Judkins Park (Image: Seattle Parks)

The Seattle Parks department and community partners including the Africatown Community Land Trust are gathering community feedback on a planned $2.3 million overhaul of the Central District’s Judkins Park.

Seattle Parks says it is working with Africatown Community Land Trust, No More Under, A Personal Point of View LLC, and Inclusion Matters, to renovate Judkins Park “to advance inclusivity, equity, and accessibility.”

“By leveraging public-private partnerships, the project aims to maximize benefits to the community,” the Seattle Parks announcement of the project reads. “The Judkins Park neighborhood’s history of redlining, displacement, and gentrification underscores the need for intentional efforts toward inclusivity and addressing disparities in access.”

A meeting will be held Thursday night to kick off community engagement around the project but you can also add your thoughts online via this survey with questions about features and programming you would like to see added to the six-acre park and playfield including ideas for shaping new spray park, inclusive playground, a nature sensory area, and an area for hillside play features.

• Community Engagement Event: Thursday, February 27, from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Washington Middle School Cafeteria, 2101 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98144

Register for events here: https://form.jotform.com/250096578739169

Planners gathered earlier this week for an idea session with kids and teens at the William Grose Center For Cultural Innovation.

The city says the total allocated funding is $2,320,000 for planning, design, and construction on the upgrades. Money for the planning and design is in hand but construction of the project will be “contingent on additional funding.”

“The project team is actively pursuing grant and fundraising opportunities,” the city says.

The large park on the southwest end of the Central District is popular for everything from team sports to protests. Its large skate rink gets heavy use for activities including roller dance and bike polo.

The area around the park is also seeing significant changes including light rail service at Judkins Park Station slated to start by the end of 2025 on Sound Transit’s 2 Line connecting downtown Seattle to the Eastside via the I-90 bridge.

The busy freeway is a core of the park as the land over and around the I-90 Lid was divided into Judkins Park, Jimi Hendrix Park, and Sam Smith Park.

The city and community feedback process is slated to last three months with design work wrapped up by this summer. The current plan for construction would begin work in 2026 with the new features opening in 2027. Seattle Parks says some areas of Judkins will be closed during the work.

The Judkins Park project joins another Central District neighborhood improvement underway near Garfield High School. The $8.4 million Garfield Super Block is hoped to transform the area around the Garfield campus and community center with a new Legacy and Promise Promenade and new community spaces including a parkour park. Construction had been hoped to begin last summer but is now listed for a 2025 start by the city.

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