Well that was fast. It was only a little over a week ago when we found out about this project (previous coverage here) and its already up for Design Review on August 19th. Just to recap the new building will be a 6-story residence with 84 apartments and “artist lofts” (What makes them specifically for artists will certainly be a question at the Review) And of course ground floor retail. Two interesting things about the project: the original facade will remain and their will only be 4 parking spaces.

This will be an Early Design Guidance meeting, which means that its your best chance to give your opinion and influence the project. While I’m excited to see what the developers, Pryde + Johnson, will do with it, I also think its important that the community keeps a close eye on the process. The location and history of this project mean it will undoubtedly be one of the most high profile projects on the Hill and will play a big part in defining Pike/Pine’s future character. It also comes in the wake of the City Council’s approval of the Pike/Pine Conservation District legislation designed to preserve the neighborhood’s ‘character.’

I’m not the only one who thinks you should go to the meeting. In an e-mail thread sent around by PPUNC (Pike/Pine Urban Neighborhood Coalition) none other than Liz Dunn, local developer, Director of the Preservation Green Lab at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and all around Hillebrity, sent out this response:

My 2 cents — I think it’s imperative that as  many folks turn up as possible for this.  I have heard that the owner intends to keep the existing structure and build on top, to get the density bonus.   This is great only IF this is done in an architecturally appropriate way.   I think we need to be very careful and very vocal about this, based on other examples we have seen.   This building has THREE highly visible walls, including the alley wall on the east side which is two stories and fully glazed.  All three of these walls should be retained.   The original window design and mullion pattern should be replicated, or better yet the original windows re-glazed.  And the new structure needs to step back from the existing parapet enough on all three sides that the existing building sits “proud” (in the architectural sense) from the new structure.   Hopefully the developer will bring historic photographs that speak to any features that should be restored or alterations that should be undone, although the nice thing about this building is that it looks mostly intact.  

 This will set an important precedent, because these kind of design guidelines are a critical missing piece from the new overlay legislation.  Design review is the only venue to make sure the new rules get implemented in the way we intended and in a way that will lead to success in terms of retaining the integrity of the original structures.

The developer will likely cite cost as a reason to remove one of the three walls for site access.  But it is a large site (15,000 sf) and with the roof off it should be entirely possible to work within the existing perimeter walls and have lots of room to maneuver, especially since there are already very large access doors and ramp from the 11th Avenue side.    If I had had 15,000 sf to work with at 12 & Pike I would have been in heaven.

So do what Liz says and come to the meeting!

Date: August 19th, 2009

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Seattle Vocational Institute, 2120 S. Jackson St. Rm 102/103 [map]

Note: If you find yourself obsessing over Capitol Hill development issues, you should join CHCC’s brand new Policy and Planning Committee. We will tackle such issues as the Light Rail TOD, better building Designs, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, an improved Neighborhood Plan, and much more! If you would like to get involved please send me an email at [email protected].  Also join us for our first meeting Wednesday, August 12th from 7:30 – 9:30pm at Vermillion (11th and Pike, just down the street from this project).

According to the DJC, the Ballard-based developer Pryde + Johnson has filed plans to redevelop the old Precision Auto Building at the corner of 11th and Pine st. The proposal calls for a 6-story building with 84 apartments, artist lofts, and ground-floor retail. The facade of the original building will remain intact (think Packard Building).

P+J prides itself on thoughtful urban renewal. According to their website their projects implement, “building practices that protect and care for the environment, support a healthy lifestyle, bring out the beauty in nature, strengthen community ties and provide for the needs of generations to come.” They recently received media attention for The Ashwood Cottages up in Green Lake, the first LEED platinum project in Washington State. The cottages, finished in 2007, have since gone into foreclosure due to the Great Recession. They also recently finished Hjarta in Ballard, a LEED silver condominium project with resident P-Patches on the roof. P+J will be working with GGLO to design the new building although it is unclear what LEED level, if any, they will be designing towards. Pryde + Johnson declined to comment at this time.

According to King County Records, the original building was constructed in 1926 as an Auto Paint Shop and Garage. The building is a quintessential illustration of Pike/Pine Auto Row history but it is unique in having a very early style of skylights on its roof. Interestingly the building is not included in the city’s historical survey.

In the 1990s, the building was home to a second hand sporting goods store which took advantage of its proximity to of the original REI location across the street where Value Village is today. When REI moved off the Hill, so did the sporting good store and the building at 11th and Pine has been empty since.

Keith Harris of the People’s Parking Lot group had been looking into the status of the property as a possible location for community use. He pointed out the building’s interesting skylights that are visible on online map services.

Aerial view of the property from Bing

• A new apartment complex in the Central District gets a little piece of history placed on top.
• The Simpson’s 20-year Anniversary West Coast Celebration to be held in Fremont. Organizers say the demographic “fits like a glove”.
• The Beacon Hill Blog has a great series on the different Light Rail stations opening tomorrow. Don’t forget, rides are free all weekend.
• It’s Blueberry season! Make your way over to Bellevue‘s Mercer Slough for some darn good pickin’.
• Phinney Ridge gets a little bit greener with a new solar-powered ATM.
• Fun times to be had in West Seattle this weekend. A parade, outdoor movie, and a self-guided garden tour. You can get out there on the King County Water Taxi, which recently received $2 million from the feds.

Runberg Architects has released images of the design for the new 105-unit apartment complex planned for the triangle at Union and Madison (see my previous post about the project here). The project across the street from the Ferrari dealership and the current home of Buzz Stop Espresso, a paint store and the Undrearm Apartments, among others, is slated to break ground next summer, the Daily Journal of Commerce reports. At this time DPD has not schedule the next Design Review meeting for the project.

View Larger Map

– It’s official, Belltown will get its Bell St. Boulevard.

– If you like BBQs, golf, and jazz, well then Interbay has a summer series for you.

– Wallingford‘s Gasworks Park makes the Colbert Report

– The city waives fees for using parks in Ballard.

– Inaugural Cascade Farmer’s Market a success in SLU.

– Greenlake is up in arms over their lack of a penguin.

– Coverage of last night’s King County Exec environment debate

Also wanted to share this awesome map I got from Lake City Live. It shows all the hyperlocal blogs in the Puget Sound Region. I might have to start sharing some Eastside news in the future (aaahhh noooo!):

View Seattle Area Hyperlocal Blogs in a larger map

Rom Mai Thai now has a neighbor in the newly renovated Lewis Building. On Friday a new boutique called Edgar opened its doors selling everything from Asian fish lamps to antique dowery chests. The owner of this new establishment is Edgar Lee, the founder of Votivo and self-identified collector. Lee says he began acquiring various items on businesses trips to France and Mexico and soon had a large contact list aroung the globe. When he sold Votivo in 2007 he agreed to stay out of the fragrance business and soon decided to take advantage of his international connections and get into retail. Thus begins the life of Edgar: The Store.

There is little order in the new space. One wall is filled with various hand crafted masks from different regions of South America. And on a table just to the right of the masks you can find kitchy tourist items such as coasters and statues from Europe. There are also various tables, frames, mirrors, lamps, sculptures, and art pieces with price tags for all incomes. In many ways the store seems like an expression of Lee himself and each item probably has a story that he would be more than happy to share.

When asked why he opened Edgar on The Hill Lee said he had roots here. It was the first neighborhood he lived in when he moved to Seattle and he ran a previous store called Timbuktu on Broadway over 20 years ago. He also mentioned our good style, of course ;)

There is no website yet but I suggest you check out the new store. Most of the items have yet to be priced so you might be able to haggle yourself a good deal. I’ve also added Edgar to my 2009 Business map which you can check out and add to here.

If you’ve been walking around The Shores lately, you may have noticed this wonderful little garden sprouting on Harvard, just off Olive Way. Its amazingly well constructed. Nice little rows of plants surrounded by a brick border. I was curious about who started this project and finally got a hold of Nathan, one of the gardeners of the plot. Nate gave me the skinny on how this beautiful bed of sustainability came to be.

The group that is tending the garden along Harvard Ave between Denny and Olive is a small collective of people that were organized by a woman who put a post on Craigslist.  The request was for people looking to utilize public and unused land in our local neighborhoods for growing produce.  We met in late feb on a weeknight at Remedy Tea.  There were 7 people who, with the exception of 2 couples had never met before that evening.  The idea was originally to build a series of these gardens.  However, we had difficulty obtaining permission to use some of the private land we had scouted.  Eventually we just went ahead and broke ground (I think in early march) at the Harvard site just to get things going.

The bricks surrounding the little plots were donated from the Sound Transit demolitions on Broadway, so at least those old buildings haven’t entirely left the neighborhood. The majority of the 4 plots are dedicated to salad greens but they are also growing radishes, beets, a few onions, basil, broccoli, peas, beans, cucumber, peppers (hot and sweet), and 2 varieties of tomato.

I asked Nate if they had any problems with vandalism and he said there have only been a few instances of people breaking plants or throwing the bricks. The biggest concern has been water. “Currently, I am bringing water over there  1-2x almost every day.” Nate said, “I have 2 7 gallon water containers that I fill in my shower and carry down in the mornings in my car as i head to work, but in the evenings I foot it and just use muscle for the 2 blocks.”

This little garden is an inspiration to us all. Remember, the city waived permits for planting strip gardens back in May, so none of us have excuses for not following the Harvard Ave Collective. If you need some tips on how to get started just head down there in the evening and you’ll probably spot Nate or some of the others tending the vegetables. I’m sure they would be happy to share their knowledge, especially for a few gallons of water.

White Center‘s Full Tilt Ice Cream celebrates its first birthday.

The annual Solstice Parade had Fremont baring it all.

Beacon Hill‘s Cleveland High School to become a tech magnet.

Olsen’s Scanadavian Foods is painfully closing up shop in Ballard.

Over in the U-District, The University will partner with local starchitect Kundig and associates to redesign the Burke Museum.

South Lake Union makes it into the New York Times Travel section.

First some background: While the Bel Roy Apartments may not be landmarked, they are certainly historic. The Moderne building was constructed in 1931 and designed by famed architects and UW professors, Lionel H. Pries and William J. Bain. TThis was one of the last projects the two architects built together as their partnership dissolved when the Depression took hold. Pries remained at the University and mentored a generation of influential architects including Minoru Yamasaki and Ken Anderson. Bain went on to start what would become one of the largest architecture firms in the world, NBBJ. The Bel Roy was hailed as one of the first modernist buildings in Seattle, incorporating flat geometric lines and zigzagging floor plans, a huge departure from the previously popular revivalist styles.

Unfortunately the Bel Roy now stands in the midst of languishing houses and its historic fame is hard to see through the overgrown shrubs. But the owners of the property along with the development firm Point32 have some big plans for the old building along with five homes adjacent to it.

View Bel Roy in a larger map

Although the project is in a nacsent stage, I spoke with Chris Rogers, CEO of Point23 and former resident of the Bel Roy, about what we might see in the future. He said they intend to refurbish the Bel Roy and build a new residential building to the Northeast that respects the historic style. He particularly mentioned adding some open space like the big courtyard gardens of the 20’s and 30’s. He also wanted to, what he called, “finish” the streetscape by improving the sidewalk with landscaping and street trees. I asked if they were considering any commercial space since its just down the block from the commercial strip with Artemis/The Lookout. He said current zoning did not allow this but many neighbors had shown interest in some small commercial space.

View Larger Map

It’s not clear whether the buildings will be apartments or condos but Rogers said they wanted to build a “diversity of units”. There is no set timeline for the project but don’t expect construction until late 2010 or early 2011. As the plans are developed more they will go through the design review process but please feel free to leave your opinions here, Point32 is trying to get as much community input as possible.

 I was perusing MyBallard earlier and saw this very cool map of the changing business landscape. So I decided to copy it pretty much exactly for our hood.

View Business Changes in a larger map

I also got Huiyona on there but I didn’t want to zoom out that far. So far, it looks like we have weathered the recession pretty well. By my count we have had 8 11 businesses close in the last couple months but 12 13 new ones open and three four more set to open in the near future.

Closed:

Horizon Books, Fire Grill, Artemis, Pizza Fusion, El Tajin, Siam, BMW, Honda/Yamaha, Galactic Boutique, Donna S. Ritchey Jewlery, Pike Bar and Grill

Opened:

Huiyona, Hermitage, I Love Wasabi, Capitain Blacks, Healeo, Anchovies and Olives, Molly Moons, Rancho Bravo, Old School Frozen Custard, Porchlight Coffee, Blue Sky Cleaners, Red Chair Salon, Oddfellows Cafe and Bar

Set to Open:

The Lookout, Pho Lotus, Cupcake Royale, Meza Latin Fare

I did this all on memory so if I missed anything please let me know and I’ll add it. Also, the map is public so anybody can add to it — please do.