Columbia City’s national spotlight is due to the transformation of the neighborhood business district. Over the years, businesses, property owners and organizations in Columbia City have come together to develop a strong, vital retail core, and have created events and activities that attract people and businesses to the district, such as the nationally recognized farmers market. They have also built a neighborhood business organization that continues to support the businesses. The Columbia City Business Association (CCBA) accessed city funding to support their business attraction and district revitalization efforts.
The city’s Office of Economic Development (OED) was one gateway for the CCBA to access city support, and this collaboration has been, and continues to be, important to the transformation of this once deteriorating neighborhood to the vibrant community it is today. OED’s Only in Seattle Initiative supports neighborhood business revitalization throughout the city by focusing on five building blocks for healthy districts: organizational development, safety and cleanliness, marketing and promotion, business retail development, and pedestrian environment. OED has supported the revitalization efforts in Columbia City through the work of the CCBA for many years by building the capacity of the organization, funding strategic improvements and supporting the farmers market. Other key neighborhood organizations who have contributed much to the revitalization efforts include: HomeSight, SEED, the Columbia City Farmers Market and the Rainier Valley Cultural Center.
MSN’s recent real estate round-up of the top 10 most revitalized neighborhoods features Columbia City:
“Hip bars, trendy restaurants, cute shops and a farmers market grace the pedestrian-friendly commercial district of Rainier Avenue South in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood. They’re a sign that this once-sketchy neighborhood has undergone a sea of change in the past decade.”
Check out Columbia City on MSN.com
OnlyinSeattle.org’s marketing campaign features Columbia City
Learn more about Columbia City’s Business Association at ColumbiaCitySeattle.com
