Insignia recently broke the five-year condo construction drought in Seattle and now it seems as though Belltown can't stop churning them out. That's right -- chalk up another condo win for the Belltown area, as work will commence this week to erect a new 27-story residential tower on Third Avenue and Cedar Street. Progress on these condos had stalled for some time due to appeals proffered by neighboring condos such as Seattle Heights. They claimed that the new building would adversely impact the northeast views (toward the Space Needle) of many future and current residents of the 239-unit, 26-story building. Drawn out legal battles, a handful of compromises with nearby condo associations, and over half a million dollars later, the Seattle office of Wood Partners are able to demolish the one-story building (previously occupied by the Washington Lung Association) to begin construction, starting with six levels of underground parking.
In two years when the project is slated to be finished, the currently unnamed 298-unit Belltown condo will be a part of the densest single residential block in Seattle. Amid the real estate custody battle between the existing and soon-to-be condos, both parties agreed to leave intact the Rite Aid store at Third and Vine, at least for the next decade. So (potential) residents are sure to have easy access to novelty snack items and makeup necessities for years to come.