1. w w w. t h e s p r i n g d i s t r i c t . c o m
December 2013

2. Seattle
Mercer Island
Bellevue
SR-520

3. Seattle
Mercer Island
Bellevue
SR-520

4. Seattle
Bellevue

8. ENTITLED MASTER PLAN
OFFICE
3,715,000 sf
RESIDENTIAL
1,222,000 sf
HOTEL
199,000 sf
RETAIL
158,000 sf
TOTAL
5,294,000 sf

11. REGIONAL OPPORTUNITY
STRONG HOUSING DEMAND
• Shrinking apartment vacancy rate with continued strong demand
• Region predicted to add 135,000 new residents in next 3 years
STRONG COMMERCIAL DEMAND
• 27 million sf owned or leased by tech companies
• Strong growth predicted +2.7 million sf “in the market” now
TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP
• UW, Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia and many, many others
• Strong entrepreneurial culture
PUBLIC INVESTMENTS
• $2.8 billion new light rail extension to Eastside
• $4.65 billion new 520 bridge to Eastside

12. BELLEVUE OPPORTUNITY
TOP RATED SCHOOL SYSTEM
• Bellevue International High School is #1 in state, #7 in nation
• Top rated district in state
HIGH INCOME
• Median income $81,000
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
• 41% foreign born - one of the most diverse cities in the U.S.
• Chinese and Indian nationals dominate software developer
workforce in region
• +15,000 H1B visa and full time foreign workers/year
• Demand for new civic spaces to congregate, share

13. URBAN VS SUBURBAN
DEMAND FOR URBAN OPTIONS
• High density, diverse urban environment versus suburban
campus, big box or low rise designs
SUBURBAN CAMPUS ISOLATION
• “At Nintendo we felt like we were trapped.”
….Former Nintendo sr. exec now at Amazon
• New Amazon recruits refer to preference for urban campus as
“South Lake Union envy”
RECRUIT AND RETAIN EMPLOYEES
• Concur Technologies moved from suburbs to Bellevue in 2013
• Significantly higher cost per sf
• Stated reason: Urban location meant better recruiting, retention

14. CONVERGING TRENDS
•
Region: 27 million sf owned or leased
by tech firms
•
MSFT, AMZN, TMO, Expedia hire
thousands per month
•
Strong demand by tech firms
•
High cost to recruit talent
•
Region adding 135,000 new residents •
thru 2015
•
Preference for urban environments w/
suburban access
Top recruiting/retention predictors
– Short commute
– Amenities
– Urban environments

15. MODELS FOR SUCCESS
RESEARCH
• Wright Runstad and Shorenstein visited dozens of high density and
transit oriented developments in the US
– San Francisco: Mission Bay, Merchandise Mart: Twitter
– Portland: Pearl District
– Denver: Lower Downtown District
CENTURIES OLD DESIGN PRINCIPLES
• Human scale, parks and squares, restaurants and retail
• Pedestrian and bike friendly
• Connected to transportation networks

16. NEW OFFICE REQUIREMENTS
ARCHITECTURE TO RECRUIT, RETAIN
• “The person we hire today needs a totally different office experience
than the person we hired 5 years ago,” Sr. exec Expedia
NEW DESIGN PRIORITIES
• Larger floor plates - 30,000 sf +
• Open floor plan, line of sight to anyone, serendipitous interactions
• Higher ceilings for larger windows, indirect light
• Spaces to mingle as well as meet
• Showers, lockers, bikes, dogs
• Walking distance to “everything”

17. NEW URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD
LARGEST SINGLE TOD IN WESTERN US
• 5.3 million sf of office, multifamily housing, hotel and retail
• 16 city blocks with Light rail station
• $2.3 billion total investment
• 15 year development plan
SUSTAINABLE
• Density around transit
• Designed to LEED standards
21st CENTURY PROJECT
• Urban style housing, neighborhood retail, office and hotel mixed use
• Embraces diversity
• Compliments other Bellevue neighborhoods

18. NEW OFFICE DESIGNS
Office - Block 24
166,614 sf
Office - Block 16
324,506 sf

19. MULTIFAMILY HOUSING - 320 UNITS

22. FEEDBACK
INTERNET STARTUP
• “The Spring District is very appealing. Our number one driver in
selecting our new office is to recruit and retain employees,”
Founder and CEO, Internet start up
ESTABLISHED SOFTWARE COMPANY
• “We need great offices to compete with growth-oriented startups for
employees…..”
• “…..Our stock, compensation and teams are fixed, but our work
environment can be a competitive advantage.”
Software Marketing Executive

23. MORE THAN BUILDINGS

24. CREATING A PLACE

25. 
PRINCIPLES
MIXED USE

PEDESTRIAN

DIVERSE

AUTHENTIC

26. 
SUSTAINABILITY
DENSITY

LEED-ND

MOBILITY
CHOICES

27. 
PEOPLE
WORKING

LIVING

DINING

CONNECTED

RETAIL

RECREATION

28. STORY

30. TIMELINE
2013
• Demolition and construction underway
2014
• Infrastructure for Phase 1 complete
• Apartment construction begins
• Office construction begins
2015
• First neighborhood elements open
2016
• Occupancy of housing and offices
• Additional development begins
2017
• Light Rail construction begins

31. HERE COMES
THE NEIGHBORHOOD

32. w w w. t h e s p r i n g d i s t r i c t . c o m