FAQs: Shoreline Prop. 1: Creation of Shoreline Metroplitan Park District to Build and Operate a Pool Facility and Future Recreation Facilities

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FAQs updated June 2, 2026.

1. What is a metropolitan park district?

2. What would the Shoreline MPD cover?

3. How big would the pool facility be and where would it be located?

Based on the current preliminary design, the facility would be approximately 48,000 square feet and include the following:

8-lane, 25-yard, lap pool with starting platforms, two 1m diving boards, stepped entry, ramp and lift access
recreation pool with stepped entry, ramp, lift access, and a lazy river/current channel for water walking and floating
hydrotherapy pool with stepped entry and lift access
sauna
universal changerooms with individual rooms, stalls, and private and deck showers
pool spectator area with flexible seating options
lobby with seating, pool viewing area, and snack bar
classroom and party room
staff area and service spaces
green spaces between the building and street with connection to the Interurban Trail

More deatil on the concept designs of the pool facililty is available in the Shoreline Pool Facility Concept Design Report: Select Highlights.

4. Where would the pool facility be built?

5. How much would this pool facility cost to build?

6. How much would it cost to operate and maintain the pool?

Current cost estimates show operations and maintenance costs for the first five years averaging about $4.4 million with anticipated revenue from user and rental fees bringing in about $2.9 million. This means that the anticipated revenue generated from user and rental fees would cover 66% of the costs to operate and maintain the pool facility. The remaining 34%, approximately $1.5 million, would be provided from the ongoing MPD property tax. By subsidizing some of the operations and maintenance costs with MPD revenue, we can keep the costs lower for users, making the pool more accessible and affordable.

7. Does the current proposal to construct a pool facility include constructing a recreation facility?

8. Who pays the property tax for the MPD?

9. How much would the property tax cost property owners?

Preliminary cost estimates for property owners are in the table below.

2026 Property Value	Estimated Annual Cost	Estimated Monthly Cost
$400,000	$203	$17
$831,000 (2026 Median valued home in Shoreline)	$421	$35
$1,000,000	$507	$42

10. Would the property tax expire once the pool is built?

No. The property tax would not only cover the construction costs of the pool facility but would also pay for ongoing annual operations and maintenance of the pool facility. During the first 20 years, the MPD would utilize the property tax for debt payments on the construction costs. After 20 years, revenue that was previously used for debt payments could be repurposed for a recreation facility or pool renovations. At that time, the MPD Board could also decide to lower the tax rate.

11. Who would oversee the Shoreline MPD?

12. How would Shoreline MPD revenue be spent?

The revenue would be spent on building, operating, and maintaining the pool facility. It could also be used to build, operate, and maintain future recreation facilities once the 20-year bonds for the pool are paid or if the MPD goes out to the voters again for a new property tax measure. The initial cost estimates and anticipated property tax rate only covers building, operating, and maintaining the pool.

13. Could the MPD funds be used for other City of Shoreline needs?

14. What area is included in the MPD?

15. When will the tax go into effect?

16. Who would operate the pool facility?

17. How is the City paying for the purchase of property site at 17828 Midvale Ave N?

18. Would there be resident and non-resident user fees for the pool facility? What are the estimated user fees?

Yes. The pool facility would charge user and rental fees to help offset some of the operational costs of the pool facility. There would be resident and non-resident rates, which is a model used with existing City recreation programming. The City, as the party contracted to operate the pool, would look at the fees charged at other regional public pool facilities to determine the drop-in and annual pass fees.

Cost estimates for annual operations and maintenance (O&M) and revenue were calculated for the purpose of understanding the approximate operating subsidy needed from MPD revenue. If Shoreline voters were to approve Proposition 1, more detailed facility program planning would occur to refine the assumptions used by consultants related to pool programming, rentals, and fees.

For this estimating, user fees were calculated as an average cost of regional public pools for drop-in and annual pass fees. We used the following per visit rates for drop-in rates. These estimates are based on 2026 dollars and may increase due to inflation and more detailed facility program planning that would happen.

Category	Resident Fee (in 2026 dollars)	Non-resident Fee (in 2026 dollars)
Under 2	Free	Free
Youth (2-17)	$7.00	$9.00
Adult	$9.00	$11.00
Senior (65+)	$7.00	$9.00

19. When can we expect the pool to open?

20. Why did the former Shoreline Pool close?

King County built the former Shoreline Pool, a 6-lane lap pool, in 1971. By 2020, the pool had reached the end of its useful life and needed significant repairs, maintenance, and upgrades to keep it operational. After years of providing emergency repairs to keep the aging facility open, the City decided to close that facility. The City initially scheduled the closure for September 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City permanently closed the pool in June 2020.

21. How is this pool design different from the 2019 pool, recreation, and community center design?

A 2019 Parks and Pool bond measure asked if voters wanted to fund a new 75,000 square foot facility, which included a pool and a recreation and community center. It also included funding for redevelopment of four parks. However, the bond measure to not pass, receiving only 54%, not the required 60%, voting to approve the bond measure.

The facility considered in 2019 was significantly larger than the current 48,000 square foot pool facility design. The pool spaces in the current design have many similarities to the pool spaces in the 2019 design. The size difference is primarily because the 2019 facility included recreation and community center spaces such as a gymnasium, large multipurpose room, and kitchen. The current proposal focuses on a pool-only facility but does leave space for a potential future phase two recreation facility addition on the same site.

22. Would qualifying senior citizens be exempt from paying the MPD tax?

According to the King County Assessor’s Office, the tax imposed by the MPD would not be eligible for the senior citizen tax exemption because this is not allowable by state law. People who receive senior exemptions on other taxes would have to pay the new MPD property tax.

However, some seniors may pay less than a non-senior owning a property of the same value. There are multiple levels of senior exemptions administered by the King County Assessor’s Office. Seniors who qualify, apply, and are approved for senior exemptions, and their property is assigned a “frozen value,” would be taxed on the “frozen value” or the current market value, whichever is lower. The “frozen value” is the market value of their property as of January 1st of the initial year they qualify for the property tax exemption. Thus, an exempt senior would be taxed by the MPD at the same rate as other property owners, but only for the lowest value of the property tax (either frozen or market).

To learn more about property tax exemptions and deferrals, and to ask questions about your specific situation, visit the King County Assessor's website.