Weber + Thompson designs a new Bellevue home for Masins Furniture
Seattle, Washington — May 9, 2002 — Weber + Thompson, a full-service Seattle design firm, announced construction of Main Street Plaza – a mixed-use retail and residential development with sub-grade parking – to be located in downtown Bellevue at the intersection of Main and 108th. Developed by The Union Group, the project is in for final building permits and construction is scheduled to begin this summer. The project will replace the old Masin's store that was destroyed by fire last year.
The high-exposure, three-street frontage location for this project is situated at Main Street between 108th and 107th Avenues. The project contains 111,000 gross square feet in a 5-story structure that is to be constructed of permanent and elegant materials including brick, concrete stucco and generous glazing. Masin's will control two of the commercial floors of the development, upscale apartment units, located on the third, fourth and fifth floors, will range from 490sf to 1140sf. These are urban, loft-style apartments, new to the Bellevue apartment market. The target renters for the apartments are younger renters that embrace a hip urban lifestyle,and young-at-heart empty nesters seeking refuge from traffic gridlock and wanting the convenience and benefit of living near Bellevue's shopping, dining and public park amenities.
The design of the project was conceived in collaboration with City of Bellevue planners that envisioned a mixed-use project that would encourage pedestrian activity and help activate the sidewalks. A substantial public plaza complete with a water feature and lush landscaping anchors the Main Street and 108th Ave entry. A quieter, semi-public, sunken terrace at the north side of the property includes planters and seating and is accessible to the retail shops within. There is a continuous pedestrian canopy providing weather protection along Main Street and street trees / plantings consistent with downtown Bellevue's plans to foster an urban-center village. According to Weber + Thompson principal Blaine Weber, city planners have complemented this project for being "precisely what they had envisioned when this particular mixed-use zone was created."
The Project Team for Masin's includes: Weber + Thompson, architecture and interior design; The Union Group, project owner/developer; WG Clark, construction; DCI, structural engineer; Dowl, civil engineers.