First Hill Park Playground Now Open!

Great news! The renovated playground at First Hill Park is now open!

This is the second playground replacement completed under the 2022 Parks Levy and features new play equipment, engineered wood fiber (EWF) surfacing, and cedar timber borders as well as enhanced paths into and around the playground. The design was informed by community input collected in 2024 via two surveys (177 responses total) and engagement on Let’s Talk. A highlight of the playground is the new Alpha Tower, a climbing structure with two slides – a double slide for riding two at a time from the 8’ deck and a winder slide to take off from the 12’ deck. At 20’ tall, the Alpha Tower is now the tallest play structure in the City’s playground system! New play equipment also includes two belt swings and a log tunnel, mushroom steppers, and acorn seats to provide a cohesive play experience for ages 2-12.

Like at Roanoke Park, the project team explored opportunities to improve accessibility when redesigning the First Hill playground. A limiting factor at First Hill is the concentration of healthy, mature trees located within and around the play area; our project arborist inventoried more than 60 trees, including one grove of 17 trees! (A grove is a group of eight or more trees, each at least 10” in diameter, that form a continuous tree canopy. Groves are essential components for maintaining a healthy urban forestry environment.) Ultimately, due to the extensive tree system, the team determined that installing accessible poured-in-place (PIP) play area surfacing throughout the entire playground was not feasible at First Hill. While PIP surfacing can be an appropriate accessibility play solution at parks where trees are more dispersed or located outside the primary playground footprint, the extensive tree system at First Hill significantly limits excavation and grading flexibility. Instead, Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF) was identified as a less impactful alternative, as it minimizes disturbance to critical root zones and supports long-term tree health while still meeting playground requirements.

However, despite the site limitations, the project team was still able to incorporate accessible routes into the design. At the north end of the playground, two new gravel ramps connect to PIP landings to create more accessible entryways up into the play area. Once inside, accessible routes connect visitors to play equipment and to the existing accessible picnic table. This creative design approach uses a mix of materials (gravel, PIP, concrete, and EWF) to support accessible circulation while minimizing impacts to the park’s important trees.

Upcoming Work

Over the next few months, finishing touches will be completed by the contractor and the Parks team, including:

• Adding new park and playground rule signage (temporary rule signage is currently installed at the park);
• Improving the existing right-of-way parking area along SE 32nd Street; and
• Vegetation restoration around the play area.

Updates on this remaining work will be shared on Let’s Talk when available.

Reporting Issues at the Park

This Let's Talk page will stay active until all work on this capital project has been completed. However, if you see an issue at the playground, consider submitting a service request through SeeClickFix. Details for reporting a need to the City are also posted on site.

Thank you to the community’s engagement during design and support during construction! Have fun and play safe!