Trammell Crow Residential Returns to Residential Development in the Pacific Northwest
Seattle, Washington — November 1, 2004 — National developer Trammell Crow Residential is back in the Pacific Northwest multifamily game, following an economic-downturn sponsored hiatus. Trammell Crow Residential has two new major projects in for permits, designed by the Seattle firm Weber + Thompson. With a total of 370 new residential units, these two projects are the latest additions to Trammell Crow Residential's Alexan brand, noted for its unique, high-quality design. The projects are located in Seattle's South Lake Union and Kirkland's downtown.
The development of these two projects marks Trammell Crow Residential's response to the improving local economy. "Trammell Crow has been part of the Pacific Northwest community for almost 20 years, continuing our philosophy that while we are a national company in presence, we are a local company in practice," states Managing Director Brian Fritz. "We never left the area. We kept our premier management company Trammell Crow Residential Services active in the market and they kept a close watch on the pulse of things. This allowed us to determine the perfect time to re-energize our development efforts. "Trammell Crow Residential is currently focusing their efforts on high density urban infill projects, but, continues Fritz, "we will respond to the market. If it tells us to return to the less dense suburban projects, we will."
For their new Pacific Northwest projects, Trammell Crow Residential chose to partner with architecture firm Weber + Thompson. "We interviewed a variety of architecture firms," states Fritz. "We gravitated toward Weber + Thompson and felt that with their deep portfolio of urban mixed-use projects, they would be a good fit for us." Weber + Thompson has over 17 years of experience working on its primary area of specialization: urban infill mixed-use projects. Recently the firm has earned notoriety for innovative high-rise residential projects such as Cristalla, for new-urbanist master planned communities, and for specialized condominium unit design in collaborative projects.
The two projects currently in the works are both part of Trammell Crow Residential's Alexan brand — a national brand of apartment communities that are designed to have the look and feel of 'for-sale' homes.
The Alexan Cascade is located in Seattle's Cascade neighborhood. It recently received unanimous Design Review Board approval and is slated to begin construction in early 2005. The design of the building hinges on creating a community that will help to build the emerging urban village neighborhood by enhancing pedestrian connections and with active streetfronts. "This is a building that will stand the test of time," states Fritz. "It responds to what is going on around it currently, and what changes are coming within this burgeoning community." The Alexan Cascade has 197 units in 7 stories with two stories of live/work spaces, plus a rooftop garden and sustainability-focused rainwater collection system.
The Alexan Kirkland is located in Kirkland's downtown and is designed specifically for the area's unique character and needs. This project also recently won Design Review Board approval, and is in for final building permits. "We began with a careful study of the downtown Kirkland Strategic Plan then we designed a building that responded to the city's desire to enhance this emerging world-class pedestrian village," states Weber + Thompson Principal Blaine Weber, AIA. "We deliberately broke the building into two elements which enabled an activated public plaza, located directly across from the Performing Arts Center. We also spent a lot of time collaborating with the Design Review Board to see how we could best modulate the building into Kirkland-flavored elements of scale and style." Construction will start as soon as permits have been issued.
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About Weber + Thompson
Seattle-based Weber + Thompson is a full-service, West Coast design firm specializing in architecture, interior design and planning. Led by Principals Blaine Weber AIA, Scott Thompson AIA, and Kristen Scott AIA, this award-winning company has an experienced staff of 50 design and construction professionals. Since 1987 Weber + Thompson has developed a diverse practice with projects that include master planned communities, high rises, high-density urban infill, residential, hospitality, financial facilities, and commercial office projects. Weber + Thompson seeks effective results through a thoughtful and collaborative design process. For more information please visit www.weberthompson.com, or contact Weber + Thompson at (206) 344-5700 or info@weberthompson.com.
About Trammell Crow Residential
Established in 1977, Trammell Crow Residential is the nation's premier multifamily real estate firm. Since its inception, Trammell Crow Residential has developed over 170,000 multifamily units in most major markets across the U.S. With more than 75,000 apartment units under management and $3 billion in assets, Trammell Crow Residential has established itself as the country's leader for multifamily residential developers and managers. Trammell Crow Residential's ongoing broad base of multifamily industry research, financial strength, local market knowledge and property management experience is unparalleled. For more information about Trammell Crow Residential please visit their website at www.tcresidential.com.