News of Madison Valley
New Buildings on Union and Madison
In the last few months I’ve been taking snapshots of a number of the larger projects that have been in progress in our area. Some had just broken ground and others are nearly occupied. I’ve been sharing the (very boring!) Land Use Notifications on this website for a year now, and have attended developers’ presentations to neighbors at meetings hosted by Madison Valley or Madison Miller Community Councils. So I started to be more interested in looking at the projects in “real life,” and grabbing a picture here and there in the course of my traipsing around town.
Each address is linkable to all of the Design Review meetings that considered the project. Click on the address for each date to see the options presented and the board meeting minutes, recommendations and responses. There are links to the public notices for the project from that page, and, for those who want to dig through the gory details, the project # can also be entered on www.seattle.gov/dpd.
I’ve noticed a few themes. First, the process from getting a project number assigned by the city through the design review and a permit granted is 1–2 years, and it is usually some time before any ground is broken. Second, most of the retail spaces are not yet leased, at least not announced, even with buildings completed or near completion, so we usually have to wait and see who moves in. Third, the “under construction” experience is very different from the final result and the finished occupied building is so much more real than the design review presentations. As the projects become reality, it’s starting to look like upper Madison and Union each have their own distinct design “vibe.”
1141 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Four-story building with 41 (efficiency, 1 and 2 BR) apartments over ground floor commercial space, and parking for 27 vehicles. The building has 6,091 sq ft of of a variety of commercial spaces. Cappy’s Gym will be moving into one of them! Some tidbits about the architect, nominated in 2008 by The Stranger as the “coolest developer in Seattle,” can be found in this Central District News article.
1141 M L King Jr Way proposal and just after ground breaking in Feb 2016
Four-story building with 39 apartments above 3,000 sq ft of retail and 2 live/work units. Parking for 21 vehicles provided. More news about this project can be read at the Capitol Hill blog.
2407 E Union proposal and March 2016
Capitol Hill Housing plans to build 115 units affordable to individuals and families earning $18,000 to $54,000 a year. CHH also has plans to incorporate local businesses into the project and to honor the site’s historical importance as the home of the region’s first black-owned bank. A community-based advisory board is helping steer the effort. The first Early Design Guidance meeting was May 4, so the proposal is not completed. I did find a history of the project, thanks to the Capitol Hill blog.
2320 E Union, March 2016
The long vacant lot, where the historic building was damaged beyond repair by the Nisqaully earthquake, and development postponed due to the 2008 crash, is finally completed and open, and people and businesses are moving in. Spaces are still available to lease.
2203 E Union, March 2016
Four-story building with 50 studio and 1-br apartments above 3,492 sq ft of retail space and parking for 13 vehicles. Twenty percent of the units will be rent-restricted for income qualified tenants at 65% of area median income. Commercial spaces for small neighborhood businesses and space for a new restaurant. The architect is a prolific blogger.
2305 E Madison proposal and February 2016
Six-story, 105-unit apartment building with 5,700 sq ft of retail at ground level and 97 below-ground parking spaces. The building is planned to open in late June or early July. Here is the architect’s website.
2051 E Madison, March 2016
Six-story structure containing 9,576 sq ft of commercial space at ground level and 222 residential units above. Parking to be provided below grade.
2026 E Madison proposal.
Six-story structure containing 50 residential units and 3,800 sq ft of commercial at street level, with parking for 20 vehicles to be provided.
2100 E Madison proposal and March 2016
