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Leschi South Marina construction — what to expect

Seattle Parks is rebuilding the Leschi South Marina through 2026. Here's what the work means for parking and access to BluWater.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is rebuilding the Leschi South Marina through 2026. The work is happening immediately next to BluWater, and it’s phased rather than a single multi-month shutdown — but it does mean waterfront parking and access can change week-to-week while construction is active.

This page is a quick reference so you know what to expect. For the most reliable, restaurant-side advice, see our parking page.

Latest update — May 7, 2026

After a community meeting at Grace United Methodist Church on May 6, Seattle City Council President Joy Hollingsworth announced that construction will pause on May 15 and resume in late August or early September, while the City and contractor develop a plan to reduce the impact on Leschi businesses.

  • Parking next to BluWater is reopening this week in time for Mother’s Day weekend (May 9–11).
  • Active construction pauses May 15 through the summer.
  • Work is expected to resume late August / early September.

Hollingsworth told KING 5 that the failure to coordinate with businesses before mobilization “is definitely a mistake, and we definitely want to improve that process.” Roughly 140 parking spaces had been removed without warning when the project began on May 4.

Coverage:

What the project is

Seattle Parks is replacing the existing timber fixed pier, the adjacent floating dock, and the pipe-pile breakwater at the Leschi South Marina, and installing a new large floating breakwater with a boat sewage pump-out facility. Together with shoreline and utility upgrades, the work is intended to restore moorage capacity and improve waterfront access for the long term.

The full project scope, design renderings, and current schedule are published by Seattle Parks here:

Timeline

  • April 2026 — Contractor mobilization began.
  • May 4, 2026 — Active construction started; ~140 waterfront parking spaces were removed.
  • May 6, 2026 — Following the community meeting, the City announced a pause.
  • May 9–11, 2026 — Mother’s Day weekend, parking next to BluWater reopened.
  • May 15, 2026 — Active construction pauses for the summer.
  • Late August / early September 2026 — Work expected to resume.
  • Late 2026 — Additional phases, including breakwater construction, are expected to continue.

Schedules can shift — Seattle Parks has previously noted that permitting delays and additional environmental requirements have extended the project beyond original estimates. Treat the timeline as directional and check the official project page for the latest.

What this means for parking near BluWater

  • Closures are phased and rotating, not one continuous shutdown of all Leschi parking.
  • The Lower Marina Lot and the waterfront stalls along Lakeside Avenue S are the most affected.
  • The upper public lots next to the restaurant and the on-street parking up the hill are less consistently impacted and remain the most reliable options during construction.
  • Allow a few extra minutes during peak phases, particularly for sunset and weekend evening arrivals.
  • Posted signage and contractor traffic-control notices on-site always take precedence over anything written here.

What this doesn’t affect

The restaurant itself is fully open throughout the project — the patio, the dining room, the bar, the dock, and the pool table are all unaffected. The work is on the public marina infrastructure adjacent to the restaurant, not on BluWater’s premises.

Planning a visit?

If you’re putting together a larger group or a special-occasion booking and want to confirm current access on a specific date, give us a call before you head over — we’ll share what we’re seeing on the ground that week. For everything else, our parking page has the full rundown of options, including the most reliable lots during construction.

Want to help?

Thanks to everyone who showed up at the May 6 community meeting and reached out to the City — that direct pressure is what got the summer pause on the table. The fight isn’t over, though: the work resuming in late August still cuts into the busiest weeks for waterfront businesses, and how the project is staged when it returns will matter as much as the pause itself. If you’d like to keep the City accountable on phasing and communication when work resumes, we’ve put together a two-minute way to send a short note to Mayor Wilson and the Seattle City Council:

Personal notes carry more weight than form letters — so add your name, edit anything you’d like, and send it in your own words.