April 17, 2015

MainStreet is opening apartments in Kenmore, starting them in Redmond

Image courtesy GGLO [enlarge]

MainStreet Property Group said the design of its Redmond project was inspired by the late woodcarver Dudley Carter.

MainStreet Property Group has opened the first phase of a 138-unit apartment complex in Kenmore and started construction on another apartment project in Redmond.

MainStreet just finished the first of four buildings at The Spencer 68, a complex at 68th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore.

Other buildings in The Spencer 68 will open about a month apart, with the last one being completed in August, said Kelly Price, president of MainStreet Property Group.

MainStreet began demolition last week to prepare the site for its Redmond project: a seven-story, 180-unit complex called The Carter on the Park. The Carter is at 159th Place Northeast between Bear Creek Parkway and Leary Way Northeast. The site is next to a protected forest, with a heron rookery on one side and Dudley Carter Park on another.

The Redmond building's design was inspired by Carter, who was a local woodcarver and once lived in the park's Haida House Studio. The exterior finish will resemble bark, and there will be Native American art pieces in the building.

“It really dovetails with the natural environment and celebrates Dudley Carter as a woodcarver,” Price said.

The city of Redmond's website says Carter was internationally renowned for his carvings and learned the craft from the Kwakuitl people along the coast of British Columbia, where he grew up. Carter carved a number of totems, sculptures and Haida House replicas in this area. He died in 1992.

A groundbreaking event for The Carter is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 22 at the site: 7500 159th Place N.E.

The Carter is set to open early fall 2016.

Price said MainStreet came up with the concept for the building, and GGLO is the architect. W.G. Clark Construction Co. is the general contractor.

Dahlin Group Architecture Planning of Pleasanton, California, is the architect for The Spencer 68. Dahlin Group worked with GGLO on the design. MainStreet's construction division, GenCap Construction Corp., is the general contractor, and Insite Property Solutions will be the property manager.

Rents at The Spencer 68 in Kenmore will start around $1,300 and top out at $2,500. Price said there are many larger units designed for families, including three-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouses. He said few projects in the region have big units for families.

Price said 20 percent of the Kenmore units will be preserved for affordable housing, in exchange for a property tax break for MainStreet. Some will be for people making less than 85 percent of King County's median income, and others will be reserved for people making less than 50 percent of median income.

One of the biggest perks for residents of The Spencer 68 will be outside the building. As part of a plan to make downtown Kenmore a denser and more walkable area, the city is building a park, or town green.

“Our residents are really looking forward to construction and opening of the town green,” Price said. “It will be a fabulous place to connect with the community, and they are looking forward to it being so close to where they live.”

The Carter complex in Redmond will be near a lot of outdoor activities. It will have direct access to Sammamish River Trail as well as parks and open spaces. The city of Redmond requires at least one bike storage space for every unit, so MainStreet is putting in a two-story bike storage and maintenance space. Price said it's “like a wine cellar for bikes.”