The latest design rendering for Acer House (Via @benmaritz)
It will still require the Seattle City Council’s blessing on a proposed rezone of its corner but the Acer House project, a planned five and a half-story, Afrofuturist design development at 23rd and Cherry, could complete the city’s design review process this week.
A meeting for the final “recommendation” phase is scheduled for Thursday night in front of the Central Area Design Review Board.
2210 E Cherry St
Council Land Use Action to rezone 7 parcels of land from NC1-40 (Neighborhood Commercial 1 with a 40’ height limit) to NC1-65 (Neighborhood Commercial 1 with a 65’ height limit). Project include a 6-story, 107-unit apartment building with retail and restaurant. No Parking proposed. Existing buildings to be demolished. Design Review conducted under 3037717-EG.
Design Proposal Not Yet Available
Review Phase
REC–RecommendationProject Number3037185 View Related RecordsPlanner
David Sachs
The full design packet for the recommendation phase has not yet been made available but Ben Maritz of the Great Expectations development firm has shared information on the latest proposal and called for support for the project.
CHS reported on the Acer House project last year as it passed its first round of review but still faced questions over the proposed rezoning of the Central District corner it is planned for. The proposed rezone which must be approved by the city council would allow the project to build up to 55 feet instead of the 40 currently allowed. Under current zoning where the Acer House project stands, the allowed height is 40-feet. However, in the same commercial zone in the east, the allowed height is 55-feet.
To line up the proposed project for success in the rezone debate, the development and design team led by Capitol Hill firm Schemata Workshop hope to answer concerns from the review board about how the project will transition to the surrounding residential blocks.
In its previous sign-off on early design guidance, the review board said it had concerns “that with the added height of the proposed rezone on a zone edge exacerbated the height drop of the adjacent zone, and that the height, bulk, and scale of the building did not adequately address the zone transition to the north and west of the site.”
“The Board strongly recommended that the applicant further develop the massing to include appropriate top-level setbacks to help alleviate the perceived height of the building and allow more opportunity for daylight,” the board’s review reads.
Thursday’s meeting will show off the proposals hoped to solve those concerns, along with the final design proposals for the building that will include space childcare and other retail along with a publicly-accessible courtyard below around 112 apartments, planned to range in size from about 400-square-foot studios to two-bedroom units between 700 and 800. 30% would be reserved for low-income residents.
It comes amid increased calls to change design review in the city which has been criticized for its slow pace, costly bureaucracy, and arbitrary decisions. Meanwhile, many projects are moving forward under streamlined review guidelines developed during the pandemic to speed up affordable housing in the city. Acer House is planned to include affordable units but is being developed by a for-profit developer.
Kateesha Atterberry of the Urban Black commercial property management firm working on the development told CHS the team hopes to add a childcare provider to the project along with commercial spaces hoped to include the corner’s existing Flowers Just 4 U, which might be the only Black-owned florist in the Pacific Northwest.
The intersection of 23rd and Cherry is also being planned for change on its southeast corner along the Garfield Super Block, a vision that would transform the area around the Garfield High School campus with new amenities and pedestrian pathways. A small portion of savings from reduced Seattle Police spending will go to help shape early planning for the projects.
The Acer House project has support from area developers and land use advocates.
“LURC generally supports the development and design of the proposed project with enthusiasm,” the Central Area Land Use Review Committee community group wrote in its public comments on the project. “The goals and objectives outlined by the developers and architects are admirable in their desire to make a positive impact on the neighborhood at this important corner.”
The community group says it also applauded the project’s “Afrocentric design principles” and said Ace House “pushes the boundaries of that by not only helping define what an Afrocentric building looks like but also incorporates the ideals of Afrofuturism (the ability for Black people to see themselves not only persist, but thrive, as they look at the future of this community.”
“This project will be a benchmark for new development in the neighborhood,” the group writes.
Thursday night, we’ll find out if the neighborhood’s design review board representatives agree.
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