Magnuson Park Pickleball Court Development

Background: Magnuson Park Planning for Recreational Uses

In the late 1990s, SPR began planning for a sports field and a constructed wetlands complex in areas generally east of Sportsfield Drive to Lake Shore Drive. The site of the proposed pickleball facility was initially developed by the Navy for a hangar with aircraft parking. After the naval airfield was closed and the tarmac and runways were demolished, this area was redeveloped for a Post Exchange (PX), basically a department store for military families. After the city obtained the site, planning was completed to convert it to recreational use. This was guided by the Sand Point Physical Development Management Plan (PDMP 1997); and City Council Resolutions 30063 (November 1999) and 30293 (April 2001), which guided a concept design for sports fields and courts, wetland/habitat components and drainage. Between 2000 and 2006, planning work was completed to design a wetland/habitat complex and a sports fields/courts project. This included the preparation of an environmental impact statement and a council-approved master plan for Magnuson Park.

In 2001 through 2002, SPR public meetings included a wetland design forum, workshops and athletic field lighting education forums and displays. In January 2002, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was distributed, which analyzed the potential impacts of several alternatives, including sports fields and courts, a wetland/habitat complex and integrated site drainage facilities. A Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was issued on July 12, 2002.

A citizens' group appealed the adequacy of the FEIS, and the Office of the Hearing Examiner conducted an appeal hearing with a decision issued in late February 2003. SPR was required to prepare a Supplemental EIS (SEIS) on the sole issue of the impacts of sports field noise on wildlife. A Final SEIS was published in May 2003. An Addendum to the FEIS was published in December 2003, which modified selected design and operational characteristics for the sports field component of the project with the intent of reducing potential impacts associated with sports field lighting and noise.

Magnuson Park Master Plan

In 2004, the City Council stipulated that no more than $100,000 of the appropriated capital improvement program could be used to fund either the Athletic Field Renovation Project or the Wetlands Development Project until authorized by a future ordinance. The City Council held a public hearing on the Master Plan in April 2004 and approved full funding to construct wetlands and upland habitat, demolish a hangar (Building 193) and adjacent parking lots (Ordinance 121502 - 2004).

The Master Plan approved by Ordinance 121502 was amended in 2006 to reflect design revisions based on funding; expressed support for construction of phase 2 wetlands, natural areas and athletic fields; and reaffirmed conditions in Ordinance 121502 for the use of external funding for wetlands, natural areas and athletic fields (Ordinance 122318 - 2006).

Magnuson Park Master Plan (Ordinance 122318 – 2006)

Schedule

8-12 Court Schematic Design: August 2024 – January 2026
Design,Permitting & Bidding: 2026 – 2027
Construction: 2027

State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Process, Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) Preparation (Draft)

• December 2024 - December 2025

Community Participation

Thank you to everyone who joined us in November 2024 for the second public meeting of the Magnuson Pickleball Court Development. 

Public Meeting - 11/21/24 

• Meeting Mailer
• Online Presentation
• Meeting Summary Q&A

Public Meeting - 9/5/24

• Meeting Mailer