City to clear homeless encampment at Green Lake Park beginning Monday

Encampments at Green Lake Park and a small portion of Woodland Park will be removed starting Dec. 20 following several months of outreach efforts, according to Mayor Durkan’s office.

Seattle Parks and Recreation staff posted notices at the park on Saturday that stated any remaining or abandoned belongings at the park must be removed by Monday.

Portions of the park will be designated as active work areas on Monday as crews address damage to the park, remediate any environmental impacts of the encampment and address backlogged maintenance.

The city of Seattle and its partners began coordinated outreach and engagement efforts at the park in September, with the goal of getting anyone residing in the park long-term on a path towards permanent housing. Since Oct. 12, these efforts have resulted in at least 15 referrals to shelter.

In October, Seattle Public Utilities staff assessed the area around West Green Lake Way N, which had approximately a dozen RVs, and determined a need for remediation based on public health and safety concerns.

RVs that are abandoned or pose a serious public health or safety risk may be towed beginning Dec. 20.

SPU staff will be removing trash and debris in this area and the street may be closed for parts of the day on Monday while this work is occurring. Temporary no-parking signs have also been posted in the area.

Any new tents set up at Green Lake Park will be asked to leave.

SPR has been successful at keeping other Seattle parks encampment-free, including Denny Park and Cal Anderson Park, following similar outreach efforts and referrals to shelter prior to encampment removal.