December 7, 2018

Skyline shows final design for its second tower, but skybridge TBD

Renderings by Ankrom Moison [enlarge]

Olympic Tower, the 21-story expansion, would have 77 housing units and underground parking. Amenity spaces include an auditorium and bistro.

[enlarge]

Transforming Age wants to add a skybridge to connect Olympic Tower (on the left) with Skyline’s existing Cascade Tower.

No skybridge is shown in the final renderings for the planned Olympic Tower, at 715 Eighth Ave., but it's still on the table. The skybridge would link the 21-story expansion project on the west side of Eighth to the existing Skyline retirement community on the east side of Eighth.

Transforming Age owns both.

Ankrom Moison is designing Olympic Tower, which has its second and possibly final design review at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 at Seattle University's Admissions & Alumni Building, 824 12th Ave.

In a separate process, the Seattle City Council would have to approve the proposed fourth-floor skybridge, which would connect to the podium of Skyline's Cascade Tower.

Meeting notes from the first design review last December say, “The board remained neutral on the skybridge proposal. They noted that in good urban design, there would be no skybridge.”

In general, the city discourages such structures.

The Olympic Tower proposal hasn't changed much: 77 residential units; 78 underground parking stalls; 22,455 square feet of amenities; and a total project size of 184,498 square feet, parking included.

The amenity space is large, including an auditorium on the ground-floor level, along with a bistro and lounge. The second floor would be mostly dining area. The plan is for residents of both towers to share amenities and services in both buildings.

Olympic Tower residential units would run from floors three through 21. The top floor would also have a tenant lounge, facing west toward downtown. There would also be a fourth-floor terrace.

The parking, to be accessed from the alley to the west, has about doubled. It will occupy two underground levels, with car lifts to stack vehicles.

Formerly known as Presbyterian Retirement Communities Northwest, the not-for-profit Transforming Age acquired the 14,400-square-foot corner site, at Columbia Street, in 2013 for $6 million. Church ties were ended in 2002.

The team also includes PCL Construction, general contractor; Site Workshop, landscape architect; MKA, structural engineer; Rushing Co., MEP engineer; and DCI Engineers, civil.