‘Maintain, enhance, and expand the parks and trails that bring us to the outdoors and to each other’: Executive Constantine announces proposal to renew the King County Parks Levy

News

King County Executive Dow Constantine today announced his proposal to renew the King County Parks Levy, a strategy that would increase King County Parks’ capacity for maintenance and safety, enhance ballfields, playgrounds, and aquatic centers, protect and restore more open spaces for a growing population, and accelerate the expansion of regional trails that connect to public transit.

His proposal for the August ballot – subject to approval by the King County Council – would offer more outdoor recreation opportunities, establish a climate response fund, and invest in upgrades at Marymoor Park in Redmond and Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center in Federal Way. It would also provide funding for educational programs at Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo, and the Seattle Waterfront, design and build Skyway’s first community center, create a premier sports complex in South King County, and be a vehicle for essential city and park district pass-through funding.

Executive Constantine’s proposal would cost the owner of a home with an assessed value of $844,000 – the median property value in King County – about 11 cents more per day starting in January 2026. The current levy, which funds about 85% of King County Parks’ total budget, will expire Dec. 31. 

"This is our opportunity to maintain, enhance, and expand the parks and trails that bring us closer to the outdoors and to each other," said Executive Constantine. “We will uphold the trust that the people of King County place in us as stewards of our beloved green spaces, keeping this legacy clean, safe, and open for everyone to enjoy.”

Executive Constantine announced his proposal at the City of Seattle’s Pathways Park, which received a combined $1.3 million in King County Parks Levy funding for a major upgrade that surpassed ADA requirements, making the park universally accessible to people of all ages and abilities. It's a successful model Executive Constantine wants to replicate throughout King County, particularly in underserved communities.

Greater capacity to keep parks and trails clean, safe, and open

Executive Constantine’s proposal would increase the park agency’s capacity to keep the region’s park and trail system clean, safe, and open after years of expansion to keep up with growing demand.

King County Parks last year established its first Park Ranger Program, creating new specialist positions that will enhance public education and foster a positive, welcoming, and safe presence at regional parks, trails, and open spaces. That is in addition to other safety features in the proposed levy, such as installing lights at more parks and offering more programs and recreational opportunities that keep public spaces active.

The renewed parks levy would continue to provide grant funding to cities and community-based organizations that promote equitable access to parks, trails, and aquatic centers.

The current levy has allocated $110 million in grant funding for successful projects that made school district and city aquatic centers safer, more accessible, and more energy efficient, advanced Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Garfield Super Block, expanded out-of-school and summer programs, and helped North SeaTac Park install lights at its BMX track so it can operate at night and host national competitions.

Executive Constantine’s proposal for the renewed parks levy includes $117 million for similar investments, incorporating community feedback to increase grant funding for the programs in highest demand. It would include an additional $119 million in pass-through funding for cities and park districts that can be used for a wide range of improvements that meet their specific needs.  

Advancing climate resiliency and forest stewardship

This would be the first King County Parks Levy to establish a climate response fund that helps communities adapt to emerging climate risks. The funds would be available for features such as splash pads and sprinklers at parks, cooling and heating systems at trusted community spaces, and making existing facilities more energy efficient.

King County Parks would be able to create more urban forest parks similar to Glendale Forest in North Highline where children and families can stay cool, safe, and connected during dangerous heat waves.

It would also sustain funding for King County Parks’ forest stewardship program, which has grown from one to eight foresters, forest technicians, and specialists since 2022. The increased capacity has allowed the Department of Natural Resources and Parks to accelerate large-scale restoration projects to prepare county forests for a warming climate as well as add new positions dedicated to urban forestry and wildfire risk reduction.

The projects would apply the principles of Clean Water Healthy Habitat by simultaneously protecting water quality, improving wildlife habitat, removing barriers to historic spawning grounds for salmon, and offering more recreational opportunities as King County Parks has done along Ravensdale Creek and elsewhere.

The proposed package would double the size of the King County Parks' Youth Conservation Corps, a popular paid summer internship program for teenagers interested in careers in parks and environmental fields.  

Building on the momentum of a growing trail network

Executive Constantine’s proposal would accelerate the pace for expanding regional trails, building on the momentum King County Parks and partners made in recent years by completing the East Lake Sammamish Trail, opening bridges for Eastrail in Bellevue and Foothills Trail crossing the White River, and now transforming the iconic Wilburton Trestle into a 1,000-foot-long scenic bridge for Eastrail.

Expansion projects would include Lake to Sound Trail, Green River Trail, Soos Creek Trail, Eastrail, and Interurban Trail. It would advance a long-term goal to connect Eastrail to Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton and complete the design for a 1.7-mile connector between Eastrail and Lake to Sound Trail.

Executive Constantine – in his role as a Sound Transit Board Member – in May will join the opening celebration of Sound Transit’s Marymoor Village Station, which includes a new direct connection between East Lake Sammamish Trail and Eastrail to knit together the region’s growing trail and rail networks.

New amenities to improve the customer experience at parks and trails

In addition to increasing capacity for maintenance and safety, Executive Constantine’s proposal would provide funding for new amenities that improve the customer experience. A few examples include:

• Creating a regional sports complex in South King County by upgrading ballfields to synthetic turf with lighting at an existing King County park located east of Federal Way
• Upgrading aging facilities at Marymoor Park, including critical utility infrastructure, the venue for live music, pedestrian pathways, and other renovations and repairs
• Creating new off-leash dog areas 
• Adding parking, restrooms, wayfinding, and trails to newly acquired properties 
• Completing design and construction of a 20-acre nature park at Lakeland North Urban Park between Auburn and Federal Way, an unincorporated community with limited public greenspace 
• Extending the Park Beautification Crews, a King County Jobs and Housing Program that provides people experiencing homelessness with family-wage employment and connections to housing services