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Breaking ground for new Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Othello

Construction is officially underway for Seattle Children’s new Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC) in Othello. A recent groundbreaking ceremony brought together representatives of Children’s, its partners and key stakeholders in the community to commemorate a major milestone for the project.

Kinzer Partner’s Shelley Gill, who has worked closely with Seattle Children’s for more than 14 years as their real estate advisor, attended the event along with Craig Kinzer, Partner, to celebrate.

Craig Kinzer, right and Shelley Gill, both partners at Kinzer Partners, join Douglas Picha, President, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in South Seattle.

“One of the most fulfilling experiences you can have as a broker is seeing your effort and persistence come to fruition, especially for such an important cause,” said Gill. “I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to assist Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown in their crucial and ongoing mission to make the highest level of pediatric medical care more accessible to the community that it serves, and to help Dr. Benjamin Danielson realize his vision for the clinic.”

The clinic will bring medical, dental, physical and occupational therapy, mental health and nutrition services to all families in South Seattle and South King County, regardless of their ability to pay.  A unique collaboration with Spectrum Development Services will result in 176 units of workforce housing to be built in conjunction with clinic.

When completed in 2021, the Othello clinic will be the second Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic. Located adjacent the Othello Link light rail station in Rainier Valley, the clinic will be built out to 35,000 SF to meet the wellness needs of a growing population.

Renderings of the new Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, courtesy of Seattle Children’s

As housing prices and rents have risen in and around Seattle’s urban core, many OBCC families have moved south for more affordable housing, according to a Seattle Children’s news release. The new Othello location will be closer to 75 percent of OBCC patient families.

“We heard the community when they told us it was too hard for them to get to our Yesler clinic. We’ve listened, and now we’re responding by meeting our families where they are,” said Dr. Benjamin Danielson, senior medical director of OBCC, in the release.

“It’s not enough to patch a problem – treat a cold, give a vaccine, write a prescription. At OBCC, we believe in addressing the challenges that keep families awake at night – challenges that would bring most of us to our knees. One such problem is gentrification, which pushes lower-income families out of Seattle’s Central District, and away from the services that they need.”

The original OBCC in Seattle’s Central District will be renovated to improve its clinical facilities and maintain its cultural heritage in the community. It will continue to serve families in the Central District and adjacent neighborhoods, along with communities to the north and west.

The new clinic will be a vital member of the Othello Square urban community – itself the product of a collaborative community vision. Alongside health care, the unique development is designed to provide families convenient access to a business incubator, an early learning center, mixed-income housing, affordable retail, community meeting space and a charter high-school.