3rd & Cherry

Triad proposal

The site, at 3rd Avenue and Cherry Street, was formerly home to the Public Safety Building, which was demolished in 2005. A 43-story residential and office tower, named the Seattle Civic Square, was approved in 2009, with developer Triad Development and a design team led by Foster + Partners and GGLO. The original building plan included space for retail, offices, and residences, as well as a 30,000 ft2 public plaza. The Civic Square project was put on hold during the Great Recession as the developers search for financing or a tenant.

In late 2015, Mayor Ed Murray announced he would not renew the contract with Triad Development after an employee of Triad's was accused of coercing Seattle City Council candidate Jonathan Grant into settling a lawsuit with the Tenants Union of Washington over the renewal of the project's construction permit. A different group of displaced tenants filed a suit against the city and Triad, alleging special treatment from the city for the project; the suit was settled in October 2015, with Triad paying $5.5 million into a housing affordability fund if the project is built. Touchstone Development was granted Triad's interest in the project in March 2016, and began searching for possible tenants and financing.

Bosa proposal

In May 2016, Mayor Ed Murray announced that Touchstone would not continue developing the project, having failed to secure financing and tenants within the 60-day deadline. On October 28, 2016, Mayor Murray announced that Bosa Development would take over the contract and develop the building, paying into an equitable development fund and affordable housing. The project would be subject to design approval and could begin construction as early as 2018. Under the new deal, Bosa would pay $16 million to build a new condominium tower (with a new design) on the property, and contribute $5.7 million to an affordable housing fund.

In 2017, Bosa unveiled their new proposal, designed by James K.M. Cheng, with no office space. The proposal, for a curving 58-story building with 423 condominiums and 586 parking stalls, went through repeated design changes during the review process. The project site and development rights were sold to Bosa in December 2019, but the project has not been granted a land-use permit .

The shoring and excavation permit for the project was issued in March 2022 and Bosa announced that it would begin construction the following month. The tower was planned to open by 2026. In July, Bosa announced a pause in construction due to "price escalations" and a volatile market.

References

References

1. Miller, Brian. (October 31, 2017). "Here's Bosa's Civic Square design, with 520 condos, retail and plazas". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
2. Chan, Sharon Pian. (December 12, 2007). "Seattle envisions new Civic Square". The Seattle Times.
3. (October 2009). "Design Evolution of Civic Square". City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development.
4. Levy, Nat. (November 8, 2012). "Real Estate Buzz: It's a frothy time for selling big buildings". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
5. Beekman, Daniel. (October 12, 2015). "Seattle council candidate alleges shakedown by developer". The Seattle Times.
6. Herz, Ansel. (October 28, 2015). "Triad Development Reaches $5.7 Million Settlement with Tenants Over Troubled Downtown Civic Square Project". [[The Stranger (newspaper).
7. Stiles, Marc. (March 14, 2016). "The long-stalled $400M Civic Square project has a new driver: Touchstone". [[Puget Sound Business Journal]].
8. Stiles, Marc. (May 12, 2016). "Touchstone takes a pass on Civic Square project". Puget Sound Business Journal.
9. (October 28, 2016). "Mayor Murray Directs Negotiation of Civic Square Deal, Proceeds to Fund Equitable Development and Affordable Housing". Office of the Mayor.
10. Young, Bob. (October 28, 2016). "Murray unveils new redevelop deal for block opposite City Hall". The Seattle Times.
11. Sullivan, Jennifer. (October 28, 2016). "Mayor Murray Announces Plan for Seattle's Civic Square Project". [[KOMO-TV.
12. Miller, Brian. (March 15, 2019). "Bosa's 3rd & Cherry condo tower faces third design review". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
13. (April 8, 2019). "Seattle Design Review Board Fumbles Through Denial of Bosa's 423-Unit 3rd & Cherry Project". The Registry.
14. Beekman, Daniel. (January 5, 2020). "Seattle finally sells vacant block across from City Hall to developer planning tower, public plaza". The Seattle Times.
15. Miller, Brian. (October 16, 2020). "Bosa gets DNS for 58-story condo that would fill old Civic Square pit". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
16. Groover, Heidi. (March 16, 2022). "Developer says construction will start next month at long-vacant pit across from Seattle City Hall". The Seattle Times.
17. Groover, Heidi. (July 22, 2022). "Long-delayed project across from Seattle City Hall on hold once again". The Seattle Times.
18. (October 22, 2009). "Application No. 3007149". City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development.
19. Spratt, Gerry. (October 22, 2009). "Downtown Civic Square project gets approval". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.