South Lake Union

New Developments in Store for Industrial Neighborhood

by Sheila Bacon

The neighborhood is a stone's throw from Seattle Center, Belltown's high-rise residences, downtown's office towers and the Eastlake neighborhood's popular lakefront eateries, but it's unlikely many Seattleites would mention South Lake Union as a popular place to work, live or dine.

That's sure to change in the coming months, however, as several developments begin to take shape in the neighborhood, loosely bordered by Interstate 5, Highway 99, Denny Way and Lake Union. Seattle developer Vulcan Inc. has broken ground on three projects that will wrap up construction this coming spring, and several more in various stages of planning are expected to further transform the largely industrial area.

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By March, the neighborhood will witness the completion of an office building, a biomedical research facility and 162 units of median income housing. Yet to take shape are another biomedical research facility, more office space and a mixed-use development that combines retail businesses with housing, a hotel and a day spa.

Vulcan's ultimate goal is to create a community that offers "24-hour opportunities for living, working, playing and learning," according to the company's promotional materials. Company leaders envision a metropolitan village that hosts innovative workplaces, restaurants, shopping, residences, waterfront boardwalks and parks, hotels, art galleries and museums, all within walking distance.

Plans for the neighborhood include not only new and renovated buildings but improvements to the streets and sidewalks as well.

"We're focused on creating a pedestrian experience with all of our projects," said Vulcan's development manager, Hamilton Hazlehurst.

To accomplish that, streets will feature curbless paving from the gutterline to the buildings. Ballards will distinguish sidewalk areas from the street. By minimizing the division between street and building, designers hope to create more of a connection between the structures and the spaces outside their doors.

Most are Mixed Use

Many of Vulcan's projects are mixed-use, featuring more than one type of tenant. The 2200 Westlake project, for example - slated to start early next year - will feature many different building types: a grocery store, condominiums and a hotel, to name a few. Hazlehurst concedes that creating such mixed-use projects can be tricky - for example, when it's time to build, the housing market may be booming while the hotel industry is lagging - but highly sustainable.

"We think that by the end of the day, we end up with a wonderful building where people can work and live in close proximity," said Hazlehurst.

A recurring theme throughout all of Vulcan's properties is an adoption of earth-friendly building practices.

"It's clearly a commitment in our company," said Hazlehurst.

While all of the development company's projects embrace jobsite recycling and use of recycled building products, some take the concept of green building a step further; seeking LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED program allows owners to earn credits for satisfying specified green building criteria. Alcyone, for example, will seek a Silver rating from the USGBC upon completion. Among other sustainable practices, the building features a P-patch on its roof.

While many large developers tend to funnel all their work towards one or two builders, Vulcan doesn't play favorites in the general contracting community.

"Part of our strategy is to spread the work around," said Hazlehurst.

The projects currently underway are being built by several different contractors: Lease Crutcher Lewis and Turner of Seattle and Rushforth of Tacoma, Wash.

Generals can look forward to more building opportunities in the future. Vulcan owns approximately 50 acres in the South Lake Union neighborhood, said Hazlehurst, with the potential to develop 10 million sq. ft. over 15 to 20 years.

Following are the first round of Vulcan projects that are reshaping the South Lake Union neighborhood:

Interurban Exchange III

Interurban Exchange III Image courtesy of Vulcan

The Interurban Exchange III building is part of a four-building project located on Terry Avenue North between Harrison and Mercer streets.

The 133,000-sq.-ft. building is fully leased to Rosetta Inpharmatics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical products and services company based in Whitehouse Station, N.J.

The space allows Merck to consolidate its Kirkland and Bothell, Wash., operations into the facility, which is scheduled for completion in early 2004. The facility will provide the firm with 50 percent more laboratory and office space and allow the company to increase its workforce in its Seattle research facility from 230 current employees to approximately 300 employees by 2005.

NBBJ of Seattle is the project's architect, and Seattle's Lease Crutcher Lewis is the general contractor for the core and shell. Turner (Seattle) is performing tenant improvement work inside the building. Vulcan has teamed with Bellevue, Wash. developer Schnitzer Northwest to develop the property.

Development of Interurban Exchange II, IV and V is scheduled to begin in 2003 with completion expected in 2005. Interurban Exchange I, now called the Rosen Building, was completed three years ago. The former warehouse building is now home to the University of Washington's Cell Systems Initiative.

307 Westlake

307 Westlake Image courtesy of Vulcan

Located at the intersection of Westlake Avenue and Thomas Street, this five-story biomedical facility will include approximately 103,500 sq. ft. of laboratory and office space as well as 8,500 sq. ft. of retail space. Seattle Biomedical Research Institute will occupy the top two floors of the building, while Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center will occupy floors two and three.

Omni Fitness has signed a lease to occupy 12,000 sq. ft. of retail space at ground level, and SBRI will house an outreach science lab just off the building's lobby. Here, children and community members can explore the world of life sciences.

Children's will use the space as a research facility for basic biomedical research into diseases and immunologic conditions affecting children. Construction began last November and both SBRI and Children's Hospital plan to move into 307 Westlake in early 2004.

The project's architect is CollinsWoerman of Bellevue, Wash., and Seattle's Lease Crutcher Lewis is the general contractor.

Alcyone

Alcyone Image courtesy of Vulcan

Completing in spring 2004, Alcyone is a 162-unit median-income housing complex with a strong sustainable focus. Design of the building incorporates sustainable construction features such as rainwater retention, a rooftop P-patch and use of recyclable products.

The structure, designed by GGLO (Seattle) and built by Rushforth Construction (Tacoma, Wash.), features light-gauge steel framing instead of wood atop two floors of concrete - a new technique that eliminates water intrusion and problems associated with wood rot. The advantage is a higher level of quality control, said Vulcan's Hazlehurst, and the method has become more affordable in recent years. Hazlehurst said he expects Vulcan to use the light-gauge steel framing in similar future applications.

"So far we've been impressed with the product," he said. "I think we'll be seeing more and more of the industry engaged in this."

On the Horizon: More Vulcan Projects Slated