Lincoln Playfields at Lower Woodland Park: Reject Option A, Advance Option C
The Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors, SPS Superintendent, and the Seattle Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners
Update 4/10/2026: There is a public meeting being held on April 25th at Hamilton Middle School from 10 AM to 11:30 AM to present updated SPS plans for the fields. SPS is presenting two final designs, including one that we believe is Option C, and we hope the version presented is the "steel man" version of that design. Claims made by the Lincoln PTSA that Option A is cheaper or faster are purely speculative as there is no budget for either alternative, and Option C has not been studied or presented prior to this meeting. We have been published in the Urbanist and will continue to push for a good park design that supports a new field.
Update 2/1/2026: Parks Board Meeting Recap: Thank you for turning out to the Seattle Parks Board Meeting! About 20 people either spoke or attended the meeting in favor of rejecting Option A and advancing Option C. Nobody at the meeting was in favor of Option A other than the project leaders. Unfortunately, SPS project leaders left the meeting early and refused to speak with the community members. See below for the problems with Option A, all about Option C, and selected community comments. If you have questions, feel free to reach out at friends.lwp@gmail.com. Thank you!
The Problems with Option A
Seattle Public Schools plans to move all Lincoln High School athletics to Lower Woodland Park. They are proposing to do this by replacing the soccer field at 52nd and Lower Woodland Park with two new fields that can barely be wedged into the existing space, a plan they call "Option A". There are four critical issues that prevent Option A from being a good plan for the field:
Issue 1: Between 7 and 9 large (24"+) trees designed by the Olmsted brothers will be replaced with synthetic turf and a retaining wall
The trees were planned in 1903 by the Olmsted brothers as part of a continuous line along the Green Lake Way walking path. They are part of the park's founding character, providing shade to the fields and the path and buffering them from Green Lake Way. Option A replaces these trees with synthetic turf and extensive earthwork that goes right up to the Green Lake Way walking path, ending at a new retaining wall. The wall will be 384' long, up to 6' high, and topped by fencing and field lights.
Issue 2: Every side of the new fields will be fenced off, cutting off pedestrian access to the park
While SPS says people can walk on the sidelines and access fields from the corners, that is unsafe for families, seniors, and vulnerable populations, and is inviting dog walkers (and pet waste) onto the fields. The sideline areas are smaller than what is standard in other Seattle parks and will be regularly blocked by planned extensive use of the fields. The safe crossing at 52nd Street and recently renovated bathrooms there will dead end into fencing and retaining walls. The end result is that pedestrian access to the park from recently upzoned Tangletown will be effectively cut off.
Issue 3: Overcrowding will prevent events and cause unsafe conflicts with the bike jumps and the skate park
The fields will not only overcrowd the park by adding more users, they displace all open space that is needed for seating, safe circulation, and space for spectators or park visitors. Stray balls and families with little kids and dogs are either on the synthetic turf sidelines, in the parking lot, in the way of BMX bike jump users, in the skate park, or up against a fence. The proposed sideline areas do not legally allow for fixed objects such as seating and will not be safe for spectators. The SPS project team has alternately shown seating where the bike jumps are, or no seating around the fields at all, as there isn't room for both. What is now a central public gathering space that invites in all forms of community will become an unsafe and exclusive practice facility for high school athletics.
Issue 4: Infrastructure destruction and significant negative impacts increase costs, environmental impact, and legal risks
The proposed construction requires the removal of the recently completed Soccer Field #2, wasting a 2021 $1.7M rebuild, including high-end lighting, concrete platforms, fencing, and the electronic baseball scoreboard. The project will take about a year of construction time, during which there will be no fields for Lincoln. Destroying recently built infrastructure is not only bad government, it wastes the embodied carbon footprint of that project. Option A is also choosing to opt into a multi-year Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under SEPA, potentially leading to indefinite delays and further inflating the total budget.
For more details, you can review Seattle Public School plans here.
12/12 Update: We have a better alternative: Option C!
Option C combines low impact versions of SPS Options A and B for a better Lower Woodland Park Design. Option C ensures Lincoln High School gains a new, safe facility capable of hosting games, complete with a grandstand. It also preserves historic trees lining the Green Lake Way pedestrian path and maintains safe, legal access for all park users, including vulnerable populations and those with children and dogs. There are two parts to the Option C plan.
Option C Part 1: Soccer Field at Aurora and 50th
Option C utilizes the 170 parking spots and bathrooms in the picnic loop, directly east of the field. Events such as cyclocross and cross country can take advantage of the field space for event staging or shift towards the additional 120 parking spots and 2 sets of bathrooms near the horseshoe pitches. The sidewalk adjacent to the new field and trees along it will be rehabilitated, improving public safety and park accessibility. By repurposing a defunct gravel construction lot that currently poses a security risk, the design reclaims and positively activates the space with a field nestled in a natural wooded setting.
Option C and Option B site boundaries overlaid
SPS points to what they studied as "Option B" when claiming Option C is too expensive, but clearly the impacted area of Option B is much smaller and the impacts will be far less. Option C covers about half the footprint of Option B by focusing exclusively on soccer without the addition of a football field or a new parking lot. This streamlined approach requires the removal of only a few damaged trees from the gravel lot, compared to the 78 trees slated for removal under the district's plan. It also avoids most earthwork and all expensive changes to the picnic driving loop.
Option C Part 2: Football/Soccer Hybrid Field at 52nd and Green Lake Way
Option C Part 2 has the same boundaries as existing Soccer Field #2 except for extension to the west. A grandstand is added and the playing surface is extended into a soccer-football hybrid field. All costly destruction of lighting, fencing, and concrete is avoided, plus earthwork and regrading is avoided. Endzone fencing is needed, but sideline fencing can be avoided. As a much simpler project, construction time should only take about a month, versus up to a year for Option A. The 25' sideline areas plus seating enable Lincoln High School to host games, which is not possible under Option A.
Option C and Option A site boundaries overlaid
SPS consultants have effectively sidelined the community by refusing to engage with any stakeholders who question Option A. However, those who truly know and use this park understand the stakes: Option A will compromise the historic Olmsted design and degrade the park’s integrity for the next half-century. Under this plan, the eastern side of the park will become a congested, single-use facility that excludes the general public, while the western side remains a neglected area prone to encampments. We deserve a balanced solution. Join us in stopping Option A and advancing Option C—a design that respects our park’s history and serves the entire community.
Want to know more?
We have a detailed presentation that we keep up to date. The presentation addresses parking, events, costs, and other issues in detail. Have questions or want to get in touch? Write to us at friends.lwp@gmail.com.
A few of over 150 comments we have received in favor of Option C
“I have coached and officiated games at the LW fields for 20+ years, and have seen the current over-use and limited parking and open space around the existing fields evolve into a crisis. Build new fields in Woodland Park – DO NOT put more density / use on the LW complex!!” – Patrick
“The idea that those tremendous, beautiful shade trees lining the east side of lower woodland park be removed to make room for heat-trapping plastic grass makes me so sad… In the sunny months those plastic turfs will be miserable to play in without the adjacent cool shaded air of those trees to bring down the ambient heat.” – Stephen
“Rising 8th grader next year and a neighbor to the school and the parks, this plan finally puts equity and utility at the forefront. Plan C looks like a great win-win solution for all concerned.” – Michael P
“I love the idea of a grandstand on the hybrid football / soccer field… it really adds to the overall feel of the school climate. At a time when many people are feeling more and more isolated and lonely, creating a way for the greater community to participate and join is something that is needed.” – Jon-Erik
“I do not support the renovation of this community space for new astroturf fields. I also have very serious concerns about how this will impact traffic… The school’s activity needs do not trump community safety and other’s enjoyment of the park.” – Maureen
“I already have trouble getting out of my driveway with the current traffic and this would make it worse. I currently deal with people parking blocking my driveway… though I feel this is a waste of taxpayer money if there needs to be another field in Woodland Park please choose option C.” – Margaret
“Revised Option A should be dead on arrival… We need to be conserving our trees and green space. These trees have taken decades to grow and AstroTurf is not green space… why was this planning not done before Lincoln reopened? Seems like another example of poor planning by SPS.” – Neal
“The proposed Option C plan looks to be the best option… I am very excited about the underutilized gravel parking lot being transformed into a soccer field with minimal impact on trees and the park driveway. The ability to have a grandstand… will make Woodland Park a really incredible park!” – Alyssa
"Please consider Option C. As a parent of a soccer loving middle schooler who hopes to play for Lincoln and as an adult who plays in the RATS league, I truly feel like Option C is a solid choice that benefits the community." - Alisa
"Our kids need more playfield space. The fields are utilized past reasonable capacity all the time. Option C would help reclaim a troubled space, lessen traffic and increase fields. What isn't to love?" - Alyssa
"Option A just looks like a bad idea for all the reasons listed. It's squeezing in too much for the space that is there and removing heritage trees which I'm very much opposed to." - Scott
"I can't believe Option A is being considered!! Absolutely ridiculous! This area already has extremely high use and is an integral part of Woodland Park. We need more trees—not more astroturf!!" - Gwen
"Option A would completely decimate lower woodland and is totally inappropriate. The loss of trees, the parking impact, it does not fit!" - Jessica
"I live within the area and am a parent with students at both Lincoln High School & Hamilton Middle School. This Option C proposal makes a lot of sense and I believe may be more cost & value effective. This plan makes better usage of available space, while minimizing negative impacts, and I believe will increase the overall safety of the area. Locating a soccer field that fits within the gravel lot brings regular life to an area of the park that is often under utilized." - Laura
Sponsored by
To:
The Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors, SPS Superintendent, and the Seattle Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners
From:
[Your Name]
Please take immediate action to ensure a safe and sustainable solution for athletic facilities in Lower Woodland Park.
We request the immediate rejection of the current proposal to replace the soccer field at 52nd and Lower Woodland Park with two new, densely packed fields.
Instead of this proposal, we urge you to pursue a responsible, distributed field capacity plan by prioritizing the following two actions:
Field Upgrade: Authorize a limited upgrade of Lower Woodland Soccer Field #2 at 52nd Street to a football/soccer hybrid design to meet Lincoln High School's needs. This can include upgrading the loop path, seating, and storage.
New Soccer Field: Authorize planning for an additional soccer field in a safer, less impactful location (such as the North Lower Woodland area or the Aurora/50th parking lot) to serve as an offset for existing parks users.
We ask that you follow a design that ensures Lower Woodland Park is safe and works for all users for decades to come.