February 15, 2019

Avenue Bellevue: Luxury condos, hotel and ‘high-street' retail

Rendering by Fortress Development / Weber Thompson [enlarge]

Fortress Development plans to start construction in June on the towers, designed by Weber Thompson. One will be 25 floors and one will be 26.

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The retail design was inspired by shopping areas such as Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Nightlife and a market will be part of the mix.

Fortress Development said it plans to start construction in June on Avenue Bellevue, a two-tower complex with a hotel, condos and retail.

The luxury project will be near the northwest corner of Bellevue Way and Northeast Eighth Street. It is expected to open in late 2021 or early 2022, the Bellevue-based developer said in press materials.

The towers were designed by Weber Thompson. One will be 25 floors and one will be 26. The Pacific Northwest's first InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, with 252 rooms, will have a spa and fitness center, as well as meeting space.

There will be 332 condos — 98 of them will be larger “estate homes,” and those residents will share amenities with guests at the InterContinental.

Retail and restaurants will fill 85,000 square feet on two levels, including a new restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Joshua Skenes, of Saison and Angler in San Francisco.

The developer said the “high-street” retail is inspired by other shopping neighborhoods, such as Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Nightlife spots and a market will be part of the mix.

The condos will have Italian-made cabinetry by Ernestomeday for Avenue Bellevue; Antoniolupi bathroom layout and designs; Gessi bathroom fixtures and showers; Poliform walk-in closets and wardrobes; and Gaggenau appliances — including wine cabinets.

About 825 underground parking spaces will be for residents, hotel guests and customers.

The condo sales center will open in March in Suite 2200 of Lincoln Square at 10400 N.E. Fourth St., by appointment only.

The project team includes Weber Thompson, design architect; CollinsWoerman, architect of record; DCI Engineers, structural engineer; Ground Support, shoring engineer; HBA, interior designer; Navix Engineering, civil engineer; PFS Studio, landscape architect; Fortune Shepler Saling, vertical transportation consultant; Rushing, electrical engineer; Glumac with Holmberg Mechanical, mechanical engineer; Code Consultants, life safety/fire protection; Hart Crowser, geotechnical engineer; Selbert Perkins Design, environmental graphics; Davella Studios, kitchen design; TENW, transportation engineering; PAE, technology consultant; Stantec, acoustical engineer; CPP Wind Engineering; and Lighting Design Alliance.

Fortress said it will announce a general contractor soon.

Fortress is a commercial real estate developer and investment company founded by Bellevue resident Andy Lakha. Press materials said Lakha has been in commercial real estate for more than two decades. Lakha was born and spent his childhood in Pakistan. He lived in Chicago as a young adult and moved to the Seattle area in the 1990s.

This is Fortress Development's first project in Bellevue, and its first condo development. It has mostly developed retail projects in U.S. cities, including Park Lane in Dallas, Mercado in Santa Clara, California, and The Marketplace at Lake Meridian in Kent.