Ruth Bayan
Northwest Asia Weekly
Artist’s rendering of the proposed Jasmine Tower (middle) (image via Otak Design Team)
SEATTLE — The fifth International Special Review District (ISRD) board meeting — on the Jasmine Project at 614 Maynard Avenue South — appears to have moved the project forward.
Although there was no formal action or final vote during the Feb. 22 Zoom meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, most board members said they agreed with the project vision and supported the community room proposal on the first and second floors.
Jasmine – a project in Vibrant City – is a proposed 17-story building located in the historic Bush Gardens restaurant, which is now vacant. Bush Garden will relocate to a new building within the Chinatown International District (CID), where the former Cosmopolitan Restaurant was located at 714 South King Street.
This was the first ISRD board meeting on Jasmine since the board election last November, and the only board member present at all previous meetings was current board chairman Andy Yip.
Safety and preservation
Two board members, Lizzy Baskerville and Matt Fujimoto, raised concerns about the “mass” of the proposed Jasmine building – which refers to its overall shape, form and size, as well as the building’s relationship to its surroundings.
While Baskerville’s default zoning laws allow for a 17-story building, she said, “I think it’s out of scale, and I think it’s too tall.”
Baskerville and Fujimoto have also raised questions about the need for demolition following a new report by Dan Say of structural engineering firm Swenson Say Faget (SSF). This report was commissioned by Eugenia Woo, director of Seattle Historic Preservation Services.
“We do not support the demolition of the Bush Gardens building, we referred a third party structural engineer [report]…The engineers basically said the building could be repaired and it was a viable candidate,” Woo said at the meeting.
Bruce Zhong of DCI Engineers, a firm employed by Vibrant City, said of the SSF report,
“Mr. Dan Sai… did not conduct a detailed investigation of the building… he just walked around the building and gave his opinion on other buildings in Pioneer Square based on his past experience… that It’s a completely different structure.”
Baskerville said the SSF was not allowed into the building, and Fujimoto, a self-described architect, asked, “Why not let someone in the building?”
Vibrant Cities chief executive and developer James Wong said the building was empty and “we are giving up potential revenue. [from tenants] Because it is not safe. “
Board member Zhang Ming expressed disappointment at bringing up the topic of demolition again, especially after three years of discussions.
“This is my first board meeting… [the ISRD board] There have been four meetings before, all about structure, structure, structure.Today, I thought the fifth session was about rallies…and now we’re still going back [structure]…This board and community needs to take action. “
Both Zhang and board member Nella Kwan agree that discussions about Jasmine have taken too long. Kwan also disputed the SSF report submitted by Say, who sits on the board of trustees of the Washington Historic Preservation Trust.
“He did it on behalf of Eugenia [Woo] So I’m not sure if it’s nonpartisan, so in some ways I don’t think it’s doing us any good. Kwan said in his closing remarks, offering a nonpartisan opinion on the structural soundness of the building, “without a single opponent bringing it to the stage…would be ‘the cherry on top’.” “
ISRD board coordinator Rebecca Frestedt said she has had the SSF report since late 2021, but didn’t release it to the board until a week before the Feb. 22 meeting because she thought it could be overwhelming for new board members. Vibrant Cities did not receive reports until after the end of the business day on February 18.
Responding to comments from community members about Jasmine being seen as a “luxury condo,” board member Ryan Gilbert asked if Vibrant City had plans to reserve units for affordable housing.
To this, Wong replied: “They have established affordability requirements and we will meet or exceed those requirements.”
Later in the meeting, Frestedt emphasized that affordability issues are outside the current remit of the ISRD board.
architectural design
Gary Reddick, design director of architecture firm Otak, which works with Vibrant Cities, presented proposals to reduce the scale and height of the building. He also discussed design elements created from feedback from community members at previous meetings, such as how the building feels on the street: welcoming, light-filled spaces to showcase activity on the sidewalk, and the incorporation of art and History Exhibition. architecture.
Reddick came up with a design that would convert the entire first two floors of the building for community and commercial use—a space that nonprofits and other organizations can use for a nominal fee.
He said: “We see this building as a bridge element, combining past memories, goodwill and history, making it the starting point for all future memories… Our dream is that the jasmine flower is the container of energy and the generation of new memories. a place that will last for generations.”
Baskerville said the proposed community space is “very exciting to me…all these events, weddings and parties…and keep the spirit of Bush Gardens going.”
Small business owner Elaine Ikoma Ko expressed her support for Jasmine “as someone who works for affordable housing”.
“I think vibrant cities – local and ready – I think boards need to take that seriously,” she said. “Costs are going up … supply chain issues and I think we need to move forward.”
Community member Nina Wallace disagrees.
“[Jasmine] In any event, this does not respect the building’s legacy as an affordable housing location for immigrant labor and a gathering place for Asian Americans and other communities of color.
past and future
Another site three blocks away from the Jasmine project is where the former Four Seas building was demolished to make way for Uncle Bob’s place – where there will be commercial space and new housing units. The site is in Seattle’s Chinatown Historic District, and the Jasmine Project site is not, but the ISRD board approved the demolition of the four seas.
Interim CDA, developer of Uncle Bob’s Place, has not come under the same scrutiny as Vibrant City, Wong said.
Yip, chairman of the board and the only member involved in all Jasmine-related meetings, responded to Northwest Asia Weekly’s email for comment.
“In general, each program has its own merits, and it’s hard to compare two programs because they’re never the same,” he said.
Zhang said it was important to focus on the future of CID and urged the community to think about how to make CID a sustainable and vibrant community.
“It’s not just about preservation,” he said. “How do we attract different types of people – young, old, people from different cultures?”
He said CID should not be just an affordable place for seniors to live, saying development was important to the long-term viability of the community.
Board member Michael Le thinks Jasmine is really great for the community.
“For a community space, it’s something we need…it’s very thoughtful [Vibrant Cities] To do this…there are not many buildings that provide free space to the community. “
In the end, Yip said that whenever he hears about a project that can get more people to join CID, he gets excited. He said he was looking forward to seeing more designs, especially around the community room.
What’s next?
“After trying to move our Jasmine project through the ISRD process for the past 3.5 years, I feel that past ISRD board meetings and board comments have been the clearest and most succinct opinion on how we can move this project forward,” Wong told Northwest Asia Weekly.
“I look forward to getting the board’s certificate of approval and starting construction on our project so we can build much-needed housing in CID and our city.”
Asked about the board’s recommendation to get another report on the viability of the building, Wong said: “We are open to that. My question is, who will lead, hire and pay that nonpartisan third party?” He said multiple reports from “respected licensed historic architects, engineers and consultants” had come to the same conclusion – and he wasn’t sure “how many other third parties we would need to hire to come to this conclusion again. “
No date has been set for the next ISRD Board meeting on Jasmine.
Ruth can be reached by Editor @nwasianweekly.com.
