Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking public input on new rules and long-term improvements at Denny Blaine Park as the city implements a court order stemming from a dispute over lewd conduct, clothing-optional recreation and the impact of park activity on neighboring residents.

The latest changes follow a July 15 ruling in Denny Blaine Park for All v. City of Seattle, in which King County Superior Court found that conditions at the park constituted a public nuisance and issued a permanent injunction requiring the city to take additional steps to address those conditions.

The court ordered Seattle Parks and Recreation to create a park-specific plan and code of conduct, monitor and report incidents of inappropriate behavior, maintain the grounds in ways intended to discourage such behavior, establish buffers between the park and neighboring properties and educate park users about appropriate behavior through signage and outreach.

The ruling adds to an abatement plan that has governed the park since July 2025. That plan established separate clothing-optional and clothing-required areas with a visual barrier between them. Park Rangers regularly visit the park, while maintenance crews remove trash, maintain the barrier and respond to vandalism.

Denny Blaine, a small waterfront park along Lake Washington, has long been associated with clothing-optional recreation and holds particular significance for members of Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community. Over time, the park has become an important gathering place for members of the community, including people who have used its clothing-optional environment for recreation, community and self-expression.

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s proposed guidelines acknowledge that Denny Blaine has been embraced in recent decades by people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, gender diverse and queer. The department says the guidelines are intended to recognize legitimate recreational uses while minimizing adverse impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.

The court ruling, however, followed complaints from neighboring residents about conduct at the park and the city’s response to those complaints.

According to Denny Blaine Park for All’s summary of the ruling, the court found that nudity and lewd conduct had substantially interfered with the plaintiffs’ ability to use and enjoy their properties and that residents’ experiences had been more extensive, repeated and harmful than those of visitors to the park.

The court also found, according to excerpts of the ruling released by the group, that Seattle Parks employees had been instructed not to intervene with people engaging in lewd behavior and that Seattle Police Department data showed Denny Blaine generated the highest number of calls for lewd conduct compared with other areas. The court further found that the city’s actions and omissions helped create conditions that were inviting to people engaging in lewd conduct.

Denny Blaine Park for All has maintained that its lawsuit was aimed at unlawful behavior rather than the LGBTQ+ community or lawful access to the park. The court declined to close the park.

“Yesterday’s decision is a victory for every Seattle resident who believes our public parks should be safe, welcoming, and accessible to everyone,” said Lee Keller, spokesperson for Denny Blaine Park for All. “We appreciate the Court’s careful review of the evidence and its recognition that the conditions at Denny Blaine Park constitute a public nuisance. We look forward to working constructively with the City to ensure the Court’s order is fully implemented so this remarkable public park can once again be enjoyed by everyone.”

As part of its response to the ruling, Seattle Parks and Recreation is developing supplemental use guidelines specifically for Denny Blaine.

The proposed guidelines distinguish between clothing-optional recreation and prohibited sexual conduct. Clothing-optional recreation remains an authorized use in designated portions of the park, while sexual misconduct, including indecent exposure, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual acts and lewd conduct, is prohibited throughout the park.

Under the proposed guidelines, clothing will be required in one designated area, while clothing-optional recreation will be allowed in two areas east of the visual barrier and stairs. Toplessness will remain permitted throughout the park.

The guidelines also reiterate existing prohibitions on public urination and defecation, harassment, unauthorized alcohol possession, blocking entrances and walkways and several other activities. The proposed policy says those rules are being restated because of repeated violations that have affected neighbors and park users.

Several aspects of the park’s operation are set by the court and cannot be changed by the city through the current rulemaking process. Those include the designation of clothing-optional and clothing-required areas, the boundary separating them, visual screening requirements, the allowance of toplessness throughout the park and minimum requirements for visits and monitoring by Park Rangers and maintenance employees.

Other aspects of the supplemental guidelines remain open for public comment.

The court has also required the city to install additional screening so clothing-optional areas are not visible from neighboring properties. Seattle Parks and Recreation says its longer-term goal is to replace the existing visual barrier with a more integrated and natural solution. Potential alternatives will be considered through the community design process.

The city also plans to establish a Community Liaison Program and hire an outside organization to distribute information about park rules, educate visitors about acceptable behavior and support positive use of the park. Seattle Parks and Recreation says it will seek a partner with experience working with queer communities and a high degree of trust among park users.

Details of the liaison program will be developed in consultation with park users and the organization selected to operate it.

Separate from the litigation, the city is moving ahead with a longer-term planning process that could reshape aspects of Denny Blaine.

The planning effort predates the court proceedings and was initiated independently of the lawsuit, although some of the resulting improvements could address issues that have also surfaced through the litigation.

In fall 2024, Friends of Denny Blaine successfully proposed funding through Seattle’s Park CommUNITY Fund for a long-term site plan and smaller improvements. The participatory budgeting program allows communities to identify and help shape investments in parks and recreation facilities.

The planning process will consider potential restrooms, signage, seating, trash cans, landscaping and other basic park infrastructure. It will also examine parking and transportation issues, including access to the park by walking, bicycling, transit and driving.

The city says the process will explore ways to recognize Denny Blaine’s queer history through park design and signage. Most of the available funding will support development of the long-term site plan, with remaining money available for smaller improvements.

Residents and park users will have several opportunities in September to weigh in on both the proposed rules and the park’s longer-term future.

Seattle Parks and Recreation will hold an in-person meeting on the proposed supplemental use guidelines Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E. An online meeting will be held Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.

Comments may be submitted online through Oct. 5. The formal 14-day public comment period is expected to run from Sept. 21 through Oct. 5.

A separate public process will focus on the park’s long-term design. An open house will be held Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cal Anderson Shelter House, 1700 11th Ave. A second open house is scheduled for Sept. 23 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Madrona Shelter House, 917 34th Ave.

An online survey seeking input on the long-term plan is scheduled to open Sept. 20.