Client: Mercy Housing Northwest
Mercy Othello Plaza, a multi-family project developed with Mercy Housing Northwest in the diverse Othello neighborhood, is also designed to serve as Mercy Housing Northwest's offices and neighborhood service center. The 7-story building holds 108 units, of 1-3 bedrooms.
Fazio Associates designed the streetscape and second floor courtyard. Bioplanters at the ground level and second level treat stormwater from the building. At the street level, new street trees supplement the existing young street trees and a new planting strip helps create a buffer from the arterial traffic. New paving with a special scoring pattern to match the new Sound Transit development connect the project to the bus station to the south, and serve to create an extended transit plaza. At the alley, a landscape buffer of greenscreen with climbing vines, small trees, shrubs and groundcover helps provide a more pleasant experience for neighborhood residents.
On the second level courtyard, a children's play area at the north end is flanked by a raised bioplanter with a greenscreen, raised planters with integrated benches and a small seating area to create an intimate, lively space for residents of all ages. A predominantly native planting palette allows for lower maintenance and water usage. Rows of vine maples, the occasional flowering tree, large shrubs and groundcover in built-in concrete planters line the path between the play area and the south patio space, creating privacy for the residential units at the second level. The community room at the south end of the second floor opens out onto an open patio space that allows for program flexibility and visibility to the bustle of the Othello Station and MLK Jr. Way corridor.
