One of Tacoma’s tiniest parks to get a new look in 2020
At .2 acres, Gas Station Park is one of Tacoma’s smallest parks.
A lone green space in a sea of single-family neighborhoods in the South End, the park sits on the corner of 48th Street and Park Avenue and is currently home to a smattering of benches, small play structure and half basketball court.
Not for long.
Metro Parks Tacoma recently agreed to contract with development consultant company MacKay Sposito to create, design and construct a new look for the park, including new amenities.
Among the options: new play equipment, a skate park, a sports court, an entrance or plaza space, signing, fencing, shelter and other park furniture.
A price for the project is not set as the agreement with the contractor has yet to be finalized. The city of Tacoma, which owns the park, dedicated $350,000 to the project in its mid-biennial budget update.
Neighbors have expressed interest in implementing more greenery and art in the project, said Debbie Terwilleger, Metro Parks planning department director.
The plan could include expanding the site by removing six parking spaces, with the idea of Gas Station Park being a “neighborhood park,” or a park that is typically used by residents within walking distance and has no need for parking, Terwilleger said.
Gas Station Park history
As its name suggests, Gas Station Park is the site of an abandoned gas station that was demolished in the early 2000s, according to News Tribune archives.
In 2004, the site was “acquired involuntarily by Pierce County through tax forfeiture” and sold to the city for $13,320, according to records supplied by Metro Parks.
“It has some unique characteristics,” Terwilleger said.
Underground storage tanks from the gas station had leaked and contaminated the soil, causing the site to become a blight to the neighborhood and discouraged any investment in the property. The city spent $185,000 to clean up the park, and the South End Neighborhood Council agreed to develop and maintain it.
Over the years, various assessments of the park showed safety issues with the playground equipment, according to an article by the Tacoma Daily Index in 2012.
Minor improvements recently were made to the park, including repaired benches, added trash service and ADA access and cushioning for play equipment.
Renewed interest
Within the last year and a half, the South End Neighborhood Council expressed interest in transferring ownership and maintenance of the park to Metro Parks, Terwilleger said.
“There was a desire from the neighborhood to really take a look and see if can be fixed up,” Terwilleger said.
Metro Parks noted that the South End neighborhoods didn’t have much in the way of parks. Recently, the agency adopted new level of service standards for parks dictating that every resident of Tacoma should be within 10 minutes from a park or open space.
“There was a gap in this area,” Terwilleger said.
City Council members Catherine Ushka and Lillian Hunter took on the effort, facilitating conversation between the neighborhood council, the city and Metro Parks and helping secure funds for the project.
Members of the Mayor’s Youth Commission also got involved, setting up a booth on Aug. 26 and Nov. 2 to talk with neighbors about what they wanted to see.
“This is good news for this diamond in the rough park,” Hunter said in a Facebook comment on Nov. 2. “This corner will shine brightly very soon.”
Metro Parks plans to conduct more community meetings early next year prior to construction starting in the spring or summer.
People can share thoughts in an online survey on Metro Parks’ website.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
