SEATTLE— September 18, 2017—Raven Terrace, the Seattle Housing Authority’s second new residential building at Yesler, was named the best public housing redevelopment in Affordable Housing Finance magazine’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards for the Nation’s Best Affordable Housing Developments.

Raven Terrace is part of SHA’s redevelopment of Yesler Terrace from 561 aging housing units into a new mixed-income community that replaces all previous low-income housing and includes more than 1,000 additional units of affordable housing along with market-rate housing. It is a 30-acre site near downtown Seattle that was developed by SHA in the early 1940s as the first publicly subsidized housing in the state of Washington and the first racially integrated public housing in the country.

Raven Terrace, which was designed by Weber Thompson, includes 83 affordable apartments for people of all ages, space for resident-run childcare, a central courtyard, community room and office space for social services. Weber Thompson employees donated books for a reading center in the lobby. Raven Terrace is adjacent to a fully accessible pedestrian pathway that connects the Yesler community to surrounding neighborhoods. It is situated near a community center, new streetcar line, 1.8-acre park currently under construction, and an education and learning center created out of a historic steam plant. The building, which opened in January of 2016, was designed to meet both Evergreen Sustainable Development Standards and Evergreen Green Communities criteria.

“Raven Terrace is a beautiful building that provides a long-term affordable housing option in the heart of Seattle for residents and families earning the lowest income levels,” said SHA Executive Director Andrew Lofton, who will receive the award in Chicago in November. “We’re proud of this national recognition and very grateful to the many partners who made Raven Terrace possible.”

Media Contact:

Kerry Coughlin
Director of Communications
Seattle Housing Authority
kerry.coughlin@seattlehousing.org
206.615.3506

About Seattle Housing Authority

The mission of the Seattle Housing Authority is to enhance the Seattle community by creating and sustaining decent, safe and affordable living environments that foster stability and self-sufficiency for people with low incomes. SHA provides long-term, low-income rental housing and rental assistance to more than 34,000 people in Seattle. SHA owns and operates approximately 8,000 units at nearly 400 sites throughout the city. SHA also administers more than 10,000 Housing Choice Vouchers, enabling low-income residents to receive rental assistance throughout the Seattle housing market. SHA, an independent public corporation established in 1939, is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners, two of whom are SHA residents. Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. More information is available at www.seattlehousing.org.