Last month, Chip Nevins with Seattle Parks shared during a walk down 35th Ave NE with other City staff and officials that they were about to start further studies to identify whether there is contamination at the Morningside Substation. Earlier studies by Seattle City Light identified that the site used to have a gas station on it prior to becoming a substation. Gas stations, like the one in the photograph below at NE 25th St and 75th Ave NE, sometimes resulted in subsurface contamination. The assessment that Seattle Parks is having completed at the Morningside Substation will help identify whether there are any remaining underground storage tanks and if there is any residual subsurface contamination.
The analysis that’s being completed is a necessary part of the acquisition process. As we understand it Seattle Parks requires that any property they acquire fromanother City department is “clean.” Therefore, the time frame for Seattle Parks to acquire the property from Seattle City Light will be, in part, dependent upon the results of this assessment. However, as we’ve shared before, development of the Morningside Substation into our future park won’t occur until funding for development and maintenance becomes available.