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From Parking Lot to Eco-Friendly Mixed-Use Community in Two Years
Published: August 10, 2007

By Kelly Sheehan, Online News Editor

Seattle—The Northgate neighborhood of Seattle has long been known for its eponymous mall, but now, Seattle-based developers Lorig Associates and Stellar Holdings are hoping to add a new dimension to the area with the addition of Thornton Place, a new urban infill mixed-use project.

The most exciting part of the undertaking is the development team's commitment to sustainable building practices—the community has been designed to meet the silver rating standard of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. The project, designed by Seattle-based Mithun Architects+Designers+Planners, has also qualified to participate in the LEED Neighborhood Development pilot program.

The complex, which broke ground in May on the site of an old parking lot, will include 278 apartments; 109 condominiums; a senior living facility, designed by Seattle-based ERA Living, with 127 apartments; 52,000 square feet of ground-floor retail; a 52-screen movie theater; and an 850-space parking facility with commercial space above it. The development team is aiming to make the community as pedestrian friendly as possible by adding walking paths and public art to the project. Thornton Place is even situated on nearly three acres of green space around a new exposed waterway. The project is slated for completion is spring 2009.

"We're trying to create a very strong street presence," Andrew Hoyer, senior associate with Mithun, tells MHN. "Everyone will have a front stoop and all the residences will look out over the channel project and the pedestrian paths. The walkways will serve as a good gathering point in an urban setting."

But let’s back up. Green design is all the rage these days—we’re seeing more and more multifamily projects, single-family developments, commercial space, retail and even schools announcing goals to achieve LEED and other sustainability certifications. So what is making Thornton Place stand out from the rest? Residents and retail employees of this community will be encouraged to utilize bicycles as a mode of transportation in order to conserve energy, promote healthy lifestyle practices and cut down on traffic congestion. That’s a great idea, but no one wants to show up to work in their sweaty work attire, right? The Thornton Place team is one step ahead. They’re installing shower areas right on the premises. In keeping with this idea, Lorig and Stellar Holdings have also formed a partnership with Metro Transit, the area’s public transit authority, and will provide commuter parking to support neighborhood and regional use of public transportation. The development team also hopes that the complex will host Flexcars—automobiles that are shared by community residents.

That’s not all, of course. Thornton Place will be constructed using sustainable building practices. During construction, air quality will be monitored and waste items will be recycled as part of the city’s Built Smart program. Residences and commercial spaces will feature low-E paints, adhesives and carpets as well as water-efficient fixtures and Energy Star appliances.

The project will also reconstruct a section of Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel with the help of the city and Seattle Public Utilities. The channel, which has been buried under the concrete of that renowned Northgate Mall for the last 50 years, will soon flow through the green space as a man-made stream. It will naturally filter watershed drainage as it passes through the vegetation in the streambed, ultimately reducing pollution in the channel.

"We've been pushing sustainable practices very hard within our company over the past five to ten years," Hoyer tells MHN. "We've done a dozen LEED-certified projects in the northwest. We're a very family-oriented firm, and we believe that sustainable design is not a trend--it's a  movement, a complete change of life, a paradigm shift. We know that all of this is important for our children."

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