During a recent walk-through of the Bellevue Place Park (on the northern end of the future Promenade), several of our committee members discussed the need for more active uses in this park, more reasons for people to visit it.
One idea that came up was p-patches.
Due to its proximity to I-5, some of us thought that, even if edible plants were not ideal, perhaps flowering plants would be. At this early point, though, everything is on the table.
If a series of p-patches were built along “steps” ascending the hillside, how many of you would want one? How many of you might think this is a good idea, even if you yourself lack a green thumb? Would it make you visit the park more often?
I doubt that proximity to I-5 would rule out edible plants. It’s something we could look into further though. Many city gardens are located right next to busy arterial streets at ground level; the International District community garden is very close to I5. Most likely there’s some data out there.
It would be great to get more info on whether there’s a required/recommended buffer distance between I-5 and the garden.