The Seattle Condo Blog | Seattle Condos and Lofts

Martin Selig Real Estate is proposing a new 14-story apartment building adjacent to the Olympic Sculpture Park. Located on the north end of the park, residents at the 3031 Western project will enjoy unobstructed front-row park, downtown and Elliott Bay views.

…the vision calls for layers of glass “veils” with various degrees of translucency and transparency to create an ephemeral and ever-changing canvas for light and shadow as viewed from the park. Balconies of each unit will feature floor-to-ceiling glass, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces…

But, those glass “veils” come at a price, at least for Alexandria and Trio owners. The proposed building will sit directly across from the North half of the Alexandria and will likely block most of the SW park & bay views from Trio.

An early design guidance meeting for the project has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 8th at 5:30pm. The meeting will take place in the Boards and Commissions Room L280 at Seattle City Hall.

Update 2/22/2010: Alex is now known as Volta Condominium.

Update 9/13/2011: The project, which had been foreclosed, was recently purchased by a New Jersey real estate investment company. I suspect they will complete the project as apartments in the near term.

Currently under construction, the Alex Condo (website) occupies a prime location in Seattle’s Belltown district, situated at the corner of 1st Avenue and Bell Street (map). The location places Alex at the epicenter of Belltown’s urban appeal – chic cafes & restaurants, the music & nightlife scene and a few blocks from the Pike Place Market.

The 9-level boutique project will feature just 34 upscale one-, one+den, and two-bedroom condominium homes including a 900-sq ft live/work/retail unit accessible from Bell St. The developer, Saltaire, is offering an amazing array of 17 floor plans ranging from 600 to 1,200 square feet to accommodate a variety of lifestyles. The exterior blends modern materials with a classic brick facade & styling resonating Belltown’s turn of the century architectural character.

Read the full story

Landes

I previously reported that the developer of Landes on First Hill, Harbor Properties, was feeling out the market to determine whether to develop the project as condos or apartments. Now, it appears Landes will, indeed, be apartments. This is the third formerly proposed condo project to opt for other uses.

Goodwill Property

The Supplemental Public Meeting for the Goodwill property development on Dearborn will be held at Goodwill on Tuesday, July 10th at 6:30 pm. The address is 1400 S. Dearborn Street.

3rd & Cedar

Just South of the Mosler Lofts, a 13-story apartment building has been proposed at the corner of 3rd and Cedar, which will likely affect Mosler’s downtown views. An early design review meeting has been set at Seattle City Hall on Tuesday, July 10th at 5:30 pm.

The Art House (website) is the latest new-construction condominium project in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Art House is being developed by The Pauls Corporation of Colorado whose previous Seattle project was the Bolero on First Hill.

Located at 2334 Elliott Avenue at the corner of Battery & Elliott, the 9-story Art House will feature 120 one- and two-bedroom condominium flats and two-story street-level townhomes. Home prices are expected to start in the high $200,000s.

The project will include 138 parking spaces below grade and no commercial or retail space has been proposed.

Completion is anticipated for 2009.

Please check back for more information.

Luxe Condos – Lower Queen Anne

The Luxe will be hosting its public Grand Opening this weekend at 500 5th Avenue W (map).

200 West Highland – Queen Anne

Work is underway for 200 West Highland. The 5-story concrete & steel building will feature just 25 condominium homes ranging is size from 1,600 to 2,800 square feet. The project is located across the street from Queen Anne’s famed Kerry Park. Completion is slated for fall 2008.

Condo Re-sales

I wanted to highlight a few re-sales currently available. Please see our Condo Listings page for more information.

The Klee, Belltown - 1 bd, 761 sq ft, listed at $465,000

Towne Terrace, Queen Anne – updated 850 sq ft 1-bd condo, listed at only $379,500

Ballard Condominium - large 458 sq ft studio available for $205,000

2200 Westlake – 2 bd, 1.75 urban condo, views, for $749,950

Here’s a useful map of new buildings in the downtown area.

Click here for larger image.

From the Puget Sound Journal’s State of Downtown insert.

From the city’s Department of Planning and Development:

Greenlake – Supplemental Design Review Meeting for the old Albertson’s lot. The proposal is for a 4 story building with 137 units, 11 work/live lofts and retail space.

March 19th at 6:30 PM at the University Heights Community Center, 5031 University Ave NE Room 209.

Update: The Albertson’s block will be developed as the Alexan Green Lake, a 137-unit 3-building apartment and retail complex (rendering below).

Queen Anne – Early Design Review Meeting for proposal at the corner of Queen Anne Ave & W. Crockett for 39 residential units and retail space.

March 7th at 8:00 PM at the Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 1st Ave W Room 1.

Capitol Hill – Early Design Review Meeting for a 6-story & 4-story apartment project at the corner of Broadway and E. John Street.

March 21st at 6:30 PM at Seattle Central Community College, Room 3211.

Belltown – Notice of Decision – approval with conditions for 2000 3rd Avenue (NE corner of 3rd and Virginia). Proposal is for a 43-story building with 431 residential units and a 40-room hotel…but with only 364 parking spaces.

Today must be project update / press release day. Here’s a round-up:

First Church – Capitol Hill

Postponing development to allow for a major motion picture to be filmed in the building. If you want a chance to be in the movie, there will be an open casting call on February 13th at the church from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The address is 1519 E. Denny Way (E. Denny & 16th Ave). Info on the movie.

Additionally, pre-sale pricing is available for those interested in purchasing a unit.

Lumen – Queen Anne

The glass curtain wall is nearly complete and work is continuing on the balconies and siding. In March, the Lumen will host a Modern Home Tour in conjunction with Seattle Metropolitan Magazine and Roche Bobois.

The Parc – Belltown

The Parc is 75% sold and owner occupancy is expected for late Spring.

Gallery – Belltown

Gallery reports that hundreds of buyers have visited their Presentation Center, though homes are still available including the two-story SkyLofts.

Escala – Midtown district

Escala was the highlight project at this year’s Downtown Seattle Association’s State of Downtown Economic Forum held this morning (I’ll report about it later). Soon after which the Escala ground breaking took place. The 12,000 sq ft Presentation Center will open to reservation holders in March.

1 Hotel & Residences – Downtown

Homes will be released for pre-sale to reservation holders in May.

Equinox – Eastlake

Over 2,300 people have registered online for the 204 unit project. Ground breaking is slated for Spring and registered buyers will be contacted this month to confirm their interest.

There’s been quite a bit of hype recently about Moda Condominiums, particularly around their 300 square foot studios and $150,000 price tag. It’s most likely newsworthy as it stands apart from endless new luxury condo projects underway. However, small affordable Belltown condos isn’t a new concept. In fact, one project has been quite successful, located in the northern edge of Belltown.

Completed in 1999, the 7-story French-inspired Montreux is located at 425 Vine Street (Vine & 5th Avenue). Montreux offers a mix of 136 studio and one bedroom units that range from 306 to just under 500 square feet as well as a handful of 600+ square feet two bedroom units. Because of its design and location adjacent to apartment buildings, most of the unit views are of other units, the courtyard, an alley and the monorail tracks. However, it is in a quieter part of Belltown.

Montreux’s building amenties include a on-site manager, business center, fitness room and a large roof-top deck with 360-degree views of the downtown skyline, Lake Union, the Space Needle, Queen Anne, the sound and Olympic Mountains. There is a secured lobby and garage though not all units have a deeded space. Additionally, the units are unlikely to have the glitz and glamour of stainless steel appliances, granite or stone slab countertops or hardwoods.

Montreux offers easy access to I-5 via Denny Way, is on major public transportation routes and is a short walk from the Space Needle and Seattle Center. Residents also enjoy many quaint businesses within a few blocks including Uptown Espresso, Boulangerie Nantaise (french bakery), Golden Singha (thai), the 5 Point Cafe, Zeek’s Pizza, Two Bells, a grocery story, post office and a soon-to-open Taco Del Mar and a new pizzeria.

The Gallery Condominium, Belltown’s newest project is gearing up for its long anticipated sales; over 1,500 people registered online through their official website.

Located at the corner of 2nd Avenue & Broad Street, Gallery is a concrete, steel and glass building that will feature 214 homes comprised of numerous floor plans to suit many different living styles: open floor plan, SkyLofts, flats, townhomes and penthouses.

Gallery is very reminiscent of the Brix Condo project on Capitol Hill in style, finishes and design. Gallery shares the same developer (Schnitzer Northwest), architect (Mithun) and interior designer (MNID) as Brix. However, Gallery features more floor plan choices, larger square footage, usable decks/balconies and more resident amenities.

Another comparable property is Vulcan’s Rollin Street Flats in terms of style & floor plans. Rollin’s, however, features more upscale finishes, green construction and a higher price point.

The project feature highlights include:

• Four interior design themes – minimalist, modernist, expressionist and individualist.
• A 7th floor lounge
• A 2nd floor supper club
• Fitness center and yoga studio
• Two outdoor decks / entertainment areas
• Fisher/Paykel refrigerator, Bosch diswasher and Frigidaire range & microwave.
• Optional room divider ($6,000-$7,000) as seen in the model unit
• Engineered hardwood floors and carpeting
• Veneered cabinet finishes
• Decks in many units
• Concierge services
• Expected HOA dues to be under $.50 / sq ft, which is on par with developments featuring similar amenities.

Please view this PDF for a complete list of features, amenities and options.

Gallery has altered the dates of its sales process slightly than what they previously emailed to their VIP buyers. Here’s a breakdown of the sales process:

Preview -

• VIP Event – Thursday, October 12th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
• Preview Weekend – Saturday & Sunday, October 14th – 15th, (11 am to 6 pm)

Reservation -

• Private reservation appointments, Saturday & Sunday, October 21st – 22nd, (10 am to 6 pm)
• A $10,000 refundable deposit is required to reserve a unit
• Fixed pricing, unit specific (pricing is expected to be available as of the 21st)

Purchase -

• Purchase & Sale appointments will begin around October 28th for those who placed a reservation
• A 5% earnest money down payment is required (less the $10,000 reservation deposit)
• Buyers must provide a mortgage pre-approval letter from Gallery’s preferred lender, HomeStone Mortgage, at time of purchase. However, buyers may elect to obtain financing from their own lender.

Please view this PDF for preliminary price ranges, floor plan type and square footage.

The Gallery Presentation Center is located at 2500 First Avenue (corner of First Avenue & Wall Street) across from El Gaucho.

Gallery is located one block from Denny Way and is in close vicinity to many attractions, restaurants and recreation including the Seattle Center and the new Olympic Sculpture Park.

View available Gallery condos for sale