A rendering of the E John facade (Images: Weber Thompson)
A draft proposal for the February design review shows the current concept for the project (Images: Weber Thompson)
Developers of the project to redevelop the Capitol Hill Safeway with a new 50,000-square-foot grocery store, housing, and massive underground parking lot won’t face the final round of the city’s design review process until next month but they aren’t leaving anything to chance.
Developer Greystar and architect Weber Thompson will hold two “virtual neighborhood discussions” this week as they pound out the final proposal for the design to create two new five-story buildings including the new grocery, around 334 400 market rate apartment units, some new, smaller retail spaces, and an underground parking lot for about 350 cars.
“During the Virtual Open House, we will present materials related to our project and proposed neighborhood benefits and answer any questions you may have. We will also have a project survey on the website that you can fill out to communicate what is important to you,” Greystar says in the announcement:
5:00–6:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 10th, 2023
***Click HERE to join*** or dial +1 253 215 8782 US (Meeting ID #882 0567 5663)
5:00–6:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 11th, 2023
***Click HERE to join*** or dial +1 253 215 8782 US (Meeting ID #862 9761 5768)
“Please treat all parties with respect and courtesy,” the developer requests in its list of “general Code of Conduct” items for the meeting.
The developers said they expected at least two years of planning and process would 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. The current hope is to break ground on Capitol Hill in 2024.
(Images: Weber Thompson)
A planned $25 billion merger deal with Kroger and its QFC brands with Albertsons and Safeway could impact the projects.
The Pike/Pine Urban Neighborhood Council community group of architects, designers, and development proponents has also been meeting with the development team and said in an update on the process to its members that the group has “found the applicant to be responsive to our input.” PPUNC says it is also “generally supportive of the design” but has focused its concerns on the 14th Ave-facing side of the project.
CHS reported here nearly a year ago as the major development got its first sign-off in the early design guidance round of Seattle’s public design review process. The early plans showed two residential buildings rising along the 15th Ave E side of the project mixed with smaller first-floor commercial spaces separated from the grocery by an internal plaza. Developers were also tasked with coming up with concepts for the E John side of the building that addressed street and pedestrian safety concerns around the nearby Metro bus stop and Williams Place Park across the street.
The next “recommendation” round of the process can be more intense for big projects with final approval of the general massing on the agenda long with smaller details like specific building materials and landscaping.
A draft of the proposal being readied for review in February
In a draft of the proposal currently submitted to the city, the development team shows the 14th Ave E face of the project where an entrance to the new Safeway will fill the corner at John while the rest of the street is fronted by a large parking entrance, a long stretch of mostly window-less Safeway storefront, and then the entrance for residential parking in the block-long project.
What new solutions Greystar and its team can come up with for the western side and any new issues that arise in this week’s outreach meetings remains to be seen. The next design review session — scheduled as a marathon three-hour meeting — is currently set for for Wednesday, February 15th.
You can learn more about the outreach meetings and providing feedback on the project at 1410ejohnstoutreach.com.
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Wasn’t Grestar just sued for artificially inflating the prices of rentals? Why on earth would the city want to work with Greystar. There is nobody who actually likes Greystar.
The city doesn’t pick developers.
The “pedestrian experience” illustration is…what to say? Overly optimistic as to what the actual experience will be? I see no garbage strewn about, no food waste, and those pedestrians are…not true to life?
IMHO, in any proposal that has a driveway that close to this particular skewed intersection is creating a hazard.
Well, at peak traffic times, unless a new light is installed there, drivers heading up the hill to Safeway on John might avoid long backups caused by those waiting to make the left turn onto 14th by going into residential side streets. There might be a lot more traffic on Thomas from 12th and 13th.
Those dumb flower beds would be a great place for something else
What design? Another average looking building. Why not to incorporate more interesting balconies and some colors, at least? It’s like a copycat of others ugly rental properties.
Why are Seattle’s apartments so ugly and cheaply built? It’s not like their rent is low… I was driving around LA and even LA’s buildings are way better and interestingly designed.
In terms of its color and materials, I think it’s a better than average building for Seattle these days: the architects aren’t pretending Seattle is Nice or Mexico City and covering it with orange or blue panels, the ranks of windows are not staggered, and the windows appear to be recessed.
It looks really generic. That may be fine for a smaller development, but it is not appropriate for the largest development site on Capitol Hill. The community should organize to demand better design, higher quality materials and the inclusion of local small business in the development. Look to the new 23rd and Union development by Weinstein and Lake Union Partners for design and inclusion-of-local-small business precedent. This should be a cultural center not a cultural sink.
then it will cost more money to build, leading to higher rents to offset the capital investment.
A lot more brick and wood would be nice, as well as some architectural elements to create interest. This looks pretty cookie cutter, which for a project as large as this one, is, well, one big ugly cookie.
Can’t wait to have more active uses on that block along 15th Ave!
I’ve been wanting this Safeway to get remodeled or rebuilt since the last time they remodeled or rebuilt it around 20 + yrs ago. But this proposed design is out of touch with the neighborhood and its needs. Its copy reads “…growing and changing with the community’s needs…” followed by anti pedestrian & anti public transportation jibberish like “vehicle access is one of the unique functional demands that make a grocery store of this size viable…” A developer profiting from more parking is not a solution to “the community’s needs.” Keeping the 8 from being late and not letting the adjacent bus stop turn into a total shitshow is the help that we do need. I wish the developers would focus more on a better streetscape, public transportation and pedestrian experience vs printing propaganda about cars that doesn’t ring true here and now.
Yes, but it IS essential that such a grocery store provide easy parking for customers to be a viable business. That said, it seems to me that 350 parking spaces is excessive.
150 spaces are for Safeway, with the remainder for other retail on 15th and residents.
“Keeping the 8 from being late…”
Would putting the bus stop behind the planned curb bulb make it harder for buses to re-enter traffic going west on E John?
Can’t wait for this project to break ground; it’ll be GREAT for the local community
Does this mean the only grocery entries will be on John or at the very corner of 14th & John? Both 15th entrances and the Malden approach will be gone?
Is there a worry about things “turning away from” 15th with this design?
There’s an entrance for residents on 15th, but Safeway is on John. Other retail shops will have entrances on 15th
So excited for this!