University District Pictures, Projects, etc...

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by geoffloftus

Construction appears to have begun on what is basically the south-side mirror image of the north-side parking garage at University Village. A ton of parking lot is going to disappear to be replaced by a parking garage -- but one, which like its north-side counterpart is functionally -- that is, from the within-U Village perspective -- a collection of highish-end stores, with the parking-garage part effectively hidden in back.

I don't know the construction timetable. But the little Key Bank branch, the only building on the construction site, will move on January 20.

As a resident of this area, I'm quite excited by this. Now if only they'd get going on the plan to replace the north parking lot of the QFC with apartment buildings...

Nice to see that actually moving along! It was one of three expansion projects discussed several years ago. Here's where the other two are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterl/2741617043/

[WESTSEATTLEGUY]

Originally Posted by geoffloftus

Now if only they'd get going on the plan to replace the north parking lot of the QFC with apartment buildings...

Or a large department store could be a great fit!!

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by WESTSEATTLEGUY

Or a large department store could be a great fit!!

Last I heard was a parking lot for QFC. Here's a neighborhood blog describing it:

http://thelaurelhurstblog.blogspot.c...expansion.html

[BoulderGrad]

Apartments on top of it:
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/G...endaID2547.pdf

[CityView Jim]

Aww nice! And glad to see a food court added to U Village. No real place there for grab and go food.

[CrazyAboutCities]

University Village have few grab and go food places; Specialty Bakery, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Blue C Sushi, and Noah Bagels. This time, I hope this new food court will offer good option of foods instead some shitty food options like some shopping malls have.

[CrazyAboutCities]

I stopped at University Village recently and had chance to get a closer look to that construction site. It is looking like they are only doing soil testing but fences are already up on the parking lot. If they plans to break ground right after they are done with soil testing, it would be wrong timing because they will need use that parking lot for holiday season. They can wait until holiday season is over. This parking situation won't be an issue if Metro are willing to add more buses on evening and weekends for both shoppers and employees.

[Capitol Hill]

I thought QFC was suing UVillage due to the fact that the new garage and retail structure would block the visibility of their store. Has that been cleared up?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...lreport12.html

Also, the city pdf shows 3 variations on the project, one of which keeps the retail space of the liquor store, the other two which remove the space. Seeing as the liquor store has now moved, I assume that version 2 or 3 are the preferred options?

[mSeattle]

Originally Posted by Capitol Hill

I thought QFC was suing UVillage due to the fact that the new garage and retail structure would block the visibility of their store. Has that been cleared up?

This has got to stop. Why didn't QFC build a multi-use development to begin with that had a few hundred units and have a captive base of grocery shoppers? Why didn't they build close to the street so that nothing would go in front of it?

They could also just put the QFC signs on the edge of the Village. It's a car-oriented space anyway. People have to drive in regardless of seeing the building or not.

[Capitol Hill]

Nothing like answering my own question, but since I asked in a public forum, I will answer here in case anybody else was curious.

http://www.laurelhurstcc.com/LCC/doc....June.2011.pdf

This states there was a settlement, but the thoght was there wouldn't be housing at the QFC property. This seems ill thoght out, unless they are thinking the rental housing market is getting too hot?

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by mSeattle

This has got to stop. Why didn't QFC build a multi-use development to begin with that had a few hundred units and have a captive base of grocery shoppers? Why didn't they build close to the street so that nothing would go in front of it?

I believe that the owners of QFC at the time (prior to Kroger) redeveloped the Foremost Dairy to become the store in order to lure tenants to the mall. Remember, at one time, UVillage was the poster child of DeadMalls.

[Capitol Hill]

From a March 2011 article in the PSBJ:

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/p....html?page=all

Looking ahead, Plummer (UVillage Manager) doesn’t see any major changes for U Village in the coming years. The retailers that have survived the recession continue to evolve.

[Seasun]

Originally Posted by Capitol Hill

Remember, at one time, UVillage was the poster child of DeadMalls.

I grew up in the neighborhood and don't remember it ever being dead (like Factoria? Mall or maybe Tacoma Mall?) Maybe you meant it was a place that didn't have lots of fancy stores but even when Ernst, Lamonts, the old QFC, Fine Threads (if anyone remembers that store), the old Fiorinis or A la francaise bakery were there it was a well used neighborhood mall serving well-off neighbors. Lots of neighborhood people miss the days of being able to buy ordinary underwear and being able to find a parking spot but I just never recall a time when there were many vacant storefronts.

[Capitol Hill]

When Lamonts went TU, Ernst had gone bankrupt and liquidated, Pay N Save was in the process of either going through bankruptcy or being boght out by Payless Drugs. It was quite empty for a time there.

[Seasun]

I knew I was forgetting a big one - Pay N Save. I guess I just thought of that time as a transition and opportunity for redevelopment that takes a couple years.

I won't miss the Key Bank at the bottom of the viaduct along with the U-Village sign that looks almost tippy the way it's designed. For some reason Village management never maintained the electronic reader board to even the level of making sure the lights weren't burned out and were the same wattage - makes it really hard to read for what is a very prominent message board.

[Capitol Hill]

Maybe we were both right. It seems the smaller retailers were successful, it was the larger "anchors" (sans QFC) that were suffering.

http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct9812/07.php

[ak282]

Anyone know what's going on on at the corner lot on 45th and 12th? The building there has been torn down and the lot has been cleared.

[mhays]

Is it the northwest corner? Maybe it's the eight-story Marriott that's been planned there. The hotel market is showing signs of life.

[BoulderGrad]

That would be pretty sweet. They're also planning 2 large mid-rises on the north end of the block too, yes?

[BoulderGrad]

Since I've been on a roll with these recently:

4501 12th ave NE (Hotel on the corner of 45th and 12th):
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/G...endaID2158.pdf
4535 12th ave NE (Apartments just to the north)
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/G...endaID3291.pdf

That would fill that block along the west side of 12th. And almost fill the East side of 11th. These would also be 1 block from the Brooklyn light rail stop.