Seattle voters will decide fate of $146 million parks levy

With Seattle's limited land and growing population, residents have no choice but to live in denser neighborhoods if they stay in the city.

That's why proponents of a Seattle parks levy say now is the time to invest in creating open spaces before land prices climb out of reach. They are asking voters Nov. 4 to fund a $146 million property-tax levy, nearly $36 million of which would be spent to buy park land throughout the city.

"I look out my window here and I just see a skyline filled with cranes," said Karen Daubert, co-chairwoman of the Seattle Parks for All campaign. "Along with that is the disappearing ability to acquire parks and open space."

Most of the levy money would be spent on improving existing parks.

The economy may be headed into a recession, but Seattle voters have a history of supporting levies for parks, roads, housing and education. Supporters of the ballot measure also say that city parks are an affordable and accessible place to commune with the outdoors, compared to, say, a weekend trip to Olympic National Park.

The six-year levy package, Proposition 2, would cost the homeowner of an average home, assessed at $479,100 this year, about $91 annually or $19 per $100,000 of assessed value beginning next year. The City Council proposed the levy against the wishes of Mayor Greg Nickels, who says voters will be asked to pass enough tax measures in November. He says tax increases for Sound Transit and the Pike Place Market are more important this year.

The $198 million Pro Parks levy Seattle property owners paid for the past eight years, which also funded expansion of the parks system, expires Dec. 31. Advocates say if voters pass the new parks levy and the separate $73 million measure for Pike Place Market renovations, their voter-approved tax payments would not go up next year. Property owners would see a decrease if they reject either measure.

There is no formal campaign opposing the levy's passage, leaving Nickels as the most prominent opponent. The mayor has repeatedly said, "Now is not the time for a parks levy."

He proposed the Pike Place Market levy and, as chairman of the Sound Transit board, is campaigning heavily for voters to approve a sales-tax increase to fund more light rail.

The Seattle Parks For All campaign has raised $231,960 and is running television ads. The largest donors include The Mercury Group, a political consulting group that worked on the ad campaign; the Seattle Art Museum; and the Arboretum Foundation. The museum and arboretum would benefit from the levy.

If voters approve, the money would go toward acquiring new park land, developing playgrounds and skate parks and paying for major renovations to large city-owned buildings such as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center and Seattle Asian Art Museum. Funds would also go toward trail projects, playfields, forest and shoreline restoration. The levy package also sets aside $15 million for project proposals to come from the community.

Daubert said efforts to renew the parks levy began as a community effort, and the City Council then appointed an advisory committee of 28 people to put together a package of projects.

"The overall theme is having a safe and attractive park within walking distance of every citizen in the city," she said. "With these improvements we are very close to there."

Unlike the expiring Pro Parks levy, the new proposal does not include money for operations and maintenance for the new parks that would be built.

Beth Purcell, who led the advisory group that came up with the final list of projects, said even though the economy is down, the city needs to take care of what it has and create a parks legacy. In comparison to other recreational destinations, city parks are a bargain, she said, and broken down further, it would cost the average property owner a quarter a day.

Purcell said she was not sure whether voters would be asked to renew the parks levy again in six years if this proposal passes.

Some of the projects in this levy proposal, for instance, would be spent to complete new parks that were acquired, but not built, under the expiring parks levy.

This new levy proposal would also purchase land without funding to develop the park after acquisition. Supporters say they hope the city could tap state and county funds to develop the parks.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com