Osborn Consulting is honored to contribute to the community of North Rainier by designing its new local park! Since our last update in October, the project has progressed at lightning speed. We’ve worked with Parks to integrate the two parcels north of the original site (increasing the site to 1.3 acres), shifted the basketball court north to provide more room, relocated adult exercise equipment out of the right-of-way to create a designated workout circuit, and received permission to paint crosswalks that connect the park to the shopping center. Throughout these changes, we’ve grouped passive activities together, while arranging more energetic activities near the slightly noisier, busier street. All these key elements have allowed us to envision a family-oriented, neighborhood-central spot worthy of the community it will serve.
The park’s significance to the North Rainer community has been paramount throughout the design process. Surrounded by housing on three sides, two of which include low-income multi-family housing, the park will serve a neighborhood lacking critical open space for years. Having had little access to central community gathering areas in the past, many of the area’s residents are looking forward to enjoying group picnicking areas, basketball courts, children’s play spaces, and adult exercise equipment in close proximity to their homes. The park’s importance to the community is also reflected in a special theme decided upon through the design process.
The park’s theme of “fabric of community” has proven fitting: Not only is it a space meant to unite a diverse neighborhood consisting of families who can trace their heritage from many countries around the world, but it will contain elements of fabric both literally and metaphorically. Local residents were quite involved with the process, participating in a survey by rating fabric designs of cultural significance or submitting culturally distinct fabric patterns of their own. This idea of fabric is laced throughout the park design from pavement scoring patterns, planting motifs, the play and adult exercise equipment color palette, and banners to be hung on the pole lights surrounding the oval-shaped walk.
With construction beginning this summer and completion slated for 2023, we can’t wait to see the North Rainier community enjoying the finished park! We are honored to be serving such a diverse, vibrant, and lively Seattle community.
