Conner Junction project update @ Design Commission

| Development | West Seattle news

(added 4:56 pm – the streetscape level envisioned at California/Alaska, looking across from Easy Street)
Technically, the Seattle Design Commission is reviewing the proposal for an underground “alley vacation” – required for the two Conner Homes buildings at California/42nd/Alaska to have one underground garage – but the hearing that just wrapped up also yielded new information on where the project’s design is going overall, and new imagery that’s been provided to us by the architect (as shown at this meeting). The action from the meeting: Conner and its architects did not get final signoff – they will have to return to the Design Commission to answer a variety of concerns – the commission has to sign off on the proposal before SDOT can finish reviewing it, and the SDOT rep who handles such matters told the commission that her agency has its own concerns. Meantime, the project itself has one more Design Review meeting ahead – the architects tell us that will likely be in January, but no date is set yet. Stand by for more, including the new imagery – we’ll be in transit for a bit (heading back to HQ after three major events downtown today – this one’s at City Hall, which also was the scene of this morning’s jail briefing, with the Seattle Center Viaduct briefing between them) before we can add it here. ADDED 6:08 PM: Here’s another image, the massing (NOT the final design proposal with finishes etc., just basically the shapes) of the two buildings, looking south at them from Cupcake Royale vicinity):

More to come. The entire presentation document is way too big to link here but we’ll see if we can break it into chunks.

CB November 20, 2008 (7:04 pm)

Wow… the Junction is changing! Looks good to me.

Denny November 20, 2008 (7:24 pm)

This is starting to look much better.
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About the alley, I get the vacation is stressful, but it’s only a couple of years for bigger, better designed (not 2 entrances/exits) parking structure that will last a long time. The businesses affected could likely get some $ from Connor and get through it. Or at least they ought to be talking.

WSB November 20, 2008 (7:32 pm)

Actually they are – one component of the presentation which I will be adding to this later involves some “mitigation measures’ that have been proposed. However, they have not yet been formalized in the process – SDOT for example doesn’t have them in writing, according to my conversation with Beverly Barnett after the meeting.

Meghan November 21, 2008 (10:02 am)

This project is looking really good so far. Let’s let them vacate the alley. It’ll only need to close for several months. And we’ll get new, thoughtfully designed buildings that are 1000 times better than what’s there now.

N November 21, 2008 (8:13 pm)

Any word on what kind of commercial tenants they expect to have on the ground floor of the buildings? Please, please, please not SuperSupplements. Can we get a Barnes & Noble, a movie theater, SOMETHING with some positive energy that stays open reasonably late?

Sandra M November 22, 2008 (11:45 am)

I missed this design review meeting, but am interested in exactly what kind of ‘mitigation measures’ the developer could offer. Remember, the alley is public property, so the community should expect some concessions from the developer if the alley ends up being “vacated.”

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