On Saturday, October 3, the Ching Garden at 16034 Greenwood Ave N opened to the public. It is open during daylight hours. The garden isn't finished. Its organizers say so plainly, calling it a work in progress. The plan was always to complete the lower two-thirds first. The upper garden, where the house once stood, will come later, along with the patio, the pond areas, and permanent signs telling the Ching family story.
The city's own park program works the other way. Shoreline's 2022 park bond rebuilds each park while it is closed and reopens it only when the work is done. This fall, Hillwood Park and Brugger's Bog Park are both fenced off until summer 2027. So Shoreline now has two kinds of new green space running on two schedules. Where you can walk this month depends on which kind you're near.
A lot that took nearly three years to buy
The garden's story starts in 1957. That year Joe and Jennie Ching moved onto the Greenwood Avenue property. Joe was a Chinese American who joined the Army right after Pearl Harbor. During the war, Jennie was working as a nanny in California and was sent to an incarceration camp in Arizona. They met and married in Hawaii after the war. Joe later moved the family to Seattle to help open the flagship Canlis restaurant.
When the Chings looked for a home in Shoreline, redlining and racially restrictive covenants stood in their way. Peter Canlis, Joe's employer, bought the property and then sold it to Joe and Jennie. Over the years they turned a stony lot into a garden that appeared more than once on Ed Hume's television program. Joe worked his vegetables most mornings before heading to his job as head chef at Canlis. Jennie grew flowers for ikebana and canned rows of vegetables every harvest.
Decades later the property sat abandoned and overgrown. It still had heirloom fruit trees, grape vines, and very good soil. In spring 2021, Kathleen Lumiere wrote to the Shoreline City Council proposing a community garden there. Michael McNutt of GROW arranged fiscal sponsorship. Diggin' Shoreline signed on as the project's "boots on the ground" sponsor. Mark Canlis joined the team for his family.
Buying the land took most of three years:
- The group won a $1,200,000 grant from King County's Conservation Futures fund and made an offer in summer 2022.
- Talks with the owner, Adair Enterprises of Lynnwood, stalled. In April 2023 a fair market appraisal came in at $1,860,000, more than the group had raised.
- The Canlis family arranged a bridge loan from WaFd to cover the gap, so the project didn't have to wait out another grant cycle.
- GROW's offer was accepted in September 2023, and the sale closed December 29, 2023. Two days later, volunteers met on the site to celebrate and spent much of the day weeding.
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who helped find the money, described the site this way:
"The Ching Garden is a symbol of resilience and triumph over obstacles. Were it not for the openness of neighbors, a racially restrictive covenant would have prevented the Ching family from establishing their home and garden and sharing it with community."
What's in the ground this October
Opening early means the garden is already doing work its finished version is meant to do. Since March, volunteers have planted more than 250 donated heirlooms and cultivars alongside or under the trees and shrubs that survived from the Chings' time. They add more every week.
Hügelkultur troughs went in during late July. They have already produced a first crop of pak choi, mizuna, and komatsuna, which went to Shoreline Share Pantry. The troughs are now replanted with winter greens. A large giving garden is growing several kinds of squash and pumpkins for local food banks.
The lower garden is planted in guilds. Each one groups fruit trees with berries, Northwest natives, pollinator plants, and plants native to Asia. The new trees are still too small to fruit. Organizers expect some fruit to share next year if visitors treat the beds with care.
That care is the main rule for visiting right now. Some areas are fenced off for safety and construction, and staying on the wood-chip paths keeps the young plants alive. For now, the organizers describe the garden as a place for able-bodied visitors. Permanent ADA-accessible paths, a driveway, a patio, and parking will come in later phases as grants and donations allow.
The bond parks run on a different clock
Shoreline voters passed the Proposition 1 bond in February 2022. It funded upgrades at eight parks: Brugger's Bog, Hamlin, Hillwood, Richmond Highlands, James Keough, Ridgecrest, Shoreview, and Kruckeberg Botanic Garden. The city groups the projects by scope and expects to have substantially finished all of them by summer 2027. That means the program is now well past its midpoint, and the city's September 2026 update shows where each park stands:
| Park | Status as of September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Kruckeberg Botanic Garden | New boardwalk reopened August 2024 |
| Ridgecrest Park | Reopened June 2024 |
| Shoreview Park | Reopened January 2025 |
| Richmond Highlands Park | Reopened September 2025 |
| James Keough Park | Reopened May 2026 |
| Upper Hamlin Park | Nearing completion, opening expected before year-end |
| Hillwood Park | Closed since August 2026, completion expected summer 2027 |
| Brugger's Bog Park | Construction resumed, completion expected summer 2027 |
Hillwood's closure is complete. The park sits at 19001 3rd Avenue NW. Construction began August 4, and the whole park is closed through summer 2027. That includes the parking lot, the 8th Avenue NW entry, and the 3rd Avenue NW driveway. When it reopens, the plans call for a loop path, a multi-sport court, a play area, a spray park, a small picnic shelter, and new plantings. Brugger's Bog is closed through the same date. Its plans add a boardwalk, a sport court, a play area, restrooms, and an art installation.
The finished parks are open this fall. James Keough Park reopened in May with new walkways, play space, skate features, and an off-leash dog area. Ridgecrest Park, reopened since June 2024, also gained a public-art bench called "Prismatic Park Perch" this summer. Its ribbon-cutting was held June 13 at 108 NE 161st St.
Upper Hamlin is the one to watch
Upper Hamlin is the next bond park in line to reopen. Its improvements include a spray park, a play area, trail work, walkways, retaining walls, parking-lot lighting, a small picnic shelter, benches, and bike racks. A 2025 report said no new restrooms were planned and the existing ones would be renovated.
The city gives two slightly different timelines. The September bond update expects Upper Hamlin to open before the end of the year. The city's park directory lists it as closed through winter 2026. The fairest reading is a reopening around the turn of the year. The directory also says Ballfield 6 is closed for good and Ballfield 5 is still in use. While the 25th Avenue NE lot is closed, which runs through fall 2026, parking is available along Hamlin Park Road. The 25th Avenue NE sidewalk stays open.
The rest of Hamlin is still hosting events. The city's Hamlin Halloween Haunt is on the calendar for Friday, October 16, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Hamlin Park, 16006 15th Ave NE. The first half-hour is set aside for reduced sensory stimulation.
October on the open side of the map
The rest of the month's public calendar runs through venues that are open now:
- October 12, 13 and 15: The Seattle Latino Film Festival presents its first Shoreline weekday matinee series at Landmark Crest Cinema, 16505 5th Ave NE.
- October 16: Hamlin Halloween Haunt, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Hamlin Park.
- October 30: The free Día de los Muertos celebration runs 5 to 8 p.m. at Spartan Recreation Center, 202 NE 185th St. It includes an ofrenda, a marketplace, food, a procession, and performances.
- October 31: The Shoreline Farmers Harvest Market runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 192nd Street and Aurora Ave N, with costumes, trick-or-treating, and games.
The Ching Garden doesn't need a date on this list. It is open to the public during daylight hours. The hügelkultur troughs have been resown with winter greens, and new grant funding will let volunteers finish planting the lower beds. The organizers' own invitation is to come, see, celebrate, and imagine the possibilities.
Projects like the Ching Garden and Shoreline's bond parks shape a block for years, well past their opening day. If you'd like to talk through what nearby park work or a new public space could mean for your property, The Greely Group is glad to share what we're seeing across Shoreline. Schedule Free Consultation.
