Lennar starts Early Design Guidance for U-District Safeway

Lennar Multifamily Communities has filed a draft early design guidance package for an eight-story, three building mixed-use apartment project near University Village, on the site of an existing Safeway grocery store and Burgermaster restaurant.  As proposed, the development would be one of the largest mixed-use residential projects in the city.

The proposal shows ~760 apartments, ~25,300 square feet of retail and structured parking for ~650 cars.  Parking and retail will be on levels one and two, and the apartments will be on levels 3 through 8.  The site is adjacent to the east of the University Village mall, and across 45th street to the north of the UW ballfields.

Typical of early design guidance proposals, LMC shows three potential designs for the site.  The third plan - typically the developer's preferred option -  includes a large public plaza facing 45th street.  Two large london plane trees would be kept in their current locations.  Under all options, new street trees would be added.

According to the PSBJ, in Spring 2021 Safeway parent company Albertsons paid $25 million for the 1.8-acre site, where Safeway has operated since 1976.  Albertsons also owns the surrounding property, making the land assemblage over 4 acres.

Encore is the architect, Weissman is the landscape designer.  Safeway is also working on at least three other redevelopment projects in Seattle, one on  Capitol Hill, one in the University District, and on Queen Anne.