Sunk: City cuts swimming pool barge from waterfront design plan

If you were thinking about swimming laps next to Pier 62 and 63 any time soon, forget about it. The barge could resurface in the future though.

The city has decided to nix a floating barge with a swimming pool from plans for a vast new public space along Seattle's downtown waterfront.

At least for now.

The elimination of the much-discussed barge is one of several recent changes to the design of the space. Major delays with Highway 99 tunnel construction and questions over financing have created an air of uncertainty about the project's timeline and budget. But city officials say work is progressing and that the latest version of the design has incorporated a range of citizen criticism and feedback.

"We're keeping the momentum that we had," said city planning director Marshall Foster on Wednesday.

The main corridor of planned parks and other public spaces would extend 26-blocks between Pioneer Square and Belltown and sprawl across roughly 20 acres of the waterfront.Aconceptual design is currently about 30 percent complete, according to Foster. This city is moving toward 60 percent design completion, a stage that will include more information about landscape details, materials and surface finishes.

The city contracted with James Corner Field Operations to lead the design effort. Corner, a landscape architect, is well known for his work on the High Line park in New York City. Since 2010, Seattle has paid Corner's firm nearly $7.5 million. The waterfront program budget includes about $8 million for the firm's services, an expense Foster believes is worthwhile. "That money, in my mind, is pretty well spent," Foster said.

"The scale of the design and engineering effort, I don't want to say it is unprecedented," he added, "but this rivals the biggest projects Seattle has done."

The pool barge, which would have been moored at Pier 62 and Pier 63 west of the Pike Place Market, could eventually resurface. Foster said that while the city is not including it in the basic waterfront design, it might be a good candidate for future philanthropic financing.

Just kidding: The proposed pool barge has been deep-sixed from the Seattle waterfront's basic redesign, but could reappear in the future. Imagecourtesy of City of Seattle and James Corner Field Operations.

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Sunk: City cuts swimming pool barge from waterfront design plan