The redevelopment of Yesler Terrace got another big federal boost today, when Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the project would be awarded a $19.7-million Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant — this is the second HUD grant the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) has nabbed, the first for $10 million in August 2011. (You may wish to thank Senator Patty Murray, who is a backer of the initiative.) HUD says:
With both Choice Neighborhoods grants, SHA will replace the 561 public housing units on the site with 561 project-based voucher units and construct nearly 2,000 additional units to serve a mix of income levels. All new development will incorporate smart growth principals and be certified under the Enterprise Green Communities Program.
HUD claims the federal monies have “leveraged” another $207 million in support of the 22-acre redevelopment, from the City of Seattle, yes, but also Neighborcare Health, Neighborhood House, Seattle University, Year Up, Seattle Parks Department, Retail Lock Box, and the U.S. Department of Justice. In October 2012, a half-acre of former SHA property at 12th Avenue and East Yesler Way sold for $2.9 million.
“HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative supports local visions for how to transform high-poverty, distressed communities into neighborhoods of opportunity,” said Secretary Donovan. In the case of Yesler Terrace, that’s taken the shape of a not-uncontroversial attempt to build a “working” neighborhood from scratch. Authorities hope to replace a uniformly low-income housing project with one with income striations.
This year marked the beginning of Phase I: existing extremely low-income residents will get 98 replacement homes, but SHA is also building 20 brand-new homes for people who qualify as simply “low-income.” When Phases I and II are done, 212 of the promised 561 replacement homes will have been built, or about 38 percent of the total to come.
But it’s not just about housing. SHA says Phase I will also include community gardening improvements at Horiuchi Park, the launch of the 10th Avenue Hillclimb (for pedestrians and cyclists) connecting Yesler Terrace with the Little Saigon business district, and Cradle to College education support for residents of the Yesler Terrace neighborhood. To that end, there’s a partnership with Seattle University, which will offer early learning programs like Head Start, and tutoring and mentoring programs.
Also on the Transformation Plan list: two neighborhood medical clinics providing free healthcare services, three new pocket parks, 4,000-square-feet of affordable retail space, and restoration of Washington Hall, so it can function as a neighborhood performing arts center (instead of a decaying arts center).
