A NEW Community Center FOR NORTHSHORE
Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study
A map showing the boundaries of the Northshore Parks and Recreation Service Area.
The Northshore Parks & Recreation Service Area (NPRSA) is undertaking study - formally called a needs assessment and feasibility study - to determine potential options for a new community center within the district. A community center could provide a place for youth and visitors of all ages to build community and develop life skills through athletics, academic opportunities, and the arts. The study is being conducted by ARC Architects and is expected to be completed in March 2026.
The study will:
Identify gaps in community services within the NPRSA, emphasizing the needs of youth;
Describe a desired program or type of facility to meet those needs;
Identify a site that would best serve the needs of the communities in the NPRSA;
Create design options for a proposed building and its amenities;
Perform a cost analysis and propose a funding strategy; and
Inform future NPRSA levies and bond planning
Where We are Now
What did we learn from the first community survey?
In the first survey conducted in 2024, community members expressed strong interest in a new community center that supports aquatics and indoor recreation for youth, teens, adults, and older adults. Respondents emphasized the value of inclusive, multi-generational spaces that promote health, wellness, and recreation.
What progress has been made since Survey 1?
Since completing the first survey, several important steps have occurred:
A preferred site for the potential community center has been identified in Woodinville.
An environmental assessment of the site has been completed.
A site test-fit analysis was conducted to evaluate how many of the community-identified programs and functions can fit within the site’s buildable area.
Survey 1 Results
What is a site test-fit?
A site test-fit is a planning exercise used to determine how proposed building uses and program elements can be arranged within the physical and regulatory constraints of a site. This helps ensure design concepts are realistic and achievable.
How is Survey 2 different from Survey 1?
Survey 1 focused on gathering broad ideas and community aspirations—essentially “dreaming big” about programs and features. Survey 2 is about level-setting and refining those ideas based on the specific characteristics and limitations of the preferred site.
What will Survey 2 ask participants to review?
Survey 2 presents three preliminary design concepts for the proposed community center. Each concept is based on the preferred program identified in Survey 1, but they differ in layout, scale, and how space is prioritized within the site.
Why are there three design concepts?
Presenting multiple concepts allows the community to compare different approaches and trade-offs. This feedback helps NPRSA understand what elements are most important and how best to balance programs within the site constraints.
How will community feedback be used?
Community feedback from Survey 2 will be used to refine the design concepts and identify a preferred option. That option will be presented to the NPRSA Board for consideration as the project advances into future planning and design phases.
Does completing the survey mean the project is approved?
No. Survey participation helps inform planning and decision-making, but it does not represent final approval. Additional steps, reviews, and Board actions will be required before the project can move forward.
Concept Designs
Frequently Asked Questions
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While this project focuses primarily on the needs of youth, we want to include the needs and priorities of the entire community. NPRSA and ARC Architects are working with representative members of the community, including youth, to narrow down the focus of what this center could be and how it could best serve our community’s needs and provide its desired programming and amenities.
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The NPRSA is approaching this study with all options and outcomes in mind, and holding no preconceptions about the type of services or facilities that youth in the district may want or need. This is why the study is for a “community center,” rather than for something more specific like an aquatics or athletics facility. The NPRSA might consider a center suited to any or all possible needs, as recommended by the findings of this study. It’s possible that the study could find that facilities and programming for youth are needed, but that they are not the top priority for district residents. If so, the NPRSA might consider those other needs in a later study, as it’s unlikely we could design a center that includes everything.
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A preliminary funding strategy is one of ARC Architects’ deliverables as part of this Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study. Based on that strategy, the NPRSA may ask a levy consultant to assess the levy/bonding capacity of the district. This evaluation would help determine if a levy or bond measure to finance the construction of a facility is likely to pass. The levy consultant may also help craft ballot measure language, educate voters about the measure, and organize support.
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• A pool is a basic facility, generally with a shallower end for recreational swimming and a deeper end for diving, which can be separated into lanes for competitions.
• An aquatics center is more elaborate and includes multiple amenities, such as several pools for different kinds of swimming, a lazy river, waterslides, and splash pads. But it still has a specific purpose: namely, aquatics.
• The NRPSA intends to conduct a broader study that acknowledges the potential need for multipurpose spaces that can support a wider variety of programming and activities, of which aquatics or other athletics may be only one component. A “community center” is a convenient, recognizable term for this sort of multifunction facility.
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• While other cities have not successfully passed pool or community center levies recently, the studies prepared in support of those levies have consistently shown both a growing need and community interest in the construction of such a facility.
• As a multi-municipality taxing district, the NPRSA is uniquely positioned to build a facility by spreading the tax burden across a larger area, lessening the impact to individual taxpayers (and potentially allowing the construction of a larger facility than any of the member agencies would be able to afford on their own).