A view of the basic massing proposal for the project. With Wednesday’s approval, the development is on track for a review of its final design plan later this year (Image: Weber Thompson)

It probably won’t take three years of design review to approve the redevelopment of the Capitol Hill Safeway. Wednesday night, the East Design Review Board agreed the project to create two new five-story buildings including a 50,000-square-foot grocery, about market rate 400 apartment units, some new, smaller retail spaces, and an underground parking lot for about 350 cars should move forward in the city’s public development process, signing off on the early design proposal in a more than three hour meeting.

CHS reported here on the design proposal from developer Greystar and architect Weber Thompson for the project that will replace the single story grocery and large surface parking lot currently resident on the 15th and John site. The early plans showed two residential buildings rising along the 15th Ave E side of the project mixed with first-floor commercial spaces separated from the grocery by an internal plaza.

The developers say they expect at least two years of planning and process will be required for the project to run Seattle’s public gauntlet including design review and then another two years of construction before the project opens for new residents, new small businesses, and the new Safeway grocery store. The 15th and John developers are also working on a similar plan for the U District Safeway.

Wednesday’s approval opens the way for Greystar to begin the “master use permit” process of acquiring the necessary land use permits for the project and puts the development on track for what could be its final step in the design review process in a session that will include final project elements like materials and building colors later this year.

You can view early public comments on the project and add your own here.

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