“I don't understand the logic of allowing a private party to take over a public space and interfere with its use by the public. They can stage their construction in the parking area in front of their own house and pay for the street use permit like anyone else would have to do.”

“The fence is more of an assault than anything else. It’ makes me feel that money is more important than public access to public land. I’m sad for the neighbors who have to witness this greediness. 18 months is a ridiculous amount of time and will ruin the enjoyment of Hidden Beach come summer. Shame on those people!”

“Its simply egregious and unnecessary”

“Extremely frustrated that SDOT has allowed this fence! It definitely affects usage of a public beach.”

“It galls me to see that those fences were blessed by SDOT. Don’t they know that Friends of HB had to hire a landscape architect and made a plan which they submitted to SDOT for the same piece of land? And the private fencing could be there for 18 months??? Whose side are they on? I feel disgusted by their willingness to let these wealthy people who live on the lake have their way with our streetend! The people on the north got the restricted public access they’ve been aiming for all along.”

“The current fencing is unwelcoming. It feels like the space is private and that members of the public might be trespassing as they walk from sidewalk to beach. It makes me wonder if the whole park will be taken away before long.”

“Blocks the ability to park and makes access area incredibly small”

“In the winter its not an issue, but when more people visit in summer, the fence will cause congestion and it will restrict use and street end enjoyment. It is not right that SDOT is encouraging this unproductive and aggressive encroachment.”

“It’s unconscionable to erect the fence. Period. And then to have nothing in the fenced area! Why?”

“Don't understand how a private person can use public property when there are other options. Lots of houses in the neighborhood have undergone major construction without such a permit. They have used street parking.”

“It can be hard to physically get past the parked car and fencing to get to the beach.

I am troubled that a permit was granted to private homeowners to use the ROW when the community group was submitting an application to restore public use of the same space. Private homeowners get preferential treatment. My ability to trust SDOT is undermined.”

“Why did SDOT grant a permit on a popular public streetend when houses of similar and larger size on 39th have been constructed without blocking off public access? Namely, if others can build without taking up public space, why grant this permit ... at a popular public beach?

“The fence has been up for a few weeks now with no activity. It seems that if the space isn't being used for the reason which the homeowner was granted the permit then the fences should be removed. Use it or lose it.”

“Its the middle of winter. but as soon as the temperature heats up and I head back to the beach, it'll be a major bummer.“

“there is only access for one car to park to access the beach. As a mother to a 9 month old who loves to frequent the beach, this adds additional hurdles to access the beach given street parking is limited. The size and footprint used by the fenced area seems disproportionate to the scale and scope of the project, and I have not once seen it being used for construction staging. As someone who used to live on that exact property (my parents rented for 2 years for a prior owner), we have seen several houses get constructed on that street, none of which required large staging areas on public property.”

“Just walked on to the beach but can see how the fence would inhibit access if arriving by car or if arriving with a group of children.”

“Although the fence is not beautiful, street ends function for access of homeowners. It is still easy to get to the beach, hasn't changed the experience of the beach itself, and most importantly is temporary in nature. It has limited parking on the street end which I think is actually a good thing. There is plenty of street parking and cars blocking access to the beach is actually a worse case.“

In response to the 4 arguments from the only commenter who favors the private fence on public land:

1. “Street ends function for access of homeowners.”

You need only refer to Seattle City Council Resolution 29370: “Shoreline street ends shall be preserved as public rights-of-way, to allow improvements for public uses and access.” … and … “When the City determines that private encroachments on public rights-of-way providing access to water are to be removed, they shall be removed at the expense of the responsible private property owner.” … and “Street Use permits for new private use at shoreline street ends will be granted only following a public review process and only upon a finding that there is not an active proposal for a public access improvement.”

See also: Seattle City Ordinance 119673 “… keep adjacent property owners from encroaching on the public's shoreline street ends; encourage people with permitted encroachments to remove them; require unpermitted encroachments to be permitted and removed; and discourage private use permit applications …”

2. “It hasn’t changed the experience of the beach itself.”

The approach to the beach is as much a part of the experience as arriving at the actual beach. The fence is an imposing and physically restrictive barrier. It hampers public enjoyment of the street end, as does the originally unpermitted concrete driveway. This is, after all, public (not private) land.

3. “Most importantly is temporary in nature.”

12-18 months is hardly temporary—it breaks the public trust with SDOT as it undermines the public use of public land for a punitive period of time—including the busy spring and summer months .

4. “It has a limited parking on the street end which I think is actually a good thing.”

There is a solid argument that favoring people over vehicles may be the best use of the space. But that must be balanced with access for dropping off kids, disability parking, moving boats and supplies, while keeping permitted plantings in place.

“It obscures the public beach and gives the appearance that It (Hidden Beach) is private property and that by entering you are encroaching on private property.”

“The fence is yet one more obstacle to prevent the public from accessing Hidden Beach. While there may still be a small pathway to get down to the water, it now feels like you are crossing private property to reach that access point, which will certainly dismay users from entering the public right of way. This type of implied barrier has been that way for years on the south side of the right of way - the private drive, planting, and hedge has been a long standing deterrent from accessing half of the valuable public space - and now the fence occupying the northern half of the property almost completely discourages any public use. I'm so curious why private property owners uses trump the public use, and especially in a beloved place like this. Makes no sense.”

“Very limited access to park -- so can't take dog down to throw the ball OR drive down to swim this coming summer.”

“I am a year round swimmer at Hidden beach and have found this fence not only offensive, but on city property without a comfortable path for access to public land. Just curious why this homeowner needs to fence off this area besides to keep the public from using this area.”

“The fence is on public right of way - period. I don't need any reason more than that. But obviously it limits parking and impacts anyone who wants to use the beach. Astounding that this was permitted - I'd like to know who approved this. Until my wife told me about this page, I thought that the parking area WAS private property. It seems like the owner now has assumed control and is supported by the city.”

“This land was designated for public access for decades. Property owners know that when they are buying. Entitled behavior. “

“The fence is imposing and makes me feel like I shouldn't be there. It's also ugly and seems unnecessary for the project. It looks like it could have been a more conservative installation in footprint and timespan. It looks to be excessively built so as to extend onto the public right of way in order to deter visitors. Also, it would be difficult to park and turn around based on how the fence has been installed.”

“I’ve been coming to this beach my whole life. The fence is intimidating and inappropriate. If a car is parked right next to the fence, it becomes almost impossible to get in and out of the beach. The fence is a gross overreach on public space.”

“It isn’t clear if the beach is still open for anyone to use.”

“It makes the public feel less welcome to a public space.”

“There have been many major remodels, teardown and rebuilds on 39th Avenue East over the years and none have used public land for their workers or equipment. Why does this job get an exception?”

“I can still access the beach because I can walk to it.

Were I to need a car, the fence has effectively prevented any parking on public land.

My overall experience of this public amenity, however, is profoundly affected by the overwhelming, ungainly intrusion of a non-essential construction element. What was once a bucolic, welcoming and beautiful natural setting is now contaminated by the presence of this fence. The spirit behind this obstruction is hostile, selfish and perhaps even criminal.”

“The fence creates an univiting public environment it makes it feel as if the homeowner has “rights” to the area and space which makes me feel, as a visitor, that I am trespassing, overstepping, violating in some way. Plus it’s just ugly.”

“This is an abusive situation. These property owners are stealing land. Is someone at the SDOT taking bribes? There is no end to what these people will spend to grab the public property, so the battle is already a losing one. The current temporary permitted fence is overtly agressive and has created an unfriendly atmosphere and no beach parking.”

“There are greenbelts and public spaces throughout the city that are encroached on by (typically wealthy) private individuals. This is greed and it should not be tolerated.”

“Fence is a private incursion on public land. Unacceptable.”

“Reduced parking, difficult to unload paddle board, manage kids.”

“I walk from my home in the general area so have never parked there. It is critical to have parking for people with different abilities so everyone can enjoy the space. The new fence takes away from the beauty of the space and makes it seem like private property. I'm incredibly disappointed in SDOT. In today's political climate it makes me wonder if in 5 years we'll learn that a handsome sum was paid to a key decision maker in the approval process.”

“It takes up a great deal of public space and seems incredibly selfish given the already limited public access Seattleites have to the shoreline (and the gigantic footprint the private property adjacent to the park already has).”

“It’s a total abuse of a well loved public space. Does the city not have the ability to limit the fence?”

“It takes up way more space than needed and impacts access to beach.”

“The fence is an unnecessary intrusion on a street end historically used for access to Hidden Beach. SDOT’s permitting of the adjacent homeowners construction obstructing the public’s access via eliminating at least 3-4 parking spaces previously used by Hidden Beach users only benefits a Construction company that up until now is rarely seen during usual weekday hours.

The public however is being usurped by the homeowner who could have staged the construction on 39th Ave as other homeowners have done on the same street in the past. I have lived on Dorffel Drive East for 27 years until recently and have never seen SDOT or another homeowner attempt to usurp public access to Hidden Beach in this manner. One wonders whether collusion of some kind is operating here.”

“The fence is an outrage. I can’t believe the city granted this request, removing so much public access to the beach. It’s quite shameful and I imagine whoever granted the homeowner’s request to infringe on the public right of way is very embarrassed now.”

“The beach is still accessible, and I still go there pretty often. But the fence does take up a lot of space, that seems unnecessary. It also reduces parking, but it's not an incredibly busy beach and there is street parking not too far away.”

“Hidden beach users should park in front of her house and driveway and garage access until she revokes her permit.”

“Has the fence affected my use of the beach? In the sense that I can still get to the beach and enjoy it, no. But is that really the proper yard stick? The encroaching pressure from the adjacent house is always there and sets a tone of hostility as you enter that is deeply regrettable. In reality, I think I feel sorry for the house owners as they seem to regret their purchase and also don’t recognize that they could get privacy and the respect of the community by being open and cooperative to this special public place.

The current ‘fence’ is shocking and I have no idea how they can have it. It has clearly been moved further south since the winter/spring and there is a real challenge in that. For what it’s worth, I’m committed to fighting peacefully for this special piece of public space, and will continue for as long as it takes.”

“This seems unnecessary. They already have a driveway and the street. Do they need to push back on public space?”

“Private homeowners should not take over public land. Do not renew their permit. Take back any land usurped by adjacent homeowners. This is a public beach and small park!!!!”

Who did the owners pay off in SDOT to get the permit? Follow the money ….

It appears that the SUCONST0003196 street permit expired 6/9/2023.

I am curious to know if it has been extended. If it has, a new permit should be posted. If it has not been extended, it would be good to know what is holding up the removal of the construction fence?

The encroachment is very frustrating.

It’s removed parking options and it is an eyesore.

What is the current status of getting access to Hidden Beach and parking a car there and removing the construction fence? Why hasn’t the SDOT permit expired? We are we allowing this adjacent homeowner to block our ability to have more parking spaces as in the past.

Why isn’t anyone suing SDOT to remove the construction fences?

“Difficult to park car for unloading. The fence is off-putting, offensive, ugly and unnecessary. It feels to be a very aggressive stance against hidden beach.”