SEATTLE—November 15, 2004—Seattle Housing's Board of Commissioners acknowledged and thanked Popkin Development today for their many contributions to the development of NewHolly. Popkin Development partnered with Seattle Housing to redevelop Holly Park into what is known today as NewHolly, a thriving neighborhood recognized throughout the country as a model of urban revitalization.
"Henry Popkin and Popkin Development have helped make NewHolly a success, including home to more than 1,300 families of mixed incomes," said Al Levine, SHA Deputy Executive Director of Development and Asset Management. "We have appreciated Henry Popkin's commitment and belief in the vision of NewHolly."
NewHolly was the first mixed-income redevelopment of its kind in Seattle. It was originally known as Holly Park and was a neighborhood of one and two-story wood frame structures built to house defense workers during World War II. From the early 1950s until the mid-1990s, it provided up to 871 units public housing for low-income families.
In 1996, the redevelopment of the community began in order to transform it into a neighborhood with a mix of low-income, moderate-income and market-rate housing. NewHolly now blends into the surrounding neighborhood, ending the stigma and challenges often associated with high concentrations of public housing.