There's an unlikely new place to work out in the Fremont-Wallingford area: the garbage dump.

The city of Seattle just opened a new garbage transfer station near Gas Works Park, after the old one closed two years ago. Neighbors wanted it to reopen only if it came with community benefits - and that's what they got.

The new North Transfer Station is not your typical garbage dump. There's no smell outside. It's quiet outside the facility, too. From the sidewalk, it looks more like a community center.

Lee Raaen: "People are looking forward to it because you've got this nice walking area, you've got exercise areas, you've got the play field, the basketball court, and all this sort of thing."

Lee Raaen is on the board for the Wallingford Community Council. The group was highly involved in planning the waste station. WCC had Seattle Public Utilities sign a binding contract saying WCC would have approval over any changes to the project and in return WCC would not file lawsuits against the project.