{"id":1004717675,"date":"2025-04-23T00:16:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004717675"},"modified":"2025-05-21T02:42:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T10:42:39","slug":"top-projects-that-will-reshape-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/top-projects-that-will-reshape-seattle\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Projects That Will Reshape Seattle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was originally posted on June 1, 2024, and updated on April 23, 2025, to include the latest information available about each project.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Check out our other articles in the series to discover the top projects reshaping Boston<\/a>, <\/em>Nashville<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Miami<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Phoenix<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>San Francisco<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Tampa<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Los Angeles<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Austin<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Tower<\/a>
Amazon’s 43-story tower in Bellevue, Wash., will be one of the tallest buildings in the metro. Image courtesy of Amazon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Seattle\u2019s commercial real estate scene is defined by robust expansion and sustainable development. The metro\u2019s strong economy\u2014fueled by tech giants that support employment and population growth\u2014is spurring demand for all types of properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite inherent challenges, construction projects pushed through last year. Office completions increased by more than a third compared to 2023, reaching a total of 4 million square feet, CommercialEdge data<\/a> shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, more than 5.1 million square feet of office space was underway at the end of 2024, with many of the projects currently under construction having the potential to not only alter the city\u2019s skyline and reshape its infrastructure, but also enhance its overall appeal. Some of these projects mirror the metro\u2019s commitment to green building practices<\/a>, while others support its urban development and revitalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Puget Sound region has much to look forward to when it comes to big infrastructure projects coming online\u2014light rail extensions, community amenities and business footprint expansions\u2014and we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with FIFA World Cup coming in 2026,” Rachel Smith, president & CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, told Commercial Property Executive<\/em>. “All of these will have a significant, lasting, positive impact on making our region a more desirable place to live, work, recreate and raise a family.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, two major public projects were completed: the East Link Starter Line, a 6-mile light rail route connecting South Bellevue to Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, and the pedestrian improvements between Pioneer Square and Waterfront Park as part of the City’s Waterfront Seattle Program<\/a> that aims to create more green spaces and optimize traffic operations. Out of the 12 proposed projects in the program, eight have already been completed and Waterfront Park (Pier 58) is expected to open later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides these publicly funded enhancements, CPE <\/em>has identified several major private developments in the metro, which have the potential to redefine its neighborhoods and alter its skyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Bellevue 600<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Amazon<\/a>
Developed in two phases, the project includes more than 1.5 million square feet of office space, along with retail and amenity areas. Image courtesy of Amazon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Bellevue is one of the Seattle submarkets that is bound to change most, with multiple major projects expected to come online in the upcoming years. Amazon’s Bellevue 600 is among the biggest projects currently under construction in the metro. When complete, the two towers will add more than 1.5 million square feet of office space to its inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 2025, the project is progressing steadily. After breaking ground on the 43-story east tower in 2021, the tech giant topped out the building in September 2024. The 600-foot-tall mixed-use high-rise is scheduled for completion later this year, when it’ll join 555 Tower as the tallest buildings in Bellevue. For now, construction activities include ongoing site utility work along 110th St. and 6th Ave., as well as underground utility installations and work at adjacent pedestrian areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction is also underway at Bellevue 600’s second tower, which is set to rise 31 stories and include 764,400 square feet of office, 21,200 square feet of retail, along with an exhibition space on the ground floor and a daycare center. Spanning 3.5 acres from 110th Ave. NE to 108th Ave. NE, the project will support more than 7,000 Amazon employees when it comes online later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Bellevue<\/a>
The 3.5-acre development includes office space for 7,000 Amazon employees. Image courtesy of Amazon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

NBBJ designed Bellevue 600 with sustainability and employee wellness in mind, targeting LEED Gold certification. The development provides extensive office space, but it also includes meeting rooms and informal gathering areas to foster collaboration and well-being in the office.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the employees will have access to a ground-floor coffee bar and a 16-foot-wide park-like walking path connecting the two towers, as well as an outdoor plaza and garden with over 40 plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. 555 Tower<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"55<\/a>
The 600-foot tall office tower adds another million square feet to the metro’s inventory. Image courtesy of NBBJ<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

At the heart of Bellevue’s central business district, right next to Amazon\u2019s Bellevue 600 development, the NBBJ-designed 555 Tower is well underway after a two-year construction pause caused by the pandemic-induced uncertainty surrounding work dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising 600 feet, the 42-story office tower developed by Vulcan Real Estate is being built using a $598.6 million construction loan from Wells Fargo Bank, CommercialEdge data shows. Right after Vulcan broke ground on the tower in 2020, it landed Amazon as its tenant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also known as Sonic, 555 Tower welcomed its first 1,000 employees in late 2023. They currently have access to half of the building, meaning 400,000 square feet of office space across 19 floors. Work is still underway on the remaining floors at 555 Tower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once completed, the tower will also encompass 24,675 square feet of amenity and retail space, along with a two-story pavilion and 967 parking spaces, outdoor terraces, a dog deck, quiet rooms, cafes and bike storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“At ground level, a thoughtfully scaled retail pavilion building and engaging outdoor public spaces create inviting connections for workers and the community to the street and the Grand Connection,” said NBBJ Principal & Design Leader Dale Alberda. “The Pavilion building\u2019s sustainable green roof, viewed by many tall, neighboring buildings, reflects Bellevue\u2019s rich agricultural history,” he added. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Pavilion<\/a>
The Pavilion at 555 Tower. Image courtesy of NBBJ<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The building’s design conceptually connects the city with the sky, featuring a striking curtain wall inspired by cascading rainfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The 555 Tower with its colorful, rainfall-inspired exterior serves as an urban anchor and a new landmark on the Bellevue skyline,” said Alberda. “The tower’s collaborative working spaces, adjacent to south-facing terraces, connect inside to out and take full advantage of dramatic city and mountain views across the Puget Sound region,” added Alberda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its design centered around sustainability, the tower has a dedicated outdoor air system for heating and cooling, as well as enhanced ventilation systems, extensive landscaping and biophilic elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArt installations enrich the public plaza entry along 108th<\/sup> Ave NE and the adjacent Grand Connection. These include two cast bronze sculptures by Rik Allen and Shelley Muzylowski Allen that were built up from thousands of wood twigs pruned from century-old King apple trees,\u201d said NBBJ Architect & Senior Project Manager Leslie Synnestvedt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development is now LEED Gold certified, in addition to its Salmon Safe certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Spring District<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bellevue\u2019s BelRed Corridor is home to another massive project: the 36-acre Spring District, a new urban neighborhood in the making. A joint venture between Wright Runstad & Co. and Shorenstein Properties started work on the $2.3 billion masterplan in 2013, with expected completion in 2028. NBBJ is handling overall design, with individual properties designed by GGLO.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Spring<\/a>
Block 5 at Spring District comprises 332,000 square feet and is fully leased to Meta. Image courtesy of Wright Runstad & Co.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

“The Spring District is a sustainable, mixed-use, transit-oriented development at an ambitious scale,” said Andy Bench, president of Wright Runstad & Co. “What was once a low-density industrial site is now home to a vibrant LEED-ND-certified neighborhood with millions of square feet of office space, hundreds of apartment units, and a growing collection of retailers, all concentrated around a new regional light rail station.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2025, BRIDGE Housing broke ground on a 234-unit affordable housing project in The Spring District, aimed at providing housing for residents earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue provided the vacant land next to the light rail, valued at $16.3 million, whereas Amazon pledged $100 million through its Housing Equity Fund to accelerate affordable housing production in Bellevue, including a $22.1 million loan for this specific project. The community will come online in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, several buildings at the Spring District have already been delivered, including three residential ones totaling over 790 units, the Meta-owned Hemlock building with an adjacent market hall and park, as well as Blocks 24 and 16, purchased by Brookfield Properties for $565 million<\/a> in 2021. META is now leasing seven of the Spring District\u2019s buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work is also underway on the third phase of the project, which will add another 1.3 million square feet of office space, along with retail. Upon completion, the Spring District will encompass more than 3.3 million square feet across 19 buildings, ranging from three to 12 stories. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Spring<\/a>
Bellevue Brewing Co. has opened an outdoor beer garden and a restaurant within The Spring District. Image courtesy of Wright Runstad & Co.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Spring District also houses the Global Innovation Exchange building, an educational center focused on technology innovation that opened in 2017 as a result of the collaboration between the University of Washington and Tsinghua University of Beijing, and supported by Microsoft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the district\u2019s masterplan also includes a retail pavilion, along with Block 12 which is now a brew pub operated by Bellevue Brewing Co.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, local landscape architecture firm GGN designed a park that will accommodate a variety of activities, including informal sports and evening movies, contributing to the overall walkable environment that Spring District aims to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. FRED310<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest industrial developments in the metro, FRED310, is set to add almost 4 million square feet of space to the Frederickson, Wash., area, spanning 310 acres. Developed through a joint venture between Panattoni Development Co. and Crow Holdings Capital, and funded by a $252.3 million construction loan<\/a> provided by PCCP on 2023, FRED310 was designed to meet the needs of modern industrial users<\/a>. In September 2024, Sierra Construction completed the first phase of FRED310, which includes four buildings totaling 3.3 million square feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategically located near the Port of Tacoma, rail lines and major highways, this development is poised to become a central hub for distribution and logistics in the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Seattle has long been a core coastal market, and we view the Frederickson industrial pocket as an equally mature submarket that is home to a ‘who\u2019s who’ list of Fortune 500 companies,” Chase Furr, director in the industrial group of Crow Holdings Capital, told CPE<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"FRED310<\/a>
FRED310 will add 4 million square feet to Seattle’s industrial inventory. Image courtesy of Crow Holdings Capital<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Among the buildings in the industrial campus that have found a tenant is the 782,875-square-foot building for Harbor Freight Tools, which marked one of the largest industrial leases<\/a> in the region in 2023. Building C, comprising 1.2 million square feet, is leased to Floor & Decor, while GE Appliances partially occupies the 753,069-square-foot Building D. Work is still yet to begin at buildings A and B, which will comprise almost 700,000 square feet that need to find a tenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the project\u2019s impact, Furr believes that household brand names will provide incredible economic benefits to the greater community for years to come, both directly through job creation and indirectly through increased supply chain efficiencies to the end consumer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. The Net<\/h2>\n\n\n\n