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Newsletter - Building Community
Awards & Recognition
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Community celebrates grand opening of High
Point redevelopment
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SEATTLE—October 12, 2005—Over 300 people came together to
celebrate the grand opening of the redeveloped High Point. At a
large tent located alongside the new High Point pond, Seattle Mayor
Greg Nickels led the celebration of the transformation of the former
military-worker housing site to a new, highly acclaimed community.
Chief Sealth High School’s Marching Seahawks band made a surprise
visit to start the activities, which included tours of five new
rental homes.
People seeing the new High Point for the first time
at the Grand Opening Celebration were amazed at the transformation
of the landscape.
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Community members and others involved in the High Point
redevelopment gathered to celebrate the community's grand
opening. |
Where they used to see dilapidated and aging
housing, they now saw newly built colorfully painted homes, fresh
landscaping, and lush open spaces.
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Event attendees
discussed the new amenities as they enjoyed refreshments from local
restaurants, and toured the newest rental homes. They also had the
opportunity to tour some of the Breathe-Easy homes designed for
asthma sufferers, and to see High Point’s integrated storm water
retention pond.
“A great city
like Seattle deserves great new neighborhoods, and I believe what
you see today is the beginning of one of those neighborhoods,” said
Tom Phillips, SHA Senior Development Manager, as part of his
remarks. |
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Chief Sealth High School’s Marching
Seahawks band made a surprise visit to start the activities. |
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The dream
of reconnecting High Point with the rest of
West Seattle is now becoming a
reality. After years of thoughtful planning and building,
the first part of the new mixed-income community has come
together. By the end of the decade, High Point will have
1,600 new homes across its 120 acres.
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Many people at the celebration
agreed that this spectacular new neighborhood is the direct
result of an exceptionally close cooperation among planners,
residents, and other stakeholders.
“The homes are
overwhelmingly gorgeous,” said Sharon Cromley, who grew up in West
Seattle, and is now a Resident Commissioner with the Bremerton
Housing Authority. “High Point is like a flower that just bloomed.”
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The grand opening festivities included tours of
five new rental homes, including this Breathe Easy home. |
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Mithun
Architects, SvR Design, Nakano Associates, Seattle Housing
residents, West Seattle community members, and Seattle Housing staff
worked together to create High Point's award-winning redevelopment
plan. The plan includes three major components – quality design, a
healthy
environment, and an
engaged
community. It also incorporates ways to implement
community and environmental sustainability of the area. It calls for
creating a safe, high quality, and healthy residential environment
with a range of housing types that will be fully integrated with the
surrounding community. Each home is built to Built Green standards. |
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“High Point has
become a model community for the rest of the nation,” said Dr. James
Krieger from King County Public Health, who is working on High
Point’s Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities project.
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Participants in the celebration had the chance
to view the pond up close. |
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High Point boasts the largest crop of healthy homes in any
development across the United States. Its 35 Breathe-Easy Homes are
the first of their kind in the entire country. The University of
Washington’s School of Public Health will monitor the health of
children who live in these houses, and record reactions to their new
surroundings. High Point has also been designed as a “walkable”
community, which will add to the healthy lifestyle of its residents. |
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Some residents
who lived in the old High Point have already moved into new units.
Linda So, a West Seattle High School student who is involved with
SafeFutures, moved with her family into their new home at the end of
this summer. So explained that there are many things that they don’t
have to worry about anymore, like being able to fit their whole
family in their home for special occasions.
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Linda So shared her experiences about growing
up in High Point and now living in the redeveloped High Point.
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“We love the kitchen in our new home,”
said So. “We’re looking forward to being able to have the whole
family fit in our place for Thanksgiving this year.” |
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Representatives from Catholic Community Services’
Youth Tutoring Program, the High Point branch of the Seattle Public
Library, private builders with homes to sell at High Point, and the
Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers’ High Point Medical and
Dental Center shared information about their services at the
celebration. The Medical and Dental Center also offered a
kid-friendly area where neighborhood kids could play and learn about
health prevention.
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These new rental homes at High Point were
occupied earlier this year. |
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The official grand opening program
consisted of remarks from Tom Tierney, SHA Executive Director;
Cecile Hansen, Tribal Chairwoman of the Duwamish Tribe; Mayor Greg
Nickels; Linda So, High Point resident; Dr. James Krieger, King
County Public Health; Doris Koo, Senior Vice President of The
Enterprise Foundation; Linda Stalzer, Director/Project Development
of The Dwelling Company; and Tom Phillips, SHA Senior Development
Manager.
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