Bellevue City Council All But Abandons ‘Bike Bellevue’ Network "On Monday night, the Bellevue City Council dealt a significant blow to efforts to complete a fully connected on-street bicycle network in central Bellevue, with most councilmembers vocally distancing themselves from the recommended network of 11 corridors in the Downtown, Wilburton, and BelRed neighborhoods that the city’s transportation department put forward last year. That network, called Bike Bellevue, was intended to improve safety on some of Bellevue’s most dangerous streets while at the same time providing a full network that doesn’t strand riders on unconnected facilities." (The Urbanist)
Leaked document: Amazon expects to save $1.3 billion by slashing office vacancies, terminating leases early, and other moves "Amazon has an office-vacancy rate of 33.8%, this person said. That number is expected to drop to 25% in 2024 and decrease to 10% over the next three to five years. The change will result in about $1.3 billion in annual operating-expense savings, according to the internal document." (Business Insider)
Office-to-residential conversion is a trendy idea for downtown resurgence — but has big challenges "These changes are expensive, and alterations require upgrades based on land use, building, and energy codes. Code requirements for residential uses can look very different from those for commercial counterparts." (Geekwire)
Seattle Seeks Experienced Real Estate Firms for Transportation Infrastructure Expansion "These firms should have a track record of mastering the legal labyrinth of real estate transactions, including crafting permits, rights of entry, and various types of easements. Expertise in adhering to the web of regulations that govern these processes is mandatory, covering Federal, State, and Seattle's municipal laws." (Hoodline)
This Real Estate Firm Bought an 80s-Era Office Building To Do Something That's Not Been Done Before "The Seattle-based real estate company plans to turn the low-slung Queen Anne Plaza west of Climate Pledge Arena into residential units as Seattle’s first office-to-residential conversion project since before the COVID-19 pandemic." (CoStar)
