3020 NE 45th Street

Seattle, Washington

Bridging Neighborhoods Around a Celebrated Tree

Located at the intersection of four Seattle neighborhoods—University District, Ravenna, Bryant, and Laurelhurst—3020 NE 45th Street will serve as a vital connection between student housing, University Village retail, single-family residential areas, and university playfields. This mixed-use project organizes 796 rental apartments into three buildings around multiple courtyards, creating outdoor spaces that center on a significant existing London Plane tree. Rather than designing around constraints, we embraced the tree as the project’s focal point, carving out space to celebrate it while maximizing residential density and extending the pedestrian corridor along NE 45th Street.

Neighborhood

Ravenna
Type

Mixed-Use
Size

940,000 SF
796 Residential Units
Status

Under Construction
Services

Architecture
Client

Quarterra

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Solving for settlement-prone soil with elevated parking

The site presented a significant technical challenge: peat-settlement prone soil with a high water table. Rather than excavating deep into unstable ground, we located the majority of the 680-space parking structure above existing grade. This solution required careful massing to keep the parking largely hidden from street-level facades, maintaining an active pedestrian experience along both NE 45th Street and Union Bay Place.

The eight-story project consists of three residential buildings positioned on a shared two-story podium. Retail space wraps the building base along the pedestrian corridor, creating continuous ground-floor activation. Public plazas at both street frontages provide connectivity from the parking garage for retail customers, access to bike storage for residents, and a stair connecting the upper-level courtyard to the Union Bay Place plaza. These plazas also serve as gathering spaces, with the NE 45th Street plaza organized around the preserved London Plane tree.

Centering the design on an existing landmark

The London Plane tree became more than a site feature to preserve—it became the organizing principle for the entire development. At street level, the tree anchors a pedestrian plaza that allows for commercial outdoor activities such as restaurant seating. Above, the main residential courtyard focuses on the tree’s canopy and captures views to Mount Rainier beyond.

The three residential buildings surround multiple courtyards, each providing residents with access to outdoor space and natural light. This configuration creates visual relief and shared daylight between properties, particularly in relation to the adjacent U-Place development. The buildings include approximately 18,000 square feet of residential indoor amenity space and over 50,000 square feet of outdoor amenity space, fostering community among residents while respecting the scale of neighboring single-family areas.

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Extending pedestrian connections across four neighborhoods

The project’s location at the convergence of four distinct neighborhoods positioned it as a natural connector. Approximately 26,000 square feet of retail space extends the pedestrian corridor from residential areas toward University Village, providing additional shopping and dining opportunities within a five-minute walk. Multiple points of resident access align with the vertical circulation of each building, ensuring easy connections to the surrounding neighborhood fabric.

Pedestrian improvements enhance both NE 45th Street and Union Bay Place, with expanded landscaping and greater sidewalk width creating a safer, more inviting pedestrian experience. Public murals will be incorporated into the architectural massing, establishing a sense of place and arrival. The residential units are elevated above street level to provide privacy and security, while the ground floor remains active and transparent. Expansive views to the southwest capture Union Bay and the Union Bay Natural Area, connecting residents visually to the broader landscape while the internal courtyards provide intimate gathering spaces focused inward.

Program: 796 rental apartment units (74% market-rate, 26% affordable) across three residential buildings on a shared podium; approximately 26,000 square feet of retail space along street frontages; structured parking for approximately 680 vehicles; approximately 18,000 square feet of indoor residential amenity space; over 50,000 square feet of outdoor amenity space including multiple courtyards; public plazas at NE 45th Street and Union Bay Place; preservation and celebration of existing London Plane tree; public murals integrated with building massing.