Bergen Place has always been a joke. No one ever hung out there and the wretched statues are an abomination. It’s not even a park with a serious stretch of the imagination. Waste of space that would be better used by building housing.
You mean those awful “postmodern” pillars that likely cost a fortune? Yes, stupid. But so is your “that park always sucked” angle. This city NEEDS every little corner and park so that CITIZENS WHO PAY DEARLY to live here can unwind. How about using the park for its actual purpose instead of a de facto staging area for 9-11 calls?
LOL Unwind in the middle of noisy traffic? Note: I love and proffer abstract art but these are terrible. Try Discovery Park.
The center of Ballard should not be a junkie dumpsite. This would only be a point of contention in bizarro clown world places Seattle or San Francisco 2018.
3 million. No words
Gotta spend those tax dollars!
Why would anyone want to hang out on a parking strip?
It’s been a pretty good place to pause on a bike ride back to Ballard from the BGT with kids — even before the planting.
As parking strips go, I would rate it “highly capacious”.
But you are a man who steps into traffic so your opinion is somewhat suspect.
After reading all the moaning about this park, this morning I decided to walk 14th from 65th south to Market. It amazes me that anyone prefers the old look to the new park. That janky-ass, dusty gravel parking strip down the middle filled with old beaters with 100K+ on their odometers…tired apartment buildings that must reek of cigarettes and lutefisk…the occasional bum staggering along. THAT’S preferrable to a park area? Really? I wish they’d run a grassy median a la 8th Avenue NW all the way up 24th from Market to 65th…even two blocks would be nice. The people on 14th Ave NW totally scored and only a perpetual crank would think otherwise.
Don’t say “crank” too loudly or you’ll be swarmed by “valued community members in recovery” looking to score a hit.
A few trees and grass will not change the street or the buildings or the people.
With out a doubt the worst problem with this project is that it lies in the most obvious path for Mass transit leading from Ballard to the North. And that the light rail project we are planning has already been eliminated from consideration for using 14th because of this project. What a novel idea of having the current light rail project end at Ballard High would of made…. Then the Kids could.use Jenny’s free passes. Oh well at least we will now have and exstention to the Fremont Transfer Station.