A Kirkland developer plans to build a 165-unit, seven-story apartment complex in downtown Kent at West Meeker Street and Madison Avenue.
David Myaskovsky submitted plans in late October to the city for the Madison Plaza Apartments. The first two levels would be for parking.
“They submitted a complete set of civil and building plans, which means they are spending serious money in order to bring this proposed project to fruition,” said Ben Wolters, city economic and community development director, in a Nov. 1 report to the City Council.
Wolters described the project as market-rate, urban-style apartments.
“It’s rather well designed,” he said. “You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference of this design whether it were in Seattle, Bellevue or downtown Kent.”
The property proposed for development is four parcels, one vacant and the other three containing single family homes, according to city planning staff.
Imad H. Bahbah, principal architect for Kent-based IHB Architects, said construction is scheduled to start in the spring with the complex ready for occupancy in the summer of 2018.
“It will have 165 units of market-rate apartments and various amenities including a game room/lounge, fitness center, bike storage/bike wash, storage lockers, secured parking and a large rooftop open space with barbecue, landscaped areas, seating areas with trellises, fireplace, more game areas, a dog run with dog wash and spectacular views,” Bahbah said in an email.
Madison Plaza would become the third large, urban-style, market-rate apartment complex to open in the last few years in downtown Kent. The Platform Apartments opened in 2014 at West Smith Street and Fourth Avenue North. The Dwell at Kent Station Apartments opened in May.
“This shows the ongoing investment and revitalization of our downtown is continuing,” Wolters said.
The council earlier this year approved trying to sell the city’s Naden Avenue properties, a 7-acre site just south of the proposed Madison Plaza Apartments. The 21 Naden parcels are generally bordered by West Meeker Street, the Interurban Trail, Willis Street and Highway 167.
“This also speaks well to other potential market prospects for the Naden property when we bring it to market,” Wolters said.
Hotel developers have shown an interest to city staff in the Naden property.
In addition to Madison Plaza, IHB Architects is designing the first phase of Highline Place, a 160-bed international student college housing and retail mixed-use project in Des Moines near Highline College at Pacific Highway South and South 236th Street. The site is near the city of Kent’s West Hill border. It’s across the street from Sound Transit’s light rail station scheduled to open in 2023 or 2024.
Construction on the four-story Highline Place apartment complex is expected to start next spring and be built in about one year. A second phase project on the property will include a five-story building with 280 market-rate apartments, according to the city of Des Moines website.
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