December 28, 2015

New Jersey firm wants to build apartments near Space Needle

Courtesy Perkins + Will [enlarge]

A new apartment complex could go up just one block from the Space Needle.

New Jersey-based Connell Real Estate & Development Co. is planning a nine-story building with 149 apartments and 117 underground parking spaces at 307 Broad St.

HB Management of Seattle is the co-developer.

Perkins + Will is the architect and Howard S. Wright is the general contractor. Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Decker Consulting Engineers and Karen Kiest Landscape Architects are also on the team.

(Editor’s note: In an earlier version of this story Exxel Pacific was named as the general contractor based on information in city permitting documents, but the firm did preconstruction work. Howard S. Wright was chosen as general contractor following a request for proposals.)

An entity related to Connell acquired the 15,300-square-foot site in September 2013 for $5.6 million.

A design review recommendation meeting is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 5 at City Hall, 600 Fifth Ave.

Documents on file with the city show a three-story base that is designed to be transparent and pedestrian friendly. The upper portion will be “fragmented” and white, with vertical extensions in the windows that are inspired by the design of nearby Pacific Science Center. The roof deck will have views of the Space Needle as well as fire pits, barbecues, landscaping and a dog run.

Connell owns two other Seattle apartment buildings: 1611 on Lake Union, a 55-unit building off Westlake Avenue North; and Volta, a 34-unit building in Belltown.

Connell's website says it is working with Mack Urban on a 275-unit apartment complex in Portland's South Waterfront neighborhood. That complex is under construction.

The parent firm, Connell Co., does development, construction management, leasing, property management and financial structuring.

The company says its “crown jewel” is Connell Corporate Park, a 1.5 million-square-foot, suburban office campus in Berkeley Heights where it is developing a 174-room Embassy Suites Hotel that will open next year.

Since 2010, Connell has been diversifying and has bought more than 1,000 multi-family units in Austin, Charlotte, Denver, San Antonio, Scottsdale and Seattle. Connell said it is developing over 1,000 new luxury units in Houston, Portland, Scottsdale and Seattle.