Reinvention of outdated low-income housing into a new, sustainable, mixed-income community
Seattle’s High Point Redevelopment Project replaced a deteriorated public housing project with an environmentally sustainable and economically diverse community. Built in 1941, the original 716-unit project had fallen into disrepair, and the isolated neighborhood was plagued with socio-economic problems. The redevelopment bulldozed the old project and built 1,600 new units of sustainable housing with extensive amenities and social services in a 120-acre planned community. The new complex fully integrates subsidized, market-rate, and senior housing while at the same time reintegrating the community with the rest of West Seattle. Parks, trails, and other public spaces emphasize connection to nature and neighbors, and a full array of resident services are provided in a community center, library, and health clinic.
Recreating High Point as a mixed-income neighborhood of market and subsidized housing, the Seattle Housing Authority went farther than required creating an exemplary racial and ethnic mix of diverse populations.
2007 Selection Committee
A highlight of the $52.2 million project is its commitment to environmental stewardship through a focus on energy efficiency and green building practices. A state-of-the-art natural drainage system effectively manages runoff into the nearby watershed that is Seattle’s most significant salmon-spawning stream. The redevelopment was also managed to ensure that as many original residents as possible would have the opportunity to live in the new development.