Mortenson/Belltown/North Spokane Corridor

Mortenson to Build Heritage Center on Capitol Campus

Olympia - The Washington State Department of General Administration chose Mortenson’s Seattle Office as partner for its “Legacy” project on Washington’s Capitol Campus in Olympia. The $160 million Heritage Center and Executive Office Building will be the first project built on the west side of the capitol campus in 50 years. It will sit on the site of the existing General Administration Building, which will be demolished as part of the scope of work.

The lower portion will be the 205,000 sq ft Heritage Center, housing a museum, cafe, performance auditorium, conference center and other facilities for campus visitors. It will also contain the state library and state archives including conservation and specialized environmentally controlled areas.

The upper portion will be the 120,000 sq ft Executive Office Building, which will be used by statewide officials. Tenants will include the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and the State Auditor. Targeting LEED Gold, the construction of the project is currently scheduled to start in January of 2010 and completed in fall of 2012. The project is already funded.

The project designer is SRG Partnership.

Nickels Plans Green Space Between Downtown and Waterfront

Seattle – Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced a proposal to transform four blocks of Bell Street from First to Fifth Avenues into a “park boulevard” with improved landscaping, better lighting, and more open space. The project converts one traffic lane and reconfigures parking to create a park-like corridor through the heart of Belltown, just north of the downtown core.

Nickels asked the City Council to spend $2.5 million of the 2008 voter approved Parks and Green Spaces Levy for the project. To be completed in 2010, the project would create 17,000 sq ft of new green space.

Corridor Project Hits Milestone As First Phase Opens

Spokane - First conceived in 1946 as a means of moving traffic in and out of the downtown area, the massive North Spokane Corridor project has been making steady progress since construction began in 2001. This summer the project will reach a significant milestone with the opening of the first drivable link of the roadway to traffic.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Aug. 22 to open a 3.5-mile section of the NSC between Francis/Freya streets and Farwell Road.

Traffic initially will be limited to one lane in each direction because only half of the highway has been completed thus far in that section.

WSDOT is hoping to acquire $40 million to build the three southbound lanes in the second round of federal stimulus grants.

Fred Meyer Plans to Revamp Seattle Store

Seattle - Fred Meyer plans a major overhaul for its Greenwood store, located in a residential area of North Seattle. It is working with Lorig Associates, a Seattle developer, on the $77 million plan, which calls for a mixed use project with an expanded Fred Meyer store, additional retail space and possibly 300 apartment units.

GGLO is the architect on the project.