May 27, 2015

Merrill Gardens is breaking ground on Auburn senior complex; Burien is next

Images from Urbal Architecture [enlarge]

Merrill Gardens at Auburn will have a courtyard along South Division Street.

Seattle-based Merrill Gardens is breaking ground today on a 129-unit senior apartment complex at 19 First St. S.E. in downtown Auburn.

The site is adjacent to the nearly finished Trek Apartments. Landmark Development is scheduling hard hat tours of Trek's 126 units.

Trek has commercial space on the ground floor and apartments on the north half of the site. A two-story parking garage and retail is on the south half.

Merrill Gardens at Auburn will combine independent living, assisted living and memory care units. A public/private courtyard will open along South Division Street, where the city built a promenade. Parking for 82 cars is below the complex.

Urbal Architecture designed Merrill Gardens at Auburn. Urbal's website describes the project as merging “a traditional old town main street feel with a contemporary twist.”

W.G. Clark Construction is the general contractor. Developers are Pillar Properties, a sister company of Merrill Gardens, and Teutsch Partners.

The 169,300-square-foot building is expected to open in summer 2016.

Today's groundbreaking ceremony starts at 3 p.m.

[enlarge]

Burien’s Merrill Gardens will have some services at street level.

Late next month, Merrill will break ground on 126 senior apartments at 15020 Fifth Ave. S.W. in Burien. That project will have 166,300 square feet of space with 70 underground parking stalls, a public courtyard and an amphitheater.

W.G. Clark and Urbal will also team up on the Burien project, and Pillar is working with Legacy Partners.

Urbal describes the Burien project as “a blend of traditional main street character architecture, and modern elements in accordance to the design guidelines of Burien.”

Merrill operates 10 senior communities in Washington and 18 others in California, Arizona, Nevada, Alabama and Georgia.