Raven Terrace

Raven Terrace, the second new Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) residential building to open as part of SHA’s redevelopment of Yesler Terrace near downtown Seattle, is now accepting residents. People who were temporarily relocated due to demolition of aging housing at Yesler Terrace and residents who want to move from buildings at Yesler Terrace slated for future replacement have priority for apartments at Raven Terrace. SHA is also accepting applications from income-eligible individuals and families who will be new to the Yesler community.

SHA is hosting a Raven Terrace Grand Opening celebration, Friday, February 5, 2016 from 10 a.m. to noon, with building tours and light refreshments. An official opening ceremony and ribbon cutting with public officials, funders and resident speakers will take place from 10:30-11:00 a.m. in the Community Room at Raven Terrace, which is located at 820 Yesler Way in Seattle.

Raven Terrace was named for a bird symbolic in many cultures and the symbol of “storyteller” in the Duwamish Tribe. It has a total of 83 apartments, a community room, and a central courtyard with access off a pedestrian pathway that will run diagonally across the Yesler neighborhood, connecting with First Hill to the north and Chinatown International District and Little Saigon to the south. Raven Terrace is located less than a block from bus lines and the new streetcar stop at Yesler Terrace. There are accessible units for people with disabilities as well as “Breathe Easy” apartments, designed with special ventilation and surfaces to reduce incidences of asthma and other respiratory problems. The building features energy efficient appliances and lighting.

For leasing information, call the Yesler Terrace Property Management Office at 206.223.3758 or go online to seattlehousing.org.

Construction of Raven Terrace was made possible with funding from JPMorgan Chase Bank, Union Bank, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, City of Seattle and Washington State Housing Finance Commission.

10th Ave S Hillclimb

Also newly opened as part of SHA’s redevelopment of Yesler is the 10th Ave S Hillclimb, a new outdoor pedestrian thoroughfare that connects the First Hill and Yesler neighborhoods to nearby Chinatown International District and Little Saigon. It features a staircase, ramp, landscaping, 24-hour lighting and a gathering plaza. The Hillclimb features 25 colorful, two to four-foot mosaic medallions along the route, created by artist Mauricio Robalino, who engaged Yesler residents in design concepts. Robalino incorporates symbols and icons important to the community that represent the past, present, and future of Yesler. A theme of a raven unites the medallions into a single, cohesive work of art. The 10th Ave S Hillclimb is open for all residents, neighbors and members of the public to enjoy.

On Saturday, February 13 at 10 a.m. SHA will host a Grand Opening of the 10th Ave S Hillclimb, scheduled to coincide with the start of the Lunar New Year festival hosted by the Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area. The Hillclimb plaza where the ceremony will be held is accessed by going south from the Yesler Community Center along 10th Ave S or north from 10th Ave S and S Jackson.

Construction of the 10th Ave S Hillclimb was made possible with funding from JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the City of Seattle and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Yesler Terrace Redevelopment

Yesler Terrace was the city’s first public housing, built 76 years ago by the then newly established Seattle Housing Authority. The redevelopment of Yesler Terrace began in 2013 after SHA, Yesler residents, a Citizens Review Committee, surrounding neighbors, city officials, nonprofit service partners and citizens at large shaped a plan for replacing Yesler Terrace’s aging housing with a vibrant new community for Yesler residents and adding a significant amount of new housing for people across a spectrum of income levels. When completed, Yesler will have up to 5,000 apartments, a 1.8-acre central park, three pocket parks, a half-mile “Green Street” loop, a new landscaped stair and ramp connection to the Chinatown International District and Little Saigon, community gardening areas, retail businesses and office space. The community will continue to offer low-income residents a wide range of services to help them with increased education, health and employment opportunities.

SHA’s first new residential building at Yesler, Kebero Court, opened in Spring 2015 and is fully leased. The next to open at Yesler after Raven Terrace will be called Hoa Mai Gardens. It is currently under construction at 221 10th Avenue S and, when completed in 2017, will provide 111 apartments for low-income residents.

Media contact:
Kerry Coughlin
kerry.coughlin@seattlehousing.org
206.615.3506

About the Seattle Housing Authority

The mission of the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) 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 30,000 people in the City of Seattle. SHA owns and operates approximately 8,000 units at nearly 400 sites throughout the city. SHA also handles more than 10,000 Housing Choice Vouchers (also known as Section 8), enabling low-income residents to receive rental assistance in the private housing market. Approximately 13,000 SHA residents are elderly or disabled and about 9,500 are children. SHA, a 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.