We maintain and preserve public access to Hidden Beach.
Hidden Beach (aka E. Harrison Street Shoreline Street End) is a protected public space under the Shoreline Street Ends Program. Friends of Hidden Beach is a community group dedicated to preserving access, organizing clean-up, and managing improvements for Hidden Beach. We are bound together by our love of Hidden Beach and a fervent desire to push back when private interests try to override public ones. We are also committed to summer splashing, sunset floats, and the swim-bubble brigade.
News, humor and rumors — find it all on our blog Making Waves.
Encroachments
Long Before Encroachments … it was simply a public beach
1975 Hidden Beach
On December 14, 2022 our permit application for the East Harrison Shoreline Street-end revitalization (spoiler: it’s awesome!) was submitted to the Seattle Department of Transportation. Our permit now goes to SDOT permit reviewers for feedback.
Throughout this process we have been working with Omar Akkari, SDOT Street Ends Coordinator.
Our Plan
“Shoreline street ends shall be preserved as public rights-of-way, to allow improvements for public uses and access."
— Seattle City Council, Resolution 29370
“Existing street use permits for shoreline street ends will be revoked or modified when a proposed public access improvement is approved, or upon a determination by the Seattle Engineering Department that the use under permit impairs public access to the shore.”
— Seattle City Council, Resolution 29370
“When the City determines that private encroachments on public rights-of-way providing access to water are to be removed, they shall be removed at the expense of the responsible private property owner.”
— Seattle City Council, Resolution 29370
“Street Use permits for new private use at shoreline street ends will be granted only following a public review process and only upon a finding that there is not an active proposal for a public access improvement.”
— Seattle City Council, Resolution 29370
“ … keep adjacent property owners from encroaching on the public's shoreline street ends; encourage people with permitted encroachments to remove them; require unpermitted encroachments to be permitted and removed; and discourage private use permit applications …”
— Seattle Ordinance 119673