SEATTLE—January 20, 2003—Yesler Terrace's new $6.6 million community center will be located on Yesler Way near the intersection with Broadway. The 20,000 square foot building will open at the end of 2004 to provide space for sports activities, a computer lab, after-school programs for elementary school children, classes for adults and a gathering space for cultural celebrations.

The Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation is making good progress on planning the new community center. The project is one of several new and expanded community centers made possible by the Community Center levy, passed by Seattle voters in 1999.

A Project Advisory Team made up of Yesler Terrace residents, a representative of Harborview Hospital, residents of the surrounding neighborhood and SHA staff have been working with Parks and Mithun, the project’s architectural firm, on the design of the center since early 2002.

Construction is scheduled to begin in early summer 2003.

The existing Yesler gym will continue to operate at least until the new community center is open and maybe beyond. In spring 2003, the Yesler Terrace Management Office will move across the street into offices that were formerly used as a medical clinic to make way for the new community center.

The community, Parks and SHA evaluated a number of potential locations for the Yesler Community Center before selecting the site. Unfortunately, construction of the center will require demolition of twenty-one housing units. While there is strong community support for the new center, there is also strong support for maintaining the number of low-income housing units. Parks and SHA initially attempted to combine the center and replacement housing in a mixed-use development. However, this idea proved to be unworkable due to zoning height limitations.

Instead, SHA is acquiring housing in the area to replace the twenty-one units. In December 2002, SHA purchased six townhomes in the Central Area close to Yesler Terrace to replace the six 3- and 4- bedroom units being demolished. The other fifteen units to be demolished are all 1- and 2-bedroom units. SHA intends to purchase similar-sized replacement units, also nearby, during 2003. One plus associated with the replacement housing is that it is generally newer and more suitable for today's families than the older Yesler Terrace apartments.