There will be a small burst of design review activity around Capitol Hill as summer becomes fall including a project that could be key to the next steps in the long, slow climb of change reshaping E Olive Way. The major project replacing the former curving street’s Coldwell Banker building and three other with an eight-story mixed-use project from Canada-based real estate investment and management company Low Tide Properties is set to take what the project’s backers hope will be its final pass through the public review process this week and onto construction.
The plan for 1661 E Olive Way calls for tearing down the four existing buildings spanning the block between Boylston and Belmont on the south side of Olive. The project area is currently occupied by the former Coldwell Banker building which fronts Olive. It stretches along Boylston/Belmont to include the low-slung office/warehouse buildings and also includes the existing parking lot.
In its place will rise an 8-story building with space for about 160 apartments, about 2,400 square feet of commercial space and 90 underground parking spaces. The proposal calls for the commercial space to be split into two storefronts, with one providing access from Olive and the other from Belmont. Residential access, both for pedestrians and cars, would be on Belmont. Continue reading →
A view from the 8th floor of the under construction Heartwood development, an affordable mass-timber apartment building from Community Roots Housing at 14th and Union (Image: atelierjones)
The mass timber Heartwood’s central stairs (Image: atelierjones)
Housing, and how to make more of it across the state, has been the driving theme in Olympia’s 2023 session. While some proposals fell flat, others including what amounts to an end to single-family zoning, pushed through and look likely to become law. There were, of course, dozens of other laws passed this session, and a budget is still pending.
The Legislature is set to adjourn April 23. In a budget year, like this one, whether or not a given bill is dead is tougher to pin down. There are a number of cutoff dates built into the system, and in theory, a bill needs to meet those dates, which typically involve being passed by either the senate or house. If it doesn’t meet the date, it won’t become law. However, if a bill has budget implications, then it can be revived even if it missed the dates. And since virtually everything has some budget implication, virtually everything can be brought back.
With that in mind, these are where many efforts stand as of the writing of this story, but, some things that seem dead make yet be revived, we won’t know for sure until adjournment. For details about any of the bills in the story, go here, and enter the bill number.
Keep in mind the session is not over. If you see something up in the air that you find compelling, now is the time to contact your legislators, state Reps. Nicole Macri and Frank Chopp, and state Sen. Jamie Pedersen.
(Image: seattle.gov)
HOUSING Washington needs about 1 million new homes by 2044, according to the state Dept. of Commerce. To open up options for more housing, the Legislature has decided to, essentially, end single-family zoning as we know it across much of the state with HB 1110. Cities with populations more than 25,000 will need to allow for at least duplexes on every lot. Cities with populations of greater than 75,000 will need to allow at least four houses on every lot. Some of the space is to be set aside for affordable housing. There are some exceptions and fine print surrounding environmentally critical areas and other specially designated areas. Cities will also be required to allow at least six of nine so-called middle housing types. These are all varieties of more density than single-family, without going full blown apartment building. The state defines them as: duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and cottage housing. All this adds up to lots of potential infill development in the coming years.
This does not mean, however, the bulldozers are going to start rumbling toward the big old houses in North Capitol Hill, let alone the rest of the city. Just because a type of building is allowed does not mean it is required. Homeowners can continue to live in their existing houses. They can tear down an existing house and replace it with another single family house if they so desire. This simply mean they would have the option of tearing down the single-family house, and replacing it with more units. In land use circles, the general expectation is that over time, most properties are eventually are built out to the highest density levels permitted and practical, though it can take a generation of more before it actually happens. Continue reading →
A new project planned for the 600 block of 13th Ave E will continue the area’s transition away from most of its remaining single family-style housing. This week, the project takes its first bow in front of the East Design Review Board.
Under the project, three adjacent 120(ish)-year-old houses and a detached garage on 13th between E Mercer and E Roy will be torn down. In their place will rise a four-story, 50-foot tall building with about 36 apartments, a trade officials in the housing squeezed city say is necessary for Seattle to address ongoing affordability and homelessness crises.
The developer, Leschi Lakeside Property Management, working with Kirkland-based Milbrandt architects, are proposing the usual three options for how the building might be shaped. As this meeting is the early design guidance phase, most details are focused on the basic massing and layout of the planned development.
All three proposals call for parking access roughly in the middle of the building, and therefore, mid-block, which is less than ideal, but really the only option. All three are roughly rectangular in shape. There are plans to plant new trees along western edge of the property – the back of the building – to give the existing neighbors more privacy. Continue reading →
A pair of development projects that would add more than 500 new apartments to the Central District along 12th Ave will come before the Central Area Design Review Board this week including a building that will create a new home for the Photographic Center Northwest and the restart of a long-delayed project at 12th and Spruce,
900 12TH AVE: The plan for the redevelopment of the Photographic Center Northwest at 12th Ave and E Marion continues to, well, develop.
Plans call for the demolition of the current building and parking lot, though the center will live on in the new construction. The new building is planned to be seven stories. The photo center will occupy about 10,000 square feet on the ground floor. Above will be about 170 apartments, 20% of which will be set aside as affordable housing. The building will run the length of the block along Marion. Continue reading →
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A “Pastoral Planning” process will place Catholic parishes in partnership around Puget Sound. The impacts on churches in Capitol Hill and the Central District — two Seattle neighborhoods with long histories shaped by the church — won’t likely be known for another year.
The archdiocese may close the houses of worship — but many other options are possible.
Some of the driving factors behind the effort, however, have not changed.
As with many faith communities in Western Washington and nationally, church attendance is down, and has been trending that way for years. Even though the region’s population has been growing, fewer people are attending church and receiving the sacraments that are an integral part of the Catholic faith.
There is also a labor crunch. Fewer priests are expected to be available in coming years. Earlier this year, the archdiocese noted that currently there are 80 pastors for 174 locations. By 2036, it expects only 66 pastors. Continue reading →
Seattle Public Schools plans to renovate and expand Montlake Elementary School are pressing forward, over the objections of some neighbors who say the new school will be too big for the site and for the neighborhood.
The city’s Department of Neighborhoods has completed a review of the proposal, and has passed its recommendation along to the Department of Construction and Inspections, which will make the final ruling.
The existing 22,000-square-foot historic school along 22nd Ave E would be maintained, while being renovated and modernized. The existing six portables, cafeteria and small greenhouse would be removed. In their place, the district plans to build a new, 80,500-square-foot building along E Calhoun, stretching the length of the block, and wrapping around 20th Ave E. Additionally, a new gym will be constructed at 20th and E McGraw.
The end result will give a roughly C-shaped campus, with a courtyard used as an outdoor play area. Additional outdoor space will be available on the roof of the gym, and in a mezzanine-like called a “learning terrace” coming off the new building with room for many more students.
The dramatic potential enrollment increase is a big part of what’s upsetting many neighbors. After the renovations and expansion, the school will be able to serve 500 students. In the current, 2022-23 school year, the school has an enrollment of 184. That’s down from a recent high of 268 students in the 2017-18 school year.
The all-time high for enrollment at Montlake was 487 students was back in 1935-36, when the school housed grades K-8. It’s now K-5.
Not all neighbors are upset about the proposal, of course. In public comments filed with the city’s Department of Neighborhoods, some gave the project unequivocal support.
An aerial rendering of the project
Those that were upset look at the potential enrollment and say it will play havoc with the neighborhood’s character. They note the school is a small campus (second smallest in the city) in an area with narrow streets and has no dedicated parking. They generally say the root of the problem is fitting too big a school onto too small a site.
“Shoehorning the buildings–proposed for 500 students– to cover most of what vies for the smallest school lot in the city, would be about a tripling of current school, staff, and student body size. This though even Seattle School District’s website indicates little to no growth in number of households in the Montlake community in the next five years,” wrote Montlake resident Arthur Dorros in a comment to the Department of Neighborhoods.
Additionally, parents and neighbors point to district projections which call for falling enrollment across the district for the next 10 years. Continue reading →
Plans are taking shape for the new Safeway-and-apartment complex set to rise on what is now just a Safeway at 15th Ave E and E John. The project also now has a name. Depending on how a major lawsuit over rental price fixing allegations shakes out, Greystar Capitol Hill could end up an infamous entry into the neighborhood’s mixed-use development branding hall of fame.
The proposal has been making its way through the design review process, and is now scheduled for what could be its final meeting before the East Design Review Board. After rounds of refinements, developer Greystar and architects Weber Thompson have landed on a final proposal.
Design Review: 1410 E John St
Land Use application to allow 2, 5-story apartment buildings (336 units total) with retail. Parking for 373 vehicles proposed. Existing building to be demolished. Early Design Guidance conducted under 3038145-EG. View Design Proposal(49 MB)
The existing Safeway and its adjoining surface parking lot will be demolished. In its place will rise a pair of 5-story buildings. A new Safeway will be built on the ground floor, facing John and wrapping around to 14th Ave E. Along 15th, there will be space for a handful of small retailers. Plans have three areas carved out for retail space, but two of the three seem large enough that they might be able to be split up, so there could be up to five stores along 15th.
Above it all will be 336 apartment units. The units are planned to be a mix of studio, open 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom. Below ground, there are plans for about 373 parking stalls, 150 of which will be dedicated to the grocery store. Continue reading →
“Buildings of Similar Height, Size of Site, or Unit Density”
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Starbucks bailed on the street because they claimed the area has too much crime but that is not stopping plans for another major redevelopment along E Olive Way.
A group of two and three story buildings will make way for a seven-story mixed use project at 1661 E Olive Way under a development proposal set to come before the East Design Review Board this week.
CHS reported earlier this year as rumblings restarted after a massive 2019 real estate deal with Vancouver, Canada-based real estate investment and management company Low Tide Properties paying $21 million for the collection of commercial buildings including the former Fred Wildlife events space.
The four existing buildings span the block between Boylston and Belmont on the south side of Olive. The project area is currently occupied by the former Coldwell Banker building which fronts on Olive. It stretches along Boylston/Belmont to include the low-slung office/warehouse buildings and also includes the existing parking lot.
1661 E Olive Way
Design Review Early Design Guidance for a 7-story, 160-unit apartment building, with retail. Parking for 110 vehicles proposed. View Design Proposal(7 MB)
In its place will rise a seven-story building with about 160 apartments and 2,400 square feet of ground level commercial space. The plan also calls for about 110 underground parking spots, an unusually high number for the neighborhood, doubly unusual for a building two blocks from the light rail station. The number of parking stalls has already drawn a public comment saying as much, and suggesting removing some of the stalls. Continue reading →
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Maybe projects that create cool new homes for neighborhood arts nonprofits should also be freed from design review. The Photographic Center Northwest will soon get that new home — and about 170 new neighbors in the new Focus Apartments — if a redevelopment proposal about to get a reshoot in the first stage of the city’s design review process can finally move forward.
The developer had proposed three alternatives at its first design guidance meeting back in September but none fully satisfied the Central Area Design Review Board. Now they’re back with two newly refined options.
The proposal for 900 12th Ave, at the corner of 12th and Marion, calls for removing the existing two-story building, longtime home of the photography center and the existing surface parking lot. In its place would be a new building spanning the blocks from 12th Avenue to 13th Ave along Marion.
CHS reported here earlier this year on the project and the opportunity for Photography Center Northwest to redevelop its long-held 12th Ave property.
900 12th Ave
Design Review Early Design Guidance for a 7-story, 171-unit apartment building with institution (Photographic Center Northwest) and retail. Parking for 42 vehicles proposed. View Design Proposal(29 MB)
The new building is planned to rise seven stories. The center would have about 10,000 square feet space on the ground floor, with its entrance at 12th and Marion, across 12th from Seattle University. There will be about 600 square feet more for ground floor retail, and 169 apartments perched atop the center’s new digs. About 20% of the units are expected to meet the city’s affordable housing guidelines, though that number has not be finalized. There are also plans for underground parking for 44 cars.
The project is proposed by Seattle-based developer Vibrant Cities and designed by Link Design Group of Kirkland which has brought photography-inspired design concepts to the project they say presents special challenges due to its relatively narrow width and depth and required setbacks due to utility lines.
The developer’s new proposal involves a ground floor that’s fairly rectangular. But on the above floors, there’s various degrees of articulation to the building. Continue reading →
Revived redevelopment plans for a new project that will demolish E Olive Way’s All Seasons Cleaners will come in front of the East Design Review Board this week a vision for an eight-story mass timber building within sight of the Capitol Hill Station entrance.
The building at 1800 E Olive Way, the corner of Olive and Harvard a block west of Broadway, is home to one of the remaining dry cleaners on the Hill. Back in 2018, the then-busy drive thru laundry and home to one of the Hill’s busiest little weekend flea markets was being lined up for a project that would have risen seven stories and created around 45 apartments, and 3,200 square feet of retail just off Broadway — but longtime business and property owners the Kim family opted not to sell, putting any redevelopment on hold.
Four years later following the pandemic, the opening of hundreds of new apartments above Capitol Hill Station nearby, and an important land use change, plans are back in motion for a building that can now rise eight stories thanks to the new Mandatory Housing Affordability zoning. Continue reading →