HHH’s mandate includes advocating for the great blue herons at Commodore Park, and we have concerns about a proposed development located just east of the Ballard Locks. We have submitted a letter outlining our concerns about protecting the colony, which is below.
If you are interested in sharing your own thoughts and concerns about the project, the deadline for submitting comments is June 26, 2026.
Our letter :
Subject: Record 3043424-LU – Terminal One development at 2750 W Commodore Way –
great blue heron colony impacts
We are writing to comment on Project 3043424-LU at 2750 W Commodore Way, which proposes shoreline development including a new marine sales and services building, bulkhead, boardwalk, docks, and removal of existing piers, floats, and piles, with parking for 75 vehicles.
This project lies in close proximity to Seattle’s largest great blue heron nesting colony (63 nests in 2026), which historically used Kiwanis Ravine and now nests in Commodore Park near the Ballard Locks. The City of Seattle has formally recognized great blue heron habitat as an Environmentally Critical Area and adopted Director’s Rule 13-2018, Great Blue Heron Management, to guide protection and management of these colonies.
1. Applicability of Director’s Rule 13-2018
Director’s Rule 13-2018 (https://web.seattle.gov/DPD/DirRulesViewer/Rule.aspx… ) establishes great blue heron management areas and buffers around nesting colonies to protect them from disturbance during critical life stages. Among other provisions, the Rule:
• Establishes a 197 foot year round buffer around great blue heron nesting colonies.
• Establishes larger seasonal buffers (500 feet for the Kiwanis and North Beach ravines, 300 feet for other colonies) during nesting season.
• Defines nesting season as February 1 through August 31 and pre nesting season as January 1 through March 31, when herons are especially sensitive to disturbance.
Given the proximity of the Kiwanis/Commodore colony to the Ballard Locks and adjacent shoreline, this Rule appears directly relevant to the Terminal One site and should guide review and conditioning of this proposal.
We respectfully request that the City explicitly confirm in the record how Director’s Rule 13-2018 applies to this project, and ensure conditions are imposed so construction and operations comply fully with the required buffers, seasonal timing restrictions, and noise/disturbance limits.
2. Loss of existing structures as heron staging habitat
The proposal includes demolition and removal of existing piers, floats, and piles, and installation of new over-water structures and a bulkhead. Existing docks and pilings along this shoreline currently function as staging/pre-nesting areas for herons.
Great blue herons use pre breeding “staging” sites to gather, display courtship behavior, and establish pair bonds prior to moving into the nesting colony. Removing these structures without replacing their ecological function risks degrading essential behavioral habitat that supports successful nesting at Commodore Park.
As stated in Director’s Rule 13-2018:
• Great Blue Heron Pre-Nesting Area: those areas where herons gather in groups prior to initiating nesting. In Seattle, pre-nesting areas include the heron management areas for the Kiwanis Ravine; Commodore Park and the Ballard Locks heron colonies; and the area connecting the Kiwanis Ravine great blue heron management area to the dock located at 2750 W. Commodore Way; and the area on the north side of the ship canal within the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks that includes all of the Carl S. English, Jr. Botanical Gardens and bordering vegetated areas.
We request that the City require the applicant to:
• Evaluate how removal of the existing fuel dock, piers, and pilings will affect heron staging and foraging behavior, using a qualified wildlife biologist familiar with great blue heron ecology.
• Design replacement structures (if permitted) to maintain or enhance safe perching and staging opportunities for herons, consistent with great blue heron management objectives.
3. Need for environmental and wildlife analysis
The shoreline in this area supports multiple sensitive resources, including the great blue heron colony and 3 species of salmon that pass through the Ballard Locks between spawning rivers and the Salish Sea. Seattle’s Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA) Code identifies fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, including areas that provide habitat for priority species and species of local importance.
Large shoreline redevelopment, bulkhead installation, new over water structures, and pile removal can alter nearshore and benthic habitats that are important for juvenile salmon rearing and migration, as well as for heron foraging. The combination of in water work, increased vessel activity, and ongoing operational noise/light warrants careful analysis of direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts.
Accordingly, we request that the City:
• Require a comprehensive environmental and wildlife impact analysis (whether as part of SEPA review or a more detailed environmental impact statement as warranted) that explicitly addresses impacts to the great blue heron management area, staging habitat, and fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas.
• Evaluate alternatives and mitigation measures that could avoid, minimize, or offset impacts, including construction timing windows, design modifications to over water structures, habitat enhancement, and lighting/noise controls.
4. Conditions to protect the heron colony
If this proposal moves forward, Heron Habitat Helpers urges that approval be conditioned to:
• Prohibit high noise construction activities within the heron nesting and pre nesting seasons (January 1–August 31) within applicable buffers, unless a qualified biologist confirms no active nesting or significant disturbance risk.
• Maintain the required year round and seasonal buffers identified in Director’s Rule 13-2018, including for staging areas associated with the Commodore Park colony.
• Implement construction best management practices to minimize lighting, noise, vibration, and in water disturbance that could disrupt heron nesting or salmon migration.
These measures would align the project with Seattle’s adopted great blue heron management framework and broader policies to protect environmentally critical areas and wildlife habitat.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Project 3043424-LU. We appreciate the City’s commitment to protecting Seattle’s unique urban wildlife, including the great blue heron colony near Kiwanis Ravine and Commodore Park, while evaluating shoreline development proposals.
