A King County Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Seattle efforts to improve conditions around Denny Blaine Park including new fences and signs added late this summer are adequate to keep the space open to the public while a lawsuit from neighbors over the nude beach moves toward a spring trial.

Judge Samuel Chung heard an update Friday on the city’s “abatement” plan for Denny Blaine and ruled against lawyers representing a group of anonymous neighbors seeking to shut the park down.

According to court records, Chung found the city “has made reasonable efforts in abatement” in the Friday afternoon session but not before admonishing “the gallery as to improper courtroom conduct” in the closely watched case.

In August, the Seattle Parks Department responded to a court order by adding a restricted “nude zone” to the park popular with queer and nudist communities on the shores of Lake Washington east of Capitol Hill. The city says the zone is hoped to address complaints of illegal sexual activity in the ongoing lawsuit brought by a group of neighbors and property owners over the nude beach.

CHS reported previously on the lawsuit from unnamed park neighbors demanding the city address concerns at Denny Blaine over “public masturbation, public sex and other types of indecent exposure, drug use, unlawful public nudity, environmental damage to the shoreline, and scofflaw parking.”

The lawsuit followed unsuccessful attempts to change the park. CHS reported in December 2023 as the parks department backed off a plan to add a children’s play area paid for by an anonymous donor amid massive public outcry. The Stranger later discovered text messages revealing Mayor Bruce Harrell worked with multimillionaire mall developer and Denny Blaine resident Stuart Sloan in the fight over the playground plan and the nude beach at Denny Blaine Park.

The lawsuit also follows the decision by Chief Shon Barnes and the Seattle Police Department in May to end increased patrols at Denny Blaine.

The group Friends of Denny Blaine has continued to seek community solutions as the lawsuit has played out. In September, the group celebrated Denny Blaine Park’s addition to the Washington Heritage Register. The state register is intended to form an “official listing of historically significant sites and properties found throughout the state.”

The neighbor lawsuit is calling on the city to fully prohibit nudity in the park — or permanently close it.

UPDATE: The Friends of Denny Blaine group is expressing caution about the ruling. A spokesperson said while the park can remain open, another hearing has been set for February to review conditions around the park and efficacy of the city’s abatement efforts.

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