Tilting At Fences: why the fence permit should not be renewed.
The north property owner's temporary fence permit is up for renewal. The current permit (SUCONST0003196) expires on September 9, 2023. SDOT has the power to renew the permit or allow the permit to expire so the public street end can return to public use.
On behalf of the hundreds of people from all over Seattle who use this beach, we respectfully request that SDOT allow the public land at E. Harrison Street End (aka “Hidden Beach”) to return to its proper use as our unobstructed swimming hole, paddleboard launch, neighborhood gathering spot, and slice of Lake Washington beach access. We love it here. Truly. And, let’s be honest, the fence is an eyesore and an insult.
4 REASONS WHY THE PERMIT SHOULD NOT BE RENEWED:
It is not necessary—one look at the historical photos on our FenceWatch 2023™ gallery and it’s clear that the fenced area is empty and unused.
Other homeowners along 39th Ave E have respectfully performed construction projects of equal and greater scope without a SDOT permit to fence public land. They do so by getting street permits and using their own property to stage construction materials. The permit to encroach on public land at Hidden Beach is unnecessary and was never used by the homeowner as SDOT must have anticipated.
The fence is an eyesore and constrains entry to the street end.
Public land is for public use. The public has been inconvenienced but has remained patient. The fence needs to go. It’s time.
PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION
We the undersigned respectfully request that SDOT allows the current fence permit to expire on 9/6/2023 and does NOT issue an extension or new permit for the fence on public land at the E. Harrison Street End (aka “Hidden Beach”). The fence should be removed from public land. The public has been patient and it is time to return the land to its intended public use.
The reliably-nearly-empty-always-underutilized-fenced-in public land.
“ … 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 …”
— Seattle Ordinance 119673
“Shoreline street ends shall be preserved as public rights-of-way, to allow improvements for public uses and access."
— Seattle City Council, Resolution 29370
“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.”
— Seattle City Council, Resolution 29370
