Q1. Who was the instigator of this project?

A. Seattle Public Schools. We placed the Alki project on the BEX V Capital Levy project list after extensive evaluation of the condition of all schools in the district.

Q2. Can you walk us through the process of DON reaching a DON recommendation — how much community input was there when this was approved?

A. The Departures process is under control of the Department of Neighborhoods (DON). SPS does not take part in their decision making. We do present information and supply information in response to community questions and comments.

Q3. How will SPS fund the operations, such as the increased number of teachers, preschool, assistants, admin staff, janitors, etc.?

A. While the capital levy, in this case BEX V, pays for construction, operations of schools is paid for through the district’s General Fund. School staff will be funded based on the district budget process.

Q4. Will this be completed for the start of the 2025-26 school year or delayed like West Seattle Elementary School?

A. The project is scheduled to be completed in time for the first day of school in September 2025. There are sometimes issues outside of our control that impact schedules. For West Seattle Elementary School, the five-month concrete strike delayed the project.

Q5. What is the current breakdown of diversity in this school?

A. The ethnicity of Alki students for 2022-23 school year is: White, 70%; Multi-ethnic, 15%; Hispanic, 7%; Asian, 5%; and Black, 3%.

Q1. Why was I not advised of this meeting? I live 1/2 block from this school.

A. I cannot answer why you did not receive the notice. We mailed postcards to all addresses within a 6-block radius and to all Alki Elementary families. We know others in the neighborhood received the notice. Alki Elementary families were also alerted through emails from Principal Skeffington. In addition, we provided information to the West Seattle Blog and to Westside Seattle.

Typically, we send postcards about four weeks in advance of a meeting and again two weeks in advance. Because of the short time between planning and holding this meeting, only one set of postcards was mailed.

Q2. Why have you not gotten information to all the neighborhood throughout this “secret project”?

We have communicated extensively about this project throughout the planning process. This includes community meetings in June 2022 and May 2023, community listening and learning sessions in February 2022, and full-color folded mailers in October 2022 and April 2023. A banner has been in place on the fence since March 2022. The community meeting notices and full-color mailers were sent to addresses in a 6-block radius. 

You can see the full review of all engagement on this page

If you have suggestions on other ways we can connect with the neighborhood, please share via Let’s Talk.

Q1. Why are you not considering a change to move this project to Schmitz Park where there is more space for bus zone, parking, drop off zone, and playground?

A. There is no precedent for reprogramming a project approved as part of the levy to a different school.

Replacing the existing Alki building and modernizing the gym provides the best location for a neighborhood school serving the Alki neighborhood.

Remaining on the existing site is more efficient and provides future flexibility.  

Q2. Is Lafayette being considered for closure and are those students being rerouted to Alki? Why isn’t Lafayette being considered for a large school over Alki considering their lot size?

A. All schools are considered in the initial planning for capital levies, including BEX V, which is funding this project.

Lafayette was one of many schools considered separately for modernization or replacement in the planning for the BEX V levy due to its age and condition. The combined enrollment of these two schools could not be accommodated in the same building. Lafayette has an enrollment of 493 with preschool, Alki has an enrollment of 300 (combined = 793).

SPS has not made any decisions about school consolidation or closure. There are no boundary changes currently planned for Alki Elementary School.

Q1. Has the proposed site plan been distributed before this meeting?

A. The site plan has been shared online on this page and at previous meetings. It has also been included in both community update mailers sent to addresses within six blocks of the school in October 2022 and April 2023.

Q2. Can you outline again the site boundaries for Seattle Parks property and the SPS property?

A. Seattle Public Schools property is bounded on the North by what we are calling the Parkway, which is between the school and the Alki Playground. The Seattle Parks community center is mostly on that parkway with an area on SPS property where it connects to the school’s gymnasium. The school property is outlined in red.

Q3. How was recess planned into the site design?

A. There is no change to the recess with the proposed project. Currently, recess activities are held on Parks property immediately north of the school. SPS has an agreement with Seattle Parks to continue to use the paved area between the school and park and the Parks playground for recess when the new school reopens.

Q1. If the studies were done in the last 2-3 years (particularly parking and traffic) wouldn’t the statistics be inaccurate because it was during COVID? How can you justify using faulty parking and traffic data to permit no parking at an enlarged school especially within the Alki Parking Overlay?

A. The traffic and parking data were not faulty.

Traffic volumes and forecasts for 2025 conditions were evaluated for the weekday morning arrival and afternoon dismissal periods. Counts of existing conditions in November 2021 were normalized for pre-pandemic conditions and the re-opening of the West Seattle High Rise Bridge based on review of historical (pre-pandemic and pre-bridge-closure) data. Volumes were also increased by an additional 1% annually plus pipeline development traffic to estimate 2025 volumes.

On-street parking occupancy surveys were performed in December 2021 during early morning (7:00 and 7:45 a.m.), the time when staff would typically begin to arrive at the school, and mid-morning (10:30 and 11:15 a.m.), the time when school-day parking is typically highest. Evening counts were performed (between 7:30 and 8:15 p.m.) when school events would typically occur. On weekdays during school hours, the surveys found that parking use ranged between 50% and 58% during all time periods and unused parking averaged between 152 and 180 spaces across the six observations during three periods.

As described in the Transportation Technical Report, at the time of the study while some employees were beginning to return to offices in the greater Seattle region, many were still working from home, especially in West Seattle due to the High-Rise Bridge closure, which likely resulted in higher levels of resident-generated parking demand at and near homes during weekdays.

It was acknowledged that parking demand in the vicinity is also influenced by the seasonal activities at Alki Beach, which are not reflected in the counts from December 2021. Increased recreational parking demand tends to increase in the later afternoon and early evening beginning in spring as the weather warms and continues through summer into early fall.

The seasonal increases in parking demand likely have limited influence during weekday school hours (7:55 am. to 2:25 p.m.) but can heavily influence conditions in the late afternoon and early evening during late spring and early fall periods when occasional school events may also be scheduled. Historic aerial photographs were reviewed and compared with on-street parking counts.

The historic aerial photographs of parking show that the parking counts taken in December are consistent with the parking availability prior to the pandemic and in the warmer months in the vicinity of the school. For times of day and events where projected school parking demands might exceed City standards, recommended mitigation measures were included in the Mitigated Decision of Nonsignificance (MDNS).

The Alki Parking Overlay, which is part of the City’s Land Use Code and requires higher parking minimums for multi-family dwellings, does not apply to schools or other nonresidential (retail, office, restaurant uses). It is also does not relate to, or impact, the transportation analysis conducted under SEPA, as that analysis reviewed the available capacity of on-street parking in the vicinity of the school.

Q2. Why didn’t the Heffron traffic study include parking data at school drop off and pick up when the traffic flow is at its worse? Cars need to “pop the curb” on 59th Ave to park because there is limited parking spaces at this time. This situation will become worse as 75 staff/teachers park on the streets near the school on 59th.

A. Traffic volumes and forecasts were evaluated for the weekday morning arrival and afternoon dismissal periods. The counts and analysis were performed along the school frontage and at the key intersections around the school that serve as access for student drop-off and pick-up. As described in the Transportation Technical Report, based on observations at the existing school during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, passenger vehicles arrive from all directions at the SW Stevens Street/59th Avenue SW intersection.

Due to the width of both streets (25-feet curb-to-curb with parking allowed on both sides), the travel ways are effectively restricted to one lane for both directions of travel. This results in peak-period congestion and some undesirable vehicle movements at this intersection during the 15 to 20 minutes before and after school. During the periods of peak load unload activity, on-street parking and maneuvering into and out of the parking spaces slows travel around the school. A Transportation Management Plan (TMP) will be prepared to help reduce congestion at and around the school during these peak periods.

SPS has no ability to change the traffic flow patterns on city streets, but the community could request such changes, such as making 59th Avenue SW a one-way street.

Through the TMP, SPS can encourage family drivers to only travel in one direction on various streets to reduce congestion and improve safety. Many SPS schools provide routing maps to family drivers as part of information packages to induce preferred behaviors. In Heffron Transportation’s experience, school TMPs and routing maps actually help to manage drop-off and pick-up for existing, new, and replacement schools.

Q3. What about access of emergency vehicles? Currently so much curb parking during pickup and drop off that fire trucks can’t get down 59th. More buses and entry to PreK will make access even tighter.

As described in the Transportation Technical Report, school bus service is expected to resume with the proposed project, and as noted previously, no change to the number of school buses that have historically served the site is anticipated with the proposed project.

The proposed project would not change the roadway network used for emergency vehicle access. Drivers are required by law to move out of the way of approaching emergency vehicles. In some cases, the City of Seattle has designated non-arterial emergency access routes that limit parking on one or both sides of the street. 59th Avenue W is not currently one of those streets. The planned transportation management plan (TMP) is intended to reduce use of the school frontage by cars and better organize traffic flows for those that do, would also improve emergency access conditions when and if necessary.

Q4. What streets are the trucks going to be using during construction?

A. Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) need to approve the contractor’s construction traffic management plan (CTMP) as part of the permitting process.

The current draft CTMP shows the contractor using 59th Ave for their PRIMARY trucking/delivery route and primary entrance to the jobsite. The contractor is planning to use 58th as a secondary access to the jobsite for Light Duty activities.

Q1. Why take out all the parking?

A. Due to the limited area of this site, providing on-site vehicular parking would detrimentally impact the proposed development in the following ways:

1. sacrifice outdoor educational programs and outdoor learning spaces.
2. add height to the proposed building.
3. limit the building’s ground floor area available for educational spaces.

SPS consistently prioritizes site area at schools for educational opportunities and programs over private vehicles. Results of a traffic study conducted by Heffron Transportation, Inc., indicates that on street parking space use is below levels considered full capacity, and that there is sufficient available on-street parking to accommodate daily parking. Transportation and parking recommendations for large events are provided within the above-mentioned traffic study.

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee, and Safe Routes to School support the proposed site plan. Strategic planning decisions that align with their published best practices include:

• locating the new school entrance near the crosswalks connecting to SW Stevens Street;
• prioritizing space for education and community over that for private car infrastructure;
• providing safe and convenient bicycle access; and locating the school bus loading separate from the parent pick-up area.

Recent coordination with SDOT has confirmed the ability to add an accessible loading zone within the right of way along 59th Ave SW.

Through the Transportation Management Plan, SPS will work with SDOT and the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee and Safe Routes to School to confirm access routes and drop off / pick up protocols with a focus on encouraging walking, biking, and bus (for those eligible) prior to opening the new school.

Q2. How do you plan to accommodate parent parking for a much larger school population?

A. As described in the Transportation Technical Report, the proposed enrollment capacity of 542 students, on-street school-day parking demand may increase by about 45 to 64 vehicles. This accounts for the loss of existing parking on the school site. The increase in school-generated on-street parking demand could be accommodated by unused supply and typical use is estimated to remain between 64% and 73%.

Q3. With all parking within several blocks taken up by Alki staff, where will all the parents park to take their kids into the school? How is a school with no parking welcoming to families?

A. School drop-off/pick-up operations would continue as they do today–with parents parking along neighborhood streets and walking students to and from the site. As described in the Transportation Technical Report, there are more than 150 unused parking spaces within 800 feet walking distance of the site. SPS and Alki ES will develop a Transportation Management Plan (TMP) to encourage more families to walk, bike, and use school buses instead of driving.

Q4. How do you plan to handle drop off with substantial special education & preschool increase? Will PreK students and their parents, who must walk them in, be expected to park on the street?

A. Through the Transportation Management Plan, SPS will work with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee, and Safe Routes to School to confirm access routes and drop off / pick up protocols.

Q5. ADA parking proposal seems inadequate for an expanded special needs program. Where do parents and caregivers park?

A. An accessible parking stall will be added at the SW corner of the crosswalks on 59th Ave SW, across from the new main entry. In addition, SPS is in conversation with Parks to share use of the ADA stall located on the east side of the community center.

Q6. Do you have a number of students walking to school vs students being driven and dropped off by parents?

A. We do not have a specific number of students that regularly walk versus being driven. As is common with many Seattle schools, the number of students who walk, ride the bus, ride bicycles, or are driven to and from school by family members varies by day, week and month based on local conditions, eligibility for transportation, and variations in weather.

Many students may use a combination of modes that may differ in the morning and the afternoon. Some students are driven to within a few blocks of the school and then walk. The analysis prepared for the project was based on counts and observations of representative conditions in November 2021. They reflected more students being driven by family members than would be expected in early fall or spring when weather conditions are better. The result is likely a conservative worst case for vehicular traffic generation by the school.   

Q7. Currently, the community center uses the area shown as the hardscape play area (on the Park Boulevard) as a parking lot. Has the Parks department agreed to give up their parking?

A. As discussed at the meeting and as presented in the Transportation Technical Report, use of the Park Boulevard (the hardscape on the north side of the site) would continue as it currently does — as a pedestrian/play area during school hours, with community center and occasional school event parking allowed after hours.

Parking in this area will not be available during construction (2023-2025). Seattle Parks is reviewing and determining the future development and use of this Parks property. Seattle Parks plans to use public engagement as part of their review and planning process.

Q8. Has Seattle Parks been involved in the design process? Have they approved this design? Will people still be able to park after school hours in the play place to use the field?

A. Yes, SPS has been working with Parks regarding the Parks property immediately north of the Alki Elementary School. During construction (2023-2025), this area will not be available for parking because of construction. Parks is still determining the future development/use of this area under a separate project. 

Q9. What other schools have an area attraction (Alki Beach) and what is their parking situation?

A. There are many other schools that are next to city parks and other community amenities such as community centers, pools, playfields, etc. Parking at each school site varies significantly due to the specific site features, from a few ADA-only spaces to a few dozen parking spaces.

Each Seattle Public School has a traffic management plan specific to their school site. Traffic and parking issues are managed differently at each school.

Q10. When is the School Traffic Safety Committee plan going to be planned? It should be now before school is built.

A. The School Traffic Management plan will be developed after the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) 100% Street Improvement Plan (SIP) drawings are finished, which will dictate the public-right-of-way conditions. The plan needs to be completed before the start of school Fall of 2025 when students return to the Alki Elementary School campus.

Q11. How are you going to fit all the new students into the one bus? Where will you put 2nd bus and how will it affect the entrance to PreK?

A. There is no current plan to expand the attendance area, and the two existing bus routes have capacity to accommodate expanded enrollment. No additional buses are anticipated as a result of the project.

Q1. There has been substantial crime in this neighborhood. Is it wise to enlarge a school that is so close to many shootings and increased crime?

A. School capacity planning is based on future school and community needs.

Q2. What safety designs have you implemented, such as for an intruder or inside active shooter?

A. The new school is designed to control entry with a secure entry vestibule that will channel visitors into the Administrative Office to sign in before entering the school. The interior doors of this vestibule are locked. Other doors to the exterior are locked during school hours.

The school is designed with good lines of sight allowing staff to monitor both the interior and exterior of the school. Classroom doors can be locked from inside and roller shades on interior and exterior windows support shelter in place protocols. Operable windows are limited to a 4-inch opening.

Q3. Is Alki Elementary being a community hub still a good idea, given what happens at the beach and Whale Tale Park? Maybe you should move the hub to a safer location?

A. Alki Elementary is a neighborhood school where a majority of its students live within walking distance.

Q4. Is it safe to have the PreK entrance next to the large loading dock/service area entrances and the entrance for the bike shed? PreK students will enter at the same time as bicycle riders. Where will 40 parents park to walk their 2- and 3-year-olds in and out of the school?

A. There is a fence separating the walkway to the PreK from the loading dock/service area, and there will not be trucks entering or exiting during the times when students are entering or exiting school.

The bike storage shed on the south side of the school will be used by staff and expectations for on-site bike behaviors will be managed by the school.

Through the Transportation Management Plan, SPS will work with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee and Safe Routes to School to confirm access routes and drop off/pick up protocols.

Q1. Why are you building for 500/542 students? Where will additional students come from?

A. Space for 42 of those students is designed for PreK students. At this time, there are not boundary changes scheduled to increase enrollment, and we expect enrollment to grow over time. As recently as 2016, enrollment at Alki was more than 400 students.

Schools are planned for a 50–75-year lifespan, and growth is expected to increase enrollment in the future. SPS also has educational specifications (standards) to provide an optimal learning environment for elementary schools. These educational specifications set the size for our elementary schools as between 500 and 650 students. The new building is being designed for 500 students (not 650).

For Alki Elementary School, we believe a 500-seat school accommodates potential growth, provides flexibility for changing program needs and demographics, and provides students with a safe and positive learning environment. It would be short-sighted to ignore the projected growth in the city.

Q2. Music and Art are areas that may be cut due to lack of funding. Why make extra space now?

A. We are building schools to serve students now and for the next 75 years. It would be short sighted to eliminate spaces due to current district budget constraints. Our Elementary Educational Specifications include these spaces at all new or modernized elementary schools.

Q3. If the preschool is moving from the community center, will there be more capacity?

A. The new PreK classrooms in the new addition will provide space for up to 42 PreK students. The Community Center provides afterschool programming, which is expected to continue after the school reopens.

Thank you for this project that will get the children and teachers out of the temporary structures. I’m happy that they will be safer and much more comfortable in a seismically safe building. Love the attention of bringing in more daylight. Thanks for working to share space with Seattle Parks Dept. As a taxpayer, I like seeing the spaces shared. Love the play area on the SW for the younger children.

Mech. Penthouse noise impact on neighboring residents.

Why can’t we speak. The card system suppresses dialogue.

DON only send mailers to 600 feet of the school – 4 acres are parks property. Not a good way to notify the Alki neighborhood.

Former Alki PTA Treasurer and parent of 2 Alki students and local area resident – this seems like a bad idea on size, parking, safety. The school needs update but re-think this cookie cutter approach. Lovely ideas but be practical.

Consistent approach to vehicular traffic and ignore it. Kids can fly to school.

It is clear that you have worked very hard to rationalize your decisions so that you can develop the project as you’ve dreamed it. There is a story in the Bible about building your house on the sand. It doesn’t matter how glorious it all is if there is no access and teachers can’t park. “Deep thoughts” – reminds me of students “I tried so hard” – you still get a C.

Guilt trip argument: if you need more parking, we will take away recess and kids will have no place to play. Guilt trip us for caring about traffic jams. Really annoying.

This would only work if you paved the entire playground and turned it into a parking lot (irony).

Event conditions include sunshine on Alki. Also, people on Alki have guns and get [angry] easily.

The Alki Neighborhood is not opposed to an Alki rebuild. We are opposed to the proposed plan. When taxpayers voted for the levy $ we never thought a “neighborhood” size school would not be built. There is current parking / traffic problem, and the proposed plan will only make it worse. Thus increases the safety risk of children, AD users, bicyclist pedestrians and limits accessibility of the first responders using 59th as an access route.

All this stuff is just cosmetic! All this sweetness and light will be tested by traffic stress neighborhood hostility… which is seething in this room right now. The implication that we don’t support niceness and equality because we are concerned a lot of kids beingkilled or injured – of course we trust you guys to do all the nice design features. No one objects to nice things. We object to the stupidity of eliminating all parking for everyone.

People do not feel comfortable & welcome when there is no place to park. This is all very sweet and lovely, except that there is no parking. None of us give a s__t about the interim design. We worry about kids being injured and teachers with arthritis who have to hike blocks. And children in wheelchairs who have NO WAY to get into school.