This installment of housing notes contains mix of high and low notes, but we’ll kick things off with story that hits the upper octaves. After years of hardwork, Africatown Community Land Trust and partner Community Roots Housing broke ground on their plaza project at 23rd and Spring in Seattle this past weekend. Africatown Plaza will bring 126 affordable homes to a rapidly growing corner of Seattle’s Central District, along with office and retail spaces, as well as open plazas for community and resident use. The development also has ambitious plans to become a cultural destination showcasing pieces of art that exemplify “the spirit of Africatown Plaza — which is envisioned to be a space for healing, restoring, and celebrating Black and Pan-African communities in the Central District of Seattle.”
The groundbreaking was filmed by Converge Media, whose Omari Salisbury interviewed Wyking Garrett, President and CEO of Africatown, about the event during Converge’s February 7th episode of Morning Edition.
“It’s not just about the Central District. You got to start somewhere so we started where we started, right, and preserve that legacy. But it’s really about developing new models for Black community to thrive,” Garret said. “So long our experience here in this country has been about surviving; getting in where we fit in, making a way out of no way, but what does it mean to design? With our unique experiences and ways of being in the center of what we build. You’ll see that in the architecture. We were fortunate to bring together brilliant Black architects.”
In his speech at the groundbreaking, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay said Africatown was a model to emulate that had inspired him in his work. “You love to see it,” Zahilay repeated. “Today is about deepening our roots in the historic epicenter of Seattle’s Black community.” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and other officials also attended and spoke at the event.
