Developers Move into Position to Brand Projects, Attract Renters

While the recovery of the commercial-office market continues to move along at glacial speed, the past year has brought some measure of relief to developers looking to invest in projects in Seattle’s close-in communities. It was unofficially the “return of the apartment market” in 2011, with companies from Seattle, Bellevue and all the way across the country clamoring to get a piece of the rising trend.

The good news seemed to come nearly as quickly as the market fell apart in 2008. Almost overnight, developers were dusting off plans that had been dormant for months and working furiously to get permitted to capture increasing rental demand.  A week didn’t pass without some developer announcing plans to build a mixed-use apartment building in places like South Lake Union, Belltown, West Seattle, and everywhere in between.  Like this one from Harbor — read more