October 27, 2015

GID's 41-story tower comes with big units — and rents up to $7,500

Images courtesy Aaron Locke [enlarge]

This game room on the top floor has tables for pool, poker and foosball.

GID Development Group of Boston is showing off Cirrus: the first of its two new apartment towers near Amazon.com's Denny Triangle campus.

People started moving into the 41-story, 355-unit structure at 2030 Eighth Ave. in July, and the grand opening is set for this week.

The units are about 34 percent leased.

One thing that sets Cirrus apart from the competition is the unit sizes. Many developers are building small units and offering shared community spaces, but GID opted to go with bigger units. One-bedrooms in Cirrus average 800 square feet. Two-bedroom units average 1,156 square feet.

The bedrooms are big enough for king-size beds, and most kitchens have large islands. Many units have “five-piece bathrooms” — with a glass shower and a separate tub. Ceilings are over nine feet high, which make the units seem even bigger.

“I think people appreciate (the bigger units), people who maybe are not just getting out of college and are more seasoned,” said Geoff L'Abbé , senior property manager at Windsor Communities, which manages Cirrus.

Big units mean big rents: Rents range from $1,750 to $7,500 a month. L'Abbé said the average is about $3.64 per square foot.

On a recent tour of Cirrus, the DJC checked out two model units: a 1,202-square-foot, two-bedroom on the 10th floor that rents for $3,840, and a 847-square-foot, one-bedroom on the 12th floor that rents for $2,800.

L'Abbé also showed a three-bedroom, two-bath 1,649-square-foot unit on the 39th floor that will rent for $7,500 a month.

But even with bigger units, GID didn't skimp on the amenities. The 41st floor has more than 7,300 square feet of space for gatherings and entertainment. There's a club room with demonstration kitchen; game room with pool, poker and foosball tables; conference center; media room with three TVs; a large gym and a yoga studio.

Outdoor TVs dot the perimeter of the top floor, and several small seating areas come with their own TV and steel curtains for some privacy.

Fireplaces are scattered throughout the top floor — even one with a pit made of broken beer bottles.

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Larger units are common in Cirrus, with kitchen islands, space for king-size beds and bathrooms with a separate shower and tub.

GID's other tower is under construction one block away at Ninth and Lenora. It's also 41 stories, and will have 396 units. Opening is set for November 2017.

The city plans to put a triangular park next to the second tower.

Both towers are south of Denny, but L'Abbé considers them part of South Lake Union. They are about a block from Amazon.com's new campus and within walking distance of other Amazon buildings.

GID is working with the nearby Whole Foods Market to give tenants a free bag of groceries when they move in.

Weber Thompson designed both towers, and Sellen Construction Co. is the general contractor.

The ground floor of Cirrus will have approximately 4,200 square feet of retail space, including a prime restaurant spot at the corner of Eighth and Lenora.

Folding glass doors on the ground floor can be opened in the summer and there will be landscaped areas and benches outside.