Welcome to Our Newsletter!
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There’s been a lot of financial footwork behind the scenes at The Bend recently, especially as we continue to adapt to these ever-changing times. We want to give you a peek at our creative funding efforts and why this makes The Bend such a unique project.
On a broad scale, we’re designing a financial blueprint for affordable housing that could set a precedent nationwide. Locally, we’re getting closer to meeting our financial goals for The Elements, the first 158-unit building in The Bend. We’ve launched a Community Arts Bond campaign to help us get there.
Construction funding for The Elements is on track to begin by the end of 2025. By using 501(c)(3) bonds, we’re able to enhance our affordability targets. However, these bonds alone don’t quite get us all the way there. That’s why we’ve introduced the Community Arts Bonds campaign. Over the next six months, we’re targeting local investors with bonds that not only offer tax-exempt credits but also provide more flexible terms to help close funding gaps.
With the added expertise of Kathleen Ditcharo, our new Finance Director at Watershed, and the continued support of our Bend Development Partners, we have a solid plan A (and B and C) to get us across the finish line.
If you’d like more details on our Community Arts Bonds campaign, feel free to contact Randy Engstrom at randy@watershedcommunity.org.
We’ll keep you updated on new financial milestones as we move forward.
District Plan
Have you read our District Plan? Our recent edition, published in April, provides the most comprehensive overview of The Bend to date. It’s also very beautiful to look at!
Open Call for Community-Serving Businesses
Watershed Community Development, in partnership with Equinox Studios property management, has kicked off the tenant selection process for the ground-floor commercial workspaces in The Elements Building—the first new construction in The Bend’s expansive eight-block live/work district in Georgetown. Located at 5415 5th Ave S., 4th and Lucille Streets, construction of Elements is estimated to start by the end of 2025, with move-in dates estimated by mid-2027. The building will provide 150 rent-restricted apartments, eight live/work units, and 10K square feet of ground-level workspace for local artisans and community businesses.
For this call, the focus is on public-facing commercial tenants in organizations that contribute to daily life in The Bend. We’re especially excited to hear from groups working in the arts, culture, food, and other sectors that bring energy and public engagement to the neighborhood.
Please use our Workspace Tenant Interest Form to get started. Submissions for Elements commercial tenancy are being accepted through June 30.
If The Elements Building isn’t the right fit today, there may be other exciting opportunities in the future. Whether you’re an established organization or just getting started on a new venture, we want to hear from you.
Reach out or learn more HERE.
Questions? Email hello@watershedcommunity.org
We’re Building a Park in Georgetown!
As part of The Bend District plan, Watershed is thrilled to announce plans for the creation of a new park for the greater Georgetown community. Thanks to funding from King County Conservation Futures, we’ve recently purchased a 28,000-square-foot site (roughly half a city block) off South Lucile Street, just west of 6th Avenue South—right around the corner from the future location of the Early Childhood Learning Center. The park is slated to open in 2028, coinciding with when residents begin moving into The Elements Building.
We’re excited to design this yet-to-be-named park in collaboration with Georgetown community members and local organizations. Once the design process begins, we’ll invite everyone to get involved. This is an important milestone, and we can’t wait to see this space come to life!
Read more about the park here.
Meet Watershed’s New Executive Director
For me, the mission of Watershed—to build a resilient community through affordable placemaking and place keeping in the Duwamish Valley—is deeply personal.
– Amy Nguyen
We’re excited to announce Amy Nguyen as the new Executive Director of Watershed Community Development! Amy takes the helm following Jen Truillo and Kay Morrison, who served as Co-Executive Directors and have provided leadership as our organization has grown. We are grateful for their dedication and care over the past year.
Amy joins us from her most recent role as Deputy Director with the Office of Planning & Community Development in the City of Seattle. Over the past decade, Amy has held various roles within the City of Seattle, gaining increasing responsibilities. She has developed new programs, secured funding, and led strategic planning efforts at the Office of Arts & Culture, Office of Planning & Community Development, and Seattle Department of Transportation.
Amy’s unique background makes her a perfect match for this role. Fittingly, Amy grew up in White Center, where the Duwamish Valley was her backyard. She states, “For me, the mission of Watershed—to build a resilient community through affordable placemaking and place keeping in the Duwamish Valley—is deeply personal. I want to return to the community that shaped me and offer my expertise in strategic planning, program development, and executive leadership to support and grow Watershed’s vision.”
As Executive Director, Amy will work closely with our teams and partners to carry out our mission, support staff, and foster cross-collaboration as Watershed continues to expand. Welcome, Amy!
A guide for developers, designers, artists, stakeholders, and city agencies to help shape vibrant and cohesive streetscapes in Georgetown.
– Signal Architects & Research
Cookbook of the Streets: A Creative Recipe for The Bend
Over the past four years, Signal Architects + Research has worked closely with the Watershed team, contributing to a variety of development documents that support The Bend at multiple levels. Through community engagement, participation in Watershed events, and relationships with local artists, they’ve acted as translators—helping bring key ideas from the community into the project.
Following the completion of The District Plan, we recognized the need to further develop placemaking strategies specific to The Bend and that’s when Signal came up with The Cookbook of the Street as a guide for developers, designers, artists, stakeholders, and city agencies to help shape vibrant and cohesive streetscapes in Georgetown. We chose the metaphor of a cookbook to structure the approach. Just like a recipe, the guide presents essential ingredients, tools, and examples of how these elements can come together. Some components are flexible while others are foundational, but all are meant to inspire, not prescribe. This isn’t a set formula; it’s a framework for creating street-level spaces that reflect the unique character and creativity of this place. The Cookbook of the Street articulates design intent for the neighborhood and functions as both a practical toolkit and an onboarding guide.
We recently gave a sneak peek of The Cookbook of the Street at our booth during Georgetown Carnival, and we’re excited to share the full document later this summer. Stay tuned for more details!
The project serves as a living archive and a place for imagination.
– Finch Izatt, Designer
The Very Little Bend
One of the many wonderful aspects of The Bend being so deeply rooted in the Equinox community of artists is the incredible collaborations that take place. Last weekend at the Georgetown Carnival, we had the chance to showcase a scale model of the entire Bend Live/Work district. This model, which we’ve affectionately dubbed The (very little) Bend, is actually not so little—it’s 12 feet long! Designed and constructed by Finch Izatt of Quarry Projects, the model is an educational tool that immerses viewers in the vision of The Bend.
Finch’s approach was to create something both inspirational and practical, giving people a tangible sense of the scale and what’s to come. The Elements Building, as our first structure, is shown in a more representational style, while the other buildings are depicted in a more gestural manner as we continue to develop future designs.
The (very little) Bend is a work in progress, as is the art and architectural elements that will take shape as designs are finalized. The project serves as a living archive and a place for imagination. Expect to see much more of The (very little) Bend as master plans progress.
Upcoming Events
We’ll be at these community events. Hope to see you there!
June 21 – It Takes a Village Juneteenth Community Event
June 28 – Building a Circular Future Event
July 13 – 28th Annual Georgetown Garden Walk
August 9 – Very Out in the Open House
Name Our Newsletter! – Send your idea for a name for this newsletter to denise@watershedcommunity.org ! No idea too wild!
About Us
The Bend is a Live/Work district in Georgetown, Seattle, inspired by the spirit of the Equinox community of artists and makers and the commitment of the Georgetown and Duwamish Valley communities and their allies. The Bend operations are overseen by Watershed Community Development; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on creating community and affordable housing in Seattle. The Bend has an estimated completion date of 2032.