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The upcoming community meeting on April 25th (10–11:30 am) at Hamilton International Middle School, 1610 N 41st Street, represents a pivotal moment for the future of Lower Woodland Park. Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is set to present refined versions of both the district’s Option A plan and the community-driven Option C plan for a sports field for Lincoln High School. Friends of Lower Woodland Park have rendered Option C to clarify the design of the proposed field at N 50th Street and Aurora Avenue N.

Here is a rotating view that begins by looking towards the northwest, across 50th Street and towards Aurora Avenue:

By orienting the proposed soccer field into the existing hillside, Option C would preserve the exceptional Western Red Cedars located north and south of the gravel lot, trees that would buffer the field from traffic on 50th and Aurora. On the hillside, six small (under 8 feet tall) evergreens can be transplanted, two small trees appear to be dead, two medium-sized pine trees that are badly slanted would be removed, and two large hillside maples would be removed. Five badly damaged maples in the gravel lot would also be removed.

The orientation has several other advantages as well—the connection to the 170 parking spot picnic loop would be maximized, the field would be well spaced from busy roads, and field lighting on the sidelines would be far from nearby homes. The result should be a great space for soccer games and for staging regional events like cyclocross and cross country:

The southwest sides of the field would be above grade, an engineering choice that eliminates the high costs associated with hauling away dirt while protecting the root systems of downslope trees. Where the field is above grade on the south and east sides, there would be fencing.

In the graphics, ADA-compliant paths are in yellow. They would connect opposite corners of the field to the picnic loop parking lot and the 50th and Whitman crosswalk. In the following view, looking from the hilltop towards the southeast, note how the existing asphalt path down the hillside connects to the ADA access path that goes between the bathrooms, the picnic loop parking spots, and the field:

Simplifying Changes at Soccer Field #2

To make comparisons with Option A fair, the grandstand is removed from the Option C upgrade to the field at 52nd and Green Lake Way. All that would be required is extending the field about 30 feet to the west, adding end zone fencing, adding goalposts, and restriping. Option C would take less than a month to build, while Option A would require a full spring, summer, and fall with no field at all. Even without a grandstand, Option C would preserve existing seating, spacing, paths, and open sidelines, making it a much better space for events, visitors, and pedestrians than Option A could be:

The design offers maximized, flexible capacity. With 45-foot-wide sidelines, Option C would provide more total space for athletics than Option A, including junior leagues, ultimate frisbee, and other multi-sport uses. Sideline areas would remain unfenced, providing safe spaces for families and pets on natural grass immediately adjacent to organized sports. If you want to see the effect, just go out there on any sunny weekend day already: 

Option C Serves Every Demographic That Relies on Woodland Park

• Lincoln and Hamilton Student Athletes: The design provides significantly more practice capacity and safety than other designs, plus space for events, seating, and spectators. Lincoln would have three fields to choose from: a massive soccer/football hybrid field with 45-foot sideline areas; the 330-foot soccer field #7 near the pitch and putt that will have a new track loop; and the new 300-foot soccer field near 50th and Aurora.
• Equitable Access: ADA-compliant pathways and restrooms would be brought to the west side of the park. Safe access to the east side of the park would also be maintained by keeping safe spacing for pedestrians.
• BMX and Skate Park Users: Long-term viability of these specialized recreation zones would be assured by maintaining necessary buffers, preventing the overcrowding and user-group conflicts that arise from cramped designs.
• Cyclists, Runners, and Walkers: Bike and pedestrian access into and through the park would be maintained and upgraded. The paved cycling arterial through the park that goes next to the BMX bike jumps would not be blocked. There would be no new fenced-off compound that effectively excludes the community from their park.
• Rec Leagues and Club Sports: The new field space near 50th and Aurora, which is surrounded by trees, would not overlap with other activities and would provide space for events in the picnic loop. The city’s athletic capacity for junior leagues, ultimate frisbee, and multi-sport use would be maximized at Soccer Field #2.
• Families with Young Kids and Seniors: Maintains a “porous” park environment with unfenced sideline areas that are surrounded by trees. This would provide well-spaced accessible paths into the park and safe, flexible spaces for children to play immediately adjacent to organized sports. Flexible seating would be available at Soccer Field #2 for spectators.
• Historic Preservationists: The plan would protect the historic tree canopy along the Green Lake Way walking path, and the foundational design of the park as specified by the Olmsted Brothers. Here is a detailed history of the park.
• Park Neighbors: The field design at 50th and Aurora would minimize light pollution and parking spillover for close-by neighbors, while revitalizing the park for neighborhood use and reclaiming the 50th Street sidewalk adjacent to the park for pedestrians. On Green Lake Way, the design would maintain both pedestrian access into the park and the Olmsted trees along the walking path.
• Urbanists: Good design is at the core of urbanism. Reclaiming a gravel parking lot for community use, improving pedestrian and cyclist access, distributing activation, and increasing public accessibility are all fundamental principles of forward-looking design.
• Good Government Advocates: Why destroy the very successful 2021 $1.7M investment in rebuilding Soccer Field #2, with its lighting systems and concrete platforms? Why ruin the park for user groups that are not SPS students and provoke legal challenges that could delay the project for years?

April 25th Meeting at Hamilton, 10–11:30 am

This decision should be made with both the future and the past in mind, rather than scrap recent investments to squeeze in another sports field for expediency. Friends of Lower Woodland Park hope to have members of the community turn out and preach a “yes, and” message. Lincoln needs a field, AND other users of the park also need space—and this project represents a generational opportunity to make a better park for everyone.

Since the upcoming meeting is hosted at Hamilton International Middle School, it is expected to be well attended by those directly affiliated with the project team and the school. Those are the interest groups that advanced Option A and refused to consider Option C until forced to by the Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) Board. However, the project is funded by all our tax dollars and is on land owned by SPR, not SPS.

It is vital that the broader park community provides a balanced voice at the April 25th meeting. We can have both a great new field for Lincoln AND a park that serves everybody and can grow with our community.

Editor’s Note: See Eric’s prior stories on this subject:

• Lincoln Playfields Option C: Combining Options A and B for a Better Lower Woodland Park Design (Dec 15, 2025)
• Lincoln Playfields at Lower Woodland Park: An Update on Option A and Option C (Jan 19, 2026)
• SPS Community Meeting April 25th at Hamilton Middle School: Option A vs Option C for a New Sports Field at Lower Woodland Park! (Apr 15, 2026)