SEATTLE | Downtown Projects: Completed, U/C, Proposed/Approved - Page 78

mhays · #**1541** Posted **Mar 24, 2008, 4:18 PM**

Phase I of Insignia at 5th & Bell (40-story towers) has been advertising for sub bids for all trades. That means they're at least considering trying to start soon.

mSeattle · #**1542** Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 6:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

Phase I of Insignia at 5th & Bell (40-story towers) has been advertising for sub bids for all trades. That means they're at least considering trying to start soon.

Saw this past weekend that someone has stacked chunks of metal things on site. Will be cool if they are starting.

mhays · #**1543** Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 7:24 PM**

Oooh, that's a good sign! What kind of metal things?

I've said this before: It's reasonable to guess that we'll have an undersupply of condos in 2010-2011, because very few are broke ground in 2007 or will probably through 2008. So anyone who DOES break ground will have much less competition.

Hans Gruber · #**1544** Posted **Mar 31, 2008, 11:47 PM**

What about the 50+ story hotel in the Denny Trianle area? Is that going to happen? I think the plans called for 1400+ rooms.

mhays · #**1545** Posted **Apr 1, 2008, 12:37 AM**

They projected a 2009 or 2010 start. Just like every project, they won't really know until a few weeks or even the day before groundbreaking.

That's why I laugh whenever anyone labels a project "certain". They're either an outsider who doesn't know what they're talking about, or an insider and doing a sales job.

Vashon118 · #**1546** Posted **Apr 1, 2008, 4:37 AM**

Update time...

1 Hotel, garage renovation portion (03/17):

4 Seasons (03/20):

5th and Yesler (03/22):

7th and Madison (03/22):

8th and Seneca (03/22):

818 Stewart (03/21):

1521 2nd (03/20):

One of the out of position white stripes on the SE side has been fixed... it was removed (taken 03/31):

1918 8th (03/21):

Aspira (03/21):

Enso (03/21):

Escala (03/19):

Gallery Belltown (03/19):

The "metal things" at the Insignia site (03/31):

Olive 8 (03/21):

(this next one was taken 03/22):

Olivian (03/21):

Rollin Street (03/21):

Skyline (03/22):

West 8th (03/21):

mhays · #**1547** Posted **Apr 1, 2008, 4:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mSeattle

Saw this past weekend that someone has stacked chunks of metal things on site. Will be cool if they are starting.

I walked by tonight. I couldn't see the metal things very well, but they looked like aluminum tubes around 30" diameter. Triangle shaped brackets facing two directions. Maybe ductwork of some kind.

Seasuun! Where are yooouuuu?!

mhays · #**1548** Posted **Apr 1, 2008, 4:54 AM**

And now I see the pictures! Now they look like torn out old ductwork. But I don't know what I'm talking about.

mSeattle · #**1549** Posted **Apr 2, 2008, 6:47 AM**

Awesome update Vashon! You made the rounds. I'm loving the changes going on from Northgate to Georgetown/White Center with the tallest projects in the middle.

Sorry for the false alarm on the twin tower project. My view was from the monorail.

SFUVancouver · #**1550** Posted **Apr 2, 2008, 7:12 AM**

Looking good Seattle.

There are actually a lot more projects under way in Seattle than I had assumed. What is the current count?

Orion1 · #**1551** Posted **Apr 2, 2008, 7:23 AM**

This may or may not be off topic, but I just wanted to chime in and say that Seattle is an absolutely beautiful city! Went there for my 43rd birthday and loved it!

I did however find it odd that many of the people I met didn't have much appreciation for their hometown, and were surprised that I chose Seattle over NY or DC for my vacation. I had no regrets and would do it again!

By the way, I am from Philly.....

Hans Gruber · #**1552** Posted **Apr 2, 2008, 8:21 AM**

It's like the sun being out 300 days a year in Arizona and Las Vegas. People in desert climates do not care that 300 days of the year is sunny and they only have two seasons. People take Seattle for granted. Most residents do not care about the scenic views of Mt. Ranier or the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. Very few people realize Puget Sound is part of the ocean. Most don't realize that Shamu and killer whales call Seattle home.

Very few people know that Seattle created most outdoor sports from mountain climbing to water skiing. Snowboarding was invented in Seattle and first accepted at Mt. Baker. REI has taken outdoor sports to a whole new level. Most people don't realize that half the boats on Discovery channels "Deadliest Catch" reside in Seattle. We love our seafood and most people don't realize what bad seafood tastes like until they leave Seattle.

Complex01 · #**1553** Posted **Apr 2, 2008, 2:49 PM**

Man i am loving all those updates. So many things happening at once all ove the place. I love 1521, its so pretty. Olive 8 is looking awesome with that glass. Thanks for updating, next time i get back up to Seattle, it will look so different. Very kewl...

mhays · #**1554** Posted **Apr 2, 2008, 4:00 PM**

SFUVancouver, I think we have about 17 highrises going up around Downtown, and I vagely recall counting about 35 or 40 new buildings underway in a 1,700-acre version of "greater Downtown". Maybe I'll count again when I get time.

Orion1, I'm less surprised than others...because I live and work in touristy areas. Over the past several years I've noticed that Seattle appears to have become a top second-tier tourist destination -- nowhere near the level of the top half dozen or so, but near the top of the rest. I still take notice when I pass obvious tourists...it's just that I pass them countless times per day. We're even getting sizeable tourist numbers in the winter, and we're downright thronged in the summer. It's flattering. I love it.

seaskyfan · #**1555** Posted **Apr 3, 2008, 4:27 AM**

Thanks for another great update Vashon!

Orion - Happy Birthday! Glad to hear you had a nice time in Seattle!

SFUVancouver · #**1556** Posted **Apr 3, 2008, 7:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

SFUVancouver, I think we have about 17 highrises going up around Downtown, and I vagely recall counting about 35 or 40 new buildings underway in a 1,700-acre version of "greater Downtown". Maybe I'll count again when I get time.

Thanks for the reply!

Aleks · #**1557** Posted **Apr 4, 2008, 10:15 PM**

Great updates. I think Rollin Street will be one of the best low-rise condo buildings in Seattle. The Olivian and Escala will be two of the nicest mis-rise residential towers. They have great designs. The only thing I don't like about the Olivian is that it has that typical beige color which makes the look boring.

A little random things: I noticed Goggle Earth has been updates. It show shows the Olivian, Olive 8, and 818 Stewart in their early construction stages.

seaskyfan · #**1558** Posted **Apr 10, 2008, 2:12 PM**

From today's Seattle Times - the Watermark site (8th & Stewart) will be a 14 story office tower instead of a 32 story condo tower. Sounds like they transferred some of the available FAR to the office tower going up next door (residential uses aren't subject to FAR limits as far as I recall).

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004338814_watermark10.html

Developer slashes number of stories for Watermark site
By Eric Pryne
Seattle Times business reporter
A developer who proposed a 32-story condo tower two years ago on the site of Watermark Credit Union's downtown Seattle headquarters now wants to build an office building less than half that tall instead.

Schnitzer West of Bellevue submitted a preliminary application last week for a 14-story office building on the site at Eighth Avenue and Stewart Street, city records show.

Watermark's five-story, 30-year-old building, across the street from the Greyhound bus terminal, would be demolished.

Schnitzer submitted preliminary plans for the condo tower in 2006 but did not pursue them.

A Schnitzer representative did not return calls Wednesday seeking information about the project's use and height changes. But the downtown condo market has cooled in recent months while the office market has remained tight.

Zoning allows nonresidential buildings up to 500 feet tall on the site. But some of the development rights were transferred in 2006 so that Schnitzer's 36-story office tower, 1918 Eighth, under construction on the same block, could be taller.

Schnitzer, one of the region's biggest developers, also is building a 14-story office project in the same square block, at 818 Stewart.

Watermark still owns its headquarters property, but Schnitzer has an option to buy it.

The new building would have 10,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor and parking inside the building, according to a city notice.

The downtown Design Review Board is tentatively scheduled to consider it June 24.

Watermark, once known as Seattle Telco Credit Union, is moving its administrative offices to new space on Howell Street.

Vice President Sherry Lotze said the credit union will continue to operate a branch in the old headquarters until later this year, when it will move into 818 Stewart.

Members will experience no disruption in service, she said.

seaskyfan · #**1559** Posted **Apr 10, 2008, 6:08 PM**

From today's DPD Land Use Info

Application for the last part of the civic center complex is in! 42 stories!

http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/luib/Not...D=305&NID=7851

Land Use Application to allow a 42-story building containing 600,000 sq. ft. of office, 12,000 sq. ft. of retail with 150 residential units above and a 3-story building containing 19, 000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant. Project includes 30,000 sq. ft. of open space over five levels of below-grade parking for 620 vehicles, 120,000 cu. yds. of grading and new access to the existing Metro Bus Tunnel on 3rd Avenue. Addendum to the Downtown Height & Density and Civic Center Master Plan Environmental Impact Statement has been submitted.

mSeattle · #**1560** Posted **Apr 11, 2008, 3:36 AM**

Hm, 600,000sf of office? So that's like a 32 floor tower above a 3 floor building (35 floors?)? I wonder if there is some new (for Seattle) design feature going on? It'll be cool if the first three floors are super tall.

Is there a residential tower with similar number of units to give an idea of how tall that part might be?