By Jack Stubbs
Seattle’s up-and-coming Eastlake neighborhood – just north of the vibrant Capitol Hill and South Lake Union neighborhoods – has in store for it a 137-unit residential development. The project was recently given the green light to advance in the City’s Design Review process.
The project, located at 2947 Eastlake Ave E., is proposed by Seattle-based firm Daly Partners, who is working alongside architecture firm Weinstein A+U and Karen Kiest Landscape Architects.
At the time the development was last assessed – at an EDG meeting in November 2021 – the applicant team’s proposal called for 131 residential units. According to Daly Partners’ website, however, “The Eastlake Apartment project is currently under design for 137 residential units, 3,000 square feet of retail and 87 parking stalls.”
Kicking off its presentation, the project team relayed to the board the changes that it had made to the project plans since the previous EDG meeting, some of which included an improvement of the streetscape design, landscaping elements and unit entrances. The design team also addressed the board’s previous feedback and recommendations around the bioretention features along the alleyway, the style of the private residential terraces, and the overall incorporation of the retail space into the rest of the development.
The East Design Review Board was largely enthusiastic and supportive of the updated project plans, with members of the board noting, “It’s really nice to see how this project has progressed [and] to see it come alive and take shape.”
The board’s feedback and suggestions for the design team were brief, inquiring about the lack of parallel parking options and the location of trash access.
There were several comments from members of the public that were submitted to the Design Review board prior to the meeting, the majority of which expressed support for the project within the surrounding neighborhood context.
“The building looks great and would be welcome in Seattle…[but] please consider the gorgeous view that you would be blocking for the residents of the Eastlake neighborhood. This is a very exciting project that should be approved…the building fits in well with the building across the street,” one member of the public stated.
The board’s deliberation period was relatively succinct, with each of the members expressing their general support of the development’s massing, landscaping features and facade design.
Having been approved to advance by the board, the project in Eastlake adds to the developer’s portfolio of properties throughout various Seattle neighborhoods, including the University District, North Queen Anne, Westlake and Central District.
According to previous reporting by The Registry, there has been little development activity occurring in Eastlake over the last several quarters; however, the University District – directly across Portage Bay – has seen various developments reviewed, with mixed results, over the last few months.
In February 2022, a project by Balfour Beatty and Ankrom Moisan Architects – located at 4131 Brooklyn Ave. NE and expected to comprise 229 units across 23 stories – was asked to return for a second recommendation meeting before it receives full approval.
In March, a 13-story building located nearby at 4238 Brooklyn Avenue NE, received full support from the Northeast Design review board. The project, which is a collaboration between the University of Washington, LPC West and Sound Transit, would incorporate a mix of administration space and commercial retail space. The building is designed by Perkins + Will and would sit over a below-grade Sound Transit light rail station at 43rd and Brooklyn and incorporate 2,620 square feet of ground floor retail and 259,427 square feet of administrative offices for the University of Washington. The project would also include a pocket park to further engage with the public.
Most recently, in May, Onelin Capital Corporation and architecture firm Hewitt presented plans for a 27-story, 365-unit complex located at 1013 NE 45th Street, which would include about 9,500 square feet of office and shared workspace, as well as 1,687 square feet of commercial space and neighborhood open space.
