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Friday, May 21, 2004
A sensible plan for Magnuson Park
The Seattle City Council's plan for Sand Point Magnuson Park is evolving. So far, it's a compromise that looks healthy.
A council committee has decided to eliminate two of 15 planned fields and limit lighting to seven fields rather than the 11 that had been proposed. Those are sensible moves that recognize neighborhood concerns and still promise adequate use of the park by a public hungry for healthy exercise opportunities.
The park committee still must make several decisions, including hours for lighting, before sending a plan to the full council. That could be as early as next month.
The city has about one-fifth of the approximately $60 million cost of developing the fields and creating new wetlands nearby. That means there will be time to make revisions later if, as some critics contend, the lighting becomes too obtrusive. It's more likely, though, that the fears will turn out to be exaggerated, especially if sensible limits are placed on the hours for lighting.
It's important for the entire council to stand up firmly for real recreational opportunities, developed sensitively. There's no reason to scale back seriously or postpone long-term planning just because of some vocal opposition from a neighborhood with a record notable, even by Seattle standards, for worrying about benign changes. It's vital that the city make good use of the still not fully realized opportunities offered by Magnuson's conversion from a military facility.
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