A newly proposed residential development by BIG 1, LLC, recently received design review approval from the City of Bellevue. The address is 13000 Northeast Bel-Red Road. It is located near the future East Link light rail.
The apartment project, named “Big 1” is planned to be 7-stories with approximately 173 residential units and ground floor commercial and retail space. There will be three levels of above-grade parking and one level of below-grade parking.
The proposed building is approximately 237,730 square feet. The project site is 1.42 acres with an “L” shape.
The site currently has a 2-story office and warehouse building, as well as surface parking. It is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Northeast Bel-Red Road and 130th Avenue Northeast.
The site is situated less than a quarter of a mile to the north of the future East Link light rail, which will begin service in 2023.
“Big 1” will be located about .7 miles from the Spring District, a transit-oriented development that is also located near the East Link light rail. It is centered around Spring District/120th station on the East Link Extension. Many notable stores and companies are moving into this neighborhood, including Bellevue Brewing Company, Facebook, and the Steve Ballmer Building, which is the home of the Global Innovation Exchange.
The Sound Transit Board of Directors recently approved key transaction terms with developers to build an almost seven acres of transit-oriented development across from the Spring District. It is valued at more than $500 million. The project is planned to include 500 units of housing, with 280 affordable units, more than 400,000 square feet of office space, active ground floor uses like retail and resident amenities, and a public park. This will be adjacent to the Operations and Maintenance Facility: East.
The nearby Link Operations and Maintenance Facility: East will maintain and store light rail vehicles for regional expansion. It opened in mid-may 2021.
Sound Transit recently began testing trains in order to evaluate controls, safety, and signal systems for the light rail. These evaluations will help to move closer toward the opening of East Link. It is still estimated that it will be 2023 when trains can carry passengers for revenue service.
