Belltown Development News and Photos

[Ruffhauser]

From todays DJC

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12047407.html?cgi=yes

November 21, 2012

Plymouth planning 75 Belltown units
By JOURNAL STAFF

SEATTLE — Plymouth Housing Group is planning a seven-story building at 2013 Third Ave. in Belltown.

The project would have 75 low-income apartments and more than 1,000 square feet of commercial space, according to an application filed with the city.

The non-profit group recently purchased the site from Compass Housing Alliance.

SMR Architects will design the building.

A Seattle design review board will hold an early design guidance meeting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Seattle City Hall.

Plymouth Housing Group is also developing an 84-unit apartment project in South Lake Union. Construction started last spring.

Aidan Poile, the group's real estate director, said the Belltown project is the only new building Plymouth is planning now.

[Matt the Engineer]

All these 7-story buildings. Is this Skyscraper City or Breadloaf City?!

I was giving Cap Hill a pass because, well, Cap Hill believes 7 story buildings are skyscrapers. But this is 3rd Ave in Belltown, almost on the border with downtown.

Oh well, it certainly beats the 1-story stuff there now. (heh, check out the alley view)

[Seasun]

I didn't realize until you posted this that Google has such an extensive Alley view collection. Looks like the alley imagery is mostly limited to Belltown (not even downtown has more than a couple alleys documented). Great historical record. It would be cool to have some Pioneer Square alley views.

Originally Posted by Matt the Engineer

All these 7-story buildings. Is this Skyscraper City or Breadloaf City?!

I was giving Cap Hill a pass because, well, Cap Hill believes 7 story buildings are skyscrapers. But this is 3rd Ave in Belltown, almost on the border with downtown.

Oh well, it certainly beats the 1-story stuff there now. (heh, check out the alley view)

[mhays]

It's still a very high unit density given the small site. And apparently no parking. Maybe a neighboring lot can do a highrise.

I'd freaking love for this to be breadloaf city -- dominating a lot of non-highrise neighborhoods, and interspersing places like Belltown and First Hill a bit more.

[Rogue Linguist]

Originally Posted by Matt the Engineer

All these 7-story buildings. Is this Skyscraper City or Breadloaf City?!

I was giving Cap Hill a pass because, well, Cap Hill believes 7 story buildings are skyscrapers. But this is 3rd Ave in Belltown, almost on the border with downtown.

Oh well, it certainly beats the 1-story stuff there now. (heh, check out the alley view)

Right?? I barf when I read this crap because it's such a damned waste of space.

[Ruffhauser]

Originally Posted by Ruffhauser

From todays DJC

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12047407.html?cgi=yes

November 21, 2012

Plymouth planning 75 Belltown units
By JOURNAL STAFF

SEATTLE — Plymouth Housing Group is planning a seven-story building at 2013 Third Ave. in Belltown.

The project would have 75 low-income apartments and more than 1,000 square feet of commercial space, according to an application filed with the city.

The non-profit group recently purchased the site from Compass Housing Alliance.

SMR Architects will design the building.

A Seattle design review board will hold an early design guidance meeting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Seattle City Hall.

Plymouth Housing Group is also developing an 84-unit apartment project in South Lake Union. Construction started last spring.

Aidan Poile, the group's real estate director, said the Belltown project is the only new building Plymouth is planning now.

Brief photo follow-up

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[SteveM]

Originally Posted by Rogue Linguist

Right?? I barf when I read this crap because it's such a damned waste of space.

I doubt Plymouth has the money to build a high-rise.

What's the last low-income high rise to be built? That 12 story building at 3rd (?) and Yesler in 2005 or so?

[meku]

Originally Posted by SteveM

I doubt Plymouth has the money to build a high-rise.

What's the last low-income high rise to be built? That 12 story building at 3rd (?) and Yesler in 2005 or so?

That's a very handsome low-income building in my opinion.

[SteveM]

Originally Posted by meku

That's a very handsome low-income building in my opinion.

Agreed. I can only assume the lack of clones is due to something in the cost structure, though.

Does building higher require higher digging costs? The latest low-income buildings are being built with little to no parking, which presumably means much less excavation. On the other hand, if going higher just means drilling deeper, you wouldn't expect it'd mean much.

All that said, I'm going to point out (again) that 6 stories gets you plenty of density, so as long as there are a mix of towers in neighborhoods like Belltown, I'm not about to complain about mid-rise infill.

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by SteveM

Agreed. I can only assume the lack of clones is due to something in the cost structure, though.

Does building higher require higher digging costs? The latest low-income buildings are being built with little to no parking, which presumably means much less excavation. On the other hand, if going higher just means drilling deeper, you wouldn't expect it'd mean much.

All that said, I'm going to point out (again) that 6 stories gets you plenty of density, so as long as there are a mix of towers in neighborhoods like Belltown, I'm not about to complain about mid-rise infill.

As an example, there's a 6 story building going up across the street from me, 72 units. Its replacing 3 single family homes. One house was abandoned, but the other two were roomong houses, with I think 6 residences each. So I figure ~100 people will live where previously there were 12.

[CityView Jim]

This one is a little out of the blue:

http://seattletimes.com/html/busines...skywayxml.html

[cameronrex]

12 floors seems pretty short

[BoulderGrad]

Just down the street from the other Elliot St Project, and Arthouse (which btw, has that started yet?)

[mhays]

Arthouse has been working for several weeks.

The Elliott/Western hillside zone is mostly zoned 125'. In this location the view is probably permanent with a combo of old buildings and the p-patch downhill, which certainly helps their values.

[Seasun]

Originally Posted by CityView Jim

This one is a little out of the blue:

http://seattletimes.com/html/busines...skywayxml.html

This is the one that will block a lot of views from the Banner Building. I bet those homeowners will be a the DRB meeting.

[Ruffhauser]

From todays DJC

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12048107.html

December 12, 2012

Schuster Group plans more Belltown housing

By LYNN PORTER
Journal Staff Reporter

The Schuster Group has filed plans for a 12-story, 132-unit residential building on the old Skyway Luggage parking lot at 2521 Western Ave. in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood.

The filing with the city shows that the building will also have parking for 75 vehicles below grade.

Seattle-based Schuster is listed as the financially responsible party.

Alan Davis with Revitalization Partners is listed as the owner, although it was not clear if that refers to the land or the project.

Representatives from Schuster declined comment, and Revitalization did not return calls for comment late Tuesday.

Revitalization has been the receiver for Seattle-based Skyway Luggage, which Ricardo Beverly Hills bought earlier this year.

Skyway this year sold its office building at 2501 Western Ave., in the same block as Schuster's development site. Music Group Services paid $2.1 million for the building.

The Schuster development site is next to the Millionair Club Charity. It has been on the market for more than two years, originally listed at $4.15 million.

The 14,400-square-foot property now is listed by CenturyPacific at $3.75 million, and the Commercial MLS describes its status as “pending.”

The Schuster Group has a 12-story apartment building with 132 units under construction at Cedar Street and Elliott Avenue in Belltown. That project, called Joseph Arnold Lofts, is expected to be complete next year, and was originally planned as condos.

In announcing that project, Schuster Group CEO Mark R. Schuster said his company sees a need for high-end rental housing in downtown Seattle.

A number of apartment projects are in development in Belltown, including Wood Partner's 27-story, 298-unit complex at Cedar and Third Avenue.

The city has tentatively scheduled an early design guidance meeting on the Schuster project for 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at City Hall, room L280.

[Ruffhauser]

Photo follow-up to above post.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr




On a semi-related note, look at this dumpy P.O.S. on the corner of Elliott and Wall. This is too nice a parcel for this kind of crap to go on.



image hosted on flickr

[DawgFan]

Originally Posted by Ruffhauser

On a semi-related note, look at this dumpy P.O.S. on the corner of Elliott and Wall. This is too nice a parcel for this kind of crap to go on.



image hosted on flickr

What is that building? I've always wondered what the heck it was. I've walked by there at night and there appears to be residential units on the second floor. Such a random and creepy building.

[alexjonlin]

Quite intriguing though, I kind of like it...

[CrazyAboutCities]

Originally Posted by DawgFan

What is that building? I've always wondered what the heck it was. I've walked by there at night and there appears to be residential units on the second floor. Such a random and creepy building.

I believe it might be artist's studio. When I attended to Art Institute of Seattle and I used to walk pass that building daily and saw few people did some art projects few times there.