Two development projects in neighborhoods on the edges of Capitol Hill undergoing significant change will take what could be their final steps in the Seattle design review process Wednesday night.

2407 E Union
The second of two projects near 23rd and Union from developer Lake Union Partners had a pretty smooth go of its first East Design Board review earlier this year.

The four-story Stencil project is being planned as a 39-unit apartment building with 3,000 square feet of retail and two live/work units at ground level. The building will contain parking for 21 vehicles. In April, the board seemed amenable to the project’s few zoning departure requests and public comment was mostly about details like bulk, privacy and landscaping.

The building is being designed by Johnston Architects.

The Fatima Cafe structure is slated to be demolished to make way for the building.

2407 E Union will join a six-story development currently under construction on the southwest corner of 23rd and Union in a duo of Lake Union Partners properties set to radically transform housing in the area.

It is part of a wave of development in motion along a few blocks of E Union. Across the street, Capitol Hill Housing is planning an affordable apartment project on the former bank property. Down the hill at MLK and Union, The Madrona Company is developing a four-story project. Meanwhile, the landowner of the MidTown Center property has hopes of upzoning the parcel and developing the block.

Lake Union Partners, by the way, also developed the bustling 19th and Mercer building and frequently works with folks like Linda Derschang to create an interesting retail mix in their projects.

301 12th Ave
Part of a trio of Spectrum Development Solutions projects around 12th Ave and the Seattle Housing Authority-powered redevelopment of Yesler Terrace, 301 12th Ave’s Decibel building is also queued up for what could be its final review before construction can begin on its parcels near 12th and Alder.

Decibel is planned as a six-story, 75-unit apartment building with 2,700 square-feet of retail and 20 parking spaces. It will join its Spectrum brethren in creating a portfolio for the developer that it says it can manage in unison to both create affordable apartments with “smaller floor plans” and achieve a healthy return on investment:

The city’s MFTE bonus program provides a property tax break to developers for 12 years if they set aside at least 20% of their units for affordable housing. Across the three planned Spectrum buildings, the developer will make 85% of its units — including all 120 inside the under-construction Anthem at 103 12th Ave — available to tenants who make less than the area median income of $61,800 for one person. An Anthem tenant would pay $868 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. Spectrum will also, of course, enjoy a healthy tax break.

• Anthem – 103 12th Ave – 120 units (120 affordable)/ 48 parking stalls/ 4,000 sf. commercial — under construction

• Decibel – 301 12th Ave – 75 units (15 affordable)/ 20 parking stalls/ 3,000 sf. commercial — design review

• Reverb – 1023 E Alder Street  –84 units (17 affordable)/ 40 parking stalls / no commercial — permitting

The projects are designed by Mithun.

Here is how Spectrum describes the Decibel design:

Decibel is the more lively and bustling of the trio of development projects as it is located on 12th Avenue. The property will contain 75 units with a mix of studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units with 20 garage parking spaces and 3,000 SF of commercial space on the ground floor. Bike storage is given a prominent and visible location on Alder Avenue to show our support and promotion of alternative transportation.

Public comment at the Decibel project’s first “early design guidance” review in April was mostly positive and supportive of the project that will eventually neighbor the King County Juvenile Detention facility.