HomeSight Participates in Othello Park Re-Design

4/27/2010

HomeSight participated in a collaborative re-design of Othello Park as part of our ongoing commitment to clean up crime and disorder and revive the community through organizing efforts and public safety planning. By leading a series of public workshops on the park's re-design, HomeSight will engage the community in determining new lighting and other safety features to ensure Othello Park remains accessible and inviting to all residents and visitors of the neighborhood. Previous efforts to upgrade neighborhood streetscapes and public spaces earned HomeSight and the Seattle Police Department a MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award in 2007.

Othello Park is located close to the MLK/Othello business district, a priority focus area for the organization. HomeSight is working to emphasize the positive relationship between the Park, the business district and a new light rail station and create a condition that benefits both the residents and businesses of the community. In the near future, people coming to Othello Park events can get off at the Othello Station Light rail stop, cross the street to pick up a Vietnamese sandwich and bubble tea or tacos and a Jarrito and walk half a block to visit the park. The kind of comprehensive approach demonstrates that a focus on safety underpins revitalization work and is critical to a neighborhood’s success.