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Development Notes | Undre Arms readied for demolition, microhousing design review

  • Farewell to Undre Arms: A public development process more than three years in the making will come to a head this month as the demolition of the Undre Arms Apartments is finally slated to begin. The fences went up at the site near the intersection of Madison, 12th and Union last week. Crews — a little wary after past shenanigans in the neighborhood — said the demolition likely won’t come for two more weeks but a check of the paperwork reveals the permits are in place. In the Undre Arms space is planned a six-story, mixed-use apartment building. 

Here’s a post CHS made about the project’s design review way back in August 2009. In July, CHS reported that the land and the approved project had been sold to a new developer and speculated that Alliance Realtyalready active in the area at 1020 E Union — was behind the purchase. The Daily Journal of Commerce confirmed Alliance’s purchase here.

Before it’s wiped away, you can learn more about the building’s past in this CHS post:

Originally built as the Bovingdon in 1904 by a John Sidney Bovingdon, who was born in Towanada, Pennsylvania, graduated law school at Buffalo NY, and bounced between Philadelphia, Cornell (to study agriculture), California, back to Pennsylvania and ended up in Seattle as a teacher where he dabbled briefly in real estate with this building before returning to teaching. more…

Let’s give the apodment a try. If it’s true that nobody really wants to live there, then these kinds of projects will lose money, and nobody will build them anymore. If they succeed, then we’ve created some good, infill development for people who don’t have a lot of money to spend on rent and cars, but want to live in the heart of the city. And yes, if I could, I’d live in one myself.

  • Microhousing design review: An “apodment”-style development steps into the public design arena this week. Our sister site Central District News has more on the project planned for 2202 E Olive St.
  • Harvard Ave design review: The East Design Review Board will also review a Harvard Ave E project. We’ll have more on the apartment building planned to rise above Dick’s soon. But, in the meantime, mark your calendars:
Project: 120 Harvard Ave E  map
Review Meeting: August 15, 6:30
  Seattle University Campus
  824 12th Ave A&A Building  map
  Admissions & Alumni Room
Review Phase: EDG–Early Design Guidance
Project Number: 3013471 permit status | notice
Planner: Shelley Bolser
  • Julia Place Open House: Construction of microhousing of a different sort is completed and ready to show off on 22nd Ave E between John and Madison. Julia’s Place is a five-unit apartment building at 136 22nd Ave E. A public open house is slated for Sunday, August 19th from 1 to 4p.
  • BelRoy project nears completion: The BelRoy Apartments project on Bellevue Ave E is wrapping up. CHS will visit the site soon and report back on the restoration and new construction.
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Julian Prossor
11 years ago

“Apodments” do have benefits for many neighborhoods, and shouldn’t be written off out of hand. A vibrant city neighborhood is one where people of a wide range of economic backgrounds come together. Apodments are a way to offer equal housing opportunity.

Julian Prossor
BuildSmart – Turning Owners into Builders
http://buildsmart.info