So, as a Seattle resident myself, I have a bit of an odder definition of "downtown" that the OA might be sharing. To me, downtown stretches from Belltown to Chinatown: the Space Needle marks one edge whereas Uwajimaya might mark another. On the eastern side, the WSCC might mark the boundary, making First Hill somewhat of a gray area.

That's a much, much larger area than the central/financial/business district and it might be what the author actually means: especially with how Belltown has changed.