Seattle-area retail discussion

[sequoias]

Why didn't James Bond remove the posts that relate to forests. He said that he would do that if anyone says "trees" or anything related to forests.

[Bond James Bond]

^
Because talk about forests seems to be winding down. *hint*

[sequoias]

I hope it does.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

I beg of you (all)! Please go back to shopping centers (i'll start)!

What is the big deal of Country Village in Bothell? I keep hearing ads on the radio but when I look at it from Windows Live, it just looks like a mini-sized nursery.

[Tharsis Montes]

Country Village isn't really a mall, is it? lol Looks kind of interesting, I haven't been there. Is it outdoor or indoor?

[Capitol Hill]

Country village is a collection of buildings, some homes, that have sell gift type stuff. Its the kind of place a grown woman and her mother could spend hours enjoying.

[Brandon1978]

Originally Posted by mhays

The most notable trend of all is the supermarket with housing on top. Several of these have opened around Downtown and close-in neighborhoods in recent years, and a bunch more are planned. Actually, if you include smaller "supermarkets" like Trader Joe's and so on, I can think of at least 11 that have opened in the past decade, a few more u-c, and another dozen or so proposed, mostly in Seattle but also one u-c in Downtown Bellevue.

Mhays, what information do you have on such projects in central Seattle? Thanks.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Okay, I think we've come to the conclusion that Seattle has run away from the conventional shopping mall and is leaning towards urban villages and upscale power centers. A great example is Lakewood Crossing in Marysville. In most of Snohomish County, developers are building more and more of these types of retail centers to support the growing subdivisions all over Snohomish County. Here's the current plan:

[mhays]

Originally Posted by Brandon1978

Mhays, what information do you have on such projects in central Seattle? Thanks.

I limit my posts to information that's public knowledge and my related opinions. My post was unscientific, but mainly based on impressions from being a religious reader of the DJC, DPD Bulletin, and construction industry media.

[CityView Jim]

I don't know. Looks like the typical 'strip center' that defines the perimeters of Southcenter and Federal Way's Commons. Doesn't really say urban village to me. Am I mistaken? Big box retail set back by a sea of asphalt.

[jessejb]

Yeah it looks like suburban hell. Tanning centers, Taco Bell..?

[flotown]

Okay, I think we've come to the conclusion that Seattle has run away from the conventional shopping mall and is leaning towards urban villages and upscale power centers. A great example is Lakewood Crossing in Marysville. In most of Snohomish County, developers are building more and more of these types of retail centers to support the growing subdivisions all over Snohomish County. Here's the current plan:

you're yanking our chain, right?

[CityView Jim]

Wait, you're right. That just might be UPSCALE for Marysville. Land of the casino and outlet mall. Did I mention that some kind of amusement park is supposed to be going in amongst all that crap?

[jessejb]

An amusement park I could support.

I grew up around there and let me tell you...any time a lame chain store came in everyone would get all excited about the growth and it would be the talk of the town for months.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Originally Posted by CityView Jim

Wait, you're right. That just might be UPSCALE for Marysville. Land of the casino and outlet mall. Did I mention that some kind of amusement park is supposed to be going in amongst all that crap?

What I meant by upscale was that Lakewood Crossing isn't just a strip mall where boring, old buildings are plotted in a sea of asphalt, Lakewood Crossing actuall has trees! Not to mention the decorative street lights, parking lot pavement (kind of soft), and unique building designs. I like to think it's like a renewed look of the conventional American strip mall.

As for Quil Ceda Village, prepare to see more and more and more and more and more and more stuff. A water amusement park is included, plus a second hotel tower for the Tulalip Casino (and they haven't even completed the first one!), upscale RV park, and so on. Plus they're even thinking about adding some sort of mass transit system, utilizing the old railroad bridge on I-5.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Originally Posted by jessejb

An amusement park I could support.

I grew up around there and let me tell you...any time a lame chain store came in everyone would get all excited about the growth and it would be the talk of the town for months.

Tell me about it. When I first heard that Costco had opened in Lakewood Crossings, I immeadiatly went there. When I heard that Target opened there, I rushed there as fast as I could. And when WinCo opened, I rushed there too.

Now, I rarely go to Lakewood Crossing (traffic problems), but I still go to WinCo. They got really great deals!

[sequoias]

Originally Posted by taiwanesedrummer36

Tell me about it. When I first heard that Costco had opened in Lakewood Crossings, I immeadiatly went there. When I heard that Target opened there, I rushed there as fast as I could. And when WinCo opened, I rushed there too.

Now, I rarely go to Lakewood Crossing (traffic problems), but I still go to WinCo. They got really great deals!

Heh, I went to Winco for the first time in Marysville and yes the food prices are pretty low compared to most grocery stores. I used to go to Winco in Kent when I lived in Seattle...now I live near Bothell so I shop at Winco once in a while.

[NW Mike]

Winco has insane prices on Bulk food items. I love getting my food there, Who doesn't want a 50lbs of steel cut oats.*L*
The Lakewood Crossing is a strip mall with a ribbon tied around it. Looks ok for a big box mall but the traffic mitigation went right out the window. They built this place so they would have Freeway visibility. They could of designed it better, but why do they care. The only reason they put up cute lights and trees was because they had to. And this area is called Smoky Point, not Marysville. The Seattle Premium Outlets are built pretty nice. They plan on Doubling its size soon. The Tulalip Tribe has thrown out the water park idea for now according to a press release last month, but they will be adding the second tower and RV park.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Originally Posted by NW Mike

Looks ok for a big box mall but the traffic mitigation went right out the window. They built this place so they would have Freeway visibility. They could of designed it better, but why do they care. The only reason they put up cute lights and trees was because they had to. And this area is called Smoky Point, not Marysville.

Actually, Lakewood Crossing is in Marysville. They annexed the area between I-5, SR 531, and the railroad tracks in 2005 (I believe) for future long-term development plans (such as the potential UW site) and to acquire tax money from Lakewood Crossing.

[spongeg]

oh will have to check out winco - saw it last time and wondered what it was