Seattle Center is desperately in need of a facelift, city officials say — and the City Council has taken an early step toward a bond measure to help pay for it.

Why it matters: The effort comes as the city hopes to lure an NBA team to Climate Pledge Arena on the Seattle Center campus — and some city leaders see the renovation as part of that pitch.

• Investing in the grounds and attractions surrounding the arena "is another critical step towards bringing back our Sonics," City Councilmember Rob Saka said at a council committee meeting last week.

The latest: A resolution before the City Council would direct the mayor to assess Seattle Center's capital needs while signaling the council's intent to send a renovation bond measure to voters by the end of 2027.

• The resolution cleared a committee last week and is expected to face a full council vote Tuesday.
• The size of the possible bond measure and total price tag for the targeted projects has yet to be determined.

What they're saying: Many structures on the Seattle Center campus were built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and weren't designed to last long, Randy Engstrom, acting Seattle Center director, said during last week's council committee meeting.

• That has left the urban park — which is home to museums, theaters and the Space Needle, among other attractions — with heating, ventilation and electrical systems that aren't up to modern standards, he said.
• "We do a lot of amazing things on the back of infrastructure that is in most cases well beyond its useful life," Engstrom said.
• Seattle Center representatives estimated in 2024 that the campus needed more than $500 million in repairs and upgrades, according to the Seattle Times.

Yes, but: The plan for Seattle Center's revival goes beyond fixing the basics.

• Officials envision a new recreational trail connecting the campus to the new Waterfront Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park.
• They also want to upgrade the Armory — which hosts numerous events, as well as the Seattle Children's Museum and a food court — to become "a light-filled center for cultural life," according to a city presentation. The current building dates to 1939.
• Renovation plans also extend to the International Fountain and surrounding lawns, as well as making the campus carbon-neutral.

What's next

The pickleball craze — so hot during the pandemic and immediately afterward — may be cooling off.

The big picture: The number of pickleball courts across the 100 most populous U.S. cities increased just 4% from 2025 to 2026.

• That's compared with 13% growth from 2024 to 2025 and 14% from 2023 to 2024.
• That slowdown may feel especially notable here in Washington state, where pickleball was invented and has become the official state sport.

Zoom in: Three years ago, Seattle had the most pickleball courts per 100,000 residents among large U.S. cities.

• But this spring, Seattle Parks and Recreation proposed the removal of dozens of shared-use pickleball courts, even as new facilities are planned by the parks department and private developers.
• At Magnuson Park, a proposal to build up to 35 courts near wetlands was scaled down this spring to eight courts elsewhere in the park, according to Seattle Parks spokesperson Christina Hirsch.

Yes, but: Parks in the country's biggest cities still have 3,765 pickleball courts, up nearly 900% from 2017, according to the Trust for Public Land.

• That includes courts striped for both tennis and pickleball.

Will Klein, TPL's director of parks research, tells Axios cities are still adding courts, but not at the breakneck pace of the past.

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⚖️ A closely watched trial over nudity at Seattle's Denny Blaine Park is underway, pitting advocates for the city's historic LGBTQ nude beach against neighbors who say lewd behavior has turned the park into a public nuisance. (KOMO News)

🛥️ Mark Zuckerberg's $300 million superyacht drew crowds — and hecklers — as it cruised into Lake Union this week, just as Meta cut nearly 1,400 jobs locally. (GeekWire)

🤣 La Conner has officially decided live music can be louder than "moderate rainfall," voting to revive its summer concert series after backlash to strict new noise limits. (Seattle Times)

🎉 The Mariners surged into first place in the AL West after routing the A's in a three-game sweep capped by last night's 9-1 win. (MLB)

💣 City leaders are being asked to activate CCTV cameras ahead of FIFA, with Councilmember Rob Saka pointing to the role surveillance played in tracking down the 2013 Boston Marathon bombers — a race he ran that day. (KIRO 7)

🏫 Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said school closures are still possible as the district tries to close an $87 million budget deficit. (MyNorthwest)

🏗️ Seattle is advancing a zoning package meant to spur new housing by encouraging taller buildings, denser development and greener mass-timber projects in key neighborhoods. (The Urbanist)

Somewhere in Seattle, these stones are keeping their balance better than some of us.

• Do you know where are we? If so, hit reply or email us and let us know.

If not, here are a few clues:

• Techies type beside the tide.
• Bikes and bridges side by side.
• Trolls nearby and boats below.
• Coders come and coders go.

Happy hunting!