Onni Group has some very big plans for the old Seattle Times Building in South Lake Union. The developer is working on a double 400-foot tower project that will include 1,950 total residential units, 43K sq. ft. of street-level retail and underground parking for 1,950 vehicles. They also recently mentioned that they are considering a district energy system to work in tandem with 12 other buildings in the area.
It's all a lot of big ideas until they start working on the old home of the Seattle Times and that's been a bit of a problem as of late. Up to 200 squatters took up residence in the empty structure and there have been two different fires since November for emergency crews to deal with. No matter how many times the building is secured, people keep finding their way back in with "power saws and crowbars."
All of which has led Onni to move as quickly as possible to demolish the unnecessary portion of the historic landmark. Now, Seattle is trying to make the move happen sooner than later as well.
City officials are mulling a permit that would allow the property owner to demolish most of the building, leaving the historically protected facade on three sides and some supporting structures, Sugimura said. Project managers plan to begin the work in the next 60 to 90 days, Lewis said.
The only issue holding up demolition is making sure preserved portions of the building are handled with the utmost care and done correctly. It's a landmark for a reason.
· Squatters to hasten demolition of old Seattle Times building [ST]
· Onni Proposes District Energy System For 1120 Denny Project [CS]
· Onni's Seattle Times Project Trades Preservation for Height [CS]