Seattle parks aim to crack down on late-night parties
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Gas Works Park will soon have gates installed on its parking lot as part of the plan. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
Seattle will have more police patrols and new gates installed at some of its busiest parks this summer, as city officials seek to crack down on overnight partying and noise complaints.
The big picture: The changes are part of a summer safety plan the mayor's office announced this week, which will also include shorter summer hours at two of Seattle's most popular waterfront parks, Alki Beach and Golden Gardens.
What's happening: New gates will go up at Magnuson Park and Gas Works Park by the Fourth of July, blocking vehicle access and closing off the parking lots once the parks shut down at night, Callie Craighead, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, told Axios.
- The city will also have dedicated Seattle police patrols that will help clear out popular parks at closing time, a change from past years that is designed to prevent overnight trespassing, Craighead said.
Zoom in: Starting Friday and continuing through Labor Day, Alki Beach and Golden Gardens will close at 10:30pm instead of 11:30pm.
- That means slightly less time to enjoy those stunning Puget Sound beaches (a perk of living here that helps get us through Seattle's dark, gray winters).
- The city piloted those earlier summer closure times in past years, but has now decided to make them permanent, Craighead said.
- Some city boat ramps will also close from 10:30pm to 4am, instead of being open 24 hours per day.
What they're saying: The changes aren't designed to prevent overnight camping as much as late-night partying, vandalism, illegal fires and noise, Craighead said.
- "We still want people to enjoy our parks, but once they close, they are closed — and people are then trespassing," Craighead said.
- The city also is trying to reduce the potential for violent incidents in and around parks at night, she said.
- Last June, a fatal shooting occurred near Alki Beach, while last month a man was arrested after police said he brandished a knife in the area.
Yes, but: Not everyone thinks reducing hours will help.
- "Those regulations sometimes don't, you know, prevent the things that they're supposed to prevent," Seattle resident Joshua Goupil told KING 5.
- "But they really prevent people from actually enjoying the experience at the beach."
What's next: City officials are also installing concrete barriers in some park parking lots to prevent reckless driving.
- They're exploring whether to install gates at more parks with parking lots in the future, Craighead said.