Capitol Hill Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (eTOD): An Exemplar of an Engaged Community Informing Equitable Outcomes

A diverse group of key community and design team members provide highlights of the decade-long process of leveraging public investment for greater community benefit and shaping what a successful eTOD looks like in our region. Located in Seattle's densely populated Capitol Hill neighborhood, the community-informed process for this highly anticipated TOD project began in 2010 with community charettes. Residents, business owners, and representatives of the arts, major educational institutions, and the healthcare industry participated in various workshops and meetings to identify community priorities to shape the project. Three of the eight community priorities included affordable housing, a permanent home for a farmers' market, and community meeting space. The completed plaza and surrounding mixed-use development are community-driven spaces sitting atop the light rail station. The plaza serves as home to the Capitol Hill farmers market, as well as a transition between Cal Anderson Park and the adjacent light rail station foot traffic. Hear about major milestones and challenges from planning inception to final implementation that enabled Capitol Hill eTOD to provide critically needed affordable housing and contribute to the ecology and vibrancy of its neighborhood.OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate the process community stakeholders used to identify priorities to inform equity in housing. Learn how to turn community goals into a framework plan incorporated into the RFQ/RFP and design process. Learn how to realize a community-driven framework plan document through UDF, rezone, and development agreements. Establish how ecologically responsive and resilient design benchmarks (LEED for Homes Platinum and Salmon Safe Certification) enhance the public realm for both eTOD residents and the community.

Jonathan Morley ASLA, PLA, LEED
Berger Partnership

Jonathan Morley is a landscape architect and principal with Berger Partnership, a landscape architecture firm located in Seattle. He specializes in ecologically responsive urban design and functional landscapes that creatively provide educational opportunities and result in places that contribute positively to their communities. His expertise in melding urban design, ecology, and landscapes enables him to balance complex technical challenges with stakeholder priorities across a wide spectrum of award-winning projects. Some of Jonathan's notable projects include Cal Anderson Park, a popular urban park built atop a Seattle Public Utilities reservoir; the Bullitt Center, the first office building certified by the Living Building Challenge; Pike Place MarketFront, an APA Washington Chapter Great Places Award recipient; and the Capitol Hill Equitable Transit-Oriented Development, recognized with a VISION 2050 Award by the Puget Sound Regional Council.

Grace H. Kim Principal, FAIA
Schemata Workshop

Grace H. Kim is an architect and co-founding principal of Schemata Workshop, a Seattle-based architectural practice with a keen focus on community, social equity, and sustainability. Her firm works on projects that shape cities and guide their growth "such as projects in the public realm like the Seattle Central Waterfront, Capitol Hill Equitable Transit Oriented Development (eTOD), and design guidelines for cultural neighborhoods experiencing displacement pressures. Her co-design process engages not only her client and consultants but also the surrounding community stakeholders that will be impacted by her projects. Grace recently completed eight years of service to the Seattle Planning Commission and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Housing Development Consortium a non-profit organization that advocates for affordable housing, as well as the Professional Advisory Council of the Cohousing Association of the US.

Catherine Hillenbrad
The Capitol Hill Champion Committee

Catherine Hillenbrand led the Capitol Hill Champion from its formation in 2010 through 2014, when the Sound Transit TOD RFP process began. She served on the Capitol Hill Chamber’s Stakeholder Committee in 2009/2010 leading into the formation of the Champion, which she initially co-chaired with Tony Russo. Prior to that she was a Seattle Arts Commissioner co-chairing the Public Art Advisory Committee and serving on the Seattle Design Commission’s Light Rail Review Panel for U-Link extension. She served on the Capitol Hill Housing Board from 2010 - 2020.