Since 2017, Rainier Beach community members have been working to update the 25.5-acre park — named after Be’er Sheva, Israel, one of Seattle’s sister cities — and the Lake Washington beach in the South End, calling for waterfront, pathway and general park improvements. Seattle Parks Foundation and other partners created an upland improvement plan that would restore and improve the park and waterfront for about $2 million. In other Seattle neighborhoods along Lake Washington, residents enjoy long stretches of accessible public shoreline, while people living in Rainier Beach have very little public access to the water for recreation.
$300,000 transfer from the MPCF Major Projects Challenge Fund will allow the department to hire two staff members to lead the charge to manage the new fund, ahead of the new Park District planning cycle, which spans 2023-28. “The only thing that could really delay the project is if some partner really drops the ball,” Lee, who is funded by the nonprofit Seattle Parks Foundation, said in an interview.
About half of the $2 million came from Seattle government sources, including $568,000 from the overall city budget; $250,000 from Councilmember Tammy Morales’ office (whose district includes the park); and $250,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department’s Real Estate Excise Tax capital fund. Other funding came from nonprofits that contributed a combined $180,000, Amazon ($100,000), King County ($165,000), Washington state ($485,000) and individuals who contributed over $16,800. “It took like an entire two years of really advocating for all this money, so I’m just really relieved to see that coming through,” Link2Lake co-Chair Sally Li said.
In an emailed statement, Rachel Schulkin, a spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation, noted the importance of efforts like Link2Lake in catalyzing improvement projects, which she notes can take as long as five to 10 years to plan, fund and complete.
The African-American population has been slowly increasing in the neighborhood due in large part to the gentrification in other Seattle neighborhoods that has forced many Blacks to move either into the South end of the city or into the south King County suburbs. Today Rainier Beach has a population of 6,006 and is roughly 55% African American, 20% Asian, 10% Caucasian, 10% Hispanic and 5% from other races.
Neighborhoods like Rainier Beach, well-designed open spaces that encourage diverse and safe activities are crucial. Rainier Beach has a high percentage of families with children and, with a lower median income for households, many of these children live in poverty, with limited access to the recreational and community-building opportunities so important for their growth and healthy development. A well-considered design will increase the perception and reality of safety – in nearby Othello Park both police and community members report that park improvements have resulted in a distinct increase in park use and user comfort and decrease in criminal activity.
A renovated and reactivated Be’er Sheva Park will draw in children to play, residents to organize and participate in community events, neighbors to socialize and build bonds with one another, young and old to engage in physical activity, and all visitors to enjoy Rainier Beach’s beautiful shoreline.
