Here is an update on Northgate Mall redevelopment, including housing near light rail, from the minutes of the October 29, 2019 ReVisioning Northgate meeting:
Stephen Antupit, consultant for the Northgate Mall developer, gave an update on changes and plans at the Northgate Mall which is being redeveloped into a “neighborhood”. He noted the open house for NHL Seattle that was held Oct. 2 at the mall. The hope is that the NHL team will kick off league play at Seattle Center by fall 2021. At the Northgate site will be three ice rinks, one for the NHL team practice and it will include seating and probably merchandise store, and the other two for community use. The three rinks will serve as anchors for the Northgate neighborhood development.
The next phase will be hotel development, then mixed use apartment buildings. The Food Court will continue to be open during construction but the routes for getting to the Rack and Food Court will probably shift as different phases of construction occur. Other phases of development will include office spaces, other housing, open spaces, and a supermarket. Retail will continue but unsure which businesses as of now. The northern portion of the mall will remain more or less intact. Eventually, it is anticipated there will be 350,000 sq. ft. of retail but it is NOT envisioned to be a University-Village replica. There will be no more large “anchor” department stores there. That may be of concern to those, especially the older generation that remains a significant part of the local population for which RVN has expressed support, who have not embraced the paradigm of buying most things on-line. Some of them might not even be on-line. A communication plan will eventually be rolled out. Development of the spray park was discussed.
Simon Properties continues to own the land and is planning leases for the vertical developments (although the NHL site is a separate arrangement)
Jeremy Wilkening of Capitol Hill Housing talked about Transit-Oriented Development in the Northgate area in association with the light rail station environ. CHH is a public corporation organized by the City of Seattle and started about forty years ago (see website above). CHH has various projects for housing around the city. At the Northgate site, it is required to partner with a market-rate housing developer and is working in partnership with Stellar Holding (the owner of Thornton Place) & Lowe Enterprise. CHH then provides the low income housing. Current negotiations and purchase rule agreements are in progress though King County-METRO has not been speedy from its end. CHH will build 232 units of affordable housing on the site near the light rail station, using varying degrees of low-income criteria/measurements for rentals. CHH received a grant to get the planning underway from King Co/METRO. The site will also have an early ed. childhood facility that will be for people in the community, not just residents on site. CHH is hoping for a 2023 opening. It will not build parking but residents will be eligible for reduced rate ORCA passes. Required bicycle spots will also be available, one per unit. CHH will undergo a Design Review process as it moves ahead.
NHL Seattle: https://www.nhl.com/seattle/fans/ice-centre
METRO North Link Connections Mobility Project: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/programs-projects/fares-routes-and-service/north-link-connections.aspx
Capitol Hill Housing: https://www.capitolhillhousing.org/
As always open space is the last thing on a developer’s mind and last on their phased list Sigh. At some point, parking will be a problem. It looks like most users of 24-hour fitness have been using Mall parking for years. There must have been some agreement. Wonder how that will play out. With light rail stuff and this, the area will be a mess. I’ve often wondered if the Northgate Apts will ever get in the game. We are definitely at a tipping point.
Still looking for a schematic which shows detailed-depictions of the exteriors of all of the currently-proposed buildings within the entire property that the old mall was on. There’re lots of illustrations of interiors, or a single building, but nothing that shows (in detail) how the transformation will look when completed. In any case, the pollyanna-Seattle economy won’t continue. It will be interesting to see how this project plays out as Seattle experiences a decelerating economy for the first time since the late-1960’s. Unlike that time five decades ago, there isn’t going to be an economic turnaround within the lifetimes of anyone that can read this.