Seahawks tailgaters say new SODO event pushed them out of longtime spots

Some Seahawks tailgaters said they were pushed out of longtime gathering spots by a new game-day event in Sodo.

The event is held in a small, city-owned parking lot near 1st Ave. S and S Holgate St. The SODO Business Improvement Area said its goal is to better manage tailgating — not end it.

“Our organization is not looking to stop tailgating,” Erin Goodman, the SODO Business Improvement Area executive director, said. “But [we] look to kind of put our arms around it, to manage it, to make it a little safer for everyone.”

The event site is a small triangular lot between First and Utah, along Holgate. Goodman said it is not part of the stadium’s north parking lot. She described the lot as a remnant of an old railroad right-of-way that is now city property. The organization obtained a special event permit from the city to use it.

SODO organizers say there’s still room for tailgating

The gathering includes a DJ, face painting, and photo opportunities. Goodman said organizers hope it will grow with community input and offer fans without their own tailgate setup a place to enjoy the atmosphere before the game.

“We know that change is hard,” Goodman said in response to people who say they were displaced.

Goodman said she believed the displaced tailgaters had found other spots on Utah Ave. S.

“There’s still plenty of room,” she said, adding that “all of Utah is still open” for tailgating.

Goodman said the city closes Utah Ave. S. four hours before kickoff, which she described as a safer setting for tailgating.

The SODO Business Improvement Area has provided portable toilets and dumpsters for Seahawks home games at the location for about 15 years to help address restroom access and garbage.

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