SEATTLE — A permit was issued Wednesday to allow shoring and excavation work on the dirt pit that has sat across Fourth Avenue from Seattle City Hall for nearly two decades.
The goal is to lay the foundation for a 58-story high-rise with 423 units of housing, ground floor retail and a large public plaza.
Dubbed the “Civic Square” project and valued at around $300 million, according to city records, the site is located at the heart of downtown and the tower would add yet another face to Seattle’s continuously expanding skyline.
The ground floor plaza is set to cover 25,000 square feet of space aims to engage the public.
In total, three levels will consist of residential amenities, which includes a rooftop pool, three levels will hold commercial space for retail businesses and 55 levels will be dedicated to residences.
The builders plan to also include seven levels of parking below grade.
The design of the building consists of a curved structure the builders hope will provide a “type of relief from the existing street wall typology.”
The tower is among the latest high-rises proposed for notable areas downtown. Last month, property owner Holland Partner Group, submitted a proposal for a 45-story residential tower on the site of the city’s famed Elephant Car Wash, which was demolished in late 2020.
The new construction also comes at a difficult time for new buildings in the city as concrete workers continue a months-long strike that has stalled massive projects like the West Seattle Bridge repairs and the University of Washington’s new psychiatric hospital.
