Lincoln High School is the only high school in the district without an athletic field, which limits opportunities for Lincoln’s students.

For many students, after-school sports such as soccer, football, and track are a big part of their high school experience. The lack of facilities requires Lincoln students to travel to distant fields, disproportionately affecting students without access to reliable transportation.

Without a field, Lincoln students are limited to physical education (PE) within the gymnasium or at Wallingford Playfield, which is largely unusable during the winter months due to rain, snow, and lack of lighting.

The new Lincoln High School Practice Field would provide an athletics practice “home field” for students, giving them a state-of-the-art, full-size turf field for soccer and football, restrooms, and storage for athletic equipment.

Developing the Lincoln High School Practice Field is not just about providing athletic facilities—it’s also about ensuring the safety and well-being of our students.

Many Lincoln students have to travel long distances for early morning and late evening practices. During the fall and winter months, this means students are leaving campuses in the dark, raising safety concerns.

SPS has conducted a robust evaluation of potential sites for the new field. The search included nine total locations, each evaluated for student safety, accessibility, and sustainability.

After a thorough assessment, we are seeking community input on Wallingford Playfield for the new Lincoln High School Practice Field. We are also exploring alternatives — Meridian Playfield and Queen Anne Bowl.

Funding included in voter-approved capital levies must be used for the designated capital improvements to schools and school facilities. The funds cannot be used for operating costs. 

The Lincoln High School Practice Field project is funded by the voter-approved Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics V capital levy (BTA V). It is a forward-thinking investment in our students and community, helping ensure that Seattle remains a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable place to live and learn.

If the field is placed at Wallingford Playfield, we will be investing in both the Lincoln and Hamilton school communities. The field will be a valuable student and community resource for years to come.

In 2022, voters passed a capital levy for school-specific projects, including a new practice field for Lincoln High School.

• Lincoln High School is the largest high school in the district and the only high school with no field immediately adjacent to campus.
• Similarly, Hamilton International Middle School is the only middle school in the district with no immediately adjacent field. If this project occurs at Wallingford Playfield, it will bring the Lincoln and Hamilton campus amenities inline with their counterparts around the district.
• If this project does not move forward, other schools could be impacted by program displacement by Lincoln High School needing other fields around the district. 

Lincoln High School varsity football and varsity soccer practice and play at Memorial Stadium, which is three miles away from campus. Students without access to reliable transportation face barriers to participating in these kinds of athletics.

Junior varsity teams and others use fields at Lower Woodland and sites around the area. Track athletes are currently bused to Ingraham High School, about five miles away from Lincoln.

Lincoln High School currently uses Wallingford Playfield for physical education (PE) classes, which is largely unusable during the winter months due to rain, snow, and lack of lighting. Lincoln students share this field with nearby Hamilton International Middle School.

None of the evaluated locations can accommodate both a field and track. We are proposing developing the field at one of the city’s Parks & Recreation (Seattle Parks) properties, and upgrading the existing track at Lower Woodland #7, also a Parks property.

Seattle Parks is a close partner to SPS in identifying potential locations and logistics of building this new practice field. Both are committed to selecting the best option for students and communities.

Seattle Parks and SPS will continue to collaborate during design and construction after the field location is determined.

The final decision will be made jointly between Seattle Parks and Recreation (Parks) and SPS, guided and informed by community input. It’s important for our communities to be heard — that’s why we’re looking for input and feedback.

Memorial Stadium will be unavailable from summer 2025 through summer 2027, as it undergoes a complete renovation.

During this time, Lincoln students will need access to a field. More broadly, a “home field” for Lincoln High School brings many benefits to students at Lincoln and nearby Hamilton International Middle School.

Not only does a practice “home field” expand access and equity for students, but by limiting student commutes, we can reduce the number of buses, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. Most importantly, students will not be required to travel long distances early mornings and late evenings.

The proposed field is intended to be a permanent practice space for Lincoln High School students — they will not return to the new Memorial Stadium for practice once it’s complete. 

• Logistically, we cannot transport students across multiple schools for PE classes during the school day.
• Other schools use their fields for practice and games, and many are booked to capacity. Any additional use by Lincoln students would displace other programs.
• The interlocal agreement with Seattle Parks and Recreation allows them to schedule fields when not in use by the school, so this field will be available for the whole Wallingford community.
• Transportation is a costly financial expense for athletics and Lincoln High School. A field near Lincoln will significantly cut costs.
• Early morning and late evening commutes could be eliminated with a nearby practice “home field” for students and families.

Lincoln will continue to use Lower Woodland facilities for Junior Varsity (JV) sports and sports other than soccer and football.

Because Lower Woodland is booked to capacity, it cannot accommodate additional needs once the current Memorial Stadium is unavailable.

The roof of Lincoln High School is not designed to support a full-size field that can accommodate student needs.

In the initial planning of the Lincoln High School renovation, architects and engineers did explore combining a parking lot and garage with a rooftop field. Steep costs and significant risks made this option unfeasible.

Yes. The Lincoln High School Practice Field is a win-win for both the school and the broader community, ensuring the selected space remains a vibrant hub of activity.

Seattle Parks will maintain important elements and character of the space selected and will work to ensure all can continue to enjoy. The field will also become part of Seattle Parks’ inventory of fields available for scheduling.

Our preferred alternative is Wallingford Playfield after in-depth analysis showed it to be the best fit due to student needs, proximity to Lincoln High School, site layout, current use, and development needs. It will also benefit students at Hamilton International Middle School.

Alternative sites have not been eliminated from consideration, and we are continuing to evaluate options.

The entire community will be able to use this state-of-the-art field. The field will eventually include precise LED lighting to allow later use of the playfield.

Other park amenities will also be maintained and potentially upgraded. By adding lighting, the community can safely use this space well into the evening.

The field would include the addition of precise LED lighting, making the playfield safer for everybody, especially in the fall and winter months. We welcome additional feedback on making this space the best resource it can be. 

We are actively exploring all options at the considered locations to make this space the best resource for all — our students and communities. 

• The selected location will eventually include precise LED lighting, restrooms, and storage for equipment in addition to the synthetic turf field.
• Bleachers or other seating will not be included.

• A clear design process will be shared once a decision on location is made.
• The field lighting will be hyper directional and designed not to spillover into surrounding homes and areas. SPS will use highly efficient LED lighting to minimize use of electricity.

Our goal is to take all measures to minimize the impact to the neighbors and the surrounding community.

The contractors will maintain working hours that align with the City of Seattle’s Noise Ordinance. During construction, notices will be sent to neighbors when work falls outside of those times.

If Wallingford Playfield is chosen for the project, it will be unavailable for approximately 3–4 months during the late spring and summer of 2025.

Current playfield users will be rescheduled to other parks wherever possible during construction.

We understand the importance of maintaining and preserving significant trees at Wallingford Playfield. The Design Team will minimize significant tree removal wherever possible and will replace every tree removed with three additional significant trees.

• A thorough parking analysis and traffic study will be completed, and any required improvements will be made.
• The parking lot at Lincoln High School will be available for use during non-school hours.

An environmental analysis will be completed prior to any work under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA). Findings and final determination will be posted and available to the public.

The Design Team will ensure that all code requirements are met. This includes accessibility under the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Once the project is completed, as a public park, the site will always be open for community access and current elements will be retained. 

Scheduling of the playfield outside of school use hours will go through the Seattle Parks scheduling process.

We are seeking input for the best way to provide space for dog walking.

Wallingford Playfield does not currently include an off-leash area, so this project would not remove existing dog park space.

Other sports will be able to use this new field as scheduling allows. Students will also continue to have access to the Lower Woodland fields.

If the field is placed at Wallingford Playfield, there is no plan to impact the tennis courts, but the project team is open to evaluating potential options.

The Lincoln High School Practice Field at Wallingford Playfield will cut down student travel and reduce our carbon footprint.

By placing the field within walking distance of both Lincoln High School and Hamilton International Middle School, we can drastically reduce the need for buses, cutting down on pollution and environmental impact.

The Wallingford Playfield’s proximity to schools and homes make this location better for families looking to cut down on travel and fuel use.

The Wallingford Playfield location would provide a vital resource for our students while reducing our carbon footprint.