(Image: CHS)
Some neighbors and the area’s Seattle City Council member knew it was coming but nobody else was prepared for a Capitol Hill park to suddenly be fenced off over the Labor Day weekend for a 60-day “rest.”
“We recognize that this park has been impacted by bouts of negative park activity and we will continue to work to ensure that all parks are clean, safe, and welcoming,” a Seattle Parks spokesperson tells CHS about the two-month closure of Seven Hills Park at 16th and Howell.
Seattle Parks says the closure is part of a broader discussion involving the future of Seven Hills and three other area parks.
The unusual shutdown follows a summer of challenges for the public space adjacent the Sanctuary condos developed inside the former First Church of Christ Scientist just north of the lawn area, BBQ pits, eight benches, three picnic tables, and trees that make up the small park.
(Image: CHS)
In August, the city made its latest efforts to sweep campers from the park. Attention on the space included We Heart Seattle and anti-encampment activist Andrea Suarez providing “outreach” at the site.
District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth has also been reportedly closely involved.
Hollingsworth did not respond to CHS’s inquiry about the fencing and 60-day closure.
Seattle Parks says the shutdown was needed “in order for Seattle Parks and Recreation to assess possible amenity changes and/or upgrades.”
The spokesperson said amenity changes could include “removal of various park elements, adding surrounding park fencing, addition of new amenities such as lighting, garden beds, or new planters.”
“We plan to meet with community to discuss Seven Hills, along with additional parks in Capitol Hill with the goal of developing strategies to support positive park use,” the spokesperson said.
The parks department says another Capitol Hill park that has been challenged by homeless camping and drug use is also being reassessed. 2016-debuted Broadway Hill Park is also being considered for anti-camping modifications as is Tashkent Park on Boylston Ave E.
S. Jackson’s Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park in the Central District is also part of the new planning process.
The two Capitol Hill parks, and the Central District space remain open to the public.
The closure comes on the fifteenth anniversary of Seven Hills Park. The project debuted in September 2010 around its central art element depicting the “original” seven hills of Seattle. The city acquired the property with funding from the 2000 Pro Parks Levy and King County Conservation Futures tax revenues.
It has faced encampment challenges before. In the winter of 2022, CHS reported on the aftermath of a major sweep that cleared the park of campers as Seven Hills became a flashpoint in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s efforts to step up clearance and shelter outreach work in the city. One immediate outcome of that sweep was the growth of nearby encampments in other nearby parks.
Now, coming up on four years later, Seven Hills Park will be fenced-off and empty as the city tries to sort out next steps.
One rumor — The city is floating adding a playground to the park. Now, where have we heard that one before?
(Image: CHS)
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