Capitol Hill Projects

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by Capitol Hill

A lot of construction on the project at Belmont Ave. E. & E. Republican. Excavation has begun, and boy is it noisy. Yes, I do live across the street, but cities are noisy places.

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12045127.html

Awww, isn't that a pretty quiet area most days? You'll appreciate it when its done.

[mhays]

Wait...there are THREE starts on the hills that I'm suddenly aware of this week?

[alexjonlin]

I love the fact that each side of the block will end up with multiple buildings by different developers! In the long run that will make the block much more interesting.

[CityView Jim]

True enough. But someone please explain to me what the hell is going on at Bellevue and Pine?! Haven't been by in a week or so, but for months this has just been at street level. I see men working, but accomplishing little.

[meku]

I see the E Pine and Bellevue site daily; they've been indeed working slowly for the past 2 months but at least steadily. They are currently pouring columns at street level.

[meku]

Originally Posted by mhays

Wait...there are THREE starts on the hills that I'm suddenly aware of this week?

Are you counting the 10th Ave E and Highland as well ?

[alexjonlin]

Why haven't I ever heard any plans for Broadway between Pike and Pine? The whole side of the block with the gas station, Taco del Mar, and surface parking lot is a huge hole that will seem all the more ridiculous as more and more buildings open in the vicinity.

[mhays]

Yep, already counting 10th & Highland. But that's not in my 2,000-acre definition of Greater Downtown so I don't watch that area as closely.

Feel lucky alexjonlin. In my part of Belltown multiple adjacent blocks have done nothing for decades. Your question speaks to my earlier point about Capitol Hill...underused sites are becoming unusual.

Sometimes a property is owned by a whole family that doesn't talk to each other, or an investor who knows (correctly in this case I think) that values will continue to rise as development sites get more rare, or a company that doesn't want to move, or whatever. Sometimes attempts are made to assemble parcels into a larger site but fail. Others have great project dreams but aren't as good at navigating the actual process. Or they lack the important developer skill of getting talented others to believe in them. Or the property is tied up in the courts, perhaps due to a bad loan. All of that is why even the best developable site can sit fallow for years or many decades.

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by mhays

Wait...there are THREE starts on the hills that I'm suddenly aware of this week?

We're only three blocks off of Broadway, but we're off the beaten track.

[CityView Jim]

All of these projects discussed, but a nice article summarizing nonetheless:

http://capitolhillseattle.com/2012/1...-building-taco

[mSeattle]

This is on 10th Ave and I think at Union St.

image hosted on flickr

by mSeattle, on Flickr

[CityView Jim]

Correct. That's across from the really big project going between 10th and 11th on Union and a block away from the replacement for the Undre Arms. Union is busy!!

[Ruffhauser]

Originally Posted by Ruffhauser

From todays DJC

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12046589.html

October 29, 2012

Group has high hopes for Melrose Avenue, a ‘stunning street' on edge of Capitol Hill

■Here's the plan: Raise about $1.5 million to turn a mile of Melrose into a promenade, with sidewalks, seating, lights, art and landscaping.

By BENJAMIN MINNICK
Journal Construction Editor

Mike Kent moved to Seattle from New York City in 2009 so his wife could attend graduate school at the University of Washington.

Kent had worked as an urban planner back east and thought he could find work here in that field, but the pickings were slim.

But being unemployed gave him time to look around his Capitol Hill neighborhood, and he started jogging along Melrose Avenue, about a block from his home. Those jogs gave Kent dazzling views of downtown, the Space Needle, the Olympics, Queen Anne and Lake Union.

Then his urban planner training kicked in.

“The views from (Melrose) are among the best in the city, but the public infrastructure doesn't do the view justice,” he said.

Kent was inspired and set off to do something about the problem, creating a plan for a promenade on Melrose.

With the help of a $20,000 grant through the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, the Melrose Promenade project has become a community effort to improve about a mile of Melrose between Pike Street and East Roy Street, with wider sidewalks, seating, lights, art, trees and other landscaping.

The promenade would continue north through Bellevue Place Park to Lakeview Boulevard East.

Kent said his group is called the Melrose Promenade Advisory Committee, and the project has a website: melrosepromenade.com.

Central Seattle Greenways has been a key player and architect GGLO has done some pro-bono work.

Something called the Melrose Connector Trail exists today. It runs from Roy through the park to Lakeview, and is used by pedestrians and bicyclists. It would also be fixed up as part of the promenade work.

Kent said the backers would also like to improve some adjoining spaces, such as the grassy hillside north of Roy owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Some work could involve upgrading the old staircases that provide pedestrian links between Melrose and the terminuses of East Republican and Harrison streets. Kent said the staircase at Harrison needs more work than the one at Republican.

Melrose is the lowest point on Capitol Hill and the flattest option for walking and biking from Lakeview Boulevard and the Lakeview overpass to the Pike/Pine commercial district to the south.

Kent says the promenade and other upgrades would create a “front porch” for Capitol Hill and connect neighborhoods to the north and south.

About $13,200 of the grant will be spent on a consultant to develop concepts for the corridor and lead three meetings to gather public input.

The group put out a request for qualifications from consultants that appeared in the DJC on Oct. 3. Kent said they have received about 25 responses so far. The deadline for submittals is Wednesday.

Kent said the goal is to hire a consultant in November and have a final plan finished next March. The rest of the schedule depends on funding.

Point32 CEO Chris Rogers said his development firm gave some seed money to the group to help hire staff and kick off the project with a series of volunteer cleanup events over the summer.

Point32 is developer and part owner of the BelRoy Apartments, which is adjacent to Melrose. The restored art deco building will open in January with 52 renovated units and 61 new ones.

Rogers said one goal of his company is to enhance the neighborhoods where it has projects.

One big issue for any promenade plan is noise from Interstate 5, which runs just to the west of Melrose.

”You're never going to forget I-5 is there, but that doesn't mean we can't make Melrose Avenue a better street to walk along,” Kent said.

Rogers was project manager for the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront. He said the sculpture park is similar to Melrose in that it is next to a noisy transportation line: railroad tracks.

Rogers said they embraced the idea that the sculpture park sits next to active railroad tracks. “We proved that open space and recreation is compatible with transportation,” he said.

People using the Melrose promenade will feel and hear the energy of the freeway, Rogers said. “It's really a stunning little street.”

One idea Rogers suggested was to pull the Melrose Connector Trail back to the eastern edge of Melrose to separate it more from I-5. “There's really a great opportunity there to create an urban trail,” he said.

I-5 offers one big asset: It drops off dramatically below Melrose, so there are no buildings to block the western views.

“It's really an incredible view and it's only getting better,” Kent said.

Melrose Promenade backers are seeking $750,000 through the Opportunity Fund administered by Parks and Recreation. In December, the group plans to seek another $750,000 through Bridging the Gap, run by the Seattle Department of Transportation. It also is accepting donations through Seattle Parks Foundation.

Kent said the group should know in mid-2013 if they'll get funding. He said it's possible the project could cost more than $1.5 million.

Rogers said the proposal will be fairly costly, but work can be done in phases as funds become available.

A follow-up to this story, from todays DJC.

http://www.djc.com/news/ae/12047866.html

December 5, 2012

Team selected for conceptual design of Melrose Promenade on Capitol Hill

‘Melrose Promenade already exists as an idea in people's minds, and little by little we're building it.'

By LYNN PORTER
Journal Staff Reporter


A group that wants to create a promenade along Melrose Avenue on the west side of Capitol Hill has hired a team to come up with a conceptual plan.

The team is Berger Partnership, Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers, and Schemata Workshop.

The project involves improving about a mile of Melrose between Pike and East Roy streets that has great views of the city, perhaps by adding wider sidewalks, seating, lighting, art and landscaping. The promenade would continue north through Bellevue Place Park to Lakeview Boulevard East.

“I think it would change perceptions about really an underutilized area, making it more of a destination and a place rather than a place that gets passed through,” said Jonathan Morley, a principal with Berger Partnership.

There are many facets to the project — urban streetscape, gathering spaces, parks and a retail area. “It's hard to put it in one box,” he said.

The promenade, the popular Melrose Market and the Pike/Pine commercial district would all energize each other, he said. The promenade also would function as an urban trail, since Melrose is one of the flattest options for walking and biking from Lakeview Boulevard to Pike/Pine.

However, Melrose Avenue overlooks noisy Interstate 5. Morley said gathering spaces could be located toward the east side of the street, cutting some of the noise and placing more emphasis on the distant views. Also, some surfaces could be softened and vegetation added.

The project is the brainchild of Mike Kent, an urban planner and transplant from the East Coast, who now works as a project manager for Pastakia + Associates, a consultant to real estate developers.

Kent said he was taken with the dazzling views of downtown, the Space Needle, the Olympics, Queen Anne and Lake Union that he saw while jogging along Melrose Avenue from his home nearby.

Inspired, Kent got the idea of putting a promenade on Melrose, creating a “front porch” for Capitol Hill and connecting to neighborhoods on the north and south.

The project has become a community effort, with a website at melrosepromenade.com. A $20,000 city grant is paying for the consultants, who have until next spring to develop a conceptual plan based on community input.

Backers of the project would also like to improve some adjoining spaces, such as the grassy hillside north of Roy owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation, upgrade old staircases that provide pedestrian links to Melrose at East Republican and Harrison streets, and fix up the Melrose Connector Trail, which runs from Roy through the park to Lakeview, and is used by pedestrians and bicyclists.

Melrose Promenade supporters are seeking $750,000 through the Opportunity Fund and another $750,000 through Bridging the Gap, both run by the city. The group also is accepting donations through Seattle Parks Foundation.

Kent said the group should know in mid-2013 if it will get that funding.

He said he expects the promenade to cost at least $1.5 million, but it could be built in phases.

“It's not like we need $1.5 million or $2 million in one fell swoop to make the project happen,” he said.

The neighborhood already has held events, including work parties to clean up Melrose Avenue and open spaces to the north, and to remove invasive plants.

“Melrose Promenade already exists as an idea in people's minds, and I think that's as important as anything,” he said, “and little by little we're building it.”

[Capitol Hill]

I hope they quickly abandon theconcept of retail, unless it is in conjunction with Melrose Market. This will/should never be a retail street.

[mhays]

A corner store and a coffee shop would do well. But it's hard to imagine more than that being merited. And it's hard to imagine any building owners participating.

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by mhays

A corner store and a coffee shop would do well. But it's hard to imagine more than that being merited. And it's hard to imagine any building owners participating.

I'm a little bit leary of all these "pocket parks" popping up over the city. We don't have adequate maintenance funding for the parks we have now.

[alexjonlin]

I can't remember if I've said this before but I really liked the cantilevered promenade over the freeway in Brooklyn Heights (NYC). The freeways there cut into the hillside, so we may as well take advantage of the incredible views it opened up on its east side.

[CityView Jim]

The Bank of America in the Lyric Building (230 Broadway N) opens Monday. I read that another local bank will open in BofA's old site up near Roy St. Einstein Bagels is coming along as well! Looks to ready in the next few weeks.

No activity in the other retail slots.

[Ruffhauser]

From todays DJC.

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12048051.html

December 11, 2012

Seattle U gets city approval to double its square footage

By NAT LEVY
Journal Staff Reporter

Seattle University got approval from the City Council Monday on a plan that would allow the school to more than double the square footage of space on the campus at Broadway and Madison on Capitol Hill.

The major institution master plan is designed to guide the university in its growth over the next 10 to 20 years. By 2028, the university wants to add 2.1 million square feet of classrooms, parking, housing, retail and other buildings. It could add 359 new parking spaces — at or below ground — for a total of 1,868.

The university has 2.04 million square feet on the 48-acre campus today.

The plan calls for taller buildings in some spots and expansion of the campus boundary line.

University officials say the expansion is needed to handle projected growth of 2,500 students by 2028 and accommodate the growing number of students who want to live on campus. Enrollment today is about 6,700 students.

The city's decision does not mean approval for specific projects, but it lets the university continue planning.

“We can't move forward on any future projects without this in place,” said Joy Jacobson, director of design and construction for the university.

The university's previous plan allowed for 2.2 million square feet of buildings, so the university needed a new plan to grow beyond that.

Jacobson could not give an exact timeline for starting projects. They are expected to be funded through a capital campaign, said Rob ert Schwartz, the university's associate vice president for facilities.

A new science center is the only specific project being discussed now. Schwartz said the center could involve about 85,000 square feet of new space and renovation of existing space. It could cost as much as $100 million.

The new boundary line incorporates two areas facing Broadway between East Columbia and East Jefferson streets. The university does not own all the buildings within its boundary.

The area of the campus east of 12th Avenue will see the greatest height changes. According to the plan, a portion of the campus now zoned for 50 feet will increase to 65 feet. A 37-foot height limit will remain at the area near East James and Barclay courts to maintain a smaller-scale feel.

Mithun drafted the plan, and Jacobson said Perkins+Will is putting together a final version that incorporates city conditions.

The university expects to issue requests for proposals for the larger projects once plans come together, Jacobson said.

The major institution master plan process is required by the city for large educational and medical institutions. They must file new plans when they seek to expand boundaries or add significant features 10 years after their last plan was completed.

[alexjonlin]

Wow, that's pretty huge. I'm just salivating over what 12th Ave could be like in a decade or two. Are they considering converting the 12th & Madison storage building into a use that doesn't suck?