SEATTLE—March 20, 2003—NewHolly Phase III will now be known as Othello Place at NewHolly. The new name was announced this month by the Seattle Housing Authority after consulting with area residents and business owners.
Deputy Executive Director Al Levine commented on the choice, "This site is separated from the rest of the new neighborhood by a steep hill and a busy arterial street. We felt that a distinct name would give this part of NewHolly an identity of its own, while still maintaining the connection to the rest of the neighborhood."
This part of the NewHolly neighborhood will have a different design concept than the first two phases of the redevelopment. It will be organized around a large central park. The home designs will be different from those in the rest of NewHolly and the homes for sale will be built by several independent builders, to design specifications supplied by SHA. Also, this part of the neighborhood will have more commercial development, which will also contribute to its unique identity.
Othello Place seemed like a good idea for a new name, in part because it marks the intersection where Othello Street begins as a route through to Lake Washington. West of MLK, Jr. Way it is known as Myrtle. Therefore this intersection is an anchor point on that important east-west connection between I-5 and Seward Park.
Also, once the Sound Transit station is built near this intersection, it will be known as Othello Station. Since this part of the neighborhood will be closest to the transit station, it seemed like a good idea to give this part of the neighborhood a name that would recognize that proximity.
The Othello Place redevelopment, combined with the Sound Transit station and the planned transit-related mixed-use, will create a residential/commercial neighborhood that will transform the area around the Othello-MLK, Jr. Way intersection into a unique place.
With the completion of demolition on this part of the site, the public housing development that so many knew as Holly Park officially ceased to exist. In keeping with this, Seattle Housing Authority will be making an effort to encourage map-makers to reflect the new street grids and begin referring to the area as NewHolly, and to let go of the old label.