Development Slate: Amazon Makes Changes to Denny Triangle Spheres, GIS Rekindles Hotel-Condo Project and Belltown Site Trade Hands
Recent news regarding a number of new or resurrected projects have energized an already exciting development scene as Seattle is seeing large projects continue to take the stage in its downtown area. As Amazon continues to modify its artsy spheres, two high-rise projects promise to make their mark on the city’s skyline, as a mixed-use tower project emerged from the shadow of the economic downturn, and a brand new project might be on its way in Belltown after a development site recently traded hands.
By Alex Girda, Associate Editor
Recent news regarding a number of new or resurrected projects has energized an already exciting development scene, as Seattle continues to see large projects take the stage in its downtown area. As Amazon continues to modify its artsy spheres, two high-rise projects promise to make their mark on the city’s skyline.
In Amazon.com’s massive Denny Triangle office campus project in the downtown area, one of the architectural flourishes and one of the most contested features, the Spheres, has reportedly been modified in anticipation of a recent design review meeting for the project. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the design for the futuristic structure will have a more organic feel, and will be “visually lighter,” as the new plan states.
Also making headlines is the formerly defunct high-rise development project at the corner of Stewart Street and Minor Avenue, a GIS International Group initiative that was scrapped back in 2011 after four years of planning. The project has now been brought back, according to a press statement announcing the commencement of the development process on the site. The building will have a mixed-use designation, with both hospitality and residential space to occupy substantial chunks of the proposed structure. The hotel-condo combination was also part of an earlier form of the project: Back in 2007, the project had a 14-story hotel facility under 150 studio condo units, The Puget Sound Business Journal writes.
The previously mentioned Belltown development site deal was perfected recently for a total of $11.5 million after an LLC managed by Lobseng Dargey acquired the property from developer HAL Real Estate Investments. Located at 2116 Fourth Ave., the site has paperwork in place allowing the development of a 40-story residential tower, according to PSBJ.
