Lake City Floodplain Park Development
Updated: June 15, 2026
Summer 2026
The design team is currently working on design documentation and project permitting and is aiming for the project to be under construction in 2027. Thank you to everyone who participated in our four community workshops. Weed removal and native planting began in April 2021. Seattle Parks and Recreation's Green Seattle Partnership is helping lead this effort with generous assistance from the King County Noxious Weeds Program through the Healthy Lands Project. As the project progresses, crews and volunteers will eventually replant with a diversity of native trees and shrubs in areas now dominated by just a few species of weeds.
State Environmental Policy Act regulations:
Location
2318 NE 125th Street, Seattle 98125
Budget
The project’s construction contract amount is estimated to be $2.5 million.
The site was jointly acquired by Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). The total project budget is current $5,610,050. This project has been made possible through Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities, various grants and in partnership with the MidSound Fisheries Enhancement Group (MSFEG) and their successful fundraising efforts. Funding sources include:
Federal
· $1,100,000 - National Park Service LWCF Legacy Program
Washington State
· $500,000 - Dept of Ecology Non-Point Funding
· $500,000 – Recreation and Conservation Office, Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program
King County:
· $535,000 - King County Conservation Futures, property acquisition
· $2,170,050 - Flood Control District
· $105,000 Waterworks
City of Seattle
· $700,000 - Seattle Parks and Recreation - Park District Fund
Thank you to all of our funders!
SPR, SPU, and MSFEG are working together to secure additional design and construction funding through various grant opportunities.
Schedule
Planning & Design: 2021 - 2026
Construction: 2027 - 2028
Project Description
SPR is partnering with SPU and the non-profit MSFEG to develop a floodplain reconnection and public park. The project’s goals are to enhance water quality and wildlife habitat, help mitigate current and future climate-influenced flood flows, and provide public green space in a racially diverse and underserved urban community.
The project will restore natural stream, wetland, and riparian conditions on a former residential property and provide passive recreation opportunities to the community. Ecological enhancements would reconnect North Branch Thornton Creek to a floodplain, remove bank armoring, remove invasive vegetation, establish hyporheic flows, install large woody material, and establish native vegetation. Park improvements will include passive-use amenities such as a trail/boardwalk/footbridge system, gathering spaces, and art installations. To accommodate floodplain excavation, an approximately 170-foot section of King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s existing 27-inch diameter sewer main will be drained then abandoned in-place and a new 270-foot section of 30-inch diameter sewer main will be buried outside the constructed floodplain footprint.
Community Participation
Thank you for your input that helped shape the design of the park! The project has hosted four public meetings that you can learn about below.
August 2024 Meeting
December 14, 2022 Meeting
July 20, 2022 Meeting
March 3, 2022 Meeting