From land-use land: 6-story proposal for Junction’s east edge

Hot out of today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin: A Design Review Board meeting has just been set for October 11th for a proposed 6-story, 90-unit mixed-use building at 4502 42nd SW (southeast corner of 42nd/Oregon); the architect for the project is Mark Travers, who has info, renderings, and more about it online here. If this goes through, there’ll be a whole lot happening in that area, with Hope Lutheran also planning a construction project nearby (congregational meetings on that are set for this weekend). Side note on a different project that we noticed the same architect is handling @ 3295 Avalon — Starbucks fans and foes alike will be interested in the renderings of that project here. (Three blocks from Java Bean?)

chas redmond September 20, 2007 (5:02 pm)

The Avalon project – is that on the grounds of the old Monorail property (SE corner Avalon Way & 35th Ave) or on the grounds of the Huling Brothers property (which includes the now defunct heating oil company and Redline – nee Legends)? Either way, this will totally change the landscape at the corner there. There’s also a Starbucks drive through less than half-a-block away – I doubt that this project would include a Starbucks unless they close the drive-through – that’s too close even for world-domineering Schultz.

Travers’ offices are on First Hill and his commercial work looks quite attractive. He’s got quite an international staff – Asia-Denmark-Germany. It appears he designed the building he works out of.

WSB September 20, 2007 (5:23 pm)

Parcel research shows it’s the southeast corner, where the gas station used to be. You’re right, the existing Starbucks is even closer than Java Bean, regarding coffee competition — though we wouldn’t put kitty-corner operations past them, and the drive-through seems to be so crazy-busy every time we drive by (morning commute anyway), it would be a little nutty to close it. But these renderings might pre-date the drive-thru; the Avalon project apparently has been in the works a while, before we started intensively tracking such things, anyway.

flipjack September 20, 2007 (6:07 pm)

There are Starbux located on the ground floors of separate office buildings that are kitty corner from each other in Bellevue so yeah they ain’t shy about that.
I heard they were going to put a Starbux in the bathroom of the Tully’s by Thriftway too. Damn they got gall.
Got Gall?

Jan September 20, 2007 (6:15 pm)

that corner has needed to be upgraded for a long, long time. Still…another Starbucks? Maybe it’s just an architect’s rendering, an he picked a name out of a hat…let’s hope…

Ron Burgundy September 20, 2007 (7:52 pm)

WOW, an architect with an idea other than a big box. How about adding some early 1900 charm into the new architecture?

Jen V. September 20, 2007 (9:33 pm)

with any luck it wont be a SBUX. you know what West Seattle REALLY needs? Another teriyaki/bar/nail salon/pet store!

Christopher Boffoli September 20, 2007 (10:31 pm)

Nicely written Jen V.

It would be really nice if this project endeavored to begin to transform that intersection from a pedestrian-free wasteland into something that is more befitting of the population density the Urban Village Hub will soon have…Something more Neo-Urbanist, with people-scaled architecture at street level and buffers between pedestrians and traffic. As we saw with the initial QFC project design, the architects seemed to go out of their way to keep Alaska a soulless speedway for cars by routing pedestrians in only on the corners.

Jan September 20, 2007 (11:31 pm)

and maybe next on the list will be the beautiful KFC corner….

Eddie September 21, 2007 (7:52 am)

Jan – don’t you just love how they’ve dressed up the facade on the KFC building? (tongue in cheek – they’ve stripped off the facade and left bare wood framing up there during some sort of remodel/refacing. Looks like cr*p).

Keith September 21, 2007 (9:54 am)

Holy cow – that project for 42nd and Oregon is HUGE. Are my eyes deceiving me or is it poised to take over that entire block?

Jiggers September 21, 2007 (10:23 am)

Hey Jan–WS needs a real salad bar for all those uh umm..

Jan September 21, 2007 (11:53 am)

Keith…the project at 42nd and Oregon will take up 8 lots, I think, and that means that 8 homes there will be torn down. It will change the face of that intersection tremendously. There will be more projects in the block of 42nd north of Oregon, too. Amazing how now things are moving into residential areas.

Jan September 21, 2007 (11:55 am)

Jiggers…but if it’s a salad bar, no bleu cheese dressing – lol..only fat free, calorie free funny tasting salad dressing :) That’ll be sure to make it popular…

Andre September 21, 2007 (3:15 pm)

If you click on the Design Review Board meeting link you can see that the 42nd and Oregon project would actually take up 4 lots (4 single family homes would be torn down). Still huge!
They also would have to remove the amazing old tree that is bordering Oregon. The architect for this project is the same one who designed the Verge condos on Harbor Ave; arguably one of the ugliest buildings in all of West Seattle.