Groundbreaking on North Lot begins new era for Pioneer Square

King County Executive Dow Constantine was joined by developer Kevin Daniels, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark, and former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer yesterday to break ground on the long-awaited North Lot development next to CenturyLink Field – a project that is key to revitalization of Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood.

The Executive announced that the County’s sale of the property to North Lot Development LLC closed on Monday. He also credited the tenacity of developer Kevin Daniels for assembling the plan and financing over the past six years.

“We’re on the cusp of the greatest economic recovery for Pioneer Square since Gold Rush days, and I am thankful to be able to contribute to a rebirth in the community,” said Daniels, president of Daniels Real Estate, which also worked with the team that developed the nearby Starbucks Center and renovated Union Station. He is also co-chair of the Alliance for Pioneer Square.

The project to be built on the North Lot of the old Kingdome site is expected to create up to 2,700 construction jobs. Over the next decade, the development is projected to generate more than $727 million in economic activity.

The $180 million first phase of the project will become the largest transit-oriented development in the Pacific Northwest. The development is expected to include nearly 1.5 million square feet of uses, including up to 800 mixed-income residential units, a hotel, 400,000 square feet of office space, and 35,000 square feet of retail space.

The project will create an urban development in a walkable neighborhood near the downtown core. Its location near Amtrak at King Street Station and several major bus lines will provide residents and users with a number of transportation alternatives.

“This project will bring the most new construction to Pioneer Square since the rebuilding from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889,” said former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer, co-chair of the Alliance for Pioneer Square and host for today’s celebration. “The positive impacts on the neighborhood can’t be overstated.”

Under an agreement struck last week with the Washington State Public Stadium Authority, stadium replacement parking for the public will be made available at the King County Metro central campus employee parking garage at 6th Ave. S. and S. Royal Brougham Way

Under the agreement, the County will grant rights to the PSA detailing event use of available spaces at the Metro garage. In exchange for these rights, the County will receive $10.2 million for the parking from North Lot Development LLC. King County received another $10 million from the sale of the North Lot to the development firm, to be used by the County to honor long-standing commitments for affordable housing funding and for other one-time investments.

And then the neighborhood partied (photos by Doug Vann):