NewHolly                                             

Nakano Associates planned and designed landscapes for the housing units, parks, community gardens and neighborhood open spaces for all three phases of NewHolly (Holly Park) redevelopment from 1997 to 2006. As the first HOPE VI Redevelopment project undertaken by Seattle Housing Authority, NewHolly replaced worn-out public housing, dating back to the 1940s, with a mixed-income community, rich with amenities, and became a model for other projects in Seattle and across the country.

Central Park, the centerpiece of the Phase 3 NewHolly community, offers a grassy, open playfield, a Market Garden, a P-Patch community garden, and a children’s play area.  The 5.8-acre John C. Little, Sr. Park, in Phase 2, included picnic shelters, a children’s play area, a plaza, landscaping, and a community garden.  In Phase 1, the extension of Van Asselt Playground connects with the Van Asselt Community Center.

Throughout the neighborhood, many smaller parks were created using remnant open spaces.  These pocket parks included site furnishings and play areas as well as unique elements such as a keblis, constructed from bamboo timbers, and large boulders salvaged from the site that are integrated into park features.