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November 21, 2018

T-Mobile shows design for $160M redo of its Factoria headquarters

By BRIAN MILLER
Journal Staff Reporter

Rendering by Gensler [enlarge]
Skybridges will help to create a “modern, pedestrian-friendly area reminiscent of the High Line in New York City.”

T-Mobile has had its headquarters at Newport Corporate Center, at 3625 132nd Ave. S.E. in Factoria, since at least 2000, when it was a small but growing company called VoiceStream Wireless.

This spring, the company announced an intended merger with Sprint, which is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, leading some to question T-Mobile's long-term plans for its 6,200 Bellevue office workers.

But T-Mobile announced on Tuesday that it will stay, extending its lease with landlord Ivanhoe Cambridge to 2030.

T-Mobile said, “Even as the company continues to expand in other states (including, it hopes, a Kansas HQ to come), it is strongly committed to expanding its Pacific Northwest roots.”

The company confirmed plans to renovate five of its six buildings, which total about 882,000 square feet. (It also leases another 70,000 square feet nearby in Eastgate.)

Broderick Group had reported the lease extension in April, and the city of Bellevue has apparently approved plans for what T-Mobile now calls a three-year, $160 million campus renovation.

The renovation plan was filed in January.

T-Mobile said Gensler is its architect, and Andersen Construction is its general contractor. Work is now underway, with completion expected in 2021.

The company said it had increased its HQ headcount by 56 percent over the last five years. However, the company is not expanding its footprint with new buildings or more space. In keeping with modern office trends, that space will be used more efficiently.

“Rather than siloed cubes and offices,” said the company, “teams will get to designate the workstyle that suits them best, for example assigned workstations versus a mix of assigned seats, plus open tabletop stations versus a more collaborative open work space altogether — in a sense picking their own neighborhood vibe!”

T-Mobile said that there will be more co-work space, mixing areas, coffee shops, a food hall and an IT genius bar. Amenities will include dry-cleaning drop-off, a DIY bike repair station and a gastropub.

Skybridges are part of the plan. The company says it will create “a completely modern pedestrian-friendly area reminiscent of the High Line in New York City.”

The company's goal is to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2021. It's also aiming for LEED certification and Fitwel certification, a new wellness standard.

The newest building, Two Newport, was constructed in 2008 and renovated in 2012, and doesn't appear to need any upgrades.

Bentall Capital originally developed Newport Corporate Center, which has 969,986 square feet. It was built in phases beginning in the late 1980s. T-Mobile is now the major tenant; others including AAA Washington have offices there, too. Jones Lang LaSalle leases and manages the space.

Bentall is the development arm for Canadian pension fund Ivanhoe Cambridge, which owns the roughly 17-acre campus. The old SITQ ownership name, aka Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, transitioned a few years ago into Ivanhoe Cambridge. But the ownership has never changed.

Meanwhile, Broderick's third quarter office report includes a T-Mobile lease renewal for 174,546 square feet at Canyon Pointe in Bothell, and a new lease for 88,000 square feet at Sunset Corporate Campus, which is near its Factoria HQ.

The anticipated $26.5 billion merger with Sprint still requires federal approval, possibly next year. If approved, it would give the combined entity 125 million customers.

T-Mobile is already the nation's third largest wireless carrier, with about 77 million customers. The merger was previously denied under the Obama administration.

Staff cuts and consolidation typically follow such mergers.

VoiceStream was founded by John Stanton in 1994. Then, through a series of acquisitions and mergers, it took its present name in 2001, under new and current owner Deutsche Telekom. There are now rumors that the former Safeco Field, where the naming rights recently expired, will become T-Mobile Field. Stanton is majority owner of the Seattle Mariners.

Even before T-Mobile's announcement, there was change afoot in Factoria. Just down the hill from Newport Corporate Center, Kimco is planning to overhaul its 41-year-old Marketplace at Factoria. The 43-acre site will be redeveloped in phases to add apartments, a hotel and revamped retail.

The city of Bellevue has yet to approve the master development plan for 551,000 square feet of new space, which includes 630 residential units and 150 hotel rooms. The first apartment building, with 331 units, could begin next year.

No permits have been issued for that or the overall plan.










 


Brian Miller can be reached by email at brian.miller@djc.com or by phone at (206) 219-6517.




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