It has not been much of a secret. Ever since the Bullitt Foundation announced its plans for an ultra-efficient “living building” on the parcel of land that CC Attle’s now calls home, it seemed unlikely the longtime gay bar was going to hang around the corner of Madison and 15th Ave. We reported in June 2009 that CC’s received a lease extension and planned to stay ‘at least another year’ while Bullitt shaped its plans and fended off some community pushback on their ambitious plans for massive solar-gathering features on the headquarters design. We had heard that Bullitt had offered CC’s an opportunity to be part of the Cascadia Center development once its built but the mix just didn’t really seem to make sense. And, besides, where would CC’s fly its bear flag with all those solar panels in the way.

Now, just under a year after the death of longtime owner Scott Reichert died of a heart attack in October 2009, CC’s says its final day at 1501 East Madison Street will be Thursday, September 30. The final Saturday night at CC’s on Madison is underway as this is posted. But don’t despair, CC’s management says via Facebook, they’ll be back soon:

We are here thru September 30 2010! We are NOT closing! We will be moving to a new location on the hill.

Their homepage at http://www.ccattles.net is also, um, teasing the move:

CC’s is, of course, playing hard to get when it comes to revealing what’s next. Two rumored locations seem unlikely if the bar plans to re-open soon. We can’t find any paperwork filed that ties CC’s to either the former Martin’s off Madison (or, Greg’s Profanity Hill) on 14th Ave, or the old BMW space on East Pike. Of the two, Martin’s old space would represent the fastest turnaround and, with a new distillery moving into the old Panzanella Bakery space and Marjorie and the Chloe building’s retail spaces starting to pick up, would add to an up and coming area of the Hill.

In the meantime, 15th and Madison is being shaped as an experiment in modern development. Seattle University researchers are examining a nearby park as an opportunity to extend the Bullitt Foundation’s influence in reshaping the area as a green and efficient city space. And Bullitt is moving forward with its plans. On Tuesday night, you can meet with a foundation official at a gathering of the Community Council’s land use committee to learn more about the project:

I hope you will be able to attend the upcoming meeting of the Capitol Hill Community Council’s Land Use Committee next Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 6pm at Roy Street Coffee & Tea (700 Broadway East) to discuss the Living Building project, which will be located at 15th and Madison.

The focus of the meeting will be on the design of the McGilvra Place park space adjacent to the proposed building. Denis Hayes (Bullitt Foundation) and Chris Rogers (Point32) will share some early thoughts that they have had with regards to McGilvra Place and 15th Avenue, and to engage members of the public in both a visioning and future planning process.  The development team recognizes the opportunity to use their new building project to leverage improvements to the public realm in a manner that is consistent with their focus on sustainability.

This is a great opportunity for members of our community to play an important role in the design of open space in our neighborhood.

We shared the results of the McGilvra Place study here.

Bullitt has said construction on its Cascadia Center project will begin with early site work late this year. They expect the work to take about 12 months with a target of opening the building in December 2011.