Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden

About

Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden is a two-acre former parking lot that exists to provide refugees and immigrants in South King County with opportunities to grow culturally familiar foods, connect with others, and have space for kids and families to engage with the outdoors.

Categories Program Adults BIPOC Children & Youth Mental Health

Program Details

Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden in Kent, WA is a two-acre former parking lot transformed into a thriving community space. A project of World Relief Western Washington in partnership with Hillside Church, it unites refugees, immigrants, and local residents from over 30 countries to grow culturally meaningful foods, thus improving health, food access, and economic independence while building community. The space is also a premier example of community-based green stormwater infrastructure, diverting thousands of gallons of stormwater runoff annually through our five rain gardens, bioswale, removing 20,000sqft of impermeable asphalt, and five 4,000gallon rainwater cisterns.

Future plans involve building out a Kid’s Learning and Play Zone, expanding the plot size to begin training new immigrant market gardeners, expanding environmental education offerings, and completing a native restoration of the remaining 0.5 acres surrounding the garden area.

Services Offered

Community garden plot rentals
Free gardening and food preservation classes
Seeds, tools, and plant starts
Environmental education classes for local youth
Summer internship opportunities for refugee-immigrant background youth

Contact Lucas McClish – Community Garden Coordinator Amy Kuhl – Resiliency Programs Manager Medard Ngueita – Executive Director Lmcclish@wr.org Akuhl@wr.org Mnegueita@wr.org (253) 277-1121 World Relief Western Washington

Population Served
Refugees and immigrants in South King County, WA.

Staff Composition
Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden is managed by one full time garden coordinator with a background in environmental science. Additional program support staff include a Resiliency Program Manager, Learning and Development Coordinator, and Grants Manager.

Cost to Participate
$40.00 annual plot rental fee with scholarships available for those under high financial duress.

Research Connections

We have been involved in ongoing research with the University of Washington since 2024. We are working with faculty and undergraduate students from the College of the Environment to measure our site’s impact on mitigating local flooding and water pollution through our green stormwater infrastructure. We formed this partnership through the Research to Action Collaboratory facilitated by Urban@UW. You can read more on this project here.

Aerial photo of the garden showing several rows of raised beds surrounded by trees and shrubs.

Garden with curving paths, pond on the right, and bridge on the left. In the left background three adults are removing mulch from a wheelbarrow and spreading it.

Raised bed gardens filled with produce and flags from different countries.

Several adults and a child gathered around tables laden with fresh leafy greens.

Group of adults and children, some wearing vegetable costumes, standing in a row in front of a colorful storage container with fruits and vegetables painted on it.

Two adults readying a garden plot for planting with young child in foreground.

Paradise Parking Plots in the Media

The Today Show
Watch: Community garden becomes sanctuary for new refugees

The Seattle Times
Read: South Seattle plant program helps immigrants, refugees put down roots

Christianity Today
Read: A Seattle-Area Ministry Wants More Cooks in the Kitchen

Recent Case Studies

People walk along a gravel path with benches and a waterway in the background.

Place

Muscota Marsh

The restoration of Muscota Marsh in New York City created public waterfront access through land owned by Columbia University while restoring habitat, increasing biodiversity, and improving stormwater management.

People walking and riding bicycles on a path with tall grass on either side of the path and mountains in the background.

Place

Story Mill Community Park

Encompassing 60 acres, Story Mill includes 40 acres of nature preserve with restored wetlands, aspen groves, open meadows, and the East Gallatin River, and 20 acres offering educational and recreational opportunities to engage community members and accommodate gatherings.

Nighttime aerial view shows the illuminated park with a crowd of people sitting on the lawn and the city skyline in the background.

Place

SoundScape Park

The space was transformed from a parking lot into a multi-use park that hosts a busy schedule of social events, including world-class audio-visual experiences, concerts, and film screenings.