DEVELOPMENTS

News about construction projects underway

Posted August 3, 2003

Bellevue Complex Bounces Back
Kemper Development Co. of Bellevue bought a majority interest in Bellevue's Lincoln Square, a 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use development. Construction on the project, which has been stalled since last year, will resume by early next year. A 2,142-space parking garage, 330,000-square-foot retail podium and residential/hotel tower are slated for completion in fall 2005. The 27-story office tower portion of the project will be postponed until further notice.

Kirkland's Future May Include More Hospitality
Plans submitted by the City of Kirkland call for a mixed-use project anchored by a small upscale hotel and a miniature conference center. Although still in the planning stage, the project would compete with three other hotel initiatives that have been proposed for downtown Kirkland in recent months.

Mercer Island Expands
Downtown Mercer Island is in progress on a series of redevelopment projects. Two mixed-use projects, each five stories high, will combine apartments and condominiums with street-level retail, office space and underground parking. The buildings comprise more than 90,000 square feet combined and 1,000-plus parking stalls. Both projects — Gateway Commons and Island Market Square — will break ground at some point this summer. Other mixed-use projects in development on Mercer Island include Avellino, a 23-unit condominium project with 2,600 square feet of commercial space; Newell Court, a 40-unit mixed use apartment project featuring 3,876 square feet of commercial space; and a 26-unit mixed use apartment project offering 10,000 square feet of commercial space.

Meydenbauer Grows Massive
A new mixed-use project will soon wrap around an expanded Meydenbauer convention center in downtown Bellevue. The plans call for a 175-room executive residence hotel, a 450-room, four-star hotel, three 400,000 square-foot office towers and up to 160,000 square feet of retail space. The development will include an upscale deli and grocery store, as well as a live entertainment venue such as a comedy or music club. A spa will stretch out over approximately 25,000 square feet in an association with the project's four-star hotel. Another 35,000 square feet has been set aside for up to six restaurants, the specifics of which are still being negotiated. The remaining 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail space will likely be taken by luxury specialty retailers, according to the project's lead. Developers working on the project embarked on an aggressive tour of retail centers throughout Berlin, Paris and London in an effort to give the site a European feel. As a result of that first-hand research, developers decided to build a winding retail walkway between the office towers and the project's rows of luxury shops.

Sea-Tac Mall Gets Steadfast Changes
New ownership at Sea-Tac Mall means a new shopping experience too, as customers are discovering. Steadfast Commercial Properties, a privately held, California-based company, purchased the mall from its original owner earlier this year. Immediate plans for redevelopment include an interior and exterior remodel as well as a readjustment of the mall's tenant mix. Interior work should be complete in time for the holiday shopping season this year, and exterior work, which includes the possible construction of several new free-standing stores, will be finished next year.