By Kate Snyder
More multifamily housing could soon be on its way to the south side of Seattle. A proposal for a seven-story apartment building totaling 212 units along with retail space has been steadily moving through the city’s design review process. During a recommendation meeting on Tuesday, the Southeast Design Review Board voted to move the project forward.
The project developer is Kamiak Real Estate, and the designer is Workshop for Architecture | Design.
Located at 1910 21st Ave. S, the project site is two-thirds of an acre on a half-block lot just off Rainier Avenue South that fronts South Plum Street to the south, 21st Avenue S. to the west and S. Holgate Street to the north. According to project plans, Rainier Avenue S is a principal arterial with frequent transit that extends from Rainier Beach to downtown Seattle via Boren Avenue. Plum, Holgate and 21st are quieter, lightly trafficked neighborhood streets.
The proposed project is a seven-story mixed-use apartment building with a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units. The first story includes residential entry and a lobby, amenity areas, bicycle parking, solid waste storage and commercial uses. An outdoor amenity area, vegetated roof and solar is proposed for the roof.
The massing supported by the board during a previous meeting is organized around two west-facing courtyards that would provide light and air to 10 units per floor, plans show. These courtyards push into the site from 21st Ave. S, and as an extension of the public realm, the north courtyard reaches the street level as an active residential entry space. The south stops one story above street level to allow for continuity of street level uses. These landscaped courtyards differentiate the building mass into three forms of similar proportion and provide 16 street and eight alley fronting units per floor. Among the benefits of this massing concept are that it allows for the maximum number of units to have exposure to the street and alley and that it provides a diverse unit mix for type, size and exposure.
Plans also show how the project will fit into the surrounding area.
“The neighborhood is in transition, and there are several new and pending large-scale projects,” project plans state. “The existing development pattern is diverse and consists of light industry, multi-family residential, retail and local service businesses.”
To the north is a six-story, 186-unit mixed-use apartment building, while across the alley to the east is the six-story mixed-use Hobson Place, which consists of 154 permanent supportive housing units. To the west and south are US Foods Chef’store and JP Parts and Supplies, respectively.
Overall, the board was pleased with the design. Board members appreciated the simplicity of the architecture and the diversity of the landscape in the project plans. During a previous meeting, the board had requested more details about the proposed retail portion, and during the recent discussion, members were satisfied with the information presented.
Kamiak is a real estate investment firm that acquires, develops and operates niche multifamily and commercial assets in the greater Seattle region, according to the company’s website. The firm’s primary focus is sourcing underutilized land and underperforming buildings, and it generally targets multifamily, office, retail and industrial properties and projects in the Seattle metropolitan area.
