Photos: New Union Apartments off of South Lake Union

The first of three new apartment buildings on the southwest corner of South Lake Union has started pre-leasing and more units are about to come onto the market. We toured “Union” recently and found it to be a cool, urban design, though a few things caught our eyes and ears.

First, the basics: Union features 286 units in a 7-story building on Dexter Ave N. and Aloha Street. It was developed by Holland Residential,  the Vancouver, Wash-based builder behind M Street and Coppins Well. Holland is also developing the two properties immediately south on Dexter that will add about 400 more units.

Main lobby at “Union” at 901 Dexter Ave N.

When you enter Union, you’re welcomed by a spacious and well-appointed lobby that would make one heck of a living room. This and other common elements stand out as highlights at Union, from the theater room and its plush couches to the sizable gym that features water and towel service. Other nice touches include a bank of roomy bike storage lockers and a trash chute for  recyclables.

We toured three model units on the lower floors. All come with stainless steel appliances, engineered wood flooring, and generous closet space. You can choose from two interior color palettes and, if you live on the top floor, an upgraded finish package.

The first unit we visited was an open one bedroom on the first floor, which felt spacious for 682 sq ft. And even though the unit is slightly below the street, the traffic noise from Dexter Ave. was surprisingly low. However, that was not the case for a 2-bedroom unit on the second floor. We could clearly hear the cars and buses going by, though we did visit during rush hour. Also, the second bedroom felt a bit small.

The finish of a kitchen cabinet

The other detail that caught our eye was the finish – or the lack there of – for a number of the cabinets (above). While the kitchens look very nice overall, including the glass tiled-backsplash, the edges of some of the cabinets were rough and almost seemed like they splintered. That was a bit surprising given the price points…

Studio:                                                              508 sq ft  –  $1395 to $1760/mo

“Open one bedroom”:                  682 – 788 sq ft  – $1585 to $2160/mo

One bedrooms:                                 511 – 851 sq ft   –  $1535 to $2170/mo

Two bedrooms:                               914 – 1023 sq ft –  $2280 to $3635/mo

Parking is an extra $135/mo. There are also additional charges if you want a storage or bike locker.

All in all, Union is a hip building with nice amenities. It will be great to visit again once the upper floors come online because they’re high enough to have a view of Lake Union. The lower floors seem a bit pricey for not having water views, but there are plenty of new Amazon employees looking for an urban apartment that’s close to work. In fact, the leasing managers say more than 90% of the folks who have pre-leased a unit work at Amazon.

Holland Residential is leasing the lower floors first and more units will be available in December and January.