Business

Business in the Central District has evolved significantly in recent years, largely because of the gentrification the area has experienced. The emphasis on mixed-use buildings in new development patterns ultimately helps businesses. This type of construction is generally quite pedestrian-friendly, generating more foot traffic, thus producing more customers. Additionally, the increased population density provided by these developments automatically generates more customers to support local businesses. 

It is also reasonable to assume that this development pattern will prevail in the future. Seattle's Current and Future Land Uses Report indicates greater priority will be given to mixed-use developments.

One aspect of gentrification, especially in the Central District, is that it hurts diversity. This is seen in the census data for the area; the neighborhood's African American population has faced a significant decline in the last three decades. Business is being used to help revive diversity, however. Heidi Mills discusses how local Black residents are taking back the CD in her article "Reclaiming Seattle's Central District." One developer, Lake Union Partners, worked to reserve spots for Black-owned businesses in its new mixed-use building at the corner of 23rd and Union. Additionally, Arté Noir (pictured left), a new non-profit art gallery in the neighborhood, has an area reserved for local Black craftspeople to sell their goods (pictured right).

This area is not a haven for business, however, there are still barriers that present themselves in the form of the older parts of the neighborhood. The newly gentrified areas within the district reflect an emphasis on mixed-use spaces, though the older areas do not share this characteristic. As pictured to the left, non-dense, relatively sprawled housing is still common in the area. Walking south along 23rd Avenue, the main artery of the CD, there are large swaths of older (and even some new) single-family homes. This housing pattern produces consequences that directly oppose the benefits produced by mixed-use developments; they encourage car dependency, disallow significant population density, and thus reduce the number of customers supporting neighborhood businesses.