A Seattle self-storage project proposed by Dallas-based developer Baranof Holdings would displace several local businesses, including an E-Z Mini Storage facility. An Early Design Guidance packet submitted by architecture firm Mackenzie Engineering Inc. indicates the project at 1634 15th Ave. W. would feature two four-story buildings comprising 207,108 square feet of storage space and 76 parking spaces. Renderings included in the packet indicate Extra Space Storage branding.
The project would require the demolition of several buildings, causing concern among local businesses. In addition to the E-Z self-storage facility, the project would displace Bedrock Industries, a manufacturer that recycles and repurposes glass into home-décor items, as well as a distillery, a furniture store and the Center for Sex Positive Culture, a nonprofit community center focused on human sexuality. Several local artists would also lose their workspace, according to the source.
Bedrock Industries owner Maria Ruano told the source she isn’t sure her business could survive another relocation. She moved the operation across the street a year ago and is still trying to offset the $50,000 cost. She also believes the project would negatively impact the character of the area.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for anyone to tell a property owner what to do with their property. If someone wants to pay them the money, and they get their permits to do it, that’s the way it goes,” Ruano said. “But at the same time, from a human standpoint, there’s very little area now for a business like mine to be.”
The site is just north of the Magnolia Bridge between West Blaine and West Garfield Streets. “The area itself as an industrial/commercial zone is suited to the use, and the development additionally allows increased density and infill along 15th Avenue West,” Mackenzie officials wrote in the guidance packet. “The goal of this project is to serve the growing need for inner-city storage demands while providing a contextual facility that blends with the growing and transitioning Interbay area. Its location offers ease of access from residents within the urban core.”
The listed sale price for the property was $7.8 million, according to the source.
Baranof Holdings has also submitted self-storage development proposals in Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., the source reported.
Sources:
- City of Seattle: Baranof Interbay Storage Early Design Guidance Package
- Queen Anne & Magnolia News: New Development Could Push Out Interbay Businesses
