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Design reviews: 30 stories on First Hill, 6 off E Madison

Destined to rise above First Hill at 800 Columbia

Destined to rise above First Hill at 800 Columbia

Fans of skyscrapers will enjoy one part of the design reviews slated to come before the East Design Review Board Wednesday night. They might scoff at the other.

A 30-story residential tower destined for 8th and Columbia on First Hill will finish the night Wednesday but not before the board — and some concerned neighbors — have their say on a proposed project at 20th and Madison that is seeking a, gasp, contract rezone from the area’s 40-foot limit to a whopping 65 feet… hey, skyscraper folks, stop giggling.

For the folks in the Capitol Hill-Central District intertidal zone around E Madison, the pace of redevelopment has been pretty relentless with a steady stream of townhouse projects and smaller multifamily-style housing replacing the area’s aging single-family stock. The CHS Community Post assembled by a neighbor about the proposed project is mostly informational and not completely NIMBY.

The 20th Ave project is planned to replace seven parcels currently hosting single-family style homes.

With a design from Nicholson Kovalchick Architects and development by Robert Hardy, the project is planned to rise six stories and make room for 180 apartments, 4 live-work units, and underground parking for a way-more-than-we’re-used-to-seeing 122 cars.

Design review: 1715 20th Ave

Meanwhile, the 800 Columbia First Hill tower represents a re-start on a plan that goes back so far, it required two slides in the design review presentation to document. Following a big real estate deal to start the year, new owner Daniels Real Estate kicked the dormant development back into motion and are seeking the board’s final approval on some design tweaks that include a simplified architecture and larger units — both of which will serve Daniels well if it goes through with its plans to sell the building’s units as condominiums.

The LMN Architects design will create a 30-story building with 287 units and underground parking for 234 vehicles. Despite the streamlining, the developers are touting the project will retain its plans for a 9,000 square-feet “Open Space Park” that will be “a significant public benefit.”

Design Review: 800 Columbia

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Sui
Sui
7 years ago

Great projects both of them. We need more density in transit-rich areas otherwise why are we spending billions on the infrastructure. Furthermore, we need more condominium units in the city both to create more long-term residents as well as to help ease our supply crunch.

If anything, I think we should significantly upzone First Hill, Squire Park, and Lower Capitol Hill to allow more slender highrises like in Vancouver. Much better streetscape and feel to walk between skinny highrises than broad breadloaf mid-rises.

The right design of a high rise mimicks the aesthetic of a tree, broad at the bottom and tapering at the top. We are naturally pleased by such design. In no way is our current design regime natural or pleasing. Upzoning with better envelope requirements and setbacks is the only way to improve.

Timmy73
Timmy73
7 years ago
Reply to  Sui

I totally agree. Also the quality of these structures is superior to what we’re getting on Capitol Hill. The Luma building is looking fantastic!

FNH
FNH
7 years ago
Reply to  Sui

Oh hell to the no! I’m a Squire Park resident and it would break my heart to see slender high-rises taking over this human-scale residential neighborhood.

PSM
PSM
7 years ago

Density is great, but I see absolutely no need for 122 parking spots. Anyone living at 8th and Columbia can get around the whole city easily by walking, public transit, and ride share/car share. It would be one thing if there were tons of families in the building who needed cars to get the family around, but I doubt this will have units with more than two bedrooms. There should be 60 parking spots maximum, offered at an additional cost to the residents. Some of those spots could also be used exclusively for car shares, accessible to the public. We need to start moving away from cars in the most dense areas of the city.

Hutch
Hutch
7 years ago
Reply to  PSM

Don’t necessarily disagree, but with the addition of Madison BRT in the coming years (and the two grocery stores within a few minutes walk), you could argue that the 1715 20th Ave. project is more transit-served and “urban” than the 800 Columbia project. The two projects should switch places.

Zach L
Zach L
7 years ago
Reply to  PSM

I think there’s a legit argument for parking maximums, but as long as there were no parking minimums creating that # of spots, then I’m okay with the building thinking that parking is important to their building.

Dan
Dan
7 years ago
Reply to  PSM

Perhaps some of the parking capacity will be reserved for customers of the retail space in the project, or made available by monthly permit to neighboring residents.

Jason
Jason
7 years ago

Looks like a nice building.

E
E
7 years ago

I agree that density is good, but I don’t agree with having Live/Work units on the ground floor. I think the ground floor space would be better suited to as for commercial use for boutiques and small shops just starting out. I don’t think anybody wants to walk past tall beautiful skyscrapers with empty lobbies on the ground floors between businesses.

Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
7 years ago

Why don’t we call this area Madison Heights? We have Madison Park and Madison Valley. From Central Co-op to Crush, let’s call it Madison Heights.