The strange thing about Seattle’s boom and bust:
Lots of construction projects are either recently finished or nearly complete. Thanks to terrible lending markets, some developers can’t let tenants move in and tenants can’t afford to move in, so developers have a bunch of extra space on their hands. No big projects (that I know of) are breaking ground right now. However, market analysts generally agree that when the real-estate market rebounds, the available condo and office space will get snatched up quickly. After that, while the next building rush is underway, there will be a long period where Seattle has no new inventory available. Whoever gets their product to market first—while demand is high and inventory is low—will make a mint. Developers are trying to get an edge by pushing proposals and permits now. Here’s one of the luxury giants chomping at the bit.
1200 Stewart is a twin-tower project that would stand 36 stories tall, contain 500 residential units, a hotel, a little shopping mall, and a 800 underground parking stalls. I’ve previously written about its traffic issues and anti-pedestrian problems. Since then, developer Lexas Companies and Thoryk Architecture have updated the designs for a public presentation tonight. Here’s the view from Capitol Hill:
It’s not bad, but the Miami-esque design is a little out of place on Denny Way. You can get a taste of the finished product by looking at the Escala, another project designed by Thoryk under construction on 4th Avenue and Virginia Street. But more than the aesthetics in the sky, my concern relates to how this building behaves on the street. Dan Bertolet over at Hugeasscity estimates 2680 units will soon be built near Denny, contributing to gridlock and promoting/requiring more walking. And pedestrians need stuff like coffee shops and restaurants and interesting things happening at the street level. But the Escala—except for a single retail outlet—is offering Denny a long, lifeless lobby.
“Denny is not going to be coffee shops and newsstands,” said downtown design-review board member James Falconer at a meeting last year. “You’re not going to saunter down Denny. You have to accept it for what it is.”
But here’s what I wrote last year:
I know, I know—Denny is clogged with cars and isn’t a very hospitable place for pedestrians, so building for retail in its current state seems unrealistic. But here’s the thing: Traffic on Denny is fucked—and will only become more fucked—and most of the thousands of newcomers will have feet. So they’ll be walking up Denny to get to Capitol Hill, crossing Denny to go downtown, or walking down Denny to go shopping. It’s the only street that functionally connects South Lake Union to Belltown and Capitol Hill. It will be a pedestrian corridor regardless of what we build, so we should plan for pedestrians.
The proposal under review tonight shows this as the bland future face of Denny:
We have years to refine these designs during a building lull. And the next wave of construction could return huge profits to developers. We ought to get it right.
A volunteer panel will review the designs tonight at a public meeting, where folks can make comment. It begins at 5:30 p.m. in Seattle City Hall (600 4th Ave./601 5th Ave.) Instructions about how to enter after hours are here. (Sorry I’m getting this up on the blog late; we had to put out the paper today.)
Everything looks like Bellevue. I want to die.
James Falconer is full of shit.
I ride my bike or walk down Denny at least 4 days out of the week. There is allways students from Cornish, people going to work, to 24 hour fitness, Whole Foods, and on the weekend or during special events people walking to Seattle Center. If Developers created a more welcoming environment Denny, people would indeed “saunter” down Denny a bit more. And those same people would support the cafes & stores there, thus helping the economy.
I wonder where exactly Mr. Falconer lives and how does he get around?
Sorta on topic, I read that Vulcan today announced its SLU project Rollin Street Flats only sold 25%-ish of their units, so they’ll convert ’em all to apartments and give evahbody their money back. More expensive rental stock in SLU, oboy.
A coffee shop on Denny would last 3 months tops. They should definitely have more retail space on the other streets, though, perhaps even some shops on the second floor.
Yes, what about Stewart and Minor? There should be at least two shops on each street, preferably three. And what about that interesting corner at Yale? With the raging traffic outside, and no parking buffer, a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere is impossible, it’s true; but what about the side streets?
I love how architects adopt all the grooviest “new urbanist” lingo, like that “commons” there, without having any understanding of what it means or intention of finding out. Just more dead space. And, uh, “internal arrival area”?
Also, I propose instituting the death penalty for any architectural rendering showing green trees like that. They should be forced to show them bare.
There’s a really cool transit forum at city hall with munchies at lunch hour this Friday.
As to building … some cities – the smart ones – have just cancelled all new permits or deferred new construction until the foreclosed properties have cleared the market.
But that takes guts and intelligence – which is in short supply sometimes around here.
now, to the specific buildings …
1200 Stewart reminds me of Vancouver, but Fnarf is going to say his wiki and google don’t agree with that, even if the vast and overwhelming majority of people who’ve lived there would.
Escala could work if they made it inviting. But inviting doesn’t pay the bills and everyone’s about maximum floor space, so forget that happening.
And I used to saunter down Denny, along with lots of other people, so …. god that makes me want to puke.
Fucker would block my already lame view of the Needle…not that I gaze at it, but still…you know…
That building is an atrocity and does NOT belong in that neigborhood…move it a few blocks CLOSER to the other buildings that size. As it is there, it’s waaaaaaay too fucking big for that lot, does NOT fit in with the rest of the neighborhood and just plain looks ludicrous looming over Denny…it’s like Darth Vader is designing a SimCity…
Thousands of res units and thousands of feet of commercial are being added to that part of town all the way down to Lake Union. All those new residents, not to mention the hundreds of Amazonians and other new commercial tenants are going to need food, booze, shops and transportation. I’m hoping Metro has some ideas up their sleeve to improve the already fucked up #8. And, yeah James Falconer is a dumbass…the amount of pedestrian traffic in that area is already increasing and will increase even more in the next few years. I don’t think the city is ready for it. And, if this badly placed building gets built, Falconer and all the rest of his cronies on the board need to be run out of town.
I think you’re getting Stewart/Denny confused in your article as well as 1200 Stewart/Escala (Escala isn’t on Denny, neither is 1200 Stewart).
Makes for a confusing read.
Jokes! 1200 Steward is in the awkward triangle. Got it.
yeah, it’s where we were going to put that monorail station, oh hi.
Seattle needs to have buildings that are set back from the lot line, to have attractive little driveways, porticos, fountains.
Shit, even Harlem NYC you don’t build to the lot line. You are set back. There is a stairway. a stoop. A porch.
Our street right of ways are just narrow. When we allow the buildings to expand to lot lines like rising loafs of bread, the whole street scape is made ugly, the buildings are ugly, and people hate density because everything is ugly, and nothing is going to change as long as building get to build out to the lot line.
Yes, imposing another 12 or 15 feet of setback may require that developers combine a few lots and build fewer, bigger buildings, but that would be better than all the monotonous bread loafs oozing out to the lot line and crowding the public spaces.
I like it, mainly because it’s next to that one apartment building on Minor that has the worst ratings I’ve ever seen on ApartmentRatings.com, EVER.
Enjoy your crackneighbors, Condodwellers!
It’s a good project for the city. Maybe the design isn’t perfect, but it will get built. At least it’s not some imaginary pb elemental highrise that has no hope but the stranger loves to advertise. But it’s still a good project.