DEVELOPMENTS

News about construction projects underway

Posted June, 2003

Bellevue Blossoms
New plans have been submitted for the Meydenbauer Project, a mixed-use development adjacent to the Meydenbauer Convention Center. They call for a second hotel, three office towers totaling nearly one million square feet, 175,000 square feet of retail shops and a parking garage capable of holding up to 3,500 vehicles. The revised application filed by Schnitzer Northwest divides construction into five phases. This revision adds to the list of hotel projects now planned for Bellevue. The mixed-use Lincoln Square project involves a 303-room hotel; developer Kemper Freman Jr. intends to add a 16-story, 279-room hotel tower to the Hyatt Regency; the Marriott plans a 265-room Courtyard by Marriott in the area; and Silver Cloud Inn is underway with a 110-room addition to its downtown Bellevue location and plans to add a new 152-room hotel in Bellevue's Eastgate area.

Bothell Stands Taller
With new zoning laws in effect, Bothell's maximum allowable building height has shot through the roof. There's already a 60-foot-tall medical building proposed for the downtown area. In addition, many restaurant chains are considering or have already committed to locations in Bothell, including Applebees, House of Pancakes and Wendy's. Staples is open for business in the area with a Walgreens soon to follow. The Canyon Park Business Center, which is already home to Immunex Corp., Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc. and Icos Corp., may also expand eventually.

Everett is on the Move
Construction noise has become a daily part of Everett life as the city moves forward with its new revitalization strategy. Kicking off the city's makeover is a $71 million Special Events Center that will house a minor league expansion hockey team called the Everett Silvertips and a community ice rink as well as host trade shows, conventions and concerts. The city has also set $10 million aside for infrastructure improvements around the new center. A $9 million apartment complex - Nautica apartments - recently opened with 122 apartments and 5,500 square feet of retail space. A 63-unit multifamily development is in progress, with several more housing projects being considered. And the expanded $44 million Everett Station, a three-story, 64,000-square-foot train station, offers a transportation hub for Snohomish County. The Port of Everett is exploring what could be a $100 million expansion of the Everett Marina, which would mean 600 new boat slips, up to 500 high-end housing units and between 50,000 and 70,000 square feet of retail space for marine-related merchants. Other features under consideration include up to 250,000 square feet of office space, an outdoor concert venue and walking paths that would lend easier access to Everett's waterfront.

Lynnwood's Landscape Changes
The task of adding nearly 400,000 square feet to Alderwood Mall may be one of the largest transformations going on in the area, but it is hardly the only one. A new 58,000-square-foot convention center will provide meeting spaces for as many as 500 people at a time and up to 1,300 people for special events. The City Center Project, which involves 400 acres of Lynnwood's downtown core - excluding Alderwood Mall - could be the beginning of an effort to quadruple the area's square footage from 3.3 million to 12.3 million over the next 20 years. With backing from the private sector, the plan aims to encourage the construction of taller buildings and increase density. If blue lines for the City Center Project are approved, Lynnwood will welcome six million square feet of new office space, 1.5 million square feet of additional retail space and 4,000 more housing units. In a separate effort, Sound Transit is spending $64 million to expand a park-and-ride lot and upgrade it to a transit center, as well as build direct access ramps to I-5's HOV lanes. The transit center will be up to full speed by spring 2004, with the HOV ramp work set for completion in spring 2005. A bit north of Lynnwood, Opus Northwest is developing a 718,000-square-foot business park. The first building is already up and as many as nine or 10 could follow, depending on the tenants that move in. Construction will continue over the next three to six years.