April 28, 2017

2121 Fifth tower adds a story and more hotel rooms thanks to HALA

Image by Caron Architecture [enlarge]

Here is the final design for what is now an 18-story tower with 136 apartments and 184 hotel rooms.

Tsang Enterprises, the developer proposing a hotel/apartment tower at 2121 Fifth Ave., has filed an application for a master use permit for what has now become an 18-story tower.

At the final design review meeting in January, the plan was for 17 stories, with 136 apartments above 168 hotel rooms, restaurant and retail space, and parking for 120 vehicles on five underground levels, accessed from the alley.

The new proposal — which relies on the pending HALA upzone for Belltown — is for 18 stories, with 136 apartments and parking for 121 vehicles. But an extra floor of hotel space has been added, boosting the total number of hotel rooms to 184.

Before, the building height was capped at 160 feet to avoid triggering the rules on tower separation. The 24-story Martin apartment tower is immediately to the south, and a 41-story hotel/apartment project — formerly known as Potala Tower — is now under construction west across the alley at 2116 Fourth Ave.

The HALA bonus allows the tower to reach 170 feet, with another floor of hotel rooms slid into the cake. Under the current plan, hotel rooms would be on levels three through 10, and apartments would be on levels 11 through 18. A roof deck is planned, with rooftop structures that would bring the absolute height to about 185 feet.

The retail/restaurant space would total about 3,900 square feet, and the total project size about 248,000 square feet.

The apartment unit mix is 56 one-bedrooms and 80 studio/open one-bedroom. There are no two-bedroom units.

Tenants would also have a large bike room.

Tenants and hotel guests would have separate entrances and elevators.

Bellevue-based Tsang Enterprises bought the mid-block property between Blanchard and Lenora streets for $8.2 million. The site measures almost 13,000 square feet, and the price per foot was about $632. Two low-rise buildings on the site will be removed.

Caron Architecture is designing the project. The team also includes KPRR, structural engineer; Karen Kiest, landscape architect; and True North, surveyor. No general contractor or hotel operator has been announced.