October 18, 2016

100-unit apartment project proposed for Rainier Valley

Image by Caron Architecture [enlarge]

A new apartment project has been proposed off a busy stretch of Rainier Avenue South at the north end of Seattle's Rainier Valley.

Investor Joana Chong of Chong & Co. on Mercer Island wants to construct a six-story, 100-unit building at 2016 23rd Ave. S., where 23rd intersects with Rainier and South Hill Street.

Caron Architecture is the architect.

Preliminary plans call for an L-shaped building with space for 2,800-square-foot pedestrian plaza at the southwest corner of the site, along Rainier.

A pair of commercial spaces would flank the plaza, totaling 5,800 square feet. Residents would enter through the plaza or from an underground garage, which would have 41 stalls accessible from an alley.

The mix of units would range from studios to two-bedroom apartments, ranging from an average of 455 to 830 square feet. One wing of the building may house furnished apartments.

Residents would have access to a 3,900-square-foot roof deck and storage for up to 45 bikes.

A Seattle design review board will hold its first design guidance meeting for the project at 6:30 p.m. today at Rainier Arts Center, Lower Level, at 3515 S. Alaska St.

Architects said in a design packet filed with the city that one of the development goals is to encourage more pedestrian activity in a part of town where foot traffic is light. Nearby businesses tend to be drive-up retailers such as 7-Eleven, and local sidewalks are narrow or unimproved.

The proposal includes new street trees and a planting strip along the site.

A handful of residential and commercial structures would be demolished.