Tag Archives: capitol hill ecodistrict

Along streets, sidewalks, and planting strips — planting the seeds of more gardening space on Capitol Hill

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(Image: Capitol Hill EcoDistrict)

(Image: Capitol Hill EcoDistrict)

By Shira Zur, UW News Lab/Special to CHS

Community leaders got together this week for the second annual Earth month celebration Plant Sale & Seed Exchange and highlighted ways for Capitol Hill residents to get involved with gardening, growing native plants, and involving underrepresented voices in growing food in urban areas.

Co-hosted by the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict and Seattle Audubon, the event earlier this week emphasized the need for gardening in Capitol Hill and the importance of shopping native plants. The sale continued its partnership with Black Star Farmers, the Black Farmers Collective, and the University of Washington’s Society for Ecological Restoration Nursery.

“This is the soft-launch of our effort to get people into the planting strips along the corridor and to really identify places where people can garden,” Erin Fried, the EcoDistrict Deputy Director, said.

But the sale was only a small part of the opportunities around Central Seattle for people to help make the area green and growing.

While Capitol Hill is home to around 40,000 people, there are only a few handfuls of community gardens, according to Fried. These community gardens are highly sought-after — the wait times to join can range from half a month to two years.

To address the issue, Ecodistrict, in collaboration with Seattle Audubon and Seattle Bird Conservation Partnership, introduced the Nature of your Neighborhood website. The online guide provides Capitol Hill residents information on where they can plant a garden, apply for a gardening permit, and contribute to the biodiversity of the neighborhood. Continue reading →

Affordable housing and proximity to transit: Capitol Hill EcoDistrict wants to address Capitol Hill’s — and Seattle’s — north/south divide

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A recent REVIVAL market at Capitol Hill Station (Image: Capitol Hill EcoDistrict)

A new rain mural hidden at Broadway and Howell (Image: Capitol Hill EcoDistrict)

Capitol Hill no longer has a community council and its chamber of commerce is dead and gone. But the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict is moving forward to represent the neighborhood as Seattle makes new plans for growth.

Last week at a community forum held outside in the plaza part of the mixed-use housing and retail development above Capitol Hill Station, the organization announced a $300,000 grant from Wells Fargo to further power its work to champion development to bring some of the vital elements of life on Capitol Hill including robust access to public transit to more parts of the city while bringing more projects creating affordable housing to more parts of Seattle including densely populated areas like the Hill and the Central District.

“While we differ in our identities and we come from various walks of life, we want to suggest that feelings of safety and belonging can come from activation and accessibility, not necessarily surveillance,” Capitol Hill restaurant owner and EcoDistrict executive director Donna Moodie said at the Thursday evening forum. “With the climate crisis on our heels, what a better way to empower community than with affordable housing and proximity to transit. Our transit systems and especially housing affordability are critical to the success of public life in Capitol Hill.” Continue reading →