Background

In November 1997, Seattle Cohousing members were approached by residents of the Jackson Place Community about the possibility of developing cohousing on a site owned by the city. Over many months, we had numerous conversations with members of the Jackson Place Community and have become acquainted with their vision for Hiawatha Place.

The 3.25 acre site is divided into areas of different zoning, some suitable for cohousing, and some not. By teaming up with Icon Architecture Ltd. and their proposal for artist live/work space and market-rate housing in the parcels we could not utilize, we created a coordinated vision for the entire available land. This coordination will ensure integrated design, a shared streetscape, and possibly allow cohousing residents to have parking in the artist live/work development instead of consuming valuable open space in the cohousing parcels.

On July 6, 1998 Seattle Cohousing in cooperation with Icon Architecture Ltd. submitted a proposal to the City of Seattle to purchase this land. August 4, 1998 Seattle Cohousing was informed that it had won the competition for this site! We broke ground in July, 2000, and we moved in between October and December, 2001.

One and a half blocks of vacant property in 3 parcels of approximately 3.25 acres (1.25 acres for cohousing), on a sloped hillside, with some views of downtown and northern Olympics. The site is bordered by S. Dearborn Street on the north, Davis Place S. on the east, S. Charles Street on the south, and an alley west of Hiawatha Place (Hiawatha Place runs through the lower part of the site). The Cedar River water main runs diagonally across the site NE to SW adding guaranteed open space.

Hiawatha Place is in the heart of the Jackson Place Community, centrally located at the intersection of the International District, First Hill, Rainier Valley, and the Central Area. The Jackson Place Community Council is a vibrant organization run by resident volunteers that care deeply about their community. Their vision is to create an attractive pedestrian-oriented, kid-friendly neighborhood- a place that people are proud to call home. They have galvanized support for many improvement projects including a neighborhood tools library, a traffic calming study, a street light project, and a pea patch. The JPCC has worked with the city to shape the redevelopment of Hiawatha Place. They published their vision for the site and actively sought cohousing communities to submit proposals for development.

Architect: Pyatok Associates
Mike Pyatok, an award-winning architect and professor at UW specializing in affordable housing, designed our project. Pyatok Associates has designed two cohousing projects in California and understands the value of incorporating resident input into the design process. Mike is known for commissioning local artists to enrich his projects.

Mike is the co-author of the book "Affordable housing that looks nice".

Development Consultant: Pacific Development Concepts is a highly respected woman-owned firm specializing in affordable housing development. Deborah Gooden of PDC also worked with cohousing groups Ciel (now Duwamish) and Songaia.

Parks: Judkins Playfield and Park 3 blocks away; I-90 Lid Park one block South along Hiawatha.

Bike Trail: The Mountain-to-Sound bike trail comes through the Lid Park, along Hiawatha, and turns west on Dearborn.

Transit: Metro bus and easy access to I-90 and I-5.

International District: 4 blocks west, many restaurants

Pioneer Square: 15 blocks west, shopping, many restaurants and art galleries

Safeco Field and football stadium

Shopping: Just over half a mile to 23rd/Jackson, with grocery and drug stores, Starbucks, and Hollywood Video.