City planning purchase of failed 'rowhome' project lot for new Capitol Hill park

The City of Seattle is in the process of acquiring an empty, $1.1 million lot at the corner of Federal and Republican to turn the land into another new Capitol Hill park, according to an announcement from the Seattle Parks Department. Details of a community meeting to discuss the land acquisition are below. According to a department representative who spoke about the acquisition process at a Community Council meeting in October, planners were looking to spend up to $1.3 million for a lot with around 10,000 square-feet of space, flat terrain, under-utilized, good sun orientation, no or minimal relocation costs, and frontage on key pedestrian routes.

Capitol Hill Urban Village Park Acquisition Public Meeting

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites you to learn about a proposed new park in the Capitol Hill Urban Village. Parks is negotiating for the purchase of a 12,000 square foot property at the corner of Federal Avenue East and East Republican Street for a new neighborhood park. The Parks and Green Spaces Levy allocates funding for the acquisition of properties, such as this, in areas that have been identified in the 2006 Development Plan and Gap Analysis as being deficient in open space. Capitol Hill Urban Village is one such area to receive funding. 

Learn more about this potential new park acquisition at the public meeting and provide your comments and suggestions. We encourage you to come and participate.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Lowell Elementary School
1058 E Mercer St., Seattle, WA 98102

Parks had also identified the area west of 15th and south of Aloha as a region in need of a park. Here is a map created by the city to illustrate 'coverage' areas for Capitol Hill's parks. The land being planned for purchase is near the 'p' in the blue Capitol Hill label.

The lot is currently empty and had been planned as 'Twelve Urban Rowhomes' by developers Great Northern Land Co. and Alchemy Real Estate. The land is now owned by a company called Fedrep Investors, LLC. According to King County property and state business records, Fedrep purchased the land last June, about two weeks after it was formed. It paid $1.1 million for the empty lot to Great Northern which had acquired two adjacent properties in 2006 to create the 'rowhome' project.

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Here is an artist's rendition of what the project would have looked like from Great Northern's Web site:

The project was one of 4 Capitol Hill developments identified as stuck in limbo last summer due to the economic downturn.

Now it appears the a park is destined for the corner instead. With an intersection like Federal and Republican, naming for the green space might take a political turn. Then again, city leaders might be a little more cautious given the blow-up surrounding the 'Pergugia Park' naming fiasco.

Speaking of Capitol Hill's other open space projects, if the Federal park project moves forward, it will be the third new park opening on the Hill. By spring, work should be wrapping up on the Seven Hills park at 16th at Howell while the Summit at John project won't be completed until summer 2010.