March 7, 2013

Stadium Place first tower tops out in $517M Pioneer Square complex

Photo by Sky-Pix Aerial Photography [enlarge]

The 10-story West Tower has topped out, and the 13th floor of the 26-story South Tower was poured this week.

Construction crews at Stadium Place north of CenturyLink Field are keeping the $517 million project on schedule and on budget, according to developer Kevin Daniels.

“I've been really impressed by the quality of work and the productivity (of the trades workers),” Daniels said.

Crews on Monday poured the 13th floor of the South Tower and will pour the 14th floor late next week. The South Tower will be 26 stories tall.

They recently topped out the 10-story West Tower, and now workers are framing the interiors on levels seven and eight, and will start level nine on Friday. Subcontractors are installing HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler systems between levels three and nine of that building.

Stadium Place is split into two blocks — west and east — though all of the buildings are designed to fit together, Daniels said.

The west block will contain the $194 million West Tower, with 109 loft-style apartments that are scheduled to open in September, and the 26-story South Tower, with 331 units that will open in about a year.

Both towers will sit on a four-story podium containing 74 apartments, 16,000 square feet of retail and 370 parking spaces.

Daniels said the parking will open next month and the apartments will open in phases, probably starting in mid-summer.

Daniels said he has been talking with a number of retail tenants for the west block.

In the future a 20-story tower with 226 condos and a boutique hotel will be built on the north end of the podium at a total cost of $80 million. Daniels said the hotel will probably have 50 to 75 rooms. He said construction on the condos will start when that market gets stronger.

The $165 million project on the east block will have a 300-room conference hotel on a five-story podium containing retail, a health club and 350 parking stalls.

A $78 million second phase would add an office tower with up to 180,000 square feet on the south end of the podium.

Daniels said the first phase of the east block is in for design review with the Pioneer Square Design Review Board. He said he has preliminary approval for the hotel and podium, and could start them as early as September.

A major tenant is needed before the office tower will move forward. Daniels said the market is strengthening but not to a level where he feels comfortable starting the tower.

Daniels Real Estate is the master developer for Stadium Place and will be responsible for the office tower. American Life Inc. will finance the east block projects, and develop the retail, hotel and health club on that block.

R.D. Merrill Co. is Daniel's financing partner for the west block.

The west block design team is: ZGF Architects, master planner and podium design; AKAA, residential unit layout; CPL, civil and structural engineer; Sparling, electrical engineer; and Landau Associates, environmental.

The west block construction team is: JTM Construction, general contractor; Holaday-Parks, mechanical; Auburn Mechanical, plumbing; and Nelsen Electric, electrical.

The east block design team is: Freiheit & Ho, architect; DR Strong, civil engineer; DCI Engineers, structural engineer; Cochran Inc. and Gerber Engineering, electrical engineers; and Landau Associates, environmental.

The east block construction team is: Sodo Builders, general contractor; MacDonald Miller, mechanical, HVAC and plumbing; and Cochran Inc., electrical.

Daniels' website says the project will be the largest transit-oriented development on the West Coast when it's finished.