Late Announcement: Meet a Central Area developement project today.

Tonight you have an opportunity to meet Jim Mueller, the developer behind the land use application for the empty lot at 23rd and Union (SW corner). Even if you don't live in the immediate area, this is a rare opportunity to understand how developers think and work. Perhaps through greater understanding comes greater respect, or at least knowledge that developers are people and they aren't all bad.

When: Tuesday, June 19, at 6 P.M.
Where: Central Cinema

More details at the Miller Park Neighborhood Association blog.

A thirteen acre, master planned Pop-Up Neighborhood

Image is scanned from the Wall Street Journal. Please don't sue. Click to enlarge.

Due to the increasing intensity of East Denny Triangle's construction and development, I previously characterized it as a pop-up neighborhood (posted on the original Seattle Plans site, now offline, soon back online; somewhat related post here). Notable is its recent sudden growth and diversity of uses.

But all of that would pale by comparison to West Denny Triangle if someone buys and develops the 13 acres of contiguous land the Clise family has put up for sale.

As first reported by the Wall Street Journal this morning[$], the Clise family has put the potential for 13 million square feet of development up for sale, a year after the City Council raised building heights from 300' to 500'.

"[Alfred M.] Clise says he is looking for a comprehensive, cohesive plan with world-class design. 'I envision something akin to Rockefeller Center,' he says. "Mr. Clise says the family has no specific requirements, and the investor with the proposal that impresses them the most will likely get the land. Office condominium and hotel towers are probably a given, but he is open to additional features, such as
green space, museums or performing-arts facilities."

Mr. Clise believes that the strong job growth outlook for the Seattle area and the 5% vacancy rate for top-quality Class A office space are good reasons to sell now. The WSJ does point out, however, that Mr. Clise may have "missed his window" as interest rates last week rose to nearly 5.25%. The Clise family states that they will hold out for their desired selling price (something in the hundreds of millions).

Wow. It would be a truly awesome project with tremendous impact on the city. Here is to hoping that someone with truly world-class design ideas scoops this up. It certainly would help alleviate the effects of Vulcan's uninspired Portland-cloning design ideas for South Lake Union.

Other (free) coverage:
PSBJ, PI, Times, Times #2

Striking design proposed for 1903 5th Ave (photos)

Model above is the original proposal for 550', 46 story hotel/condo tower at 1903 5th Ave. Changes detailed and more photos below.

I told you previously that the proposal for 1903 5th Ave was something to get excited about, and it is, not just because it would dwarfs Escala and the Westin towers and everything around it. Its thoroughly modern looks would be unlike most all of them.

Placed on a site just 108' by 120' (if I heard correctly), this tower has a tight podium and a solidly straight-up expression clad in a "greenish blue" glass, despite some changes to the original model. In order to thin the tower, "shoulders" have been lost (balconies on the corners rise higher up) and the podium has risen some stories. Added transparency at the base connects pedestrians to activity within the building. Notches have also been added to the tower's heights to avoid a "Darth Vader" feel. Interesting features include a rooftop screen inspired somewhat by an inverted parasol and transparent tube elevators at the podium corners facing 5th Ave.

For what it is worth, out of respect for the developer, a cordial man with whom I conserved briefly (and gave me permission to photograph his model for this obscure blog), I'll refrain from sharing more details until this project progresses further through design review.

The design review committee seemed slightly positive. Concerns shared among the committee members were lack of exterior expression of interior activity at higher elevations and some issues with the podium. One member expressed some worry that the tower could become "retro." I could not figure her intent, but if she meant a retro vision of the future, I do admit that that is my greatest worry here. It's too early to tell, however, and I remain terribly excited about the possibility of its being built. Here's to hoping that the committee allows this tower to make a statement, which it undoubtedly will by its height alone, unhindered and uncompromised.

More photos here.

Related: DJC article [via Urbnlivn, Feb 13]

06/07/2007 DPD Bulletin Highlights

Highlights from yesterday's DPD bulletin:
Downtown: 600 3rd Ave (entire block)
180 residential, 540k office, plaza, Metro tunnel connection, 600 spaces
This is the early design review for Triad Development's proposed "civic square." (You've heard about this previously.) The site is currently an entire city block of dirt surrounded by a plywood fence. What you may or may not realize is that the architectural firm, Norman + Partners, and its namesake, Lord Foster, is a big deal. Such a big deal that you might want to attend the early design review: June 26th, 5:30pm (possibly 7pm) at City Hall.

Central District: 2203 E Union St (SW corner)
6 stories, 91 residential units over retail, 100 parking spaces
This gets included because 1) it's also been a large dirt field for some time and 2) it's at the intersection (23rd & Union) featured in this week's Stranger short feature on the Central District. The Central District has seen tremendous change; since 1990 African-Americans went from over half the household population to just over one third now, whites from one third then to over half now.

Roosevelt: 6515 Brooklyn Ave NE (north half of west block)
4 stories, 42 apartment over 4 live-work, retail, 71 parking spaces
This project wins this week's smart growth award for working to end the tyranny of single-family homes by tearing down 5 single family houses and replacing them with over eight times as many apartments right next to a planned light rail station (albeit a years ahead of time).

Sidewalk cafe applications:
La Dolce Vita Ristorante
The Local Vine
Globe Cafe & Bakery

5th & Madison: Now what?

Without a doubt, that tiling is going to fill in the orange area:

Now the question is, what's going to fill in the area above? Please say it's stripes!

5th & Madison: Tiling still rising

Yesterday Vashon118 posted a 5th & Madison photo from last Friday on the SSP forum (scroll down a bit). The tiling continues to rise! Just a week after it first appeared, it's risen two more floors. Oh, the humanity!

I'll have another update later this week.

5/24/2007 DPD Bulletin Highlights

Sorry, I couldn't pass up a happy hour invite yesterday. Without further ado...

Highlights from Thursday's DPD bulletin (sorry, no photos this week):

Downtown: 1903 5th Ave
46 stories, 175 hotel, 190 condos, retail, 250 underground parking.
Urbnlivn reported the DJC article on this mega-tower (which suggests it might be built in the next development cycle), but did anyone follow up on the architect's website? Check it out. Is Seattle going to get itself a NY-style tower? Whether you like those designs (Time Warner Center!- !!!) or not, this is going to be a standout tower. Wild speculation: If this actually gets built, you're going to hear a lot about it, not only because there will be absolutely nothing else like it in Seattle, but it's going to be Seattle's best. Oh, and expect some belly-aching from "Old Seattle" Seattleites about this NY-attitude development.

Downtown: 810 Western Ave
12-stories, office over ground retail, 185 parking spaces.
Colman Center will be updating its design. This is the render you've seen previously. Colman Center was actually presented as a test case in one of the Green Factor presentations, which showed all the terraces covered with green roofs (PDF, slides 123-128).

Lower Queen Anne: 100 Republican St
6 stories, 228 apartments, 17 live/work, 155 parking spaces.
Remember last week's update? 147 live/work units should have set something off. How would you fit 147 live/work units around the ground floor exterior? You can't. It's really just 17 units. That leaves 138 parking spaces for 228 apartments.

05/17/2007 DPD Bulletin Highlights

Highlights from yesterday's DPD bulletin (sorry, no photos this week):

Lower Queen Anne: 100 Republican St
6 stories, 228 apartments, 147 live/work, 155 parking spaces.
Robert Burkheimer, the same guy that owns the shuttered QFC on Broadway, now has an early design guidance notice on the shuttered QFC in lower Queen Anne (just NW of the Seattle Center). He's asking for a height-limit raise, from 40' to 65' (is this starting to sound familiar yet?) and a possible subterranean alley vacation. (Not as intriguing as it sounds.) I'm going to speculate wildly here (honestly, this is speculation): The 147 live/work units are only because he's trying to avoid having to put in any retail at ground floor, and the less than 1:1 ratio of parking spaces to units guarantees that these will be apartment units, not condos. (If this gets built.) I like this a lot. Monthly Monorail passes are $40.

University District: 4501 12th Ave NE
8 stories, 222 hotel rooms over retail and restaurant, underground parking.
This is the vacant space that used to be a natural grocery store (just west is the newish office mid-rise that stood mostly vacant for some time). The architect's page only shows interiors of other projects, including Courtyard by Mariott Bellevue, Hilton Bellevue, Downtown (Seattle) Ramada, and Watertown Hotel. Nothing to speculate here.

5th & Madison: !

As promised, here are photos of the southern side of 5th & Madison (click to enlarge):

Seattle Plans wasn't sure, and so asked a trusted opinionator. The first word out was "hideous," followed by, "Is that for real?" Yes. It is real.

Now the question is, how high is that going up?
Is this going to fill out the orange area?

5th & Madison Condo Update

If you were walking around Downtown today, you might have noticed what's going to cover the south side of the 5th & Madison condo building.

For the rest of you, I'll have a photo tomorrow. It's a doozy. (Forgot the camera. !@#$)

Also: 5th & Madison recently changed hands. Twice.