P-Patch Park: Fortifying an Ecological and Community Landmark

Seattle, WA Scan|Design Master Studio: Greener Belltown, Bluer Sound

Autumn 2017, Year 2

Professor: Nancy Rottle

Duration: 4 weeks

Group effort

The Belltown P-Patch, a communal garden space developed over the past 20 years by local activists and professionals alike, is an important community landmark for the Belltown Neighborhood, as well as one of the only publicly accessible green spaces in the vicinity. The adjacent parking lot presents a unique opportunity to simultaneously address the area’s combined sewer overflow problem, create more public park and garden space in a densifying urban neighborhood, and protect the p-patch from being shaded out by new development.

Belltown P-Patch a communal garden space developed over the past 20 years by community activists and professionals alike, is an important community landmark for the Belltown Neighborhood, as well as one of the only publicly accessible green spaces in the vicinity. The adjacent parking lot presents a unique opportunity to simultaneously address the area’s combined sewer overflow create more public park and garden space in a densifying urban neighborhood, and protect the p-patch from being shaded out by new development.

The 18 foot grade change from alleyway to street level allows us to accomodate an underground storage vault to intercept sewer overflow material on its way down Vine St. to Elliott Bay with a capacity of about 140,000 gallons.

The 18 foot grade change from alleyway to street level allows us to accomodate an underground storage vault to intercept sewer overflow material on its way down Vine St. to Elliott Bay with a capacity of about 140,000 gallons.

Separately, stormwater runoff is collected from the adjacent street and buildings and is channeled through rain gardens and constructed wetlands on site, where it is cleaned, reused, and stored for p-patch irrigation, a splash pad, and building use.

Separately, stormwater runoff is collected from the adjacent street and buildings and is channeled through rain gardens and constructed wetlands on site, where it is cleaned, reused, and stored for p-patch irrigation, a splash pad, and building use.

Site Plan

A. Existing Belltown P-Patch

B. Expanded P-Patch Plots

C. Rain Garden

D. Bioretention Street Planter

E. Terraced Seating Area

F. Grassy Slope

G. Community Pavilion

H. Splash Pad

I. Relocated Cottage

J. Constructed Wetland

K. ADA Accessible Path

L. Interpretive Fountain +

Constructed Wetland

M. Building Expansion

N. Roof Greenhouse & Garden Plots

O. Plaza

P. Vegetated Bike Lane Buffer

Section Facing Northeast

A. Relocated cottage

B. Expanded building footprint & new roof greenhouse & garden plots

C. Community Pavilion

D. Connection to existing p-patch

E. Connection to alley

F. Connection to Wall St.

G. Gathering area

H. Protected bike lane

I. Bioretention street planter with new vegetation

J. New green space

K. Vegetated bike lane buffer

L. Connection between existing Vine St. bioretention planters

M. Terraced rain gardens con nected to Wall St. bioretention planter & adjacent building’s roof runoff

N. Splash pad utilizing UV cleaned rainwater from rain gardens

O. Constructed wetland con nected to building greywater

P. Interpretive fountain into constructed wetland feeding clean water back to building

Q. Gently sloping terraced topography

R. Water cistern for surface water storage: 6,000 gallon capacity

S. CSO vault with 143, 626 gallon capacity

Interpretive fountain and constructed wetland