Gentrification in the Central District: A Snapshot

 

 

 

 

 

This week we went to a meeting about a development on the corner of 23rd and Union ( top as it looks now), near us. It is the South east corner, an historic corner owned formerly by the Bangasser Family, known as Midtown Center. Above is a gathering from a few years ago demonstrating this crucial corner as a gathering place.

It was a starting point for a Black Lives Matter march also  (below first photograph) . Second photo shows the famous Fountain of Triumph by James Washington originally located there.

 

It was sold last year to the Lake Union Partners, who declare “Our focus on neighborhood context and the user experience is always at the forefront of design decisions. We strive to create viable financial strategies for each individual project based on those design drivers, including special emphasis on the street level experience – making sure our retail tenants complement the unique profile of each project.”

 

Well they have not encountered a neighborhood like ours, with its organized Africatown, and many articulate African Americans speaking up for the historic neighborhood.

Even before they started their presentation, Omari Garrett and several others started objecting to the fact that although one quarter of the block had been sold to Africatown to develop, it became a de facto act of segregation to have a separate development. You can see  the Africa Town portion is  on the far left in drawing, but in the presentation it was omitted entirely. The LUP development stopped at a semi circle ( above it is a rectangle, that was “was going to be a shared private space with the other part of the development”

 

Furthermore LUP was romping ahead with big funds and big access to process, while the other building was moving slower because of lack of experience. Why did not LUP do more to enable the other section to move forward was one question??

 

They have already developed two other corners at this intersection:

 

 

Above is the Northwest corner, below is the Southwest corner. Across from the second photograph you can see the third corner that was the subject of our meeting. Not bad looking buildings, but definitely designed for the well off.

 

This corner was orginally developed as an urban renewal zone in the 1960s with all black businesses. Tom Bangasser, who spoke at the meeting, spoke about recruiting the post office and a state liquor store which could not be red lined, in order to have anchor tenants.

He has a long time commitment to supporting African American businesses and also commissioned James Washingon ‘s beautiful fountain for the property.

 

That fountain was on 23rd just south of Union, it will now be on 24th and Union in a small private park, an idea that was much objected to by many people there. Indeed it was originally a gathering place and a focal point, now it will be a “quiet area”.

 

Before the development of the Southwest corner, a major public art work linked to the web told stories of the “corner”

 

Another aspect of the corner that I am connected to ( gentrifying white person) is weekly anti war demonstrations there for about ten years.

The city put in a public sculpture only a couple of years ago as part of the 23rd ave improvement project. It is by Martha Jackson Jarvis, from Washington, DC. She is honoring the community.

So back to SLU rhetoric

 

Here is more ( above is Patrick Foley, Principle of LUP who presented their plan):

“Our management team relies on a solid understanding of market fundamentals to direct our investment strategy and our extensive network and brand allow us to source considerable off-market opportunities.

LUP develops strategies customized to specific real estate asset classes. We recognize there are opportunities for our investors at any stage of a real estate cycle. Primarily, our partners are local family companies and we tailor each project to meet their short and long term goals.

 

We develop with integrity and invest in the community’s future. We are engaged in vibrant neighborhoods and have a knack for finding up and coming locations. We tend to invest in these areas before other developers – discovering livable, walkable and thriving communities.”

 

I went to one of these type of meetings about the Paul Allen development at Jackson and 23rd. Well off white people presenting to impoverished locals. Proudly those presenters declared they were incorporating an African American motif in order to “honor the history of the neighborhood. ” In that case, people said, what about all the other people and ethncities here?

 

In the case of 23rd and Union, one question was, in what way will your building reflect African American references.  Across the street, another new development by Africatown Community Land trust, includes art work by major African American artists from the neighborhood. It is the real deal. It is on the site of Liberty Bank first black owned bank west of the Mississippi, so this site has a lot of significance. They also own the 25 per cent of the 23rd and Union site.

 

LUP touted their public square in the middle of their development, with access to the street. Where those green ovals are ( now reduced to one tree). The idea is that all along the street level of these building will be lively little shops. Of course given our weather, how much time people spend outside there is a question. Another question for me is that “Ike’s” pot shop is right across the street, and this has been a corner for drug use for a long time. I wonder if that will be the main function of this public square.

 

It depends on lots of lively little cafes and stores to make it a draw for people. They will undoubtedly be little yoga/pilates studios, ice cream stores, and overpriced single product stores such as those filling up Capital Hill.

The real center of energy not far from that corner is Chucks Hop Shop at 20th and Union ( that’s Chuck there) , a wildly successful family oriented place.

Beer, ice cream and food trucks.

 

Also Katy’s cafe is a major center of action across the street ( lucky me this is my corner).

 

These two businesses together plus our 2020 bike shop,  Central Wellness Chiropractor, Central Ice Cream, Central Cinema and Communitea Kombucha factory, make for a vibrant block.

 

I wonder if LUP can make these type of buisnesses happen around their central plaza. I fear their rents will be too high. The reason these businesses survive is because the people who own the buildings are not greedy and have committed to keeping ordinary small business owners here. None of them are owned by African Americans though. The ice cream store is Filipino owned. Chuck’s is owned by an Asian American. Obviously, there is a good reason why Africatown is standing up for African American businesses and presence. When we first moved here in 1998, there were quite a few.

 

I fear for our small businesses all over Seattle. Downtown they are all being wiped out invisibly inside old buildings.

We heard about  Bernie Utz Hats, that is only the tip of the ice iceberg. My hairdresser has been displaced twice in ten years because each of the entire buildings he had his small business in on fourth avenue was bought by big corporations and all small businesses displaced. ( The jewelry on street level has been given a temporary reprieve. )

 

Anyway here’s hoping LUP can create the vibrant plaza they are hoping for.

PS and guess what, Africatown is showing them the way!! Here is the newly repainted plaza as of last Sunday. And a link to their mural project “Coming Soon” as described in the Seattle Times.