Why I love my neighborhood!

Nestled in Seattle’s Rainier Valley, you’ll find a neighborhood that is more alive than ever. For food, fun, friends or family — the Columbia City neighborhood almost has it all. But Patti Scott already knew that. Traveling from “across the pond,” this ex-Bellevue resident said she drove to Columbia City, lured in by fresh produce and the promises of fine dining. Columbia City’s location, rich history, racial diversity and local flavor made it the 67-year-old’s destination of choice. “For nine years I’ve been coming over here for the Columbia City Farmers Market,” Scott said, “and it never occurred to me that I would move here.” But she did. It was over a conversation with Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria co-owner, Joe Fugere, that Scott laid out a plan to make the move. “About three years ago,” said Scott, “I was having a lunch at Tutta Bella, and I asked Joe the owner, ‘What are they doing with that lot up here,’ and he said ‘Oh, I don’t know, town houses or something.’ ” The very next day she was back at Tutta Bella with the builder, checkbook in hand. “I’m buying one,” she told him. She moved in 1-½ years ago and Scott has never looked back. “I just love it down here,” Scott said. “Everyone is just so outreaching and friendly, and it’s a huge perk to me that here they have the Columbia City Cinema, an Andrew Carnegie Library, a post office, an art gallery — all within three or four blocks.”

Thanks to the walkability of the revitalized Columbia City business district — a corridor of Rainier Avenue South that stretches between South Alaska and South Dawson streets — residents-turned-shoppers like Scott are adding lifeblood to the new stores, boutiques and restaurants that line the avenue. Longtime Columbia City resident Maggi Johnson is glad to see businesses stick around for a change. “Every year, a restaurant or two would open, and another one would have to close,” said Johnson, landscape architect and principal of Johnson+Southerland architect firm in “downtown” Columbia City. But Johnson knows it’s more than tasty food that has breathed life into the landmark district’s historic buildings. It was such community champions as Rob Mohn, Peter Lamb and the Southeast Effective Development (SEED) that salvaged many of the district’s turn-of-the-century structures. Revived from decades of decay and neglect, these celebrated buildings in Southeast Seattle now house neighborhood establishments including The Wellington, a soul food favorite; the Columbia City Gallery, an artist-run collective that represents more than 25 local artists; and the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, home to the Rainier Valley Youth Theater, the Brownbox Theatre and the Rainier Valley Historical Society.

“Because more people are on the streets, it’s more opportunities for businesses to survive,” said resident Joe Harrington who remembers how these businesses made Columbia City living complete. “For a while there, it was always, ‘When we finally get a dot-dot-dot,’ ” Harrington said. “People were always, ‘Boy, if we only had a decent breakfast restaurant,’ then Geraldine’s Counter moved in. And for a time it was, ‘If we only had a good Mexican restaurant,’ then El Sombrero moved in.” The avid Columbia City Bakery patron says that along with Roy’s BBQ, Sweet Pea’s children’s clothing store and the Sheen Salon, he and his family are at a loss for things they can’t do in Columbia City nowadays. Well, almost a loss. “Someday we’ll have a grocery store, then I will only drive to work,” he said. “I’ll have no reason to start the car.” Which might not be such a bad idea. As Columbia City’s popularity grows, so does demand for housing — and parking.

Of the nine Columbia City town homes recently for sale, the average price was $410,216, according to an analysis of Northwest Multiple Listing Service figures. Ripe with modest-sized, older Craftsman-style homes, 48 percent of homes sold in Columbia City since 2000 were built before 1930, according to The Talon Group escrow and title services. But for homebuyers who seek modern, big-city living spaces, there are at least three upcoming developments that may fit the bill. Harbor Properties has plans to erect the “largest development in Columbia City history,” said Ray Akers, a community activist who grew up in the neighborhood and also a Realtor with Gerrard, Beattie & Knapp, representing Harbor Properties. This development is planned for the current site of Saint-Gobain, a plastics manufacturer on South Hudson Street, and will include approximately 370 units of housing with ground-level retail. A 26-town house development is also in the works by New York-developer Galil, Akers said. Seattle’s PB Elemental Architecture will design these Built Green units, which will be two blocks west of the Columbia City business district. And though it’s years from fruition, last June, HAL Real Estate Investments of Seattle announced plans for a residential-over-retail development at the 1.7-acre Columbia City Plaza property on Rainier Avenue South.

Yes, a housing evolution is coming to Columbia City — with all the momentum of a speeding train. And come 2009, light-rail trains will be part of the Columbia City package. Under construction is Sound Transit’s Link light rail Columbia City Station being constructed near the new Rainier Vista development and three blocks west of Columbia City’s business district, on Martin Luther King Way South. The station will connect the neighborhood to a 20-mile system of commuter rail, stretching from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to downtown Seattle. While light rail may be the ticket for luring more growth, the people are the main draw, said Joanne Kelly, local business owner and coordinator of BeatWalk, the neighborhood music event supporting local businesses and performers which runs Friday evenings from May through September. “”I think that’s probably the unique thing about looking for a home here,” she said. “It’s not just about finding a great home or a great location. It’s about finding a great community.” Indeed it’s a community built on the backs of residents old and new, working together through 15-plus years of grassroots, resident-initiated revitalization. Columbia City’s modern-day pioneers shaped the community we see today; a vibrant, diverse, “funky,” risen-from-the-dead neighborhood that home seekers are adding to their must-see list, said Susi Burdick, a real-estate agent at Windermere Real Estate’s nearby Mount Baker office. Burdick also is a longtime resident and businesswoman in the area.

“Well it’s hot, hot, hot, I can say that,” Burdick said. “It seems like everyone wants to buy there now.”

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

By Lisa Rivera

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