Africatown Plaza: Revitalizing Seattle's Central District with Affordable Housing and Cultural Preservation

Africatown Community Land Trust is making a significant impact on Seattle's Central District by expanding affordable housing and preserving Black cultural heritage. The February 2022 groundbreaking for Africatown Plaza marked a turning point for the neighborhood, showcasing the community's ability to "imagine, design, and build solutions for the problems that we face." 

"We see the proof of the true power that exists within us and among us to imagine, design, and build solutions for the problems that we face." 

This new development builds on the success of the Liberty Bank Building, which added additional affordable housing and retail space to the area in 2019. The recent ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of Africatown Plaza, which now provides 126 units for low-income residents. 

"Africatown has provided a vision and opportunity to start bringing families back—not only to provide a place for people to raise their families and celebrate African American culture and placemaking, but also to ensure that there is no further displacement. It aims to actually reverse that trend and bring Black people back into the Central District who haven’t been able to afford to live here."

With more than 60% of the work completed by Black contractors, the development highlights ACLT's commitment to fostering economic inclusion and strengthening the community.

Africatown Plaza is a step forward in keeping the legacy of the Central District alive, offering hope and a sense of homecoming to those displaced by gentrification. For more information, visit AfricatownPlaza.org.