Tomorrow, Amazon representatives are scheduled to present their design for a three-block proposal that will introduce three new towers to the Seattle skyline and add 3.3 million square feet of office space to the downtown area. Quite possibly the largest development ever proposed downtown, the complex will consume five acres in the Denny Triangle Urban Village that is currently being used for parking, the Sixth Avenue Inn and the King Cat Theater.
Continue reading for more information on the Denny Triangle project.
Amazon has already provided the city with a general idea of their plans in an initial design meeting that took place on March 27 (check out the initial plans out here). They presented a number of schemes that they believed would maximize the sites potential and remain sensitive to the existing context. Amazon representatives have requested that the city to release public right to three alleys in order to allow for greater diversity in the design and maximize views and sunlight. The Downtown Design Review Board questioned how this would benefit the public and surrounding neighborhoods, rather than just Amazon, fearing the possibility of creating dead zones on the street.
The project will include a total of six buildings on three blocks, with each block consisting of one tower up to 37 stories high and one smaller building of five to six stories, both linked by one or two skybridges.
The phased development could take up to eight years to complete, as the project will be split up in three phases that could last two to four years each. As reported in the Seattle Times, John Savo of NBBJ suggested that the block closest to downtown – between Sixth, Seventh and Westlake avenues and Virginia and Lenora streets – would probably be developed first.
Amazon will be presenting the updated scheme Tuesday, May 8th at 6PM in the Bertha Knight Landes Room in City Hall. The focus of the design review will be on how this project will change Seattle. You can review the update presentation here.
Reference: Seattle Times, New York Times, seattlepi.com
