Curbed Seattle brings you the highlights of the Seattle Times' not-quite-weekly Neighborhood of the Week feature. This week: Brighton/Othello.
Don't get us wrong, we love a good underdog story like anybody else, but we're not totally buying this story on Brighton/Othello. It used to fall under the umbrella neighborhood that is South Seattle (the boundaries of which depend on whom you ask), but now that it's got a light rail stop and renaming itself after a Shakespeare play (and a park, we guess), it's touting new shops like a combination bicycle shop/cafe and an Ethiopian bakery and Seafair events and minibike-riding senior citizens in cable-knit sweaters. We think it might be getting a little too big for its britches. Who do you think you are, Brighton? Brooklyn?
Nonetheless, we did the hard work for you and pulled out the good stuff from the Seattle Times' article on the place.
· Nobody can figure out what to call it! "Many call it simply South Seattle or Rainier Valley, or -- increasingly -- Othello." We're going with that one because we're big geeks (and we love Josh Hartnett), but most residents are on board because it matches their light rail station and sounds nice.
· It's cheaper to live there than farther north, but some areas are still sort of rundown. "'You've got some old homes, Craftsman-style homes, and some even older, turn-of-the-century-homes that are cute,' Gong said."
· It's got a bunch of new condos that are hopping on the new-name bandwagon as well. "A new 351-unit luxury apartment development, the Station at Othello Park is offering studios, one and two-bedroom apartments that range from $870 to $2,170."
· The community that's growing is apparently pretty New York-y. "He was inspired by his exposure to the ease of commuting on subways and trains in New York City and Europe. 'I really wanted to focus on a transit-oriented development,' Rauf said."
· They're building an international public market. "40 vendors (have) already signed up ... to create 'destination shopping' that will draw customers from outside the neighborhood."
Interested? It's a 21-minute ride via Light Rail from Westlake Center, so make a stop on the way home from the ballgame. Lottie's Bar is just up the street, and you know the Mariners drive you to drink right now.
· Neighborhood of the Week: Brighton [Seattle Times]