Retrofit Atlas

Industrial sites · Washington

South Lake Union

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedRetrofit builtSeattle, WA

Retrofit completed 2009; current status mixed-use office; housing market strong but no retail metrics provided. · summary, model-written

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Site profile7 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 5 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 205,494 on I-5 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 7,119 units, King County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,323/mo zillow · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: I-5 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …one of the most thriving innovation hubs in the United States record · all sites with this
New use
OfficeThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedevelopedWikipedia no source
New usesoffice, otherWikipedia no source
What is there nowone of the most thriving innovation hubs in the United Statesnewtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year2009newtypes-extraction reported
RedeveloperPaul Allen's Vulcan Real Estatenewtypes-extraction reported

Site context

Housing permits, King County (WA), 20247,119 units in 5+ unit buildings, 1,093 in 2–4, 2,352 single-family; 2023: 7,274 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby5 within 10 km, 21 within 25 km: Rainier Vista (0.0 km); Gas Station on 15th Avenue West (0.0 km); Mini Mart City Park (0.5 km); Rainier Square (0.7 km); Westlake Mall (1.0 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)102,448 jobs in 5,725 establishments; average annual pay $60,273; employment location quotient 0.72; employment -1.1% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 202260,876 jobs; 838 in retail trade, 2,354 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 53033008102)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 36th income percentile as adults; 3.1% incarcerated at the 2010 count (49 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 25.5%; median family income $138,281; 386 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsSeattle Public Schools (PK-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Summit Public School: Sierra; Bailey Gatzert Elementary School; Middle College High School; Interagency Detention SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation134 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-20258 county-logged events: 6 heavy rain, 1 debris flow, 1 flood; $34,994,000 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 98104, 2026-09median list price $497,000 (-0.6% on the year); 59 active listings; median 50 days on market; 11% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20235,912 establishments (-10%); 104,570 jobs (+8%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $824,870 (-2% 1 yr, +7% 5 yr); typical rent $2,323/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)205,494 vehicles a day on I-5 (Interstate, 11 lanes); 9,952 trucks; 37 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

South Lake Union closed as a manufacturing center in 1990. It was redeveloped starting in 2009 by Paul Allen's Vulcan Real Estate into office and other uses. The retrofit is complete (status: built).

Why. The site is located within 1km of Rainier Vista (built) and Westlake Mall (operating). Housing market data shows a ZHVI of $824,870 (2026-09) with 7.4% 5-year growth. County population grew 4.6% 2018–2023. Median rent cited as $2,035 (source: opp_reasons).

Where it stands. The site is part of a cluster of 5 nearby developments within 10km (including Mini Mart City Park and Rainier Vista). King County permits show $2.7B in construction value (2024).

For a planner

  • No retail performance data provided
  • Traffic data shows I-5 has 205k ADT (2024) but no site access details

For a developer

  • No current tenant mix or vacancy rates
  • Peer sites (e.g., Mini Mart City Park, Rainier Vista) are 0km away but status unknown

What we do not know yet

  • 'Innovation hub' claim in after_notes is unverified
  • No current retail or office occupancy data
  • Median rent figure lacks source verification

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Totem Lake Mall, Kirkland, WA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in WA; 16 km away
  • Kirkland Parkplace, Kirkland, WA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in WA; 13 km away
  • Longacres, Renton, WA · Other · same strategy: redevelop; also in WA; 17 km away
  • Mini Mart City Park, Seattle, WA · Gas stations · same strategy: redevelop; also in WA; 0 km away

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • county grew 4.6% 2018–23
  • median rent $2,035

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Closed1990newtypes-extraction
CountyKing County
Census division9 · Pacific
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, a former industrial complex that declined in the 1980s and 90s, was transformed into an innovation hub in the late 2000s by Vulcan Real Estate.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Timeline

  1. 1990 Closed
  2. 2009 Retrofit: redevelop

Sources

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