About 200 frustrated protestors united from across the city at the Woodland Park Zoo Saturday, Feb. 25 to object to what they say is the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation's pattern of flippant public process and increased commercialization of city parks.

Synthetic turf at Loyal Heights Playfield outraged many neighbors in Ballard. The addition of an aboveground parking garage at Woodland Park Zoo confused and shocked Phinney Ridge residents, and a sudden move of the city's Summer Nights concert series to Gas Works Park infuriated neighbors in Fremont and Wallingford.

In each case, neighbors say the city department moves forward on projects despite neighborhood opposition, often ignoring their desires and not notifying them of major changes in the projects until late in the process.

"We want to publicly embarrass the parks department into acknowledging us, and that if you ask for public comment it should be considered in the plan," said Diane Duthweiler, a Phinney Ridge resident who opposes a 700-car parking garage at Woodland Park Zoo.

"The city has a plan, they pretend they want community input, and then they go on about their merry way," she said. "Don't go through this farce of collecting public comment and then just blow us off."

Dewey Potter, the parks department's public information manager, said the protestors do not represent the majority opinion.

The projects have all "had huge community support" and have been through "exhaustive studies and public process," she said.

"We want to do it right," said Potter. "Public process in Seattle can go on without an end, but at some point we have to make a decision."

But the protestors hope the rally will force change within the city department.

"The biggest issue - and what's brought us together today, is a common thread," said protestor Ginney Watkins. "Parks comes for our opinion and then ignores us. To abuse our parks this way is unconscionable and criminal. We are calling for a moratorium on this ill-advised decision to build a four-story parking garage in the middle of the zoo."

For every park project the department said it follows its own thorough and fair public involvement process that includes several public meetings.

"We do it because it's the right thing to do and to create customized projects right from the start," said Potter. "Projects have been frequently changed and improved by public process, and we respect that."

The department notifies the community of upcoming projects by mailing notices to "every property within 300 feet of the park edges and to every community organization we have identified," said Potter.

But protestors argue that output from this process is not justly used in department decisions.

"We want to show people that we aren't alone, and that we are a large and ever growing group of angry Seattle residents who want a voice," said Duthweiler.

Embattled public process

Phinney Ridge neighbors say claim a parking garage project location they agreed on was suddenly switched to a less costly design and location that neighbors had opposed.

The city council approved a $16.7 million aboveground parking garage for the west side of the zoo over a $30 million under-ground garage on the south side.

The city chose the less expensive alternative because of grim revenue projections, said Potter.

"We are tired of decisions being reduced to a bottom line," said protestor Cecile Andrews.

Protestors also said there was less than a month of public comment after the switch.

Jim Bennett, director of communications and marketing for the zoo, said all potential sites had been explored and evaluated through two Environmental Impact Statements with comments taken from the community for all locations. He said the neighborhood had two months to respond to the change.

" It was never formally established that the garage would be underground," said Bennett. "With some people, if a decision or a plan doesn't meet their needs they say we didn't listen."

Neighbors question whether zoo attendance warrants a parking garage, but Bennett said zoo turnout is expected to increase with Zoomazium, a major exhibit opening in 2006.

Others argue the location of the garage would destroy existing green space, and make concerts in the park less enjoyable.

Bennett said the garage would be built on an already existing employee parking lot and "occupy previously developed space."

Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck strongly opposes the development of city parks and was present at Saturday's rally.

"I'm caught between the neighborhood concern over expansion and my commitment to the zoo," said Steinbrueck. "But I have very strong reservations over investing public funds into parking garages."

Steinbrueck said he thinks the money would be better spent on zoo exhibits. Theses kinds of developments "encourage the city's love affair with the car" and "it's hypocritical of Seattle," a city that prides itself on reducing pollution and reliance on the automobile, he said.

"We're going in the wrong direction, folks," said Steinbrueck.

Ex-mayoral candidate, Al Runte spoke at the rally and echoed neighborhood concerns of deteriorating green space in Seattle parks.

"The process is taking over the ideals of the people," he said through a loudspeaker. "The parking garage is wrong - it's dead wrong. Development doesn't belong in our city parks."

Rally gatherers hope their public outcry will force the city council to revisit recent decisions, but Steinbrueck said the council isn't likely to return any recent decisions

"I can't condone cutting down trees in a city park, I just couldn't live with myself," said Steinbrueck. "It kills me they want to take grass and trees out of our city parks. But we do know the difference between NIMBYism and legitimate issues."