June 16, 2014

Schnitzer West makes a move for new tower

Image courtesy of Studio 216 [enlarge]

Before Schnitzer West builds this 16-story office tower, it first must build a new BofA branch.

Construction has started on a temporary home for a Bank of America branch in downtown Bellevue, paving the way for Schnitzer West to start another Bellevue office tower in December.

Schnitzer West will build a 16-story, 360,000-square-foot office tower at 415 106th Avenue N.E., but first it must build the new BofA branch a few blocks away. The bank has a branch on the site where the tower will go.

Sclater Partners Architects is designing the new bank at 10833 N.E. Second St. Pennon Construction is the general contractor.

BofA will open a branch on the ground floor of Schnitzer West's new tower when it is complete.

NBBJ is designing the tower, and Sellen Construction Co. is the general contractor. Other team members include: DCI Engineers, Coughlin Porter Lundeen, McKinstry, Cochran Inc. and Site Workshop. Dwight Newell of CBRE and Mark Flippo of Jones Lang LaSalle are the listing brokers.

Construction is expected to take approximately 21 months, which would mean a September 2016 finish date if work starts in December.

A number of new office towers have been announced for Bellevue, but no one started construction until this month. Now two projects — one for Trammell Crow Co. and one for Kemper Development Co. — are underway.

Schnitzer West's could be the third if it starts in December.

The Rockefeller Group and Sterling Realty Organization; Ivanhoe Cambridge; and Goldsmith Land Investments also are planning office projects in downtown Bellevue.