2018 COMMUNITY REPORT
With your support, the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict continues to evolve as a national model of community development and as a means to keep our beloved neighborhood livable. In 2017, we continued our work to enable renters to speak to power and pushed to bring protected bike lanes from downtown to Broadway. We helped make Cal Anderson Park a little safer and the neighborhood a bit more affordable. We also registered to be one of the first officially certified ecodistricts in North America, a process that will secure our place as a national leader and formally join us with a growing movement in cities across the country. In 2018, we will continue our work on updating Capitol Hill’s neighborhood design guidelines to reflect local sustainability values and deepen our support of LGBTQ-led efforts to promote health, safety and prosperity for all of our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable. We look forward to another productive year. Cheers to a greener, kinder, healthier more affordable Capitol Hill and to you for your steadfast enthusiasm and support.
Joel Sisolak Senior Director of Sustainability and Planning
MISSION
JOEL SISOLAK Senior Director of Sustainability & Planning ALEX BRENNAN Senior Planner
MCCAELA DAFFERN Senior Sustainability & Planning Manager ASHWIN WARRIOR Senior Communications Manager
ANDY POST Humanity in Action Health Equity Fellow
MAYA LOPEZ Master in Social Work Practicum Student
NATASHA PIETILA Master in Social Work Practicum Student
LEARN MORE CapitolHillEcoDistrict.org
OR JUST STOP BY 1620 12th Ave. Suite 205, Seattle, WA
WHY WE DO IT In 2011, Capitol Hill Housing started the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict as a test lab for ideas that make our neighborhood safer, greener, healthier and more equitable. We did it because we wanted to ensure that as our neighborhood grew and changed, it did so in a way that kept Capitol Hill welcoming and accessible to everyone, no matter their background. Today, we organize efforts around a vision of environmental, social and cultural resilience and help scale up solutions that bring people at the margins into the center of community development work.
2018 GOALS ENGAGE RENTERS AS CIVIC LEADERS BUILD CULTURAL AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE INCREASE MOBILITY AND RIGHT-SIZE PARKING IMPROVE PUBLIC SPACES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORM DEVELOPMENT WITH ECODISTRICT PRIORITIES PROMOTE RESOURCE CONSERVATION & HEALTHY HABITATS
BELIEVE IN OUR MISSION TO CREATE A MORE LIVABLE CAPITOL HILL? Contact Joel (jsisolak@capitolhillhousing.org) for sponsorship and partnership opportunities.
EQUITY We work on projects that prioritize equity and inclusion to ensure everyone can benefit from the changes in our city.
Myra, part of the new leadership committee for the Capitol Hill Renter Initiative, shows off Valentines Day cards she designed to send to neighbors fighting for a Seattle affordable to all. The Renter Initiative continues to elevate renter voices city-wide.
TRANSIT FOR ALL How do we create an equitable transit system? While many people are lucky to get ORCA pass discounts through their employer or property manager, that benefit does not extend to residents of affordable housing. In 2017, we worked with Seattle Department of Transportation and King County Metro to pilot a low-cost transit pass program in three CHH buildings. The program made it easier for our residents to connect to jobs, healthcare and the opportunities in our city. We’re now building a coalition to scale this pilot into a full-fledged program across King County.
OUR OTHER EQUITY WORK AFFORDABLE SOLAR HEALTHY HOMES INITIATIVE HOMEFREE HEALTHY BUILDING MATERIALS HOMELESS OUTREACH COORDINATION
ENVIRONMENT We promote resource conservation and healthy urban spaces for the good of both neighbors and the planet. We focus on protecting the climate, advancing green building practices, supporting car-free living, and encouraging sustainable city planning and design.
The largest Garage Sale Day ever turned Cal Anderson Park into a marketplace for neighbors to swap, sell and trade their used goods, instead of sending them to the landfill.
SMART INVESTMENTS As part of the Community Package Coalition, we fought to ensure the $1.7 billion expansion of the Washington State Convention Center provides a suite of public benefits commensurate with its size, scale and impact. We helped secure a $82M package of investments in the affordability, health, and sustainability of our communities. It included things like funding for protected bike lines along Pike and Pine, to safely connect downtown to Capitol Hill and make it easier for a car-free commute.
OUR OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL WORK CAPITOL HILL 2030 DISTRICT SHARED PARKING LAND USE REVIEW COMMITTEE PESTICIDE-FREE CAL ANDERSON PARK SUSTAINABLE KAISER PERMANENTE DEVELOPMENT
We’re working with the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development to update the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Design Guidelines to reflect the culture, character and values of our community.
CULTURE A living legacy of arts, artists, LGBTQ culture and community give Capitol Hill its soul. We celebrate this heritage and encourage it to thrive through the support of art and artists, LGBTQ leadership, improvements to community spaces, increased public safety and the promotion of cultural events.
LGBTQ HEALTH AND RESILIENCY In partnership with Virginia Mason and Humanity in Action, we conducted interviews and research on the needs for LGBTQ seniors, culminating in a community celebration of the resilience of the elder LGBTQ community on Capitol Hill. That work helped lay the groundwork for Capitol Hill Housing’s work to build LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing and will continue to grow as we work with the community and advocates like Tom, pictured above.
OUR OTHER CULTURE WORK DAYTIME RETAIL SUPPORT HOMELESS YOUTH HOUSING & OUTREACH HOUSING & HISTORIC PRESERVATION LGBTQ-AFFIRMING AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD ALLEY IMPROVEMENT
STEERING COMMITTEE MICHAEL MARIANO (CO-CHAIR) SCHEMATA WORKSHOP • NEELIMA SHAH (CO-CHAIR) BULLITT FOUNDATION • ALICIA DANIELS UHLIG INTERNATIONAL LIVING FUTURE INSTITUTE • BETSY CONRAD KAISER PERMANENTE • CATHY HILLENBRAND CAPITOL HILL HOUSING BOARD OF DIRECTORS • CHASTEN FULBRIGHT BLANTON TURNER • CLAUDIA NOON CENTRAL CO-OP & UFCW 21 • CLAYTON SMITH SUSTAINABLE CAPITOL HILL & 12TH AVE STEWARDS • ERIK RUNDELL ECONORTHWEST • JANET SHULL CITY OF SEATTLE OFFICE OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT • LEON GARNETT BYRD BARR PLACE • MATTHEW BENEDICT KAISER PERMANENTE & CBRE • MATTHEW COMBE SEATTLE 2030 DISTRICT • MICHAEL GILBRIDE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON INTEGRATED DESIGN LAB • MICHELLE CAULFIELD CITY OF SEATTLE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT • MIKE ARCHAMBAULT CENTRAL SEATTLE GREENWAYS • PHYLLIS GRETCHENUK SEATTLE CENTRAL COLLEGE • SARAH KAVAGE CAPITOL HILL ARTS DISTRICT • SEAN WATTS SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION • WHITNEY FRASER CAPITOL HILL CHAMPION & SEATTLE DYKE MARCH • YOLANDA CIETERS SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
SUPPORTERS BLANTON TURNER • BULLITT FOUNDATION • CITY OF SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS • CITY OF SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION • CITY OF SEATTLE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY PARTNERS • KING COUNTY METRO • LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION • MOCCASIN LAKE FOUNDATION • RECOLOGY CLEANSCAPES • SATTERBERG FOUNDATION • SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES FUNDER COLLABORATIVE • WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY
Report designed by Wynn Adele Visual Design