Small efficiency dwelling units (or micro-apartments) have become a trendy way for developers to maximize profits in tight spaces. This project right off of Interstate 5 near Green Lake is a good (or bad) example, replacing a single-family home with a four-story, 21-unit building.
Google Street View
513 N.E. 72nd St. (cont.)
Each of the micro-apartments (which according to city code must have a living area of at least 150 square feet) will include a full kitchen with “compact fixtures,” a combination washer/dryer and a living/sleeping area. No parking will be provided.
City of Seattle
10540 Greenwood Ave. N.
This project on Greenwood Avenue just north of Holman Road in North Seattle will replace three single-family homes and a motel with a 54-unit apartment building. Thirty-six of those will be small efficiency dwelling units, with 1,500 square feet of retail space on the first level.
Google Street View
10540 Greenwood Ave. N. (cont.)
The project includes a 32-space parking garage on the first level that will be adjacent to the pedestrian entrance on Greenwood Avenue.
City of Seattle
4215 S. Trenton St.
This project is another good (or bad) example of gentrification in South Seattle, with a vacant residential lot being transformed into six, three-story townhouse buildings. The final project will include 34 total units and parking for 45 vehicles.
Google Street View
4215 S. Trenton St. (cont.)
The project, which developers hope “enhances and further connects the neighborhood while promoting use of public transportation” is actually just one part of a plan for the plot of land at the corner of Trenton Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
City of Seattle
8803 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S.
The second part of the project includes two, four-story buildings with 10 total live-work units and parking for six vehicles. Both projects would require rezoning from residential to neighborhood commercial zones.
Google Street View
8803 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. (cont.)
The projects are located just north of the Rainier Beach Link light rail station, and would be part of the Rainier Beach Station Area Neighborhood Pearl, “an area where Rainier Beach residents shop, gather, live and recreate.”
City of Seattle
615 Eighth Ave.
This First Hill project is another example of trying to squeeze residential structures into a high-demand area, building a 28-story, 204-unit tower on the same block as the historic Trinity Church.
Google Street View
615 Eighth Ave. (cont.)
The proposed tower will be over 300 feet tall, but will leave “breathing space” between it and the 115-year-old church building, though the Parish Hall and other support buildings will be torn down to make way for the tower.
City of Seattle
2707 E. Yesler Way
This is a smaller-scale project, with three, three-story townhouse buildings replacing existing residential structures. It’s also a good example of the push for increased residential density, though, as it borders existing townhouses to the east and north and a proposed townhouse development to the west.
Google Street View
2707 E. Yesler Way (cont.)
Here’s a good look of the proposed stained-wood siding. The development is pedestrian friendly, including a courtyard, but no parking.
City of Seattle
2019 S. Main St.
Another example of small-scale improvements in density, this Central District project near Pratt Park will replace an existing residential structure with a duplex and a triplex. Each of the five units will come complete with a rooftop deck.
Google Street View
2019 S. Main St. (cont.)
Each building will be three stories tall, and four parking stalls will be available to residents.
City of Seattle
330 Yale Ave. N.
Developers aren’t only looking to expand residential space. This proposal would add a nine-story office building with ground-floor retail space to what is now a small office building and parking lot in South Lake Union.
Google Street View
330 Yale Ave. N. (cont.)
Will the office space be leased to Amazon? It’s a good bet, as the online giant already has more commercial real estate in the city than Seattle’s next several dozen biggest employers combined.
City of Seattle
We need to fit more people into Seattle.
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Even a cursory glance at building projects in planning stages throughout the city makes it obvious that developers are simply looking for ways to make room. The projects under review this month by Seattle's Design Review Board are good examples of how developers are trying to do just that.
Some of these are small-scale projects, where an old home is flattened to make room for a duplex or a small apartment building. Others propose buildings that will forever alter the city's relationship to some of its oldest landmarks.
The design review process allows city planners, residents and volunteers to give their opinions on any proposal for multi-family or commercial buildings in the city in order to ensure that designs fit with the surrounding neighborhoods. Some of the criteria considered include:
Overall appearance of the building
How the proposal relates to unusual aspects of the site, such as views or slopes
Pedestrian and vehicular access to the site
Quality of materials, open space and landscaping
We went through some of the projects up for review through the end of January, which all seem to be concerned with squeezing more Seattleites into the city.
