May 1, 2015

420 apartments due on two First Hill sites

Image from Seattle DPD [enlarge]

Plans call for an eight-story building at 1001 James St., and a seven-story building at 1050 James St.

Alliance Realty Partners is planning a two-building, 420-unit, mixed-use complex at James Street and Boren Avenue on First Hill.

The Phoenix-based developer filed plans with the city to construct an eight-story apartment building on a full-block site at 1001 James St., and a smaller, seven-story apartment building on a corner lot at 1050 James St.

The 1001 James St. building would have 350 units and 5,000 square feet of commercial space. Parking for 300 vehicles inside the building would be accessible from Terry.

The second building would be directly across the street, at the northwest corner of James and Boren. Plans call for around 70 apartments and 30 parking stalls accessible from an alley on the west side.

Both buildings would have multilevel glass-faced lobbies with entrances on James.

Encore Architects of Seattle is the designer.

An entity related to Trammell Crow Co. is named in public documents as the owner of the sites, but the firm is not directly involved with the project.

A city design-review board is scheduled to get its first look at the project at meetings scheduled for 6:30 and 8 p.m. June 10 in Seattle University's Admissions & Alumni Building at 824 12th Ave.

Design documents say the projects will provide housing with convenient access to downtown. The location is also close to major Capitol Hill and First Hill employers such as Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle University and Seattle Central College.

Tom Cain of Apartment Insights said a good portion of First Hill borders Capitol Hill's lively Pike-Pine corridor, so the apartment market on First Hill serves the same crowd.

According to Cain's research, apartment construction activity in the two neighborhoods is similar: 1,045 units are currently planned for First Hill, 988 of which are under construction. On Capitol Hill, 1,392 units are planned, 407 of which are under construction.

Cain defines “planned” projects as those that have completed the design-review process and can begin seeking construction permits. That excludes projects that aren't as far along in design, such as Holland Partner Group's proposed 17-story apartment tower at 1122 Madison St. on First Hill.

The 1001 James St. site includes a three-story apartment building built in 1959 that would be demolished for the project. The apartment building had been owned by developer Michael Mastro, who planned to build a 347-unit apartment tower there. He lost the site to foreclosure in 2010.