In the News

Developer building two eight-story projects in Uptown Urban Center… Developer Vibrant Cities is on track to build the largest mixed-use development in the Uptown Urban Center. The question is, which of the company’s projects will get there first.

Seattle’s Uptown neighborhood — also known as Lower Queen Anne — is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seattle. Located at the base of Queen Anne Hill, the district is located to the north and west of downtown, and Uptown’s residents are some of the most active and involved when it comes to infill development in Seattle.

On Wednesday, May 2nd, a 95-unit project in Queen Anne was advanced at a second Early Design Guidance (EDG) meeting. At the meeting, applicant Jackson Main Architecture presented updated project plans to the west Design Review board on behalf of Vibrant Cities, who is developing the project. The development was last reviewed at an initial EDG meeting held in early February 2018. Ken Large Landscape Architect is also on the project team.

For many Pacific Northwest renters, bigger is not better when it comes to living quarters. The location and cost of the the unit is much more important than the size of your digs. This idea has manifested in increasingly smaller apartments: The average Seattle rental unit shrunk by 5% in 2018.

A proposed 23 story tower in the Pearl District has gone in front of the Design Commission to receive Design Advice. The project is being developed by Vibrant Cities in partnership with the Sunray Group, with design by Otak. The lower 11 floors of the 250′ tall building would be occupied by a Hyatt Place branded hotel. The upper 12 floors would be residential, with 120 apartment units. No vehicular parking is proposed.

Seattle developer planning a 170-room Hyatt Place hotel in the Pearl District.

If the average U.S. apartment did the Facebook 10-year challenge, it would reveal itself to be 52 SF skinnier.

In a cramped basement on a warm, late afternoon in July in the International District (ID), concerned residents of the neighborhood anxiously awaited a meeting of the International Special Review District Board (ISRD), to hear details of the fate of Bush Garden.

Having earned a LEED Platinum Certification, The Cove offers residential and retail space along with multiple unique and green amenities…

As one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, Seattle has no shortage of new commercial and residential developments coming online. During this period of growth, project teams for new developments are continually striving to strike a balance between designing for the residents themselves and creating developments that successfully fit their surrounding neighborhood context.

The Zeal Lofts at 3185 N Vancouver Ave have been submitted for building permit review. The new 6 story mixed-use 205 group living unit, 10 full unit apartment building with 3-4 tenant spaces on ground floor and onsite below grade parking, includes associated sitework…

Seattle’s Pike/Pine corridor in Capitol Hill has experienced no shortage of development activity in recent months, and a 71-unit project slated for the neighborhood was recently approved by the downtown review board at a Design Review Recommendation (DRR) meeting. On Wednesday, June 13th, project applicant Tiscareno Associates presented updated plans to the downtown review board on behalf of developer Vibrant Cities.

A Seattle developer has proposed to build a Hyatt Place hotel in Portland’s Pearl District…

The Cove building has won the following two awards at the 2018 Gold Nugget Award… Best Innovative Energy Award and Award of Merit for the Best Multi-family housing community

The new 60-unit Cove apartments on Capitol Hill in Seattle has sold for $32.16 million, or $921 a square foot, which is a record, according to real estate company JLL.

On Wednesday, February 7th, a 134-unit mixed-use development in Queen Anne was unanimously approved to proceed to the next stage of the city’s design review process at an Early Design Guidance meeting. At the meeting, the applicant—Jackson Main Architecture—presented preliminary project plans on behalf of Vibrant Cities, the developer of the project. The landscape architect for the project is Ken Large Landscape Architect.

Sustainable design doesn’t have to be expensive.

A new, 60-unit, 50,000-square-foot mixed-used residential building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Cove is designed to a LEED Platinum standard and incorporates features that translate to a 30% energy savings. While there may be a perception that a green building will cost developers much more than a traditional one, developer James Wong, co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based Vibrant Cities, disagrees.