BATTERY PORTAL / PORTAL PARK
You've probably heard about the stunning Waterfront Park set to rise up in place of the former Highway 99 Viaduct, but little has been said about the 1.6 acre site between 1st and Western adjacent to the former Battery Street tunnel known to some as the Battery Portal. The City of Seattle allocated funding for planning and development in 2019, but Mayor Durkan froze those funds in January 2020.
Goals for the Battery Portal site are simple: provide for stewardship, security and interim activation while the Seattle School Board decides whether they want to use the site.
COVERAGE
November '21 - City of Seattle 2022 budget includes $500,000 for Battery Portal activation!
October '21 - City of Seattle Mayor's Office + Seattle Public Schools - Letter of Intent re: Battery Portal Site
July '21 - King County Council awards $25,000 grant for youth and amateur sports and recreation
April '21 - Request for $295,000 to activate Battery Portal from $6MM in 2020 MID surplus funding
February '21 - City delays on Portal Park re-energize Belltown’s quest to “Recharge the Battery”
June '17 - Seattle families need a new downtown high school | Seattle Times Op-Ed
From left: Holly Decker, David Levinson, CM Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Steve Horvath, Steve Hall, René Flores, Zander Batchelder
Viaduct Construction c. 1953
Viaduct Demolition c. 2019
Current State
Imagining the Future of the Battery Portal
