Concerts' new site has some singing the blues

Those who decided to move Seattle's annual summer concert series to Gas Works Park are struck by the romantic setting — a lake, a sunset, city lights, stars and the moon.

No doubt about it, Gas Works is a breathtaking place to watch day segue into night. As the sun sets behind Queen Anne Hill, its rays spray orange and purple against the windows of Capitol Hill, then downtown, until the sky grows dark and the electrified city glows.

"Our summers are so precious," said Mark Johnson, board member of Friends of Gas Works Park, an advocacy group. "Are we really prepared to say that part of this park is now a commercial music venue and off-limits to the nonpaying public?"

The city's decision two weeks ago to let One Reel move its concert series to Gas Works has raised several concerns about consequences to the park and nearby neighborhoods — concerns some say should have been addressed before the city gave its blessing.

Anywhere from 17 to 23 admission-only concerts will take place at Gas Works between mid-June and the end of August. Although the shows will be restricted to the southeast quadrant of the park, some believe the concert series has the potential to effectively take over the entire park, possibly for the entire summer.

"We're concerned that park users who are not concert-goers will be discouraged from going to Gas Works," Johnson said. "They will never be sure if there is going to be a concert there, and they won't want to have to deal with the music and crowds if there is."

But it's not just the selection of Gas Works that has area residents irritated.

"The decision was made without consultation of the neighborhoods," said Heidi Herr, president of the Wallingford Community Council. "We think there are impacts to bringing the concerts series to Gas Works — parking, noise and congestion."

Ken Bounds, Seattle parks-and-recreation superintendent, said the city learned in the fall that South Lake Union Park, home for the 2005 series, would be unavailable for 2006 because of construction. Seattle-based One Reel, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the concerts, needed to find a new venue quickly, as it is already booking performers.

"We simply didn't have time to go through an extensive public process," Bounds said. "I view the issues surrounding parking, traffic, noise and access as legitimate — I just think we can manage them. There will be some impacts, but not as devastating as some people seem to think."

Neighborhood impact

One Reel, which also produces Bumbershoot and the Fourth of July fireworks at Lake Union, has put on the Summer Nights concert series since 1991. Last summer's lineup included Lyle Lovett, B.B. King, Clint Black, Indigo Girls and Aimee Mann.

The series took place at Pier 62/63 through 2004, then moved to South Lake Union last year because the piers need repair. The city considered several other parks including Myrtle Edwards, Magnuson and Smith Cove, before settling on Gas Works for 2006. Seattle Center also was considered, but dates during the summer are booked and the setting does not exactly exude romance.

Although One Reel and the city would like to see the concerts return to the waterfront, that likely won't happen for several years until the seawall is repaired.

So for now, Gas Works is the showplace.

Neither the city nor One Reel has conducted a parking or traffic study to determine what impacts the concerts might have on the neighborhood. Gas Works has 100 parking spaces, and spots also are available along two-lane North Northlake Way.

Maximum capacity for a concert is 3,800 ticket-holders — far fewer than the 50,000 that converge upon Gas Works for the Fourth of July. Still, a recent Wallingford neighborhood e-mail alert poses the question: "Fourth of July all summer long?"

"If this were a Fourth of July, I'd be the first to say we'd need to do some really extensive analysis," Bounds said. "But it's not. It's 2,000 to 3,800 people per concert. It's not a football game at Husky Stadium. It's manageable."

Even on days when no concert is taking place, the stage, bleachers and portable potties will stay in place until the 11-week run is done. Michele Scoleri, One Reel's concert-series producer, said that on nonshow days, the gated concert area will be open, although the stage will remain secure.

She said One Reel will work to lessen noise disturbance. As in the past, Sunday to Thursday shows will end at 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday night concerts at 11. Scoleri said the stage — and speakers — will face west toward Highway 99, with the hope that the park's towers will buffer the sound.

While residents along Alaskan Way used to sit on their decks to peek at and listen in on concerts at the pier, Scoleri said, the Gas Works venue will be configured to prevent people on the park's Kite Hill from seeing the stage. The sound up there won't be the best either, she said.

Michael Parent, who lives in a condominium across the street from the park, suspects the concerts will draw more than just paid customers, and thus intensify neighborhood parking and traffic problems.

"They can put up curtains and fencing and direct the sound as much as they want, people are still going to camp out on Kite Hill to catch what they can and flood that park," Parent said.

"Nice use" of a city park

The move to Gas Works hinges only on City Council approval of $150,000 in utility upgrades at the park — an item the council added to the budget in November.

That was more than a month before Bounds met with neighborhood representatives from Wallingford, Fremont and Eastlake for the first time to tell them about the plan.

Herr, from Wallingford, was unable to attend the Dec. 22 meeting but said the timing of it — just before a holiday weekend — raised suspicions.

"It's not the kind of notice you give people if you really want their input," she said.

Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said the city looks forward to working with neighborhoods and park advocates to ensure that the concerts are a positive addition to Gas Works.

"Parks have multiple uses and must be shared by all different kinds of users," he said. "A concert on a warm summer evening is a nice use of a city park. And I don't think that use is going to detract from others' ability to stroll, fly kites, lay out and just hang out. I think it will all work together nicely."

Herr said One Reel has always been good about consulting with the neighborhood about how to manage the fireworks crowd. "It's ironic that they do that for one event, but for a series of events that will adversely impact the neighborhood, no attempt was made."

Bounds said that in the past, the city has earned as much as $200,000 from concert-series revenue. But he is not expecting the city to earn anything this year, given the newness of the location.

"We're not doing this to make money," Bounds said. "To have an urban venue for concerts that have brought in the kind of musicians we've had, that is an amenity that the citizens of Seattle should have."

Johnson said if the concerts can generate money for the parks system, which then can be converted into improvements for Gas Works, his park-advocacy group would be interested in helping make the concerts a success. But concern over whether the concert series will change the character of Gas Works seems to override everything.

"If someone said 'We want to cordon off an acre of the park and sell art three nights a week all summer long to make money,' it would probably give people pause," Johnson said. "They'd say, 'Why would we ever do that?' "

Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293 or seskenazi@seattletimes.com