Tacoma's Old City Hall Getting The McMenamins Treatment
McMenamins turned the old Anderson School in Bothell into a hotel/brewery earlier this year. Now they've got their eyes set on Tacoma. Just as they're about to begin converting the old Elks Lodge into a hotel they've started plans to renovate the Old City Hall building at 625 Commerce St. and turn it into a boutique hotel. Initial plans call for 60 rooms and four bars utilizing the building's iconic features such as the jailhouse, clock tower and rooftop greenhouse. Tacoma is on board with the plans but now they have to come to a deal as the city currently owns the historic structure. According to the city's press release, if approved soon the new hotel would be completed by the fall of 2019.· McMenamins planning renovation of Tacoma's Old City Hall [KIRO]
· Tacoma picks McMenamins to renovate Old City Hall [TNT]
· McMenamins opening its biggest hotel/brewery in Bothell [K5]
Image: Wikimedia/Murderbike
Can Light Rail Keep Up With Puget Sound Population?
In the last five years, 144K new residents have joined us here in the Puget Sound region (58K in Seattle alone). Over the course of the next 25 years, we can expect to see around a million more new faces. So considering that we've already seen road delays increase by 50 percent in the last fives years, it stands to reason that we need to make some critical changes to infrastructure if we're going to accommodate everyone. As of right now, the ST3 vote in 2016 will determine whether or not the light rail system will be expanded to critical areas such as West Seattle and Ballard as well as extended lines to Everett, Tacoma and Redmond. The plan calls for all of this to be done in 15 years but there are serious questions about whether or not the money is there to make it happen. The folks at Seattle Subway have their own idea: STComplete. Their plan extends the timeline to 30 years in order to not only space out the costs but also take expansion to it's logical next level. They would include expanded light rail to Snohomish suburbs, East King County, South King County, Pierce County beyond Tacoma and North Seattle spots like Lake City. In other words, the kind of all-inclusive light rail system that will keep many of the region's growing millions off the roads as they commute. Check out their video pitch below and chime in on how you feel about the idea.
Preservation, Sustainability & Collaboration: The New Allen Institute HQ Opens
This Friday, The Allen Institute officially opens it's new six-story, 270,000-square-foot headquarters at 615 Westlake Ave. N. The new building will give the Allen Institute for Brain Science and Allen Institute for Cell Science the room to consolidate in a place that includes dry and wet labs, data center, auditorium, 9,000 square feet of retail and four levels of underground parking. Notable out front is the Ford McKay Building terra cotta facade that was painstakingly deconstructed and restored. Inside, the design orients labs like flower petals around a large light-filled central atrium. The intended effect is to make it like the inside of a bee hive where researchers can see each other and what they are doing, making the space more collaborative and transparent.
The complex is also tracking to LEED-Gold and Salmon Safe certification and energy captured from the data center will help heat the building while rainwater cistern will recycle water for landscaping. Perkins + Will is the architect and GLY Construction is the general contractor.
Big Reveal: $2.75M For This Remodeled 1938 Magnolia 5-BR
Yesterday, we asked you to guess the asking price for this remodeled 1938 5-BR in Magnolia. We saw a guess of $2.1M but it was Pat Lukes guess of $2.8M that was practically on the money. Actual asking price: $2.748M. Remodeled by McBride Construction, the home features a massive kitchen, tons of space and a master suite with rooms in rooms (or so it seems). There's also a wine cellar in the basement, waterfall out back and two decks to choose from to enjoy the sunset from. So knowing everything now, do you think the asking price is fair?
SoDo Arena Street Vacation Proposed; Seattle's Little Libraries
· Longview is the drunkest city in Washington [SPI]
· Snohomish Co. sheriff takes new approach to squatters [K5]
· Other cities can't keep pace with Seattle's Little Free Libraries [MyN]
· Mayor, SDOT recommend eliminating street for SoDo arena [K5]
· Magnolia Bridge's latest repairs could take 2 weeks [KIRO]
· Tacoma could be first major Washington city with publicly-owned broadband network [KIRO]
· Legacy will start Redmond Triangle in 2016, with 195 apartments, retail [DJC]
· Snohomish Co. sheriff takes new approach to squatters [K5]
· Other cities can't keep pace with Seattle's Little Free Libraries [MyN]
· Mayor, SDOT recommend eliminating street for SoDo arena [K5]
· Magnolia Bridge's latest repairs could take 2 weeks [KIRO]
· Tacoma could be first major Washington city with publicly-owned broadband network [KIRO]
· Legacy will start Redmond Triangle in 2016, with 195 apartments, retail [DJC]
Get the Skinny on This Slim $299K Northlake Houseboat
Take 720 square feet. Split it into a first and second floor. Only include one bedroom and one bathroom. What you get is a tiny house that can be long, narrow, and fit on a steel hull. There's a houseboat for sale at $299,000 (plus $372/month fees). It was $48,000 higher, but the price has been chopped. It looks fine, with a four burner stove and a double sink. The interior is balanced between wood trim and paneling beside playfully painted walls. To save space, or just to be more nautical, the access to the second floor is by a ladder instead of stairs. Dropping the laundry down is easy, but carrying it back up may be a juggling act. The exterior is classically painted grey with white trim and what looks like a hammered copper door. The location is key. It sits at the end of the dock, beside Gas Works Park with the Burke-Gilman Trail behind it and the Seattle skyline to the south of it. It's been on and off the market several times, and now is being sold 'As-Is'. It's still floating, so it has that going for it; but maybe something else has kept it from selling. A good reason to get a good inspection. Or, maybe it is just waiting for the right buyer.
Block 25W Mixed-User Would Complete Vulcan's SLU Vision
If you've been stuck in traffic on Mercer waiting to get on the I-5 at some point in the last two years, you've no doubt watched Vulcan'sBlock 31 and Block 37 mixed-use projects begin the process of getting built from the ground-up in South Lake Union. Wednesday, they'll take renderings and plans for Block 25W before the design review board to complete the trio of building blocks that will help reshape the neighborhood and local skyline. This mixed-use arm of the project will include a 242K sf. building with six-stories of commercial space topped by seven-stories of residences. They'll be 2,500 sf. of retail space as well as two levels of parking below. That matches the look and feel of the other two blocks, though it will skewed more office/commercial than the other two.
Take a Closer Look at 41-Story Denny Center's Curves
Earlier this month we told you about Bosa Properties' and ZGF Architects' big plans for a 41-story tower at 2014 Fairview Avenue called Denny Center. The mixed-use complex's design is notable for it's wavy, curved design that's meant "to impart a gentle sense of movement and protest." They'll be taking their plans before the design review board Tuesday evening but before they do we were able to check out more renderings of what could end up being one of the most unique-looking towers in the Seattle skyline. Of course, there are some other straight-forward designs included as well but that'd be boring. Seattle's got plenty of boring high-rises already.
Last Week's Biggest Sales: Mercer Island Waterfront Mansion Sold For $5.6M
Listed for: $5.6M
Received: $5.6M
Size: 5-BR, 6.5-bath, 5,370 sf.
Location: 6220 E Mercer Wy, Mercer Island
The Skinny: This lakefront home seems to change hands pretty often. It's now been sold three times since 2006. Most recently sold by a Microsoft high-up (of course), this place has a lot to offer (92' of waterfront, outdoor shower, fireplace, gourmet kitchen, five en-suite bedrooms and library). Let's see how long the new owners hold on to it.
Received: $5.6M
Size: 5-BR, 6.5-bath, 5,370 sf.
Location: 6220 E Mercer Wy, Mercer Island
The Skinny: This lakefront home seems to change hands pretty often. It's now been sold three times since 2006. Most recently sold by a Microsoft high-up (of course), this place has a lot to offer (92' of waterfront, outdoor shower, fireplace, gourmet kitchen, five en-suite bedrooms and library). Let's see how long the new owners hold on to it.
POPULAR
How Much For This Remodeled 1938 Magnolia 5-BR?
PriceSpotter is Curbed's asking price guessing game. We provide you with some details and pictures from a real estate listing, and you take a crack at the price in the comments. Tomorrow we reveal the answer. And hey, no cheating!
What Is It?: 5-BR, 4.5-bath, 1938-built home in Magnolia
Home Square Footage: 8,125
Taxes: $2,827
The Skinny: Originally built in 1938, this home has undergone an extensive remodel courtesy of McBride Construction. Now the home is a blend of formal and casual with over 8,000 square-feet of living space. The kitchen is massive, the master suite seems to have rooms within rooms and there's multiple nooks and work spaces for everyone to do whatever they want. Or they can all meet downstairs by the wine cellar. there's also multiple decks and a water feature outside to enjoy summer days. So, knowing all of that, how much do you think they're asking?
Home Square Footage: 8,125
Taxes: $2,827
The Skinny: Originally built in 1938, this home has undergone an extensive remodel courtesy of McBride Construction. Now the home is a blend of formal and casual with over 8,000 square-feet of living space. The kitchen is massive, the master suite seems to have rooms within rooms and there's multiple nooks and work spaces for everyone to do whatever they want. Or they can all meet downstairs by the wine cellar. there's also multiple decks and a water feature outside to enjoy summer days. So, knowing all of that, how much do you think they're asking?
New Thea Foss Waterway Apartments; I-405 Driver Bribery
· Swedish gears up to start building two big Pill Hill towers [PSBJ]
· Seattle real estate investor Unico buys another Lake Union office building [PSBJ]
· The Bluff Building: A lesson in escapism at 10th and Pike [CHS]
· King County Resorts to Bribery to Get Drivers Off I-405 [SW]
· Low-Income SLU Residents Say They Were Barred From Grand Opening Catered to the Hip [SW]
· More apartments on Thea Foss Waterway [DJC]
· Community Transit to Add More Services in March 2016 [TU]
· Seattle real estate investor Unico buys another Lake Union office building [PSBJ]
· The Bluff Building: A lesson in escapism at 10th and Pike [CHS]
· King County Resorts to Bribery to Get Drivers Off I-405 [SW]
· Low-Income SLU Residents Say They Were Barred From Grand Opening Catered to the Hip [SW]
· More apartments on Thea Foss Waterway [DJC]
· Community Transit to Add More Services in March 2016 [TU]
$415K Judkins Park Tiny House Gets Makeover & Price Chop
When a house is 760 square feet and someone updates the kitchen and 2 bathrooms, then the majority of the house is already remodeled. The 2 bedrooms and the living room are about all that's left, except for a spot for the laundry. The remodel of this 1906 one story on a 2,236 square foot lot is dramatic enough that it would interesting to compare to the 'before' pictures. Now, they're asking $415,000; which is already a $25,000 drop from its listing price of less than month ago (which is itself $200K higher than it's sale price just two months before that). It looks fresh and fine in the photos (new appliances, paint, and cabinetry will do that), but you might want to schedule a tour to see what it looks like with your own eyes instead of the fish eye lens they used.
6 Ski Towns in the Northwest Perfect for Post-Powder Pinot
Silvara Vineyards. Photo courtesy Cascade Valley Wine Country
The Pacific Northwest features over 500 wineries based in Oregon's Willamette Valley and Washington's Columbia, Walla Walla and Yakima Valleys. We rounded up the best opportunities for combining a day on the slopes with après ski wine tasting. Because what's better than enjoying some pow than topping it off with some delicious pinot?
Five Properties Worth Buying Along Metro Bus Route 131
Seattle has buses. (Really, they're throughout King County, and reach into the neighboring counties, too.) Use them! In which case you might as well find a place to live along a line. One line at a time. Here's the next one, selected at random for the fun of it.
Route 131 manages to visit two parks on its way to downtown from Burien: Highland Park and South Park, but most folks probably use it for getting to work. (There are still parks in Highland Park and South Park. Right?)
↑ It was a business. That's why there's so much pavement. Having 7 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and 3,140 square feet is just a bit bigger than usual, but one reason they're asking $750,000 is because the house is equipped with ramps, handholds, and the various enhancements that make it easier for folks to get around. Accidents and age happen, so it is really surprising that most houses don't have more of these features. Granted, this house has many more, but that's going to work for someone. If nothing else, with that much pavement someone might want to set up a basketball court, park lots of recreational vehicles, or create massive sidewalk art.
Call This Bainbridge Luxury Log Cabin Home For $950K
A log home with a log guest house and logs, logs, logs, with a forest of unfelled logs standing around the house, that's the feel of a good log cabin. Well, there is a bit of sheetrock, but that's okay. In 1979 someone built a 2,102 square foot cabin on Bainbridge. It has 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths, and is part of a 3 acre treed lot. Check the history and find if the logs in the house came from trees on the property; not necessary, but worth knowing if that's what they did. Whether it was then or now, there was also a guest house built (maybe it was first?), so guests or kids or anyone who needs a bit of sanctuary has a separate place to go. Now, the price is $950,000 for cathedral ceilings, and a kitchen that is definitely modern and well equipped. A refrigerator with four doors? Is that long, skinny, flat one in the middle for frozen pizzas? The style is direct, simple, and well executed; especially for people who like timber. If living inside the timber isn't enough, sit outside on the deck, beside the fountain, or around the fire pit. At least there should be plenty of firewood around; particularly after that last storm. (Hope the house is still okay.)
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