Have you driven by the old Safeway building on Broadway lately? If you wanted a last look you've missed your chance. The building's been demolished. In its place is an empty lot. The property is being prepared for the construction of what will become the Brix condominiums, a large mixed-use project slated to open in 2008.
Such construction, along with the large project slated for the old QFC site one block south, begs the question: What will happen to the single-story Broadway properties nearby?
The short answer is, I don't know. But as a case in point, consider the block immediately north of the old Safeway, between East Mercer and East Roy streets.
A quick glance at the street suggests that it's ripe for redevelopment at some point. The buildings are not architectural treasures. And, given the Broadway zoning increase that raised the allowable building height to 65 feet, an increase the developers of the Brix project as well as the upcoming mixed-used development being planned for the former QFC property, it's only natural to assume that other substantial buildings are heading this way in the not-so-distant future.
There are no land use signs posted along the block, so thoughts on the subject are merely targeted ruminations. But three of the block's commercial spaces are empty, two of which - the Jade Pagoda restaurant and lounge and the Glade Market convenience store - closed within the last six weeks. (Earlier this week workers were taking down the awning above the former Glade Market.) The other, formerly Orpheum Records, has been vacant for more than three years. There may not be any writing on the wall, so to speak, but it wouldn't be a stretch to pull out the marker.
Despite the Jade Pagoda closure at the end of August, the feel of the block is defined by a wide variety of Asian restaurants. On Monday, Sept. 25, there was a large lunch crowd at Thai Siam. Next door, the Asian Wok and Grill was doing a brisk trade. At the Da Lat Vietnamese restaurant a few doors north, most of the tables were occupied during the lunch rush. Appearances can be deceiving, but all indications suggest that these are relatively healthy businesses. Also on the block is the Elite Tavern, at that location since Prohibition ended and a gay tavern since 1979 (making it the city's second oldest gay bar). The retail businesses are sandwiched by the Union 76 station to the north and the Diamond Parking lot to the south. The latter space has an espresso stand as well as a covered kiosk run by a local artist.
The retail properties facing Broadway are owned by three groups: Diamond Parking, Fortuna Sequitur and R & M Jones Three LLC. This does not include the residential properties facing 10th Avenue East. According to King County tax assessment records, the block is worth $5.15 million. Tax assessments are typically lower than the price the market would bear.
I wasn't able (yet) to get a reply to a question as to the property owners' future plans. Similarly, the business owners on the block were hesitant to talk about their lease or what they had heard about the block's future. I'm afraid there's no specific light to shed regarding anyone's intentions.
But nearly three years ago, the Gardner-Johnson study commissioned by the city made specific reference to the block: "This site reflects a relatively complex assemblage of 10 properties, most of which are considered to be currently under-improved."
Speaking to potential and possible future uses, the study pointed to ground level retail along with more than 120 residential units. This was done before the Broadway rezone. Two more floors are now available to any future developer, meaning significantly more residential units are possible. "The location of this block is exceptional, with views available from the upper floors," the study added.
The north end of Broadway, after years, decades even, of stagnation, is undergoing dramatic changes in fairly short order. When the old Safeway and QFC sites have been redeveloped the street will have more natural connections to the rest of the block, as well as hundreds of new residents. One long lament was that the former grocery store facades, particularly on the QFC building, served to isolate the northern portion of Broadway from the rest of the street.
At Broadway's north tip, the 700 Broadway building, while largely regarded as an aesthetic disappointment, has added both people and businesses to what had been an empty lot. If the properties on the west side of Broadway between East Mercer and East Roy streets were redeveloped, the street's density would increase dramatically. It's possible that the businesses now operating on the block could move into a new building; if not, they would be lost to Broadway's expansion. Change comes at a cost.
Either way, the north end of Broadway is well on the road to becoming a very different place.
Around Here is a column by the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. Doug Schwartz can be reached at editor @capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.[[In-content Ad]]
