Little Saigon Park Development
Updated: June 27, 2024
Summer 2024
SPR and Harkness Construction are working hard to have your new park open in late July!
Please join us for a ribbon cutting celebration on Saturday, July 27 from 12:30 – 3 p.m.
The park design creates a flexible urban open space for residents, workers and visitors to the neighborhood. The park is designed to provide different sizes of spaces for accessible community gatherings and events and will include good sight lines and night lighting. The park will feature a colorful play area, supportive of active play for small children with a resilient rubber surface and concrete seat walls. Additionally, the Friends of Little Saigon are working on a mural for the park.
The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) is partnering with SPR on this project and put out a Call for Artists in 2019. Seattle artist, Kalina Chung was selected as the artist for the new Little Saigon Park. Chung’s artwork will be a free-standing piece that will serve as an entryway to the park from S Jackson St., inspired by Vietnamese Tube Houses – narrow multi-story homes – she encountered during her travels to Saigon and the buildings adjacent to the park. The art piece is installed and will be painted before the opening of the park.
The Seattle Park and Recreation’s Park Ranger program has put this park on their South Route and will visit the park during peak park use hours (between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.). The South Route will be based at City Hall Park and conduct at least two patrols of Pioneer Square, Occidental, Union Station Square, Hing Hay, Donnie Chinn, Kobe Terrace, Freeway, Westlake, Little Saigon, Victor Steinbrueck, and the International District/Chinatown Community Center.
Previous community engagement efforts and more information on the partnership with The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) can be found here:
• Little Saigon Parking Study
• Little Saigon Project Summary (English and Vietnamese)
• Learn more about Kalina Chung the artist for the project
• International Special Review District Presentation
View the enlarged version of this Proposed Park Plan and Section
Location
Budget
Seattle Park District provides $3,635,438 for the planning, design and construction of this site into a park.
Schedule
Planning: 2018
Design: 2019 - 2022
Construction: 2023 - Summer 2024
Project Description
Seattle Parks and Recreation purchased this land in 2013 and will soon transform it into a public amenity space for recreation, play and community events. Additionally, the park will provide a pedestrian connection between Jackson and King, with an accessible path navigating over 20’ of grade change.
Community Participation
Project Update - 6/7/24
Groundbreaking Event - 7/6/23
View the event poster:
- Little Saigon Neighborhood is getting a new park!
- Khu Little Saigon sắp có công viên mới!
- 小西貢社區即將有一個新公園！
Open House/Design Review - 7/14/2019
Public Meeting and Open House - 11/1/2018
Public Meeting and Input Opportunity - 8/26/2018
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has determined that developing an existing gravel parking lot into a public park does not have probable significant adverse impact on the environment. An environmental impact statement is not required under RCW 43.21C.030(2)(c). This decision was made after a review of a completed environmental checklist and other information on file with SPR. This information is available to the public on request. The Determination of Non-Significance was issued on May 12, 2022.
Download the DNS document for additional information
Download the Analysis and Decision of SPR
Download the 90% Layout Plan for SEPA
View the SEPA Environmental Checklist here