May 6, 2015

Kilroy offers a peek at SLU project

Courtesy of The Miller Hull Partnership [enlarge]

Kilroy Realty Corp.'s plans for KING 5's headquarters block in South Lake Union are beginning to take shape.

The Los Angeles-based company wants to build two 12-story towers at 333 Dexter Ave. N. with 582,000 square feet of office space, 15,000 square feet of retail and 800 underground parking spaces.

Kilroy has an early design guidance meeting at 8 p.m. tonight at Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 First Ave. W.

The Miller Hull Partnership is the architect and GLY Construction is the general contractor. Coughlin Porter Lundeen and Heffron Transportation are also on the team.

Mike Shields, Kilroy's senior vice president for the Pacific Northwest, said the $375 million project could start construction as early as next year, with completion projected by mid 2018. Shields said in an email that Kilroy would start before preleasing the office space.

This massing study shows Kilroy's preferred plan for two buildings with distinct designs to break up the scale of the project. The building on the south could have a concave shape to allow for more open space along Thomas Street, which has been designated as a future green street by the city.

The design review packet states about 22 percent of the block would be open space.

Multiple entrance points for vehicles are planned on the block to reduce traffic congestion.

Kilroy bought the block, and three small parcels nearby, for more than $50 million in February. Shields said Kilroy is looking at alternatives for the small parcels to complement the office project.

KING plans to move its operations to American Life Inc.'s Home Plate Center in Sodo.