Bellevue Development News [Archive] - Page 3

Seasun

May 27th, 2007, 07:45 AM

^commercial buildings do not require steel frames. One of Seattle's tallest is all concrete... 2 Union Square.

Just to clarify - Two Union does have massive concrete filled circular columns and of course concrete on metal deck but it's otherwise a steel building. You can see photos here: http://www.openmondays.com/2_union_square.htm
That said, the concrete that was used in 2 Union is still noteworthy as described in the 1988 heading here: http://www.cement.org/tech/ctt_timeline.asp it's just that I wouldn't call it a concrete building.

The late 80's saw a group of buildings with these massive columns (I believe the structural engineer for all of them was Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire (today's Magnusson Klemencic Associates)). Key Tower, US Bank Center and Two Union all have similar columns. One major difference between Key Tower and Two Union is the obvious X-bracing on Key Tower that you don't see on Two Union - they resolved wind and quake forces in a different way on Two Union.

Today's tall building's are using concrete cores and then concrete columns and floors or steel columns and beams depending on project circumstances. You might notice a few buildings in the future - there's at least one I've heard of so far probably a lot more - that use steel plate cores. Might sound kind of odd at first but instead of using all that time for a concrete core - just fabricate heavy steel plate for the rigidity the concrete core offers. Steel's not cheap but neither is concrete + lots of rebar + lots of time and associated labor of concrete cores. Construction is always changing to deal with the marketplace.

Bond James Bond

June 1st, 2007, 04:23 AM

I added links to the threads for the towers that have their own threads. The links are right above the renderings.

That way if you loose track of a thread you can always check the first post in this one.

I'll eventually get around to doing it for the Seattle thread, too - when I get ambitious enough. ;)

velciane

June 1st, 2007, 06:28 AM

:applause: :applause: Thanks bond!!! :applause: :applause:

horatio_the_hermit

June 2nd, 2007, 08:33 PM

BellevueBoy

June 3rd, 2007, 12:02 AM

I dont know if anyone noticed but the two story strip mall on main street and 100th has been torn down. It looks like theyre starting construction on that 10 story 10020 Main St. Development. I dont know if its big enough to add to the first post but itd be cool to see it there. There is a rendering on the City of Bellevue Major Developments website.

Oh, and just south of that apartment building on 112th around 2nd, a parking lot has been torn up and there are constructiony signs all around. This would be the site of the 7ish story meydenbauer inn.

Thanks for the updates. I'm pretty excited about the potential of Old Bellevue once some of these projects get done and the city expands Meydenbauer park. That crappy old gas station is part of the land acquisition that the city made to make way for the park so that's an added bonus.

I'd like to see those small buildings on 102nd across from Downtown Park to be developed next. Put in some sidewalk cafes and nice restaurants on the ground level and that area could be something special.

mhays

June 3rd, 2007, 01:49 AM

I'm excited enough about these that I'll simply copy my SSP post about 112th.

Must be the 300-unit Simpson Housing project on page 5, just south of City Hall on 112th.

According to my "Construction Market Data" weekly journal (an industry database report), they've been taking sub bids on all trades, which along with the demo suggests a real start is likely. Also, it's called Metro 112. Includes 25,000 sf of commercial space.

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/pdf/PCD...orProjects.pdf

The architect is Ankrom Moisan, also doing Rollin Street. This is 11 stories above grade on the uphill side, and 13 if you count the stairsteps up the hill. They'll probably call it 14 stories. See "on the boards". http://www.amaa.com/portfolio/?category=otb

... Are you freaking telling me Downtown Bellevue is starting TWO MORE high rises?! Technically not yet, just demo for both, but still!

velciane

June 4th, 2007, 11:53 PM

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/pdf/PCD...orProjects.pdf

Do you happen to have the full url? This one does not work. :bash:

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/pdf/PCD/COB_MajorProjects.pdf

mhays

June 5th, 2007, 02:11 AM

Just go to the City website, planning department, development reports. Sorry for the bad link.

velciane

June 5th, 2007, 03:59 AM

I love the new "BELLEVUE PLAZA" and I am curious about the "SAPPHIRE HOTEL".

BellevueBoy

June 5th, 2007, 09:07 AM

I drove by the Meydenbauer Inn and the 10020 Main Street sites today, definitely looks like we can consider both of them starts. The Hyatt expansion may be a start too, the current building was demolished a few weeks ago and there's construction crews doing prep work.

Bond James Bond

June 5th, 2007, 10:04 AM

^
OK I moved the Hyatt to "under construction."

We don't have the other 2 on the front page so there's nothing to do with them. ;)

TheBellevueBoss

June 8th, 2007, 06:39 PM

for thsoe who track the Bellevue office market.....

Downtown Bellevue office rents jumping
One Bellevue Center has raised its quoted rates by an average of $11 per square foot, or 30 percent, since the end of March.

By JOURNAL STAFF
Asking rental rates have increased almost $5 a square foot in the past 60 days in five of the highest quality downtown Bellevue office properties, according to Kip Spencer, co-founder of OfficeSpace.com.

One property in particular, One Bellevue Center at 411 108th Ave. N.E., has increased its quoted rates by an average of $11 per square foot, or 30 percent, since the end of March, Spencer said.

Additionally, at least three properties — City Center Bellevue, KeyCenter and Skyline Tower — are marketing space at $40 per square foot (gross) or greater, he said. The previous high was when the City Center Bellevue building was asking $42.50 per square foot in late 2000, according to OfficeSpace.com's historical data.

“We haven't seen rates creep up into the $40 range since the dot-com era,” Spencer said.

He said new owners of the former Equity Office buildings increased rents earlier this year and again after Microsoft agreed in late May to lease 1.34 million square feet of space in two Eastside properties under construction by Schnitzer West.

Of the 55 properties OfficeSpace.com tracks in downtown Bellevue, it said 31 are fully leased and only a handful in the CBD can accommodate a tenant needing more than 20,000 square feet.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the CBD has surpassed the Kirkland waterfront as having the most-expensive office space on the Eastside.

Spencer said downtown Bellevue tenants can expect lower build-out allowances and higher overall occupancy costs, including increased parking rates. Parking rates in downtown Bellevue have nearly doubled in the past two years, he said, and some suburban office parks near downtown have just started charging for parking previously provided free to tenants.

Spencer markets such as Bothell, Renton and Issaquah should benefit as tenants look for lower-cost alternatives to Bellevue.

“I think those peripheral markets will get looks from companies that they don't typically see due to what's happening in downtown Bellevue,” he said.

sequoias

June 10th, 2007, 08:24 PM

I was in Bellevue yesterday, omg! It looks like mini-dubai! I saw so many cranes all over the place. It looks very nuts! When I was getting gas for the car at the gas station in East of downtown Bellevue, I counted like 11 cranes in my view, I'm sure there's more hidden behind some buildings. Plus the 2 cranes at Overlake Medical center, that adds up to 13 cranes.

jiggawhat?

June 12th, 2007, 02:04 AM

there were peooplle working at the ashwood commons site today.

BellevueBoy

June 12th, 2007, 05:59 AM

I drove by the SW corner of Bellevue Way and Main today and noticed that almost all the business are vacant now, all that remains is the KFC/Taco Bell, Budget car wash, and some frames store. Hopefully this means that construction on the Bellevue @ Main project is imminent...

jiggawhat?

June 12th, 2007, 09:26 AM

whats bellevuw at main?

Bond James Bond

June 12th, 2007, 09:31 AM

^
It's one of the lowrise projects going up in that area. Sorta like all the other condos along Main St.

mhays

June 12th, 2007, 06:23 PM

Old Bellevue is getting to be pretty nice and cohesive. The middle is good, the west end is being shored up by 10020, and it looks like one or both sides of the east end might start this year. Now it just needs better access to the Lake, and nicer connections to the CBD. Hell, if I worked in Bellevue I'd probably live there.

USAPatriot

June 13th, 2007, 03:11 AM

Took this photo not too long ago according to the watermark and date on the picture I took. Lots of progress going on. You can see the "Bellevue Towers" construction near downtown. They are the orange stubs near the center of the image.
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/2179/ajmstudiosnetbellevuetonr2.jpg

CrazyAboutCities

June 13th, 2007, 03:50 AM

^^ Look great! Bellevue still need to add way more skyscrapers including a supertall.

Bond James Bond

June 13th, 2007, 05:45 AM

OK I went to downtown Bellevue today. Some observations:

1. As noted in the other thread, activity on Ashwood II has resumed. There were about a dozen guys on the site, mostly setting rebar in place.
2. City Center II's core is at the 14th floor.
3. The cores of The Bravern offices are starting to poke above ground level.
4. I have decided that the Washington Square condo tower's designs are actually kinda boring. Oh well. :)
5. There is some activity at the Hyatt site. I also found out that, not only have they built a skybridge between Bellevue Place and Lincoln Square, they have also been building a tunnel! Seems pretty unnecessary to me, but whatever.

BellevueBoy

June 14th, 2007, 06:18 AM

Here's some info on a vast variety of projects that the city is undertaking to improve downtown.

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/downtown_projects_open_house_news_release.htm

I wanted to point out that the fact that the site lists the widening of NE 8th between 106th and 108th as one of the projects its reviewing, that is an encouraging sign that the city will approve Washington Square's application to raise the height limit to 450 feet for its Phase II (the site is currently zoned at 250 feet). As part of the deal, the developer was going to give up a 12 foot wide strip of land along NE 8th in order for the city to add a lane.

mhays

June 14th, 2007, 07:32 AM

Two steps forward, one back. Bellevue's streets are already too fucking wide for pedestrian-friendliness. Just another sign that it's still a suburb with a lot of backward 70s thinking.

pwright1

June 14th, 2007, 12:07 PM

The only people using the Bellview Place parking garage are Bellevue Square mall employees on the weekends.

velciane

June 14th, 2007, 04:35 PM

Have you been to downtown on a opening night for a movie over at the Lincoln theater? Parking under the Lincoln tower is a nightmare, and they make you drive out of the building and over to the Bellevue Place parking garage. The new tunnel and skybridge will be a HUGE help in keeping the people moving. Can you imagine all the office employees coming into the Eddie Bauer Tauer soon... Parking is just going to be that much harder to come by.

I also bet that the Square employees will be moving to a garage further away when that tunnel opens.

BoulderGrad

June 14th, 2007, 09:57 PM

Are they planning on re-paving 405 after they widen it? The bumps there are worse than I-5 through the U-district and Northgate.

Bond James Bond

June 17th, 2007, 02:44 AM

Article on Bellevue in the NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/realestate/commercial/17sqft.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

June 17, 2007
Square Feet | Spotlight
The Cranes Are Back, and So Are the Tenants
By KRISTINA SHEVORY

BELLEVUE, Wash.

CONSTRUCTION cranes quickly disappeared from the skyline of this affluent city near Seattle, office vacancy rates shot up as high as 28 percent and developers postponed once-ambitious projects when the dot-com boom went bust six years ago. Bellevue had become a city where no developer seemed to want to be.

“Everything was too good to be true, and then reality came through,” said Kemper Freeman, the president and chief executive of Kemper Development, one of Bellevue’s largest land owners and developers.

But this city, whose fortunes rose and fell with those of the technology industry, has been staging a comeback.

Nowadays, a dozen or so construction cranes loom over work sites in Bellevue’s downtown. Some 2.2 million square feet of office space, some of it speculative, and more than 2,500 apartments and condominiums are under construction, according to the Bellevue Downtown Association, a nonprofit group. Projects like Mr. Kemper’s Lincoln Square, a 1.4-million-square-foot development with hotel rooms, condominiums, an office tower and a shopping mall, have been restarted and are near completion.

Already, companies are planning to move into Bellevue, which is about 10 miles east of Seattle and, in the 2000 census, had a population of almost 110,000. Microsoft is expanding its offices here, while Eddie Bauer has chosen the city for its new headquarters and Neiman Marcus is opening its first Pacific Northwest store here.

“If you look at the companies leasing downtown, these aren’t imaginary companies,” said Matt Terry, the director of planning and community development for Bellevue, referring to some of the dot-com businesses that once set up headquarters in the city, then quickly folded. “That speaks well for Bellevue’s economic future, and that’s very different from the past.”

Bellevue was riding high in the late 1990s. Dot-com companies leased thousands of square feet of space, developers rolled out plans for as many as two dozen buildings, rents soared and vacancy rates fell to less than 2 percent. Then the national recession, combined with the dot-com implosion, sent the city’s office market reeling. Some companies went under or shrank, while work on projects like Lincoln Square was halted.

Those days now seem a hazy memory. Attracted by a resurgence in job growth, lofty rents and one of the lowest office vacancy rates in the country, developers have been streaming back to Bellevue. An affluent population, nearby freeways and plenty of land have also sweetened the city’s appeal.

In the first quarter this year, office vacancy rates stood at 4.5 percent, among the lowest levels since 2000, according to a report released last month by Colliers International, a commercial real estate brokerage firm. The rate in Seattle, by comparison, was 9.3 percent in the first quarter.

Tom Woodworth, a senior investment director at Schnitzer West, a Bellevue developer, said he was not surprised by Bellevue’s rebound. “This is where the jobs are and where there’s developable land,” Mr. Woodworth said.

Schnitzer West had no tenants signed up last year when it began construction in downtown Bellevue on the Bravern, a 1.6 million-square-foot mixed-use complex with three floors of high-end retailers and 450 condominiums, and the Advanta Office Commons, three seven-story buildings east of downtown.

Local real estate brokers had privately questioned whether the company would be able to fill its space because of competing projects under construction. But Schnitzer proved the naysayers wrong in April, when Microsoft agreed to lease a total of 1.3 million square feet in the Bravern and Advanta.

The lease — the biggest in the region, according to local real estate brokers — made Microsoft the largest tenant downtown and gave Bellevue an added boost of confidence. Microsoft will start moving 4,000 new or existing employees into Advanta by year-end; it expects to move into the Bravern by the end of 2008.

Microsoft also has plans to take over 320,000 square feet in Lincoln Square, which is expected to be completed by this summer. Lou Gellos, a company spokesman, said Microsoft was halfway through an ambitious expansion program that will add a third more space, or 3.1 million square feet. The company has been running out of room at its crowded campus located nearby in Redmond.

Big leases have resurrected Bellevue’s office market before. Equity Office Properties Trust, which once controlled about a third of the city’s downtown office space, used cheap rents to attract Symetra Financial, a spinoff of Safeco Insurance, and drugstore.com to downtown Bellevue three years ago, a move that helped to kick-start the leasing market. Then Mr. Freeman persuaded Eddie Bauer to lease 200,000 square feet at Lincoln Square for its new headquarters. A building boom was born.

Investors are also pouring money into the city. This year, there were $2.6 billion in real estate transactions, versus $34 million six years ago, according to Real Capital Analytics, a real estate consulting company. Sales prices have soared, to an average of $376 a square foot this year from $146 in 2001. In Seattle, prices average $364 a square foot, according to Real Capital.

Brickman Associates, a private equity firm based in New York, bought its first building in Bellevue last fall. The company won a bidding war for Civica Office Commons, a midrise office building, paying $175.7 million, or $575 a square foot. Only 18 months earlier, Civica had been sold by Schnitzer West for $462 a square foot, or around $141 million, to Investcorp, an investment company based in New York.

“Rents are really pushing in the right direction for landlords,” said Michael Bernstein, an executive vice president and director of acquisitions at Brickman. “We’ve seen a 10 percent rise in the last six months and we expect a material increase in the next six months.”

RENTS in downtown Bellevue currently average $33.07 a square foot, compared with $29.29 in downtown Seattle, and are expected to climb even higher this year, according to Colliers. Gerding Edlen Development of Portland, Ore., has chosen Bellevue for its first project in Washington State, called Bellevue Towers. It will have 540 condos ranging from $400,000 for a studio to $10 million for a penthouse.

Upscale retailers and restaurants have also started moving in. Neiman Marcus will open a store in Bellevue this fall; it will be the first in the Pacific Northwest for the company, which was attracted by the number of wealthy residents in the area, said Wayne Hussey, a senior vice president for store development at Neiman Marcus. For the area of King County east of Lake Washington, where Bellevue is located, the median household income was $82,228 last year, versus $57,378 in Seattle, according to Scarborough Research, a consumer research firm.

For its part, Bellevue is planning to build midblock crosswalks, plant more trees and start a free bus service that will circle the downtown, to help make it more pedestrian-friendly.

These improvements, however, cannot seem to come fast enough for the local businesses. “The fear is that the investment community will not stay and other areas will become more attractive,” said Leslie Lloyd, president of the Bellevue Downtown Association. “We want to make sure when the boom is past, the infrastructure is in place.”

horatio_the_hermit

June 17th, 2007, 11:22 PM

New rendering for 1020 tower. Basically the same as the old but more realistic.
http://www.ten20tower.com/

horatio_the_hermit

June 17th, 2007, 11:26 PM

HAWC1506

June 18th, 2007, 10:48 PM

mhays

June 18th, 2007, 10:51 PM

We'll find out in November whether a light rail line will connect Seattle and Bellevue. It's on the ballot.

On average, new towers take a couple years to build. The variations are pretty dramatic depending on structural system, height, whether they're working overtime, and myriad other factors.

sequoias

June 18th, 2007, 10:52 PM

Does anyone know if there's going to be a mass transit system like light rail/subway system? And also when are the expected completion dates of current projects because I don't want to wait until I graduate from high school to see those beauties completed.

Are you talking about Bellevue light rail? The Seattle starter line will open in 2009, the Bellevue extension may open early as 2016 if the vote passes on it and have funding for it.

HAWC1506

June 18th, 2007, 11:11 PM

Are you talking about Bellevue light rail? The Seattle starter line will open in 2009, the Bellevue extension may open early as 2016 if the vote passes on it and have funding for it.

Ohhh my I have to wait until I graduate from college? Awwww mannnnn...:gaah:
But ya know, I think it would be beneficial if all our cities were more connected with a light rail, Seattle/Bellevue/Issaquah. 3200 new homes in Issaquah Highlands, dozens of buildings going up in Bellevue, heck traffic is going to be nuts. I've already seen the lines of cars going onto I-90 from the highlands. I heard about plans of extending the light rail to Bellevue via I-90 express lanes (DOT's converting I-90 express lanes to Light Rail Transport) and then to Redmond. I can't drive yet so I'm not sure but it seems like Bellevue roads are a little small and crowded and will probably get worse once the buildings go up. Any chance the new buildings will bring bigger roads as well?

Bellevue Towers and Lincoln Square are by far my favorite projects that's going on. What's the construction status for Bellevue Towers?

Jay_Z

June 18th, 2007, 11:39 PM

Also, I just found a sie with photo updates for every construction site in dt bellevue.

http://www.jeffzenner.com/Bellevue,%20Washington%20-%20Active%20Downtown%20Construction%20Projects

Apparently vue hanover is now being referred to as the ashton.

Trying to get caught up on my construction photos ... Bellevue Construction Projects (http://www.jeffzenner.com/bellevue)

Also have some new projects (i.e. Meydenbauer Inn on 112th) that aren't on the active list yet!

In regards to the 'Ashton' - VUE Hanover is referred to this on the Hanover Company website (portfolio of projects) as well as some recent info I saw from the Bellevue Downtown Organization.

sequoias

June 19th, 2007, 01:15 AM

Ohhh my I have to wait until I graduate from college? Awwww mannnnn...:gaah:
But ya know, I think it would be beneficial if all our cities were more connected with a light rail, Seattle/Bellevue/Issaquah. 3200 new homes in Issaquah Highlands, dozens of buildings going up in Bellevue, heck traffic is going to be nuts. I've already seen the lines of cars going onto I-90 from the highlands. I heard about plans of extending the light rail to Bellevue via I-90 express lanes (DOT's converting I-90 express lanes to Light Rail Transport) and then to Redmond. I can't drive yet so I'm not sure but it seems like Bellevue roads are a little small and crowded and will probably get worse once the buildings go up. Any chance the new buildings will bring bigger roads as well?

Bellevue Towers and Lincoln Square are by far my favorite projects that's going on. What's the construction status for Bellevue Towers?

It may be possible that Bellevue will convert to one way streets in downtown to handle more traffic and the construction status for Bellevue Towers is currently under construction, they already have a few floors above ground now.

You might want to read other threads so you get all the answers to your questions. :)

mhays

June 19th, 2007, 03:32 AM

One way traffic would be a disaster for pedestrians, since cars tend to go faster. There's been a real backlash in some cities.

HAWC1506

June 19th, 2007, 04:35 AM

It may be possible that Bellevue will convert to one way streets in downtown to handle more traffic and the construction status for Bellevue Towers is currently under construction, they already have a few floors above ground now.

You might want to read other threads so you get all the answers to your questions. :)

Haha yeah I know they're under construction just where in construction. But a couple floors up...well I'll be happy. hahahaha I've read all 29 pages and until today they wouldn't let people with hotmail accounts register. But now it's alllll good. How is the building height limit determined? I saw the post about widening a street and raising the limit to 450ft.

Things here are shaping up, but I don't think speed will be that much of an issue here regarding one-way traffic during rush hour because there are so many cars anyway you won't be able to drive much faster. I don't see that problem in Seattle so I don't see a reason as to why that problem would occur in Bellevue...Although I'm worried about aggressiveness...

BellevueBoy

June 19th, 2007, 06:44 AM

They've started digging at the 10020 Main Street site.

Backstrom

June 19th, 2007, 07:51 AM

Haha yeah I know they're under construction just where in construction. But a couple floors up...well I'll be happy. hahahaha I've read all 29 pages and until today they wouldn't let people with hotmail accounts register. But now it's alllll good. How is the building height limit determined? I saw the post about widening a street and raising the limit to 450ft.

Things here are shaping up, but I don't think speed will be that much of an issue here regarding one-way traffic during rush hour because there are so many cars anyway you won't be able to drive much faster. I don't see that problem in Seattle so I don't see a reason as to why that problem would occur in Bellevue...Although I'm worried about aggressiveness...
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but height restrictions are usually determined by zoning ordinances set by the City's Planning department. Bellevue's specific land use codes for Downtown can be found here (http://www.bellevuewa.gov/bellcode/Bluc2025A.html). As for the current height restriction, it is already at 450 feet. Lincoln Square topped out at this height and one of the Bellevue Towers will do so by next year. By the way, on your construction questions about the Bellevue Towers, we have a development thread in this forum that has regular photo updates from members.

^^
In response to your statement about light rail, there is a thread about the current Central Link project as well as the ST2 proposal in the Infrastructure and Mobility under 'Subways and Urban Transport'. The proposal regarding the extension to the Eastside goes on this November ballot, but it's a costly proposal, so we'll see how this bodes with voters. Mercer Island has already seen some community opposition, needless to say...

mhays

June 19th, 2007, 07:55 AM

Part of Downtown Bellevue is zoned 450'. I think the stupid street witdth addition is related to a variance where 450' is not otherwise allowed.

horatio_the_hermit

June 19th, 2007, 08:41 PM

I am now employed by the city of bellevue. Ill use all the clout that comes with a parks dept position to get degginger to raise the limit.

horatio_the_hermit

June 19th, 2007, 08:41 PM

yes, it was a joke.

mhays

June 19th, 2007, 09:08 PM

Perhaps you can work out a TDR (transfer of development rights) arrangement. You'd agree to lower the height of the grass if said height can be transferred at some multiple to the allowable building heights.

Bellevue really does need a 600' zone. Let this be 8th to 4th, 110th to Bellevue Way.

Hell, let them go nuts. Do a 1,000' zone. Some Bellevueites would root for giving Bellevue a taller skyline than Seattle.

CrazyAboutCities

June 19th, 2007, 09:15 PM

^^ That would be an awesome if we got two huge skylines in same metro area. I hope Bellevue will go that far.

HAWC1506

June 20th, 2007, 12:41 AM

^^ That would be an awesome if we got two huge skylines in same metro area. I hope Bellevue will go that far.

Then the view from the I-90 floating bridge will never look the same. But I'll have to say, if Bellevue had a 1000' skyline, that would be awfully impressive and would probably look much better than the current Seattle skyline with all the modern buildings. But what Bellevue needs is a landmark, probably a super-tall or something like the Space Needle...

CrazyAboutCities

June 20th, 2007, 05:43 AM

Then the view from the I-90 floating bridge will never look the same. But I'll have to say, if Bellevue had a 1000' skyline, that would be awfully impressive and would probably look much better than the current Seattle skyline with all the modern buildings. But what Bellevue needs is a landmark, probably a super-tall or something like the Space Needle...

Yeah. There was a talk about having Bellevue Needle (observation tower) built in downtown Bellevue. I don't know what happened to this project.

Backstrom

June 20th, 2007, 06:51 AM

Yeah. There was a talk about having Bellevue Needle (observation tower) built in downtown Bellevue. I don't know what happened to this project.
That all turned out to be a vision. I remember vaguely when it was first proposed in the early 2000s. Never went beyond anything but a simple vision. I didn't really like them anyway.

HAWC1506

June 20th, 2007, 07:30 AM

That all turned out to be a vision. I remember vaguely when it was first proposed in the early 2000s. Never went beyond anything but a simple vision. I didn't really like them anyway.

Well, a Bellevue needle would probably be too conservative. Too many cities have those things, I'm not saying they're bad, but they're just overused. We could use something bold and big yet modern and unique. Hahaha a mini Freedom Tower........

mhays

June 20th, 2007, 07:50 AM

The proposal called for a series of spires, one of which would have been an observation tower. Or so I recall.

HAWC1506

June 20th, 2007, 08:13 AM

The proposal called for a series of spires, one of which would have been an observation tower. Or so I recall.

Well looks like it lacked public interest. I can't wait to see Bellevue in five years though. With the Issaquah Highlands built up, things are going to get real crazy around here. More and more highrises are just going to be shooting up...

horatio_the_hermit

June 23rd, 2007, 08:48 PM

Wow, it seems like midrise construction is beginning to pick up. first 10020 main, then Meydenbauer Inn, now it looks like Ventana On Main is about to start. The site is fenced off and the building is very vacant.

horatio_the_hermit

June 23rd, 2007, 09:31 PM

Does anyone know what Vida is?
heres the website with all the info.

http://www.urbancondominiums.com/v7/preview.php?pkId=71

horatio_the_hermit

June 23rd, 2007, 09:37 PM

Nevermind. I just mapped it and its the site for the Bellevue Gateway porject between Umpqua and courtyard marriott on NE 8th.

HAWC1506

June 25th, 2007, 07:28 AM

The view from Bellevue way was amazing. We were on our way to a memorial service at 1st Presbyterian Church and we drove Bellevue Way all the way down and my god, first you feel like there's nothing special a couple restaurants, a couple stores, kinda typical stuff and then You look out to your side and you see half a dozen cranes it's actually quite intimidating. And then by the time you go a block down Safeway it's like walking into a different world as soon as you drive past Lincoln Square. I looked up, 4 cranes on the top of Lincoln alone from where I could see it. And then you pass Lincoln then everything dies down again, it's amazing.

BellevueBoy

June 26th, 2007, 03:47 AM

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/ACN425/Bellevue4-19-07007.jpg

2 months later...

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/ACN425/6-25003.jpg

Updates:
-Eddie Bauer Tower is completely done
-Tower 2 of Washington Square is nearly topped out and is increasingly visible (behind the Paccar building)
-Bellevue towers are at about 13 floors now
-Tower 333's concrete core is either topped out or a floor away. The tower is taller than I thought it'd be, it's going to be taller than One Bellevue Center across the street
-The core for City Center Plaza is now visible, you can see it peeking up behind the Bellevue Pacific Tower
-The south crane at Avalon Meydenbaer has been dismantled

Here's a pic I took from the opposite side of the skyline. This will be a great view once the Bravern towers start to rise.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/ACN425/6-25004.jpg

mhays

June 26th, 2007, 04:11 AM

Oh, baby...

pwalker

June 26th, 2007, 04:36 AM

I travel quite a bit, and can honestly say Bellevue has become, and will continue to become, one of the premiere suburban edge cities in the US. Very few come close. You might argue Buckhead near Atlanta, but I think Bellevue is even overtaking that area. Schaumburg outside of Chicago was once the model, but Bellevue is ahead of even that major model at this point due to the combo of office and residential. Seattle is certainly not Chicago, and Chicago has many other edge cities, but Bellevue has become one of the upper-tier suburban office/residential centers in the US.

jerai82

June 26th, 2007, 04:56 AM

^^ hahaha, sure...

pwalker

June 26th, 2007, 05:20 AM

^^ hahaha, sure...
^^ Sorry, whaddya mean? Agree or disagree?

BellevueBoy

June 26th, 2007, 08:05 AM

Dancer

June 26th, 2007, 10:09 AM

Good stuff BellevueBoy :cheers1:

LA Guy

June 27th, 2007, 12:25 AM

CrazyAboutCities

June 27th, 2007, 08:26 AM

BellevueBoy

June 27th, 2007, 09:43 AM

The BRE Belcarra site which is currently a parking lot for the Cadillac dealership is about 90% empty now with just a few cars remaining. I'm optimistic that this may be a sign that this project will finally break ground. However I do recall them nearly emptying the lot around this time last year also only to fill it back up so who knows what will happen.

In other news, the DJC is reporting that Expedia will be its headquarters to Tower 333. I'm guessing they'll be leasing most if not all of the space in that building. That leaves City Center Plaza as the only new office development in downtown Bellevue with available space.

sequoias

June 27th, 2007, 08:57 PM

I consider Bellevue a city than a suburban area. They got all those people swarming around downtown with tons of brand new city style skyscrapers under construction. I feel Bellevue is more of a city than a suburban area. It's changing.

mhays

June 27th, 2007, 09:34 PM

sequoias

June 27th, 2007, 09:42 PM

Or I could call it mini city? ha ha

HAWC1506

June 27th, 2007, 11:26 PM

Or I could call it mini city? ha ha

Or call it the city of the 21st century. I personally don't think Bellevue would be a place to build old-fashioned buildings. That will only make it look like every other city and not a unique "new" development.

flotown

June 28th, 2007, 01:25 AM

How about Roslyn or Ballston across from DC (both part of Arlington); closer to central city but similar in terms of form....

Dancer

June 28th, 2007, 03:18 AM

I love Roslyn. Its a great little area but just like Bellevue its not a real down town, just an area that looks like one.

CrazyAboutCities

June 28th, 2007, 04:10 AM

Depends on what you mean by "suburban". Downtown Bellevue is achieving an urban density and functionality. But it's still a place that can only exist on the periphery of a bigger city.

It doesn't yet serve all the roles of a real downtown -- as a local center for the homeless for example.

As pedestrian counts improve, panhandlers will like it more, and Bellevue can lighten the scourge on Seattle. But it'll still lack the older generations of buildings that a real downtown needs to house the organizations, people, etc., that make a downtown a downtown.

Not every downtown area across the nation or globe are same atomsphere as you just describled. I guess each individual has its own defination of downtown. My own defination of downtown is centered city with high demand of jobs, events, retailers/restaurants, public transits, and anything that is happening in that area.

pwalker

June 28th, 2007, 06:41 AM

I think we are talking about semantics here. Yes, Bellevue is a city. But it is also a suburb, in that its entire existence is based on being near a major city. But I like the term, "edge city". I know it isn't very web-centric, but try and pick up the book by Joel Garreau, titled simply "Edge City". While orginally published WAY back in '91, this book really describes what we are seeing with Bellevue today. (Although, at the time, Bellevue was just a footnote!)....
You might have to actually go to a library to find it, but it's worth it!.

mhays

June 28th, 2007, 07:56 AM

Good book. It described lowrise centers as well as highrise centers. And your first three sentences are a good explanation.

BellevueBoy

June 28th, 2007, 09:24 AM

The Belcarra site has now been fenced off, looks like it will finally start!

CityView Jim

June 28th, 2007, 04:00 PM

That will really finish off NE 10th nicely.

mhays

June 28th, 2007, 10:15 PM

Ohhh, I've been waiting for that one. Hope it means something!

If Metro 112 starts too (and hell, even without it), that's a stunning volume of starts in a few weeks. Hyatt Regency II, 10020, Meydenbauer Inn... It's turning into edge city of the gods...

A few years ago, we'd have been whooping for joy about a single 300-unit residential project in Downtown Bellevue. Now we just expect a start of that magnitude once a month. And the 20-story Hyatt gets scarcely a whisper.

For that matter, remember when a 200' building meant something to the Bellevue skyline? Now it's almost a background building. The Hyatt will stand out only from some angles and only because it's on the outer edge of high-rises.

velciane

June 29th, 2007, 02:23 AM

Where do I find information and renders of what belcarra will look like? Thanks!

mhays

June 29th, 2007, 06:51 AM

City of Bellevue website. Quarterly Downtown development report in pdf. I forget where. There's a link in this thread I think.

CityView Jim

June 29th, 2007, 06:52 AM

Time to start a new thread for this one!!

Bellevue Hyatt developer breaks ground on hotel's second tower

By Seattle Times business staff

Hyatt Regency Bellevue and Kemper Development Co. this morning broke ground for the hotel's second tower, which will include 351 guestrooms. When the 20-story tower is completed, the Hyatt will double its guestrooms to 733.

The project also includes an 18,000-square-foot ballroom, a 14,500-square-foot exhibition hall and 150-seat auditorium.

"With the number of companies moving into the downtown core, including Eddie Bauer and Microsoft in the Lincoln Square office tower, the area hotels have been seeing a greater demand for larger meeting spaces and additional guestrooms," said Kemper Freeman, Jr., chairman and CEO of Kemper Development.

Scheduled to open July 2009, the entire project will total 614,000 square feet of new space, including 1,000 square feet of additional retail. Approximately 500 additional underground parking spaces will also be added below the new tower.

The expansion of the Hyatt Regency, which opened in 1989, has been discussed for several years but Kemper Development put it on hold to pursue its Lincoln Square project instead. Lincoln Square opened late last year with retail shops and a Westin hotel.

velciane

June 29th, 2007, 10:41 AM

I noticed while driving by the Bravern, they have the bottom part of another crane being setup. Its on the south east corner nearest to the enterance for the Convention Center. One more crane for Bellevue coming soon!

CityView Jim

June 29th, 2007, 03:10 PM

I guess that will be a crane per tower. Sounds right. Looks like they're almost done with the massive parking garage under the office towers. Will we see steel rising before the end of July?

velciane

June 29th, 2007, 04:51 PM

I don't know, but I saw they have columns on the east side of the office buildings that still need to be poured, so I doubt that steel would be up that fast, but it is bellevue... they keep amazing me everyday with what they are doing.

mhays

June 29th, 2007, 11:34 PM

PS, it's Bravern with an "r".

horatio_the_hermit

June 29th, 2007, 11:59 PM

we have our own bums. You should see the railroad overpasses at night.

velciane

June 30th, 2007, 12:43 AM

I have seen bums as well, although not nearly the amount seattle has.

horatio_the_hermit

June 30th, 2007, 12:57 AM

definitely not as many as seattle, but we have bum camps all along the railroad and in some bellevue parks. I actually was assigned to clear out the remnants of a bum camp in Weowna the other day.

velciane

July 9th, 2007, 09:45 AM

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/vvebmike/DSC01430.jpg

Also looks like the Paragon Hotel is closed and has been fenced off.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/vvebmike/DSC01429.jpg

horatio_the_hermit

July 9th, 2007, 06:45 PM

NICE! 10th street overpass is on its way.

CrazyAboutCities

July 9th, 2007, 08:05 PM

Great picture! I was in Bellevue yesterday and saw almost everything going on there.

By the way, what is redevelopment project on The Paragon Hotel site?

pwalker

July 9th, 2007, 11:33 PM

Paragon hotel? Is that the old Red Lion, and way before that The Thunderbird? What is going up there?

BellevueBoy

July 10th, 2007, 12:12 AM

^ as horatio stated, the hotel is going to be demolished to make way for an extension of NE 10th that will stretch across 405 to the Overlake Hospital campus.

In other news, there's a new land use proposal on the city's website for 400+ units at the downtown Blockbuster site. The project is called "Avalon on 10th", not sure if its going to be a highrise or a lowrise.

BellevueBoy

July 10th, 2007, 04:03 AM

This should help spice up the nightlife a little bit in Bellevue

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/07/09/daily4.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Bowling alley planned for trendy Bellevue retail area

A Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley will open in the tony Lincoln Square development in Bellevue, developers announced.

The first Lucky Strike Lanes opened in Hollywood, Calif., four years ago and attracted "a glamorous clientele," according to owners Stephen and Gillian Foster. The company now operates 13 bowling alleys across the country.

Lincoln Square developer Kemper Freeman Jr. said the 16-lane, 23,900-square-foot bowling alley will "fit in perfectly" with his retail development in downtown Bellevue when it opens later this year.

CrazyAboutCities

July 10th, 2007, 06:21 PM

^^ That's great news! At least City of Bellevue is offering more choices of things to do around downtown area than just shopping and dining. It is great for people who don't like to shop.

I don't think downtown Seattle has bowling alley... Only bowling alley in Seattle that I know of... The Garage on Broadway. I went there once, its really nice place but very fewer bowling lanes than usual.

mhays

July 10th, 2007, 10:01 PM

The Garage has multiple levels, including two bowling areas. I don't know how many lanes it has, but it feels like a huge place to me.

CrazyAboutCities

July 11th, 2007, 02:03 AM

The Garage has multiple levels, including two bowling areas. I don't know how many lanes it has, but it feels like a huge place to me.

Two bowling areas!?!? I only saw one. :dunno: Yes it is huge place because of restaurant and bar took over space of The Garage than bowling lanes.

mhays

July 11th, 2007, 02:49 AM

The "Spare Room" has six more lanes. http://www.garagebilliards.com/storyb.htm

pwalker

July 11th, 2007, 04:16 AM

In the opening shot of this thread I count atleast eight, maybe nine cranes. Where else in the US is this happening? (except, maybe right across the lake!)

uwhuskies

July 11th, 2007, 05:11 AM

In the opening shot of this thread I count atleast eight, maybe nine cranes. Where else in the US is this happening? (except, maybe right across the lake!)

^^
The construction in Bellevue is impressive, but have you been to Miami lately? There are probably a dozen 60 storey skyscrapers and over 20 or 30 more medium size skyscrapers under construction. Their construction activity amazes me.

:nuts:

CrazyAboutCities

July 11th, 2007, 06:52 AM

The "Spare Room" has six more lanes. http://www.garagebilliards.com/storyb.htm

Interesting. I missed second bowling area when I was there a while ago.

CrazyAboutCities

July 11th, 2007, 06:54 AM

^^
The construction in Bellevue is impressive, but have you been to Miami lately? There are probably a dozen 60 storey skyscrapers and over 20 or 30 more medium size skyscrapers under construction. Their construction activity amazes me.

:nuts:

Manhattan, Brookyn, Chicago, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Portland got high rise booms too.

pwalker

July 11th, 2007, 07:10 AM

Sure, but we are talking about one suburb here. Miami is a different world in my mind. Portland has a number of cranes up, but compared to Seattle/Bellevue combined, no comparison. And the last I heard about Vegas, many of the proposals have been delayed or cancelled altogether.

My only worry is that once again, the Sea/Bell region will get overbuilt, and everything will shut down for a decade, like it did in the 90's. Hopefully, not, but this has been the pattern.

CrazyAboutCities

July 11th, 2007, 07:21 AM

Sure, but we are talking about one suburb here. Miami is a different world in my mind. Portland has a number of cranes up, but compared to Seattle/Bellevue combined, no comparison. My only worry is that once again, the Sea/Bell region will get overbuilt, and everything will shut down for a decade, like it did in the 90's. Hopefully, not, but this has been the pattern.

Oh sorry. I don't know any suburban community that Bellevue used to be before it became a city compared to any another US cities... Galleria area in Houston metro area is booming as well... Galleria is still suburban community of Houston. I was there last November... I saw a several of tower cranes and some broke ground for new skyscrapers. I think Chicago has suburban skylines that is booming as well... I am not sure.

I don't think Seattle/Bellevue are overbuilt at all. There are several reasons why I don't think so: Office demand in both Bellevue and Seattle are pretty high and numerous of tenants signed and few large corporations are considering to relocate to Bellevue or Seattle within a several years from now. Plus most developers won't build it without a tenant. Seattle ranked the number one real estate market while US real estate market is on the decline so the demand of residential developments is pretty high for now.

blackc5

July 11th, 2007, 07:27 AM

Not to derail further, but I was happy to see that The Garage received approval to add on recently - I believe they are adding additional lanes. When I was last there, that place was absolutely packed - bowling, billiards, bar, restaurant, outdoor patio - you name it. They definitely have a great business going. </derailment>

pwalker

July 11th, 2007, 07:43 AM

Oh sorry. I don't know any suburban community that Bellevue used to be before it became a city compared to any another US cities... Galleria area in Houston metro area is booming as well... Galleria is still suburban community of Houston. I was there last November... I saw a several of tower cranes and some broke ground for new skyscrapers. I think Chicago has suburban skylines that is booming as well... I am not sure.

I don't think Seattle/Bellevue are overbuilt at all. There are several reasons why I don't think so: Office demand in both Bellevue and Seattle are pretty high and numerous of tenants signed and few large corporations are considering to relocate to Bellevue or Seattle within a several years from now. Plus most developers won't build it without a tenant. Seattle ranked the number one real estate market while US real estate market is on the decline so the demand of residential developments is pretty high for now.

I think this discussion has come up before. Bellevue's history is indeed a "suburb" of Seattle. Whether this definition has or will change, is subjective. Let me ask you this: Would Bellevue even exist without Seattle?
Hey, I'm a big Bellevue fan, but I would not try to pass it off as an individual city without the influence of Seattle. My belief is Bellevue is a major part of a major metropolitan area. Thankfully, city leaders a half-century ago saw this and made plans to capitalize on it. But please understand that Bellevue owes its entire existence to Seattle.

CrazyAboutCities

July 11th, 2007, 08:14 AM

I think this discussion has come up before. Bellevue's history is indeed a "suburb" of Seattle. Whether this definition has or will change, is subjective. Let me ask you this: Would Bellevue even exist without Seattle?
Hey, I'm a big Bellevue fan, but I would not try to pass it off as an individual city without the influence of Seattle. My belief is Bellevue is a major part of a major metropolitan area. Thankfully, city leaders a half-century ago saw this and made plans to capitalize on it. But please understand that Bellevue owes its entire existence to Seattle.

Well Bellevue existed just before it became Seattle suburban community. Belleuve was really small farm town just before these floating bridges got built. Will Bellevue become a successful city without Seattle? Possibly so or not. Its happen for some reason with or without Seattle. Sure Bellevue is still part of Seattle metropolitian area but can be a city than just suburban. There is perfect example of another metropolitan area such as Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Bloomburgs (sp?) but all three cities in same metropolian area has been divided into cities but still connected to same metropolian area as well as Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma/Everett do.

NW Mike

July 11th, 2007, 09:42 PM

Here is a new property I do not think we have spoke about. Correct me if I'm wrong..
www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/07/09/focus4.html?b=1183953600%5E1487662
Article from the Puget Sound Business Journal..Colorado real estate developer Raymond Tonsing isn't one for living large. And he's willing to bet there are some Bellevue residents for whom less is more, too.

Tonsing, CEO of Tonsing Properties LLC, spent a recent summer living -- happily, he says -- in a 325-square-foot apartment in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.
"I was there to figure out how I would function in a smaller space," Tonsing said. "It didn't bother me at all. I would come up to sleep, type on the computer at my desk."

What Tonsing saved on rent, he was able to spend eating out and socializing with friends. He said the experience convinced him that other budget-conscious people might also be willing to trade space for a desirable location.

Tonsing plans to build Vida, a 12-story, 240-unit condominium tower in downtown Bellevue in which some of the studios will be as small as 400 square feet -- roughly the size of nine Ping-Pong tables -- and priced at about $275,000.

The lot, slightly less than an acre at 11011 N.E. 9th St., was sold to Tonsing by Alliance Residential Co., which had planned to build a mid-rise apartment project on the site. Currently occupied by a small house built in 1952, the property is located across from The Bravern, where Microsoft and retailer Neiman Marcus have leased space.

A living space of 400 square feet is about one-sixth the size of the average American house, but not all the project's units will be quite that small. Vida condos will average 650 square feet, with most priced between $350,000 and $450,000.

That's still pretty small by Bellevue standards. Other nearby condo projects -- while they may have some smaller, more affordable units -- aim primarily at the luxury end of the market. For example, the European Tower a few blocks away will have 2,200-square-foot units, with prices ranging up to $10 million. The Residences at the Bravern will have some units as large as 5,000 square feet.

The largest condos in the Vida will be 850-square-foot, two-bedroom units costing about $600,000.

"This could be a very astute move on the part of the developer to appeal to a market that is underserved in Bellevue in terms of price point," said Matt Gardner, a principal at Gardner Johnson LLC, a land use economics company in Seattle.

I new this great site would bring something soon....Even though they are small I like the idea of providing something for people that do not want a huge $700,000 condo. If you are single, this is great!
Read the print edition now on shelves if you want to get the whole story...An additional thing that was in the print addition mentioned that another property sold out in a week in Seattle (Moda) just recently with small units around 500 to 600 sf.

mhays

July 12th, 2007, 12:35 AM

We haven't, and it's quite an exciting project. Bellevue needs mid-priced housing. (well, upper mid, sorta)

blackc5

July 12th, 2007, 04:11 AM

Vida sounds basically like Bellevue's Moda. If it does half as well as Moda did in pre-sales, this will be a winner. I am actually surprised we haven't seen a Moda Phase 2 or other copy cat yet for Seattle.

rj2uman

July 17th, 2007, 07:47 AM

A living space of 400 square feet is about one-sixth the size of the average American house, but not all the project's units will be quite that small. Vida condos will average 650 square feet, with most priced between $350,000 and $450,000.

The largest condos in the Vida will be 850-square-foot, two-bedroom units costing about $600,000.

The people who are buying these must not be claustrophobic! As much as I love skyscapers I couldn't live in a closet, regardless of the view.

HAWC1506

July 17th, 2007, 08:54 AM

The people who are buying these must not be claustrophobic! As much as I love skyscapers I couldn't live in a closet, regardless of the view.

Well for a student like me who doesn't need an excessively large house a 400 square ft unit would make sense (I've stayed at a Wynn Las Vegas hotel room and it's small but has everything, but a kitchen, and I could live there). First I won't have to clean as much...second it wouldn't lose to a hotel room. For me, as long as it's clean and stylish, I'll take it. Hahahaha but that's just me...partying will have to go somewhere else. As you can tell, I'm not a big party hoster...

BellevueBoy

July 17th, 2007, 09:48 AM

The Platinum Motors used car dealership on 112th ave has moved down the street to make way for Simpson Housing's Metro 112 project at 112th and NE 4th. I'm hoping to see this project, Belcarra, and European Tower all start sometime this summer.

sequoias

July 17th, 2007, 12:24 PM

^^LOL@Simpson housing. Does Homer Simpson own that building? Just kidding!

Bond James Bond

July 21st, 2007, 08:33 AM

They put the first several panels of glass up on the Bellevue 2 Towers today (or in the past couple of days). It's smoky black.

I also saw, for the first time, the cladding of the Hines tower. It looks really good, especially with the little white line between each floors - a dark and sinister but high-tech look. :cool:

BellevueBoy

July 26th, 2007, 09:57 AM

Demolition on existing structure at the Belcarra Apartments site started today. There's also some signs up on the site advertising the new project. The complex is scheduled to be completed in summer of 2009.

In other news, Bellevue is finally getting its first nightclub. The Zen Asian Bistro and adjacent Vertigo Lounge will be opening at 989 Elements sometime in August.

BellevueBoy

July 26th, 2007, 10:05 AM

Whoooo.....some new projects!

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/pdf/PCD/COB_MajorProjects.pdf

-The new AvalonBay project at the Blockbuster site at NE 10th and Bellevue Way is going to be a highrise with an adjacent midrise according to the rendering. Hopefully we'll get more high rises on the west side of Bellevue Way to create a canyon effect.
-A new highrise, "Legacy Tower" at the Sea Garden Chinese Restaurant site on NE 2nd and 106th across from Taco Time and kitty corner from the Bellevue Plaza project
-Another midrise housing project, "Park Metro", for one of the last remaning parcels in the Ashwood neighborhood.

And the Bellevue boom just keeps on going...

velciane

July 27th, 2007, 01:27 AM

A-loft hotel coming as well, thats awesome news. They have a signature roof line, "a loft", that is normally lit with over 50 rotating colors. Portland currently has one under construction.

BellevueBoy

July 29th, 2007, 11:40 PM

July 27th 2006
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/ACN425/july06001.jpg

July 28th 2007 (apologies for the slight crookedness)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c316/ACN425/bellevue004.jpg

velciane

July 30th, 2007, 02:36 AM

I drove around a couple weeks ago and found that spot you take this picture from. Its an amazing view! To bad they don't have a city park up there.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/vvebmike/DSC01515.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/vvebmike/DSC01511.jpg

citruspastels

July 30th, 2007, 04:48 AM

wow, bellevue has come a long way. a little too sterile for me though. great pics.

CrazyAboutCities

July 30th, 2007, 05:18 AM

Great pictures! Bellevue does have a city park... It is called Downtown Park next to Bellevue Square mall.

Backstrom

July 30th, 2007, 05:41 AM

Great pictures! Bellevue does have a city park... It is called Downtown Park next to Bellevue Square mall.
He's talking about a park/viewpoint right at the spot where they took the pictures. It would be the 'Kerry Park' of Bellevue.

CrazyAboutCities

July 30th, 2007, 06:09 AM

He's talking about a park/viewpoint right at the spot where they took the pictures. It would be the 'Kerry Park' of Bellevue.

Ohhh gotcha. Sorry about that. That would be nice to have one. :)

USAPatriot

July 31st, 2007, 03:14 AM

I snapped these shots of Bellevue on the way home from my day in Seattle and Renton yesterday. :)
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/332/ajmbellevue729073ov0.jpg

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/18/ajmbellevue729072sb4.jpg

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/8103/ajmbellevue72907jd6.jpg

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3772/ajmstudiosnetbellevuegrlh1.jpg

You can see a bunch of new growth going on. These are some of my fav angles fo the city too. They show great density. The pictures above, I love that angle too. i go to that exact same hill in that excat same spot. It turns right on that hill to a small neighborhood, and there is a small clear spot alongside the road over that square, modern looking house. ;D

Backstrom

July 31st, 2007, 04:27 AM

Velciane, where is that viewpoint? I have to get up there one day.

It's very nice seeing the City Center core rising so quickly, and steel starting peek out.

HAWC1506

July 31st, 2007, 05:00 AM

Driving under the influence of cameras?

velciane

July 31st, 2007, 05:00 AM

Turn left at the chevron from Main Street heading south and go explore. Thats how I found the spot!

USAPatriot

July 31st, 2007, 07:06 AM

I had the camera on my dashboard. ;) Don't worry. I only clicked it.

I could make a photo map of how to get to that viewpoint next time I got to Bellevue if that will help you find that spot on Somerset Hill?

It's by Old main town Bellevue and you take a left through a residential area. Near Maydenbauer Bay.

Roodness

August 1st, 2007, 08:50 PM

Does anyone know what is going up in Bellevue on 112th Ave NE across the street from the fenced-off Paragon Hotel - between the 989 Elements tower, and the dark-glass 11100 building at the corner of 112th & NE 8th?

horatio_the_hermit

August 2nd, 2007, 12:58 AM

Its Ashwood commons phase two. A 22 story tower and a 12 story tower for old people. Interesting architecture though.

HAWC1506

August 7th, 2007, 06:45 AM

Over the 500 limit? Does it still apply though? Anyways, I haven't been hearing anything new lately though besides the 10th extension over 405 and the 405 widening project. I'm currently not in the area right now so can anyone tell me if the skybridges from Bellevue Square are complete? And are there any proposals to widen any of the streets of Bellevue?

mhays

August 7th, 2007, 07:24 AM

I sure hope not. Bellevue's street widths are rediculous already. Their biggest mission ought be be making their downtown better for people, not a speedway for cars.

HAWC1506

August 7th, 2007, 07:59 AM

I sure hope not. Bellevue's street widths are rediculous already. Their biggest mission ought be be making their downtown better for people, not a speedway for cars.

Hahaha how wide is ridiculous? I don't think they're wider than Seattle are they? I mostly see about five lanes combined both direction including a turning lane. That's around the Bellevue Square area.

horatio_the_hermit

August 7th, 2007, 03:41 PM

They are all much wider than seattle. Bellevue is known for big blocks and wide streets, which were initially implemented to make downtown more motor friendly. The skybridge between lincoln and bellevue place is open and a bunch of midrises have just started construction (infill is sweet).

NW Mike

August 7th, 2007, 04:36 PM

If you want more info on Bellevue, check out http://www.downtownbellevue.net/ This site is made by a member of Skyscraper page forum. Great little site with all the new things happening in Bellevue.

NW Mike

August 7th, 2007, 04:40 PM

CrazyAboutCities

August 8th, 2007, 04:45 AM

^^ NOT BAD! :) Get it built! :cheers:

velciane

August 8th, 2007, 07:38 AM

Love it!

USAPatriot

August 8th, 2007, 07:44 AM

Hoepfully it will be used. Nice building.

HAWC1506

August 8th, 2007, 08:46 AM

Thanks for the link NW Mike! Wow I've always thought Bellevue streets were too small, but I guess I'm missing something here...time to go exploring hahaha

About the PAC, love it. I've always wanted Bellevue to get one of those instead of using crappy high school gyms.

Backstrom

August 8th, 2007, 10:25 AM

HAWC1506

August 8th, 2007, 12:10 PM

Not at alll.

One of the first things you notice about DT is how open the corridors are.

Do you mean open as in wide or uncrowded?

Dancer

August 8th, 2007, 07:08 PM

Here is a new rendering of Pace (Performing Arts Center Eastside)
Looks pretty good. Its now bigger.
http://aycu28.webshots.com/image/21827/2004952508888656285_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004952508888656285)

I went to fundraiser at the house of one of the board members of PACE about a month ago. BTW I got to meet Kemper Freeman and the architect. I wish I could remember the details but I think the website pretty much says it all. This project will be really fun for me since the Ballet will be performing there a few times a year. :banana:

captredbeard

August 8th, 2007, 08:06 PM

mhays

August 8th, 2007, 09:45 PM

The picture isn't showing.

And welcome to the board.

USAPatriot

August 9th, 2007, 03:32 AM

I tried to find a angle of the city when taking pictures like that, but could never find one. Trees were in my way when I tried months ago. Great shot!

Dancer

August 9th, 2007, 03:37 AM

Hello,

I thought I would share this picture taken a few months ago from Vuecrest, it's two photos merged into one beauty!

http://lh3.google.com/cjustinow/RroFscV7-HI/AAAAAAAABaI/iZTc4cT-RCc/s800/IMG_0325.jpg

That looks like the exact spot that I took a shot of the EB Tower back in November :okay: Yours looks 100 times better though. Beautiful pic man and welcome :cheers1:

CrazyAboutCities

August 9th, 2007, 04:45 AM

WOW! That picture is very impressive and professional! Impressive! :)

Welcome to SSC! :cheers:

mhays

August 9th, 2007, 07:14 AM

Yes, great shot! And how horrible that the street has no sidewalks.

CrazyAboutCities

August 9th, 2007, 08:22 AM

^^ OMG! You're right! I didn't noticed that. Why no sidewalk? That is pretty bad planned neighborhood. :ohno:

HAWC1506

August 9th, 2007, 06:10 PM

^^ OMG! You're right! I didn't noticed that. Why no sidewalk? That is pretty bad planned neighborhood. :ohno:

Go take a walk around Eastgate areas and Newport Way areas. All you have is a little shoulder about 7 feet wide and then it's a driveway. No sidewalks along most of Newport. Does the city have the right to renovate the older neighborhoods? It seems as though the skyscrapers are going up, the roads are being worked on, the apartments and condos are being built, but the older neighborhoods aren't getting any attention. I have to admit, not to burst anyone's bubbles, but the older neighborhoods could use some serious landscaping and painting job.

mhays

August 9th, 2007, 06:53 PM

Few cities have the money to add sidewalks wholesale where they aren't. I heard a figure of $800,000,000 to add them to all streets in Seattle north of 85th, which was formerly outside city limits. Today that would be well over a billion. But Seattle requires sidewalks for new construction. So we get a patchwork up there. It's better than nothing and will eventually be fine in many areas.

BellevueBoy

August 9th, 2007, 07:35 PM

Speaking of sidewalks, it looks like their sprucing up the short stretch of sidewalk between the Ten20 tower and the library.

CrazyAboutCities

August 10th, 2007, 12:22 AM

Interesting.

I got really annoyed when I walk around Belltown and saw so many white circle painted on the sidewalks and got it fixed. It looks really bad!!!!!! What's wrong with City of Seattle? Are they trying to turn Belltown into ghetto or what? Please get rid of ugly black pavement that covered up the "potholes" or "cracks" on the sidewalks and replace sidewalks with neat ones like the ones at new development sites. :ohno:

horatio_the_hermit

August 10th, 2007, 02:05 AM

There will be a public plaza on the south side of ten20 tower. I figure that is grounds enough for some basic improvement around it.

horatio_the_hermit

August 10th, 2007, 02:06 AM

actually, maybe thats hanover. who knows

BellevueBoy

August 10th, 2007, 05:36 AM

Work has started on Belcarra. Metro 112 is fenced off. European Tower is supposed to start soon. Bellevue rocks.

HAWC1506

August 10th, 2007, 08:42 AM

Why couldn't we just have built the sidwalks and done things right from the beginning hahahahaha

CrazyAboutCities

August 10th, 2007, 09:25 AM

^^ No offensive to most of people around here in Seattle metro area. People around here are famous for lack of common sense. That's why we couldn't do it right in the beginning. :ohno:

BellevueBoy

August 10th, 2007, 09:30 AM

HAWC1506

August 10th, 2007, 03:14 PM

I just calculated that between Avalon Meydenbauer, Ten20, Vue Hanover, Metro 112, Ashwood Commons phase II, and Belcarra, downtown Bellevue is about to get over 1200 new apartments over the next two years. Can these all going be absorbed?

Well did you notice the huge increase in traffic volume over the past year? Notice I said year, not two years. I know someone who used to be able to drive from West Seattle to Benaroya Hall on 2nd Ave in Seattle in just 20 minutes. One summer later, 35, 40 minutes, is barely enough time and that's when you're lucky. And when there is a something going on downtown, around 50 minutes. I know Seattle is a few miles down the highway, but if that's happening there, then it's going to happen here.

If you take a look at the Issaquah Highlands, housing is being absorbed pretty quickly even at some bizarre prices.

mhays

August 10th, 2007, 05:55 PM

I just calculated that between Avalon Meydenbauer, Ten20, Vue Hanover, Metro 112, Ashwood Commons phase II, and Belcarra, downtown Bellevue is about to get over 1200 new apartments over the next two years. Can these all be absorbed?

Condos affect the rental market too, sort of. Once Metro 112 is underway, DTB will have something like 2,500 units underway assuming it happens soon. BTW, I think the figure for rentals would be about 1,500.

I'm not worried about absorption. There's been little rental construction in recent years. The regional vacancy rate will be very low in a year or two when these projects complete. Even then, the real boom in completions is a couple years out, since many developers are gearing up right now.

ratbear

August 10th, 2007, 07:14 PM

^^ No offensive to most of people around here in Seattle metro area. People around here are famous for lack of common sense. That's why we couldn't do it right in the beginning. :ohno:

There are metros around the country that are still making these mistakes, tenfold. Believe me, we have it better than a lot of places do.

captredbeard

August 10th, 2007, 07:44 PM

I think all the office towers going in will help sell the huge amount of condos going up. I live downtown near old main, and walking to work and not caring about traffic is priceless.

CrazyAboutCities

August 11th, 2007, 01:35 AM

There are metros around the country that are still making these mistakes, tenfold. Believe me, we have it better than a lot of places do.

Oh I know that. There are few things that City of Seattle could do it much better than what they have right now.

HAWC1506

August 11th, 2007, 06:07 AM

Oh I know that. There are few things that City of Seattle could do it much better than what they have right now.

like Queens New York?

CrazyAboutCities

August 11th, 2007, 06:14 AM

like Queens New York?

???

USAPatriot

August 11th, 2007, 10:43 PM

Here are some pictures of Bellevue I took yesterday on my way home from random places.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4115/ajmbellevuefarawayreallpi3.jpg
Bellevue fro mvery far away. From Renton area actually.
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9403/ajmbel1vl6.jpg

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/2407/ajmbel3gj6.jpg

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9863/ajmbel4nm1.jpg

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4431/ajmbel5ab9.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5112/ajmbel2kp0.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8734/ajmbel6ma1.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2042/ajmbel7sk6.jpg

Thats all.

citruspastels

August 11th, 2007, 11:08 PM

^^ nice!

Dancer

August 11th, 2007, 11:34 PM

I ove this view of downtown Bellevue. Once the Bravern starts going up its going to be even better.

HAWC1506

August 12th, 2007, 06:05 AM

Ohhh my gosh I love that view! 405 could use a repaving though....which tower is that with the tall elevator shaft?

kub86

August 12th, 2007, 09:12 AM

I can't wait when Bellevue Towers starts poking through. And where would the Bravern be??

NW Mike

August 12th, 2007, 06:05 PM

Ohhh my gosh I love that view! 405 could use a repaving though....which tower is that with the tall elevator shaft?

The concrete surface is not bad there. Not like down in Tacoma with those huge ruts.

Dancer

August 12th, 2007, 09:27 PM

I can't wait when Bellevue Towers starts poking through. And where would the Bravern be??

The Tall concrete shaft is City Center II and the Bravern is that cluster of cranes just to the right of CCII

CrazyAboutCities

August 13th, 2007, 01:50 AM

Great pictures of Bellevue's booming skyline! :)

USAPatriot

August 13th, 2007, 06:42 AM

Thank you everyone. That has always been my favorite view of the city... or at least tied favorite view with one other angle.

sequoias

August 14th, 2007, 12:42 AM

Great photos of Bellevue's skyline. :)

PDXPaul

August 14th, 2007, 08:09 AM

Does anyone know if the parking lots behind Lincoln Square are going to be developed anytime soon. The California Pizza Kitchen, the Circuit city...

BTW Bravern site is bonkers! There's 5 cranes!

HAWC1506

August 14th, 2007, 08:20 AM

I was doing a little roaming on the internet yesterday and I printed off the major projects update of 3rd quarter. I think most of you have seen that. But here's the good part:

http://www.bellevuewa.gov/trafficcam/

It's a traffic cam that's updated around a minute and a half or so, but some of the cameras are pointing towards major construction sites. Bellevue Towers can be seen when the camera points that direction, Overlake Hospital can be seen, Tower 333 can be seen as well. Just click on the camera that corresponds to the intersections of the construction sites and if you're lucky, the camera will be aimed directly at the construction site.

Yesterday, part of 110th ST near 6th Ave was closed off and right now it is still closed off to give room for City Center East. Traffic cones are set up at 116th at Overlake. I spent about an hour watching cars go by yesterday because I had nothing better to do, and for those who say that Bellevue roads are wide, I agree. I missed out. They're huuuuugeeeee! And traffic moves pretty smoothly through morning peak times as far as I can see. I'm not sure how it feels driving through them though.

BellevueBoy

August 14th, 2007, 08:26 AM

Does anyone know if the parking lots behind Lincoln Square are going to be developed anytime soon. The California Pizza Kitchen, the Circuit city...

BTW Bravern site is bonkers! There's 5 cranes!

Those lots are owned by Paccar. They don't have any imminent plans to develop it but I'm sure they will eventually.

Bravern has 4 cranes, I think the fifth one you see is the1020 tower crane.

HAWC1506

August 14th, 2007, 11:06 AM

Hey! Something's popping up at Safeway.

HAWC1506

August 14th, 2007, 06:05 PM

Does anyone know of any construction activity near Sushiland and the Eating Factory? Last time I was at the Eating Factory, they were digging out the far end of the parking lot. Is that Washington Square?

Seattlelife

August 14th, 2007, 06:06 PM

Hey! Something's popping up at Safeway.

What is going in there? Is the Safeway gone then?

HAWC1506

August 14th, 2007, 06:10 PM

What is going in there? Is the Safeway gone then?

No it's not gone...yet. But according to the Bellevue Blog, there was a truck with a long pipe there that dug in the ground and took some soil/dirt (whatever you call it) samples, so contractors might be planning a possible project there.

velciane

August 14th, 2007, 08:34 PM

I saw that the other night, it was on the side near NE 4th Street.

HAWC1506

August 14th, 2007, 09:11 PM

I saw that the other night, it was on the side near NE 4th Street.

There aren't any definite plans laid out for that site is there? Does anyone know how big the site is and what kind of projects might be put there?

mhays

August 14th, 2007, 10:16 PM

The old (current) Safeway is supposed to be an upcoming project by Kemper Freeman. We've seen rudimentary models with highrises there.

horatio_the_hermit

August 15th, 2007, 12:47 AM

I would assume the work being done had to do with the future tunnel under Bel Way.

velciane

August 15th, 2007, 12:53 AM

I agree, since they are going to be starting the mall work soon, it would make sense to begin work on the tunnel at the same time.

Seattlelife

August 15th, 2007, 03:45 AM

I would assume the work being done had to do with the future tunnel under Bel Way.

Maybe I've been living under a rock but could you elaborate on that? Is part of the light rail line? That sounds great and I'll be very excited if it's for mass transit. The Eastside badly needs it.

velciane

August 15th, 2007, 05:11 AM

Seattlelife

August 15th, 2007, 07:22 AM

Bellevue Square will have a tunnel connecting its new wing to the Safeway site which will be a two tower project that has not been formally announced or even finished planning for. Its all a long way out, my guess is 3-5 years.

Thank you for the info. I guess I get carried away with wanting legitimate mass transit around here. Well either way that is pretty cool. It kind of reminds me of the mall in downtown Vancouver BC. It is primarily underground. You enter on one street and after a few turns and hallways you end up on another street and have no idea where you are haha.

HAWC1506

August 15th, 2007, 10:51 AM

Thank you for the info. I guess I get carried away with wanting legitimate mass transit around here. Well either way that is pretty cool. It kind of reminds me of the mall in downtown Vancouver BC. It is primarily underground. You enter on one street and after a few turns and hallways you end up on another street and have no idea where you are haha.

You're not the only one getting carried away with a desperation for mass transit. :)

Is the tunnel for walking or traffic? And second question, is Bellevue Square getting a remodeling or makeover of some sort?

captredbeard

August 15th, 2007, 05:19 PM

Yes the mall is getting a billion dollar makeover, new flooring, lighting, etc. Also the tunnel will be for cars, it won't be a place you will want to walk around. I think Keemper is wanting you to be able to find a parking spot somewhere on his property and not have to go back up for air! I like it...

HAWC1506

August 15th, 2007, 05:39 PM

Wow sounds great! Where does the tunnel start/end? I've only had some hints of the Bellevue Square Mall remodel. Is there a project schedule or rendering?

HAWC1506

August 15th, 2007, 05:44 PM

Actually, no need to answer that. I found the answer...and it has been there for six months.

More upscale projects for downtown Bellevue

By Ashley Bach

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

Plans call for replacing the parking area at the southeast corner of Bellevue Square with a luxury wing and a 180-room boutique hotel.

Bellevue Square owner Kemper Freeman plans to renovate the common areas inside the mall as well as build a new luxury wing. The renovation portion of the project should be completed in fall 2008.

A preliminary rendering of plans for Bellevue Square, looking from Bellevue Way to the southeast corner of the mall.

Kemper Freeman is known for thinking big, and his new plans for downtown Bellevue are no exception.

The developer is poised to expand his Bellevue Square mall with a new luxury wing of upscale shops and six-story boutique hotel and build a towering retail, office and condo development across the street.

One of the Northwest's first suburban malls, Bellevue Square is now one of the busiest shopping centers in the West, drawing 16 million shoppers a year to its high-end shops.

The new projects would add 130,000 square feet of luxury retail to Freeman's already booming "Bellevue Collection" — which includes Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place — and 6,000 free parking spaces to the 10,000 he already offers.

Freeman said the bullish economy and retail market pushed him to proceed.

With projects already under construction or in the pipeline, Bellevue Way is on its way to becoming the tall, ritzy retail strip that Freeman has envisioned for years. He cites Chicago's Magnificent Mile and Boston's Newbury Street as his inspirations.

Downtown Bellevue "is the place where people's ... dreams are coming true at a record pace," Freeman said, referring to the rapid growth of the past few years.

Much of the planned development would be completed by 2010, although timelines for projects could change depending on market fluctuations, said Dan Meyers, vice president of design and construction for Kemper Development. Some project details such as cost and, in some cases, start times, are yet to be pinned down.

"We always build things based on the market," Meyers said.

Here's what's planned:
advertising

• In June, Freeman will begin remodeling the interior of Bellevue Square, with new entryways, floors, lighting and ceiling treatments, and new finishes to the stairways and elevators. The project should be done in fall 2008.

• A new luxury wing, with small boutique-style stores, will replace the parking area at the southeast corner of Bellevue Square, between Macy's and JC Penney. The wing would front on Bellevue Way and include underground parking and a 180-room boutique hotel. The first phase is expected to open in fall 2009, Freeman said.

• Across the street, where an older Safeway store still operates, the second phase of Lincoln Square will take shape and could open in fall 2010. The development will be the "fraternal twin" to the first phase of Lincoln Square, with condo and office towers and luxury retail, Meyers said.

• Freeman has already announced two major projects on the Bellevue Place superblock, all of which he owns. Construction starts this summer on a 20-story tower at the Hyatt Regency, with 351 rooms, to be completed in April 2009.

And Freeman donated the land for a 2,000-seat performing-arts center on the northeast corner of the block. The center is also set to open in 2009.

Meyers said Freeman has long-term plans for a condo tower, with retail below, for the northwest corner of the block, now the site of Wendy's.

The dense, street-level retail future of Bellevue Way doesn't stop with Freeman.

AvalonBay Communities, based in Virginia, is building a seven-story building with 368 apartments and 72,000 square feet of retail, just south of the second phase of Lincoln Square. Avalon Meydenbauer will have two floors of retail, including a Northwest flagship Safeway, and is set to open late next year.

Since Bellevue Square opened in 1946 with 16 stores, Freeman and his family have reinvented the mall to fit with changing tastes. Freeman enclosed the open-air mall in the 1980s and doubled its size to 200 stores, against the advice of some leading developers.

In 2000, he built The Corner at Bellevue Square, with upscale shops that fronted on the street.

Today, the Bellevue Collection includes 250 shops, 18 sit-down restaurants, a 16-screen cinema and 700 hotel rooms.

If all the new developments get built on Bellevue Way in the next few years, shoppers could browse through street-level shops stretching several blocks from Northeast 10th to Second streets.

Freeman may realize his goal "to have the best retail street in the Northwest," Meyers said.

Reporter Monica Soto Ouchi contributed to this story.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com