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Significant projects

By Matt Goyer November 19, 2007

A developer friend of my Dad’s is visiting Seattle and is looking for some projects to tour:

My interests would be adaptive reuse or new residential projects, “workforce” type housing, small tight but trendy units. I would appreciate if you could recommend a few projects for me.

What would folks recommend? It’d be nice to compile of list of must-see projects for visitors and locals new to the market.

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22 responses to “Significant projects”

Jon says:

November 20, 2007 at 1:19 am

Matt,

I would recommend the Discovery Center, of course. Veer Lofts would be ideal for the ‘workforce’ resident, though it’s limited to primary investment.

Rollin Street has some great redesigned homes that are one bedroom plus den, with a deck and 900+ sq/ft. Great useful floor plans, efficient living and a top notch project.

Enso has some great open one bedrooms as well!

Competing projects I would recommend The Concord and Cristalla.

Jon
Jon says:

November 19, 2007 at 5:19 pm

Matt,

I would recommend the Discovery Center, of course. Veer Lofts would be ideal for the ‘workforce’ resident, though it’s limited to primary investment.

Rollin Street has some great redesigned homes that are one bedroom plus den, with a deck and 900+ sq/ft. Great useful floor plans, efficient living and a top notch project.

Enso has some great open one bedrooms as well!

Competing projects I would recommend The Concord and Cristalla.

Jon
Joe says:

November 20, 2007 at 2:24 am

For workforce housing, you will need to drive down to Tukwila or Federal Way. There is no housing in Seattle that a working class family can afford.
Joe says:

November 19, 2007 at 6:24 pm

For workforce housing, you will need to drive down to Tukwila or Federal Way. There is no housing in Seattle that a working class family can afford.
tomasyalba says:

November 20, 2007 at 6:41 am

On his way into (or back out of) town he could peek out his airplane window for a view of the Lora Lake complex at the foot of the SeaTac runway. That’s where downtown Seattle’s janitorial workforce gets to live.
tomasyalba says:

November 19, 2007 at 10:41 pm

On his way into (or back out of) town he could peek out his airplane window for a view of the Lora Lake complex at the foot of the SeaTac runway. That’s where downtown Seattle’s janitorial workforce gets to live.
mattgoyer says:

November 20, 2007 at 7:16 am

Hasn’t some affordable housing been built in South Lake Union? Or is that all planned and nothing has been built yet? I also think there’s a LEED affordable housing project on Pine and Broadway, isn’t there?

I think some projects of architectural note are 1310 E Union or any one of the warehouse conversions (Trace, Monique, Portofino and there are a few in Belltown and Pioneer Square (can anyone help me out with the names?))

I need some help here since I only know of the projects that have gone up since I started blogging…
Matt says:

November 19, 2007 at 11:16 pm

Hasn’t some affordable housing been built in South Lake Union? Or is that all planned and nothing has been built yet? I also think there’s a LEED affordable housing project on Pine and Broadway, isn’t there?

I think some projects of architectural note are 1310 E Union or any one of the warehouse conversions (Trace, Monique, Portofino and there are a few in Belltown and Pioneer Square (can anyone help me out with the names?))

I need some help here since I only know of the projects that have gone up since I started blogging…
tomasyalba says:

November 20, 2007 at 7:45 am

As I understand it the only affordable SLU stuff is the aging stock the wrecking ball hasn’t got to yet, not exactly inspiring for a developer’s tour. The new stuff that’s gotten publicity is all pie in the sky still, to my knowledge.
tomasyalba says:

November 19, 2007 at 11:45 pm

As I understand it the only affordable SLU stuff is the aging stock the wrecking ball hasn’t got to yet, not exactly inspiring for a developer’s tour. The new stuff that’s gotten publicity is all pie in the sky still, to my knowledge.
newbuyer says:

November 20, 2007 at 2:08 pm

There is affordable housing in the SlU already and there is more being built. Check out the new construction on Denny about a block west of Westlake as one example. I walk by that area everyday and have noticed a nice mix of buildings. Sure, there are fancy, new places going up too, but there is also affordable housing.
newbuyer says:

November 20, 2007 at 6:08 am

There is affordable housing in the SlU already and there is more being built. Check out the new construction on Denny about a block west of Westlake as one example. I walk by that area everyday and have noticed a nice mix of buildings. Sure, there are fancy, new places going up too, but there is also affordable housing.
I got something for you. says:

November 20, 2007 at 8:19 pm

Housing Resources Group and Capitol Hill Housing each have new affordable apartment buildings anticipating LEED Silver:

Capitol Hill Housing’s is called Broadway Crossing. It’s got a sexy location at Pine and Broadway on Capitol Hill and a great story about working with Walgreens. http://www.chhip.org/about_contact.asp

HRG’s is called Stone Way Apartments. On 45th and Stone Way (in Wallingford), it doesn’t have a sexy location, but it has better finishes. It has a sad story about neighborhood NIMBYs (Wallingford isn’t as progressive as you’d think…) but a great story about it being 10x more awesome than the ugly market-rate apartment that is being built across the street from it. http://www.hrg.org/htm/contact/index.htm
I got something for you. says:

November 20, 2007 at 12:19 pm

Housing Resources Group and Capitol Hill Housing each have new affordable apartment buildings anticipating LEED Silver:

Capitol Hill Housing’s is called Broadway Crossing. It’s got a sexy location at Pine and Broadway on Capitol Hill and a great story about working with Walgreens. http://www.chhip.org/about_contact.asp

HRG’s is called Stone Way Apartments. On 45th and Stone Way (in Wallingford), it doesn’t have a sexy location, but it has better finishes. It has a sad story about neighborhood NIMBYs (Wallingford isn’t as progressive as you’d think…) but a great story about it being 10x more awesome than the ugly market-rate apartment that is being built across the street from it. http://www.hrg.org/htm/contact/index.htm
Mike says:

November 20, 2007 at 11:51 pm

The Nord from Live Historic.
Mike says:

November 20, 2007 at 3:51 pm

The Nord from Live Historic.
mhays says:

November 26, 2007 at 8:40 pm

LIHI built a low-income building at 8th N & Thomas a couple years ago.

Cascade (i.e. between Fairview, the Mercer ramp, and Denny) has several non-profit buildings, each for a specific group. One is for poor people, one is for lesbians, one is for Fred Hutch families (generally not poor aside from cancer costs), one is for low-income poor people…I’m forgetting a couple. Another 100 units are about to break ground at John and Pontius for Cancer Care Alliance families and patients. A building for mentally-ill people is planned around Pontius and Republican. Across Denny on Eastlake is the new building for chronic drunks.

All in all, SLU has more than its share of social housing of various types. Thankfully we have a lot of great non-profits, and these are generally well-run places that improve the district.
mhays says:

November 26, 2007 at 12:40 pm

LIHI built a low-income building at 8th N & Thomas a couple years ago.

Cascade (i.e. between Fairview, the Mercer ramp, and Denny) has several non-profit buildings, each for a specific group. One is for poor people, one is for lesbians, one is for Fred Hutch families (generally not poor aside from cancer costs), one is for low-income poor people…I’m forgetting a couple. Another 100 units are about to break ground at John and Pontius for Cancer Care Alliance families and patients. A building for mentally-ill people is planned around Pontius and Republican. Across Denny on Eastlake is the new building for chronic drunks.

All in all, SLU has more than its share of social housing of various types. Thankfully we have a lot of great non-profits, and these are generally well-run places that improve the district.
Chris says:

November 27, 2007 at 1:01 am

Interesting to note that none of us can come up with a market-rate new construction project that resembles workforce as defined by HUD (80%-100% AMI).

for those who’ve been around longer than I, has this been the case historically? Raises a valid question about who (income wise) new construction has historically served. eg., if I earned median income in 1970 would I have been able to afford any new construction condos? Even a stuido? I presume the answer is yes, and that the trend in construction prices vis-a-vis median wages is to blame.

I’d be interested to hear all perspectives
Chris says:

November 26, 2007 at 5:01 pm

Interesting to note that none of us can come up with a market-rate new construction project that resembles workforce as defined by HUD (80%-100% AMI).

for those who’ve been around longer than I, has this been the case historically? Raises a valid question about who (income wise) new construction has historically served. eg., if I earned median income in 1970 would I have been able to afford any new construction condos? Even a stuido? I presume the answer is yes, and that the trend in construction prices vis-a-vis median wages is to blame.

I’d be interested to hear all perspectives
Ginger Minge says:

November 29, 2007 at 6:12 pm

I don’t care about these buildings. They’re just destroying the environment and the buildings just get old anyway.
Ginger Minge says:

November 29, 2007 at 10:12 am

I don’t care about these buildings. They’re just destroying the environment and the buildings just get old anyway.

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