Seattle's new neighborhood may come in as little as 7 years

SEATTLE – Just north of the Magnolia Bridge in Interbay sits a 25-acre site prime for the development of the city’s new neighborhood.

Construction could start in as little as seven years depending on how soon the Washington National Guard, who currently occupies the area, completes its move to North Bend.

Imagine residential buildings packed closely together to a continuous one-mile park with a wetland and estuary that would extend between the Magnolia bridge to the Smith Cove light rail station and connecting lines set to open in 2035. Picture drones flying packages above the area's "Toy Box" elevated space overlooking the city, an innovation center, and robots mingling with humans in the square.

At least that’s how one University of Washington class envisions the new site – and it's pretty impressive.

“While these are typically thought of as separate elements, the truth of the matter is that they inevitably will be interconnected and integrating their uses, designs, and construction will afford the best possible outcome for the city,” said UW student Maura Witzel, who’s UW class was tasked with creating conceptual designs of how the area may look like.

It's not hard to see why it's gaining interest of public officials.

“There is nothing like this in Seattle today and this opportunity has many people very excited,” added UW architecture professor Rick Mohler, who’s student class created those designs.

Interbay is zoned mostly industrial and prohibits housing. That’s because traditionally we link industry to pollution, but modern industry can be much cleaner and quieter. Mohler’s class imagined a new kind of building, with apartments over metal fabrication shops.

“Public officials are interested in this because it departs from traditional zoning, which tends to designate single uses and can potentially address issues such as affordable housing,” said UW student Eddie Kim, who was a key maker in the conceptual designs.

Over 3,000 residential units are projected for the new neighborhood, with 10% designated for affordable housing. The good news: the new site will create another 5,137 jobs, helping even out the job-to-housing ratio.

“With the proximity of the state-owned armory site and the city-owned Interbay Golf Course, some of our proposals recognized the opportunity for a "land swap," which would involve the collaboration between city and state agencies to rezone 70 acres of city land to maximize public value,” he added.

That land swap involves converting the city’s 30+ acre golf course to public parks in order to serve more people.

The city of Seattle is currently reviewing its industrial lands policy and may decide to do a combination of housing, industrial and commercial uses.

Addressing climate change was also part of the discussion.

“Given the proximity of the Armory site to the Elliott Bay waterfront, many of us recognized the need to recognize climate change as the entire area is within the 100-year floodplain,” Kim said.

Proposals for the city included restoring part of the Smith Cove shoreline to its original condition of tidally influenced mudflats with a wetland park. That’s because Interbay faces tsunami and flooding risks as ocean levels rise and extreme storm conditions become the norm. If a tsunami strikes, this part of Interbay would be temporarily underwater following an earthquake.

During a tide event, the water would roll further in and cover more of the park. These tides would be a source of enjoyment instead of something disastrous.

Soil dug to create the wetland could also be pilled on the hills of the old golf course – creating lookout spots much like those at Gas Works Park.

For example, picture a long strip of land extending from Smith Cove to the transformed mile-long urban tidal park and just below the new apartment high rises is an estuary.

Another idea is creating a public development authority that will oversee the development of the 25-acre property – think similar to the Preservation and Development Authority that runs the Pike Place Market.

“Understanding that the development of the site is best suited for a multi-phased development model provides an opportunity to work with lawmakers, designers, impacted communities, and other key groups to strategically plan for and execute a design which transforms Interbay into an environmentally inclusive live/work community,” Witzel said.