February 13, 2018

Greystar to show early plan for new tower on Seattle Unity site

Rendering by Weber Thompson [enlarge]

Greystar’s 29-story apartment tower will be left of the new church, shown here as a white box. Another new residential tower is shown behind it, at 820 John St., and Denny Park is on the right.

Greystar will show its initial plan this month to redevelop Seattle Unity Church's property at 200 Eighth Ave. N. in South Lake Union.

When the DJC first reported the apartment tower proposal in late 2016, a Seattle Unity representative confirmed that the church would sell the land to Greystar and build a separate new church on the site.

Seattle Unity has owned the property since 1960, when its current building was developed. Public records show a purchase and sale agreement between the church and Greystar, with the price not specified, that is expected to close in January 2019.

The first design review is set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 First Ave. W.

Greystar's project address will be 210 Eighth, and the new church, being designed by Olson Kundig, will be at 200 Eighth. The church does not require design review.

The two buildings will sit above a shared garage. They will occupy the south end of the half-block bounded by Eighth, John and Thomas streets, and the alley to the east. The new church will face Denny Park.

Olson Kundig will also be the landscape architect for both the tower and church.

Weber Thompson is designing a 29-story building with 374 units for Greystar. About 251 parking stalls are planned on four levels below grade, accessed from the alley. The building would be 325 feet tall. Total project size, including the parking, would be 437,331 square feet.

The church property measures 28,906 square feet.

Greystar's tower will use the north two-thirds of the property, with about 20 feet between the new church and the tower podium. The main tower will be pushed north on its podium, away from the church. There would be decks and amenity spaces on top of the podium and the tower. The tenant entrance and a co-work space will face Eighth.

The project has no commercial space.

The four-story podium will roughly match the height of the new church. Weber Thompson says, “The church building is planned to be approximately 55 feet tall, and will be composed of a combination of brick, glass, metal, wood and stucco.”

According to Seattle Unity's website, demolition and construction are expected to begin in early 2019, and the congregation will have to find temporary quarters for two years. Completion of both buildings is expected by the spring or summer of 2021.

Seattle Unity's team includes Sellen, general contractor; KPFF, structural engineer; WSP, MEP engineer; Justen Co., advisor; and Costigan Integrated — now part of Unico — as project manager.

The church website says that Greystar is using Turner Construction, general contractor; Ground Support, shoring; and AEC, elevator engineer.

It also says the two projects will share the services of CPL, civil engineer; Hart Crowser, geotechnical engineer; and BRH, surveyor.

To the east across the alley, at 820 John St., Rich Reel and Pillar Properties are planning a 28-story apartment tower with 268 units. It will be directly east of the new church, and offset to the southeast from Greystar's tower.