By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One year after our first report on an early-stage plan for the Admiral site that’s been home to PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) for 27 years, the plan is moving ahead.
That’s according to Madison Development Group, which subsequently bought the site for $5,750,000, as we reported two months after our first story about its future. When we contacted Madison for comment back then, a spokesperson said the company – whose completed West Seattle projects include Spruce and Element 42 – would “begin exploring possible ideas for the site.”
The reason we’re publishing a followup now:
A new “preliminary site plan” outline appeared in the city’s online files this week, the first documentation to turn up there related to 2749 California SW since the filings that led to our original March 2015 report.
The one-line description accompanying the filing: “New 4-story mixed-use building with two levels of parking below grade.” The “proposed new construction outline” appears to cover the footprint of the current PCC building and its parking lot east of the north-south alley that borders its west side; the future of the parking area west of the alley is not clear.
Four-story mixed-use is what’s allowed under current zoning for the land within the “new construction” outline, and Madison spokesperson Natalie Quick confirmed to WSB, “We continue to move forward with a possible project at 2749 California SW, which will utilize existing zoning.” (The site is zoned NC2P40, which as explained here would require street-level commercial development.)
Will PCC be part of it? That hasn’t been decided yet.
Quick said, “The project does not yet have a signed tenant.”
As for PCC – here’s what CEO Cate Hardy (a West Seattle resident) told us this week: “As I shared in March of last year, PCC Natural Markets has every intention of serving West Seattle for many years to come. To that end, we have been in conversations regarding several location options, including with the new owners of our current store site. As soon as we have firmed up our plans, we will share them with our staff, and with shoppers and the West Seattle community.”
No hint at what those “location options” might be. But to be clear, the Madison project is still in a very early stage, not even yet at the application point; the type and size would almost certainly require Design Review, and a detailed general review, so it’s nowhere near the construction phase, and that means PCC shoppers will continue to have access to the current location for many months to come.
| 31 COMMENTS