Fundraising to restore Hidden Beach starts now!
Dear Friends of Hidden Beach,
Today we launch our fundraising campaign to make the proposed plan for a restored Hidden Beach a reality. You can read about it, view the proposed plan and peruse related details on our Restoring Hidden Beach fundraiser page.
One hundred thirty strong - you have hung in with us from the very beginning of our organized pushback against private encroachments on our beloved street-end.
After more than two years we are closer than ever to returning many encroached-upon portions of the property to the public and renewing it at the same time.
Our proposed plan for the East Harrison Shoreline Street-end will proceed in stages:
We begin Phase One with an enormous thank you to our professional consultants who have skillfully gotten us to this point. Landscape Architect Emily Van Geldern and Arborist Daniel Collins have really been our Dream Team. Needless to say, compensating them for their hours of labor is our first priority.
Phase One will provide funds to cover fees for required permits, potential future consultants’ time, professional tree-pruning, concrete work, and possible legal fees.
In Phase One, we would like to start accumulating shrubs and native trees for volunteers to plant when the time is right. Removal of some existing “vegetative encroachments” will be a satisfying project volunteers can do with professionals advising us.
Also in Phase One, if our proposal is permitted, we hope to begin the “demolition” of some concrete areas of encroachment and the reconstruction of a new sidewalk and curb cuts along 39th. This is the biggest unknown at this point and would also be our greatest expense*. This is also not work for volunteers in spite of the many energetic offers we’ve declined to personally wield some hefty sledge hammers!
If permits are granted, and details are provided to us, we will know more about future options. We have received much positive feedback from SDOT. Permit reviewer Jackson Koch asked thoughtful questions that helped us make adjustments you see in our final plan. We now propose more permeable surface, more native plants, and two + drop-off areas that will run parallel to (rather than perpendicular to) a new sidewalk along 39th.
Thank you, Friends of Hidden Beach, for your stalwart support and encouragement. Share the news with others who love our street-end and might make a donation to help restore it.
Cheers,
Libby and Grace
*We hope that our community group will not be required to find funding for private homeowners’ driveways. We have been advised that this is a possibility. A challenge to this might be successful, but this is unknown at this time.)
