People will soon be moving in to The Platform Apartments in downtown Kent.
Rents range from $1,039 to $1,845 per month at the five-story complex, said property manager Heather Lagat during a tour last week. The complex offers move-in specials of a month’s free rent and $99 down. Leases are from six to 18 months.
Construction started last year on the 174-unit complex that’s expected to open in October. About 33 units were already leased through the first week of September.
People interested in renting can tour the complex daily between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to find out if the corner of West Smith Street and Fourth Avenue North might be where they want to live.
“We have young professionals and retired people,” Lagat said about those who have leased apartments. “There’s great dining and a movie theater across the street.”
Renters are attracted to the complex because it’s brand new, located across from the Kent Station shopping center and the Sounder train station sits just down the street, Lagat said.
A similar unit would cost 40 percent more in downtown Seattle, Lagat said. Several people who commute to downtown Seattle for work plan to live in the apartments.
“We are pretty similar to Renton and apartments at The Landing,” Lagat said about the rental rates.
Crews are expected to wrap up construction in the next couple of months. Units on the top floor should be ready between Oct. 1-15 with the rest of the floors opening later. Goodman Real Estate of Seattle is the developer.
The new apartments are 20 percent preleased.
“That’s great,” Lagat said. “Out of the new developments by Goodman in the Northwest this site has preleased at the quickest pace versus Seattle and other projects.”
The units range from 630 square feet for a one bedroom to 1,020 square feet for two bedrooms and two baths. Each unit has a small balcony while ground floor units have large patios. Parking is available for $65 per month in a garage below the units.
About half of the people interested in living at The Platform live in Kent. Others are from Renton, Auburn and Bellevue, Lagat said. An 85-year-old man signed up for one of the apartments.
The complex features 11 floor plans. Units on the south side feature views of Mount Rainier. Washer and dryers are in each unit.
A common indoor space on the rooftop features a pool table and three TVs and a mountain view. A rooftop deck includes a TV, kitchen, grills and a fire pit and panoramic views of the Kent Valley. The complex plans happy hours one evening per week as well as viewing parties for Seahawks’ games.
Other features include a fitness center with exercise equipment and free weights and a fitness on demand studio where residents can exercise to a drop-down screen.
The opening of The Platform completes a long process for the site. The previous developer ran out of money in 2007 after constructing a half-built parking garage as part of a proposed hotel, condominiums and retail space development. The garage loomed as an eyesore for four years before Goodman agreed to buy the property from the city, tear down the garage and build the first urban-style apartments in Kent.
Companies consider retail space
The retail space on the ground floor of The Platform Apartments has yet to be leased but several companies are looking into renting the facility at the corner of West Smith Street and Fourth Avenue. City officials have mentioned a small restaurant or coffee shop type of business would be a good fit.
“We’ve got a couple of proposals we’re working on,” said Adam Greenberg, a broker with First Western Properties of Tacoma and Kirkland. “I don’t know which direction we will go.”
Greenberg said he couldn’t name the companies because of ongoing negotiations but he labeled them as “good, regional tenants.”
As more residents move into the apartments during the rest of the year, Greenberg expects a lease to be signed.
“By the beginning of 2015 we’d like to get someone up and running,” he said. “A retailer needs to get residents living there before it will go in.”
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