The Seattle City Council holds a public hearing on the city's 2027–2028 budget today, November 5. Final adoption is expected November 20. The budget the council is weighing includes the $30.6 million renovation of the Loyal Heights Community Center. My Ballard reported that design is expected to continue through winter 2027, with construction scheduled from summer 2027 through winter 2028.
The neighborhood's other big shared-space question sits at the corner of NW 80th Street and 24th Avenue NW, and it has also moved into 2027. Neither of Loyal Heights' largest changes has a date before next summer. The building at 2101 NW 77th Street is running a full schedule through December, with winter registration already set. Of everything here, this winter's calendar is the part that has been decided.
A decade of planning, now inside a budget cycle
The project is not new. It was named a priority in Seattle's 2016 Community Center Strategic Plan, and a 2020 feasibility study looked at the building's structural, electrical, operational and programming needs. The Engage Seattle Parks project hub says the renovation will upgrade aging building structures, convert mechanical systems from fossil fuels to electric, improve accessibility, and renovate several interior programming spaces.
The city's project page was last updated October 20, 2026. According to the hub, the team is reviewing feedback from its booth at Tasty Tunes on August 8 and from an online survey that has since closed, and is moving the design toward 60% Design Development. The hub also notes that the renderings are early and that finishes, colors and other details may change. The construction window has already shifted once. The city's 2025 design-services solicitation estimated January 2027 through June 2028 and noted that the schedule could change. The summer 2027 start comes from the later report tied to the budget proposal.
The proposed budget also arrives as Seattle Parks and Recreation faces lower-than-expected Real Estate Excise Tax revenue. According to My Ballard, the department plans to cut its 2026 spending authority by $12 million and expects about $25 million less in its 2027–2032 capital plan. Loyal Heights stayed in the proposal while a planned synthetic turf conversion at West Magnolia's south athletic field lost $5.1 million in funding.
The rooms on this season's schedule are the rooms in the scope
The fall drop-in schedule and the renovation's scope list the same rooms. Here is what the center's page and the Fall 2026 Seattle Parks brochure list as free drop-ins, sign-in with a Quick Card at the front desk:
| Drop-in | Days and hours | Ages | Fall term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tot Gym | Tue/Thu, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. | 5 and under | Dec. 31 |
| Teen Room | Mon–Thu, 2:30–5:30 p.m. | 11–18 | Dec. 31 |
| Fitness Room | Mon/Wed/Fri 9 a.m.–8:45 p.m.; Tue 1:15–7:30 p.m.; Thu noon–7:30 p.m. | 18+ | Dec. 29–31 |
| Adult Pickleball | Fri, 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. | 18+ | Dec. 18 |
| Dodgeball | Mon, 7–8:45 p.m. | 16+ | Dec. 21 |
| Basketball | Mon/Wed/Fri, 2–4 p.m.; Tuesday hours differ by source | All ages | Dec. 30 |
The two sources list different Tuesday basketball hours. The city's web page shows Tuesday as 3:30 to 6 p.m., and the brochure folds Tuesday into the 2 to 4 p.m. block. The front desk at 206-684-4052 can confirm before you go.
Now compare the city's 2025 request for design services, posted on Seattle's procurement portal. Its list of interior spaces includes a first-floor "Lobby / Admin / Toddler -Daycare," "Preschool / Restrooms" and "Weights & Stretch Fitness," plus second-floor "Cardio Fitness," "Multipurpose 2 / Kitchen / Teen Room" and "Multipurpose 4." The stabilization list covers roof replacement, masonry repairs, seismic upgrades, new windows and entry doors, restroom renovations, a same-size kitchen replacement, gym HVAC maintenance and new wood floors in the multipurpose rooms.
That document also sets an order of priority. The interior programming work depends on how much budget remains after stabilization and electrification, and rooftop solar is listed only as an alternate if funding allows. The Teen Room and fitness rooms in the table above are on the list of spaces under consideration. Whether they get renovated depends on how the core building work prices out.
What has not been announced
Seattle Parks has not said publicly whether the building will close during construction, or where the Tot Gym, Little Seeds Preschool or the drop-ins would go if it does. Neither the project hub nor My Ballard's coverage ties the summer 2027 start to a closure plan. The hub has a sign-up form for project updates, and the engagement team can be reached at [email protected] or 206-684-4075.
The corner at 80th and 24th is waiting too
A few blocks northwest of the center, the Downtown Loyal Heights effort organized by Jed Sundwall is still collecting interest in a community-owned purchase of property on the southeast side of the 80th and 24th intersection. My Ballard reported on August 28 that 96 people had pledged $2.7 million, and that the seller had added the neighboring Loyal Automotive parcel to the proposed acquisition. The project's own site now shows 105 pledges totaling $2.82 million. It describes them as nonbinding indications of interest and says there is no credible offer yet, no entity has been formed, and no securities have been offered.
The zoning that would shape what can be built there has also moved out to 2027. The City Council's Comprehensive Plan page says Phase II is on hold because of litigation, with updated meeting dates likely in early 2027. The Urbanist reported on October 12 that the city cannot approve the Phase II zoning changes until the state Growth Management Hearings Board accepts its added environmental analysis. That compliance deadline is September 9, 2027.
The center's dates and the corner's dates, in order:
- November 20, 2026: Expected council adoption of the budget that funds the center renovation.
- December 8, 2026: Winter 2026/27 registration opens for community center programs.
- Winter 2027: Center design work expected to continue.
- Early 2027: Likely new council meeting dates for Comprehensive Plan Phase II.
- Summer 2027: Center construction scheduled to begin.
- September 9, 2027: Compliance deadline for the city's Phase II environmental analysis.
The winter calendar, building first
The center's evening programs continue through December. Friday Night Escape, a parents' night for ages 3 to 12, runs 5:15 to 8:15 p.m. on November 6 and December 11 for $40. Wonderful Wednesdays, for ages 3 to 8, has three sessions left, on November 18, December 2 and December 16. Little Seeds Preschool's November term runs through November 30, and its December term runs December 1 to 23.
The center's two big community events of the year are set up to support its scholarship fund. My Ballard describes Tasty Tunes as an annual event with live music, food trucks and a classic car show, with proceeds going to the fund. The Seattle Parks registration page for the October 30 Halloween Bash at the Heights says its proceeds support LHCC Scholarships.
South of the neighborhood, Ballard's holiday season is starting:
- Ballard Tomte Trail: Visit Ballard lists it for November 1 through December 5, 2026.
- Seattle Sauna Festival: November 7 and 8, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the National Nordic Museum, according to My Ballard.
- Julefest: November 20 to 22 at the National Nordic Museum, 2655 NW Market Street, with a Friday night market from 5 to 9 p.m. and weekend hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Ballard HolidayFest and Market: Saturday, December 5, 2 to 8 p.m., at Marvin's Garden, with a tree lighting and a market on Ballard Avenue NW.
Julefest opens on the same day the council is expected to adopt the budget. Winter registration opens three days after HolidayFest, on December 8. Programs signed up for that day will run in the building as it stands today.
If you're weighing how the renovation timeline or the zoning at 80th and 24th affects a property you own nearby, Adam Bradley follows both closely and can talk through what each date means for your plans. Schedule a Strategic Consultation.
