The Seattle Housing Authority is gradually redeveloping its 30-acre mixed-income Yesler Terrace community. (Doug Trumm)

The Urbanist‘s in-person monthly meetup series is back and it’s headed to Yesler Terrace on Thursday, January 11, for an event focused on Seattle Housing Authority’s Yesler Terrace redevelopment. It’s been a while since we’ve taken a comprehensive look at Yesler Terrace, and the community is brimming with new life. We’ll hear from Seattle Housing Authority’s Director of Development, Terry Galiney, and connect with neighbors and others interested in developments in the area.

The event is from 6pm to 7:30pm at Locust Cider First Hill at 500 Terry Avenue. Tickets are free and space is limited so reserve your spot. (We had sold out of our initial capacity, but Locust was kind enough to rearrange their space to make more room.)

Yesler Terrace’s redevelopment involved a massive remake of the district in terms of income levels, housing types, and community facilities, replacing aging low-income public housing units with new low-income public housing and integrating it into mid-rise, mixed-use and multi-family residential buildings, new parks, community centers, and some transportation infrastructure. Plus a pair of highrise towers will join the mix, with 22% of homes affordable.

The Su Development is under construction and will add a pair of towers (23 stories and 21 stories, respectively) to the Yesler Terrace neighborhood. (Rendering by Bohlin Cywinsky Jackson)

The 30-acre-plus Yester Terrace community is on a hill above downtown Seattle and “is being transformed through a complete redevelopment into a diverse, modern, urban community with residents across the income spectrum,” Seattle Housing Authority notes. “New subsidized housing for people with extremely low incomes has been built with more to come, ensuring that all of the residents living at Yesler Terrace at the time redevelopment began have the opportunity to continue to live in their community. Housing has been added for people with low and moderate incomes, as well as for people who pay market-rate rents in buildings that have been developed by private partners. When completed, Yesler will feature nearly 5,000 apartments in numerous individually designed buildings.”

The redevelopment includes new amenities like a new hillclimb and pedestrian pathway linking Yesler with surrounding neighborhoods, and “two historic sites – a former steam plant and a performing arts hall – have been renovated for community programming.” Yesler Terrace Park will also feature an outdoor fitness loop, a soccer field, and community gardening spaces.

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