Wednesday night’s session of the East Design Review Board will represent another step in the block by block transformation of Capitol Hill with two projects that will create nearly 100 new homes including new condos on Belmont and new microhousing on Boylston.
301 Belmont Ave E
A new condominium project is coming to this corner just below Broadway replacing a 1908-built fourplex.
The plan from a group of investors including OLT Capital and the architects at Wokshop AD calls for a seven-story, 34 condo unit project that will include one unit meeting “the City’s affordable housing incentive criteria” affording the project its extra height and scale under pre-Mandatory Housing Affordability incentives. The developers purchased the property last June for $2 million.
(Image: King County)
The condo buyers will need to be die-hard Capitol Hillers — parking for only four vehicles is proposed along with room for 30 bikes.
The “preferred” plan is designed to preserve “the exceptional Horse Chestnut and requires departures for street and rear setbacks.”
Wednesday night marks the project’s first pass in front of the review board. With any luck, the units will hit the market in 2021 or so.
420 Boylston E
Meanwhile on Boylston Ave E — also just off Broadway — a development firm known for its microhousing projects hopes to wrap up the design review process for its 60-unit concept that it says “respects the residential character of the surrounding area” and “is welcoming and pedestrian friendly.”
Developers Johnson & Carr and architects at SHW Wednesday will seek the final board sign-off on their plan for a seven-story building with 60 small efficiency dwelling units set to replace the early 1900s Boylston Ave E Tucker House most recently used as an office building. Developers acquired the property in August of 2018 for $2.35 million.
For its first design session last summer, neighbors noted their concerns with the project’s seven-story height. The board members felt the project’s design would help alleviate those worries:
The Board noted that the public shared a lot of concerns about the height of the project. They appreciated the studies provided by the applicant and noted that the proposal’s step-backs and sunken disposition on the site did much to mitigate the height. They noted that the height should be further mitigated with textured detailing and quality materials that blend with the neighborhood.
Wednesday night, the development team will be back with details to further flesh out the approach including landscaping and building materials including “stretcher brick,” and charcoal fiber cement panels.
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The house the 420 Boylston Ave E project will be replacing has already been torn down.
I was surprised the city allowed the structure to be torn down before the new project was approved. That doesn’t seem normal.
Lots of reasons to tear down the building early. Structural issues, preventing squatter takeover, no maintenance costs and reduced property tax are just a few reasons.
its very normal. Also demo permit is separate from construction permit.
The beautiful old house at 301 Belmont Ave E will be torn down. It was renovated before it was sold. Another piece of historic fabric of Capitol Hill will be gone.
Agree….very sad to see such a lovely older home, in excellent condition, go the way of the bulldozer. And the Tucker House was in the same category.
“Disappearing Seattle,” indeed.