The entire Main-Street ensemble of buildings is White Center’s principle asset. Within the general streetscape, there are pivotal buildings representing different periods of White Center’s history, but it is the collective portrait of small town Main-Street with its low commercial fronts, continuous pedestrian awnings, storefront windows and drive-up angle parking that recall a prototypical, small American town of the west. This framework of Americana is animated through the vital blood of diverse cultures. As development pressures occur through new housing initiatives, annexation efforts and economic revitalization, this small town feel is White Center’s prime asset.
The Studio developed a Design Guidelines document to promote the commercial district of White Center as a viable place for business opportunities while retaining notable historic and cultural aspects comprising its small-town, mainstreet character. These concepts directly relate to the goal of economic revitalization set forth by the Resident Leadership Committee and the White Center Community Development Investment Plan. The information contained within the Guidelines document is a compilation of various documents regarding the development of White Center combined with six months of ‘street level’ research and analysis.
