The Waterfront Reborn

If you're not talking about the $15 minimum wage at the water cooler, it's because you're instead buzzing about the future of Seattle's waterfront—potentially the most transformative issue in the city's modern history. (Or because you don't have a water cooler.) That's why Bisnow is thrilled to be holding its Annual Waterfront Summit this coming Tuesday, June 17. (Sign up now.)

Unico Properties regional director Andrew Cox, who'll be among the speakers at the Four Seasons Seattle, says the redevelopment of the waterfront will make the area—currently almost entirely cutoff from the CBD—more accessible and attractive. (Like when they pulled Cinderella out of the attic.) In the not-too-distant future, the new configuration will give current office tenants and the non-tourist public a reason to go to the waterfront. It’ll become an amenity that office landlords can point to when pitching Downtown Seattle to potential tenants.

The redevelopment will also stoke investor interest in CBD properties, Andrew says. The improvements will increase tenant demand for office space that’s accessible to the waterfront, and investors will ultimately follow the tenants. “It’s an exciting project not just for the waterfront or the CBD, but for the whole region,” he says.

Callison principal Michael Lee, another panelist (here at a previous Bisnow event), tells us that there are two aspects of the new waterfront design that are especially innovative. One is the way water, ecology, and human activities are integrated into the project. The use of wildlife "shelves" (didn't you read The Glass Menagerie?) and moving the boardwalk over the water creates shore edge on the city side. Also, the design is more than just another linear park system: It creates a series of perpendicular connections into the city center and develops identifiable neighborhood destinations along the water’s edge. You'll learn much, much more at our event next week. Don't miss out!