Crews break ground on project to bring jobs, affordable housing to south Seattle neighborhood



SEATTLE -- Crews broke ground Saturday on a site that's expected to bring both jobs and affordable housing to south Seattle.

Othello Square will be located at the corner of South Othello Street and Martin Luther King Junior Way.

The sprawling mixed-use development has been in the works since 2004, and is expected to cost $235 million with affordable housing options, commercial space, and a community center on the property.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the project will address displacement of both residents and businesses in Southeast Seattle, giving them a place to call their own.

Othello Square will also house an opportunity center for those interested in post-secondary education, as well as a job services location, and small business assistance program site.

The Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic and the Rainier Valley Leadership Academy (RVLA) High School will also be on the Othello Square Campus.

“This development is proof of what can happen when community comes together and is empowered to imagine a better Seattle. We must continue to act urgently to protect against gentrification and displacement, and make it possible for families and businesses to stay in Seattle,” said Mayor Durkan. “As Seattle has grown, we have seen far too many communities, particularly low-income communities and communities of color, pushed out of their homes. With our investment in Othello Square, we are helping ensure families and small business owners can stay in their neighborhoods and have more access to true economic opportunity.”

Othello Square will include 68 permanently affordable one, two, and three-bedroom homes. To purchase a home here, home-buyers must meet income limits and earn less than $80,250 for a family of four.