Design Review

Seattle Breaks Ground on West Coast’s First Residential Highrise of 2024

As a new 45-story apartment tower goes up at the Elephant Car Wash site, Seattle is building apartments at a rapid pace – but a slump may be on the way.
Downtown Bellevue Construction

Downtown Bellevue Anticipates a Wave of Mega-Projects

Among the many projects up for consideration in Downtown Bellevue, a significant faction stands out for the sheer scale of its developments. These projects...
A photo of West Seattle near the bridge and Harbor Island with a rendering of an apartment building superimposed on top.

Housing Notes: 16-Story Tower Proposed in Kirkland and 114 Middle-Income Homes in West Seattle

The Puget Sound Regional Council adopted a Regional Housing Strategy which could have a big impact on housing growth -- if cities and counties...
A six story apartment rendered with white siding on the corners and brick in the middle.

Two Seattle QFC Redevelopments Run Into Concerns Around Height and Parking

Two housing projects -- one in Wedgwood and one in Capitol Hill -- are running into similar issues around tree retention, parking, and scale.

To Meet Housing and Sustainability Goals, Seattle Must Streamline Land Use Code

Few things perfectly encapsulate the problems of planning like a city’s land use code. Unlike the building code, which dictates the life safety requirements...
Downtown bellevue skyline from the Northwest

Scope Out Bellevue’s Skyline of Tomorrow

Buried behind a storm of mammoth projects are yet more potential development proposals in Downtown Bellevue. While these projects don't possess the scale of...
Seven-story midrise apartments along a pedestrian plaza.

Seattle Inches Down Path to Design Review Overhaul with New Report

Three years after the Seattle City Council tasked the department of construction with examining how to reform its cumbersome design review process, the agency released its report. The department still remains nearly a year away from making substantive changes to design review.
A rendering of the 19-story proposal with Belltown and Downtown skyline in the background.

Belltown Group Tries to Block Taller Buildings Downtown Over Birds

To prevent a 19-story apartment building long in the works, a group of Belltown residents are trying to stop code updates to Seattle's Living Building pilot program. The purported risk of bird deaths headline the group's laundry list of concerns.