I don't have a photo account or know how to link other people's flikr pics, but here's a plan for the Seattle Commons park circa 1993, basically from just beyond the northern edge of Seattle's CBD northward to Lake Union (bottom of map). The image reflects surorunding developement that wasn't part of the proposal itself, but would have been expected had the park happened.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seattle...es/5204202277/
I volunteered for the nonprofit behind this in late 1992, and was soon after on the organization's (or related campaign's) staff most of the time until 1996, when we lost our second attempt at a City levy.
Paul Allen donated $26,000,000 for land aquisition. The land we bought would have been donated to the City as part of the park. When the plan failed, the land became his. This is the centerpiece for a huge amount of development since then.
Today, South Lake Union (the park area and the surroundings) is the busiest development zone in town, with several million square feet built or underway, heavy on research labs, Amazon, and apartments. Now we're debating zoning much of the area highrise, with the mayor forwarding his plan to council this week.
Two small parts of the park did get built -- one block next to the existing Denny Park where we laid sod and built a basketball court that are still there, and the large pier and shoreline, which was completely redone recently, and which have the relocated Museum of History & Industry opening soon in the historic Naval Reserve Building.
I'd love to have the park, but I also love what's been happening.