Land buy to double size of Hing Hay Park

Hing Hay Park, the most prominent gathering spot in Seattle's Chinatown International District, will double in size under a deal announced Thursday by Mayor Greg Nickels.

Dewey Potter, a spokeswoman for Seattle Parks and Recreation, said the city is purchasing a parcel immediately west of Hing Hay Park from David and Karen Wong for $3.1 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

Money from Seattle's Pro Parks Levy and King County's Conservation Futures Levy was used to acquire the property on the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue South and South King Street, Potter said.

After the deal closes, the city will work with the community on developing the site, she said.

The U.S. Postal Service operates a station there that many elderly residents rely on. City officials say they've committed to keeping a post office in the neighborhood even as they expand Hing Hay Park.

"The City and I thank the Wong family for their willingness to sell the property to expand the park," Nickels said in a statement. "Hing Hay is an important and vital gathering place for this growing neighborhood, and with this additional land, the park will be able to grow along with the community."

The park has been a popular square for both Lunar New Year lion dances and political protests. Drug dealers and prostitutes have been known to frequent the park as well, and city officials say they hope to address that problem by having a visible presence of downtown park rangers.

The rangers would ride bicycles through downtown, be knowledgeable about the history of the parks and be able to radio police if they observed violent crime.

Nickels' proposed budget would pay for six rangers, along with surveillance cameras in Hing Hay, Victor Steinbrueck Park and Occidental Square, Potter said.

Nickels sought money for rangers last year, too, but the City Council nixed that in favor of hiring more police.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com