Plans are afoot for a new city pocket park at 12th Street and Hancock, and city staff want the public to share their ideas and input at a community outreach event at the site on April 4.

Scheduled for 3:30 to 5 p.m. that Thursday, city staff will meet the public at the end of 12th Street, where they can view conceptual drawings and share ideas.

The proposed 0.78-acre park sits at the end of 12th street adjacent to Avamere at Port Townsend.

One plan, drafted by Terrapin Architecture, shows trails, a playground, a patio with picnic tables and an open-air pavilion. The lot, as it now sits, is heavily treed. The Terrapin plan indicates that many trees would remain.

“The city will be submitting a Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) grant for construction of a low-maintenance design that can fit within our current budget,” Shelly Leavens, the city’s director of communications, wrote in an email.

“Minimal trees would be taken down for safety reasons. The City will remove trees blown down over the years by severe winds, and will look into creative options to salvage wood from those trees in the park for bird habitat or the playground. The City is intentionally creating a low maintenance design so the maintenance can fit within the current budget.”

According to city staff, city parks planning began in 2020. Community input on the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan requested more park space in the neighborhood around 12th and Hancock streets. 

The owners of Courtside Manor, now Avamere at Port Townsend, donated land to the city specifically for an accessible park.

Trails and surfacing for the playground will be ADA compliant, and the park will be accessible in multiple locations, including in front of Avamere. The plan calls for seasonal staff and volunteers to assist with park and trails maintenance.