City staff brief committee on final alley vacation in Denny Triangle that expanded park area

City staff and the private petitioner updated the Transportation Committee on an alley‑vacation ordinance (council bill 121117) that will finalize the transfer of an alley in the Denny Triangle to adjacent property owners and enable a completed park.

Council Central staff explained the two‑step vacation process and said the substantive approval occurred earlier (tentative approval in 2018) and the developer and Parks have now met the council conditions required for final ordinance approval. Petitioners said they demolished a prior use (an Enterprise rent‑a‑car facility), prepared the site for the park and worked with Parks on design and public‑benefit commitments.

Public benefits described at committee included an expanded park footprint (Seattle Parks receives roughly 300 more square feet of the vacated alley than the private owner), a permanent spill‑out area dedicated to street‑level cafe activation, enhanced landscaping beyond code requirements, play equipment in the finished park and a permanent Parks storage room for seasonal equipment. Petitioners said the private owner did not receive additional floor area or height in exchange for the vacation; the tradeoff was design improvements and park activation.

The item was informational at committee and was not voted on during the Dec. 2 meeting; staff noted the ordinance is at the final stage and will be considered by the full council at a later date.