SEATTLE, WA – April 8, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Greg Nickels led a walking tour of the South Lake Union neighborhood this morning, meeting physicians, scientists, and retailers. He also spoke about the future of Mercer Street and the need to improve mobility in this vital part of the regional economy.
“In the past few years, we have focused attention and resources on neighborhoods such as Northgate, Capitol Hill, South Park, Southeast Seattle and South Lake Union that could generate jobs and become vibrant places for people to live,” said Nickels. “We are now seeing the evidence that these policies are successful. South Lake Union has been called a ‘silver lining’ during dark economic times across the country.”
In just the past five years, more than 2.7 million square feet of new office and biotech space has been built or is under construction. Through Nickels’ South Lake Union Action Agenda, more than 9,000 jobs have been created. By 2012, the city expects more than 20,000 new jobs. Today, Nickels stopped by several key neighborhood employers, including:
Amazon.com: 1021 Mercer (Phase II) 1001 Mercer & 1101 Republican (Phase III)
The new Amazon world headquarters will include 10 buildings on six blocks in South Lake Union, for a total of 1.6 million square feet. Construction is under way and will be completed in 2012. Six of the 10 buildings will be occupied in 2010. Seattle’s Office of Economic Development estimates that Amazon.com’s headquarters will have more than 5,000 employees.
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute: 307 Westlake Ave.
More than 300 scientists and staff members strive to combat global infectious disease each day at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI). By combining science and imagination, SBRI’s mission is to conquer the diseases (such as malaria, HIV) that are responsible for the majority of deaths worldwide. SBRI is an independent, nonprofit research institute affiliated with the University of Washington. SBRI occupies a new research facility in a fast developing biotechnology hub in the South Lake Union – an area that is home to many research organizations on the forefront of life sciences.
Westlake Terry Building: 320 Westlake Ave.
Group Health opened its headquarters in late 2007. They are the anchor tenant of this high-performing and sustainable facility. This building houses their administrative functions, which includes approximately 700 employees. Founded in 1947, Group Health Cooperative is a consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that coordinates care and coverage and serves more than half a million residents of Washington state and Idaho. Group Health has 9,135 employees with 2,500 located in Seattle. The Westlake Terry Building also houses 250-300 Microsoft employees.
UW Medicine at South Lake Union: 815 Mercer
The second phase of the University of Washington’s new research complex, located at 815 Mercer St., opened in the summer of 2008 and consists of a 170,000-square-foot laboratory building and an 86,000-square-foot office building. The first phase of UW Medicine’s South Lake Union research complex opened three years ago, where 300 UW researchers and employees now work. The entire complex will soon be home to an estimated 950 researchers. UW research groups that will be moving to the new complex include: the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the Center for Lung Biology, the Diabetes & Obesity Center of Excellence, and a proposed Mitochondria and Metabolism Center to be run by the Department of Anesthesiology.
Mixed-income housing and a vibrant neighborhood
Nickels noted that nearly 2,000 housing units have been built or are under construction for people of all incomes. He began the tour at Denny Park Apartments where nearly half the units are for households earning less than 30 percent of the area median.
Fixing the Mercer Mess
The two-way Mercer Corridor Project will keep cars, transit and freight moving while improving pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Cost Estimate
• $200 Million
Secured Funding
• Seattle $78.5 Million
• Utilities $26.0 Million
• Private contributions $46.5 Million
Total $151 Million
• Remaining $50 Million
Construction Schedule
• Fourth quarter 2008 – Design 100 percent submitted
• Second quarter 2009 – Environmental process complete, construction advertised
• Third quarter 2009 – Start constructing two-way Mercer Phase I
“Mercer Street will link South Lake Union with the Gates Foundation and Amgen to truly create a ‘Road to Global Health,’” said Nickels.
The Seattle Department of Transportation is seeking federal grant funds through annual appropriations, the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Surface Transportation Program/Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Grant process, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act “Supplemental Discretionary Grants for a National Surface Transportation System” and other grant processes.
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