Uniting Georgetown and South Park Neighborhoods
- gordon
- Nov. 27, 2017
Neighbors find allies, build a coalition of interest and support
Tired of waiting any longer to connect their two neighborhoods, residents formed Duwamish Valley Safe Streets (DVSS) in 2016 and became part of the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways coalition. Drawing on the history of neighborhood planning and community wisdom, DVSS quickly began championing the idea of the Georgetown to South Park Trail (GTSP Trail).
The Georgetown to South Park Trail will respond to the basic needs of both communities. Many basic necessities such as banks, libraries, grocery stores, and health services exist in one neighborhood but not the other. The benefits of this trail will be numerous:
- Health: increased options for active transportation and recreation
- Economy: patronage of business districts with reduced transit needs and costs
- Services: improved access to cultural, health, and social services
- Environment: better air quality and green infrastructure design to reduce pollutants
- Safety: protected pedestrian infrastructure on the E Marginal Way corridor.
“There’s so much to gain from this area being connected –it makes us stronger as communities, and it ultimately serves the whole city.” - Jessie Moore, DVSS leaderMomentum builds, City takes an interest … and ultimately, Victory!!
The GTSP Trail has gained tremendous momentum over the past year. DVSS has coordinated and hosted walks with City Council members, SDOT, and local organizations to highlight the possibilities of the GTSP trail. Landscape Architecture students from the University of Washington have provided input, inspiration, and conceptual ideas of what the GTSP trail could be for the community. Perhaps most importantly, DVSS and SNG members have identified community outreach and design as the next critical steps in the process. Members advocated for the GTSP in meetings with City Council members and testified at two budget hearings to advocate for funding in the 2018 budget.
All this hard work paid off when the Seattle City Council included $600,000 in the City’s Budget for community engagement, planning, and design of the trail! Outreach and design will likely take two years and one year to construct, so we hope to be walking and biking on the trail in 2020!
