(UPDATED 6:12 PM with PCC statement)
(Preferred ‘massing’ rendering by Hewitt, from Early Design Guidance packet for 2749 California SW)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Three months after Madison Development Group signaled it was proceeding with a “possible project” on its recently purchased site at 2749 California SW, we have new information about what’s being planned.
The project’s first Southwest Design Review Board meeting has just been scheduled for Thursday, July 21st, and the Early Design Guidance “packet” is already in the city system – see it here.
That document still does not answer the question of whether the retail in the project will or won’t be the site’s current tenant – PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor). We have messages out to ask if that’s been determined yet. But in the meantime, if you’re interested in the project, here’s what the packet DOES reveal, for starters:
*4 story mixed-use structure
*2 stories of below grade parking for 40 commercial use stalls and 112 stalls for residential use; access to the parking via the alley.
*Approx 112 residential units over a podium comprised of an approximately 25,000 sf for general sales and services (retail), residential lobby and leasing functions at the ground level.
*Residential outdoor garden terraces and enclosed amenity spaces within the proposal’s three stories above the ground level.
*Existing 11,427 sf surface parking lot to the west of the alley with 31 parking stalls to
remain as an accessory use to the proposed general sales and services use (retail).
Remember that this is the “Early Design Guidance” phase and that means the renderings by the architecture firm, Hewitt, are NOT projecting how the project will look – what you see is *only* proposed size and shape (“massing”).
The Design Review meeting is set for 8 pm July 21st at the Sisson Building/Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction).
BACKSTORY: It was March of last year when we first discovered an indication that Madison was involved with the site and working on a potential redevelopment project; PCC noted at the time that they have a lease “in place … through most of this decade.” Two months after that, in May 2015, Madison announced it had closed its purchase of the site; county records showed the purchase price as $5,750,000.
Three months ago, when Madison confirmed it was proceeding with a potential project, PCC’s CEO Cate Hardy told WSB, “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.”
Madison’s previous projects in West Seattle are Element 42 (east of Admiral Safeway) and Spruce (39th/Alaska/Fauntleroy in The Junction – Madison finished the project after it stalled under the original developer BlueStar).
P.S. We found early word of this today in our routine daily check of the Design Review website; the formal notice of the hearing won’t likely emerge before this Thursday’s Land Use Information Bulletin. We’ll update with anything we hear back from PCC or Madison.
ADDED 6:12 PM: PCC CEO Hardy responded to our inquiry with this statement:
PCC has been in discussions with our new landlord who, as we have known since they purchased the property, plans to redevelop the site where our West Seattle store is located. Our goal in these conversations with our landlord is to secure PCC’s long term future in West Seattle. We were aware that Madison Development Group would be filing additional documents with the city as part of their ongoing assessment and development process. As soon as we have information to share about PCC’s future in West Seattle, we will do so, first with our staff and then with the community.
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