What Is the Magnuson Community Garden?

The Magnuson Park Concept Plan, adopted by Seattle City Council Resolution No. 30063, called for a 4-acre community garden to be located immediately east of the  Brig in  Magnuson Park.  The garden will serve horticultural purposes related to  plant education, demonstrating native plant materials, composting, facilities to accommodate gardening for persons with physical disabilities, in addition to relocating the displaced Sand Point P-Patch at NE 70th and the Burke Gilman Trail.  A coalition of Sand Point gardeners and other interest groups  worked on the design phase of multi-purpose garden which will provide educational opportunities,  programs to integrate gardening into community center activities, and involve the on-site transitional housing families, special plots for production of organic vegetables for local food banks, as well as space for gardeners involved in the city's P-Patch program.

What Was the Magnuson Park Concept Plan?

The Magnuson Park Concept Plan provided guidance for Magnuson Park design.  It included  a Concept Plan Map and the 1997 Physical Development Management Plan for Sand Point as amended by Council Resolution No. 30063.  The final plan was prepared by Mayor Paul Schell's Blue Ribbon Committee appointed in June 1998,  and was  the result of months of work city staff and the design team lead by Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects.   The Blue Ribbon Committee was charged with conducting a comprehensive review and assessment of the Sand Point Magnuson Park peninsula, including planning, operations, management and financing elements.  The Blue Ribbon Committee's recommendations were considered by the Council in September and adopted on November 1, 1999.  See  Magnuson Parks Vision for a 21st Century Park

Why Include a Community Garden/P-Patch in the Park?

Community gardens are part of the concept of providing open space in an urban environment.  When Seattle was working on its Urban Village strategy of denser, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods in the city's comprehensive plan, community gardens were considered essential public facilities.   Urban gardening can be an important community development tool.  The Blue Ribbon Committee recommended a philosophy to guide park use which basically related to the question, what will a use contribute to the park and its other users, and what public benefits would the use bring.  A community garden in the park will contribute to park use by providing park users educational opportunities, amenities, as well as a place to bring people in the neighborhood together.  Several community gardens have been developed in Seattle Parks including Bradner Gardens, Lincoln Park, and Queen Anne Terrace.

What Kind of Garden Was Envisioned?

A multi-purpose garden was envisaged on the designated 4-acre site. Its design was integrated into and compatible with the surrounding environment. When completed it will include  neighborhood gardening, educational opportunities such as demonstration gardens, composting methods, and native plant cultivation with program opportunities for seniors, transitional housing residents, youth, and the handicapped as well as neighborhood P-Patch gardeners.   The garden will encourage people to enjoy an environment that promotes beauty, neighborliness, healthy living and stewardship of the natural resources of the Sand Point Peninsula.

Who  Planned the Magnuson Community Garden?

Initially, the lead for planning a community garden at Magnuson Park was the Magnuson Community Garden Coalition, a group of organizations with a common vision to promote urban ecology, environmental stewardship, beautification of the park, education, and healthy food gardening.  Public input was sought to present ideas to the coalition and the landscape architect engaged to create a plan for the garden.  A series of three public meetings took place May 25, June 7, and July 11, 2000 to develop a final plan which was submitted to the Seattle Design Commission and the Seattle Parks Department.  The Coalition voted to become a nonprofit called the Magnuson Community Garden in the summer of 2001.  Administration of the project was transferred to the nonprofit board in November 2001.  See Magnuson Community Garden Organization

How Is the Garden Being Funded?

Interested gardeners met in November 1999 to discuss applying to the city for a Neighborhood matching grant to cover the costs of designing a garden in Magnuson Park.  A Small and Simple, $10,000 grant was applied for under the name of the Magnuson Gardens Coalition.  As part of the grant requirement, gardeners pledged volunteer time (in-kind match) to match the dollars of the grant.  The grant was awarded to the group in March 2000 and the process  of community outreach and garden design  began.  A second Small and Simple grant was applied for and received to detail the garden design. The Garden applied for a Neighborhood Large Construction Fund Matching Grant to begin physical construction.    In addition to the matching grant, funding was used from the Pro Parks Fund  levy passed by voters in the fall of 2000.   The basic infrastructure and initial plantings were completed in the spring of 2004.

What Was the Design Process?

Notices were published in the Seattle Daily Journal  of Commerce on March 31, 2000 soliciting the services of a landscape architect to assist in the design process.  The firm of Barker Landscape Architects was selected to render a concept design. Three public meetings were held.  The first, on May 25, 2000,  to solicit ideas from the public, the others were to comment and suggest changes to the draft concept.  The design was  finalized and reviewed and approved by the Seattle Design Commission and the Parks Department.  Final construction drawings have been prepared by Barker Landscape.  A SEPA review took place in October 2001 with notice published in the Daily Journal of Commerce.

What Is the Matching Part of the Grant?

Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund Program is a partnership between  the City of Seattle and neighborhood-based organizations. The City supplies cash for a neighborhood project and the neighborhood matches the City's contribution with volunteer labor, donated materials, professional services, and cash. For more information see the Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund Programs.  The Coalition received two $10,000  Small and Simple Projects Fund  awards. Persons participating in the planning process pledged $10,000 in  volunteer labor, donated  materials, professional services, and cash.  The Garden applied for a Department of Neighborhoods Large Project Fund for construction the fall of 2001, and was awarded  $150,000 which was matched by in-kind labor, materials, and cash.   

Why Was the Sand Point P-Patch Relocated?

For  25 years gardeners used property leased from Childrens' Hospital and Regional Medical Center for a community P-Patch. The site was located on N.E. 70th adjacent to the Burke Gillman Trail.  Children's Hospital gave notice that it planed to build on its property.  In seeking a new location, an opportunity arose to include the P-Patch concept in a larger community garden on the Magnuson Park grounds.  With the assistance of the Seattle Parks and Recreation Magnuson Park Division, the Department of Neighborhood P-Patch Office, and Childrens' Hospital, a temporary P-Patch was opened on a portion of the site of the Magnuson Community Garden.   The permanent Magnuson P-Patch was completed in the spring of 2004.