Seattle Props Up Open for Business Sign

SEATTLE—The Washington State Convention Center is the smallest convention center on the West Coast and ranks 56th in size in the country. In the past five years, Seattle has turned down more than 350 event proposals because of lack of space or timing constraints at the existing Arch building, costing the region more than $2.13 billion in potential economic benefit.

That is about to change. The Washington State Convention Center and Visit Seattle officially broke ground this week on the $1.7 billion Summit building.

“The addition’s square footage is 250,000 square feet,” Tom Norwalk, Visit Seattle president and CEO, tells GlobeSt.com. “The Summit, located just one block north of the existing Arch building in the heart of downtown, will double the footprint of the convention center when it opens for business in 2022.”

Convention officials also announced the new names for both convention spaces. The existing facility will be called Arch–emulating that of the famous sky bridge and canopy arch that bridges the facility along Pike Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues. The additional facility will be called Summit, an architectural design feature with a nod to Seattle’s geography and staircase in the design.

As a catalyst for revitalizing and re-connecting Seattle’s core neighborhoods, the successful integration of the convention center addition with its surroundings will be the basis for a rich and unique experience for delegates and residents alike, an experience that is unique to Seattle.

The Summit looks to build upon the strong growth and demand for Seattle’s convention business. When finished, the 1.5 million-square-foot Summit building is expected to drive more than 400,000 new conventioneers to the city, generating about $260 million in visitor spending and more than $19 million in tax revenue annually. This will be as a result of bringing year-round demand to hotels, attractions, local restaurants and retailers, performing arts centers and cultural sites, GlobeSt.com learns.

“Meetings mean business in Washington and our convention center’s Arch and Summit buildings are an economic catalyst for Seattle as we now have the ability to fulfill excess demand for meeting space in our city,” says Norwalk. “Thoughtfully designed and centered in the heart of our downtown, both buildings will provide an atmosphere that fosters future innovation.”

With its distinctly Northwest urban 21st Century design, the Summit building will fit well within the existing neighborhood in both size and shape. The vertical structure of steel and glass is anticipated to be LEED Gold-certified. Occupying a full city block and 15 levels, major spaces are connected vertically through the use of two large atriums, GlobeSt.com learns.

A glass-enclosed stair along Pine Street creates west-facing views to the Pike Place Market and Puget Sound. A broad street plaza at the corner of Pine and 9th Avenue along with open air terraces on all levels are designed to accommodate a variety of events and provide iconic views.

The Summit building will also expand the Washington State Convention Center’s public art program, which celebrates Seattle’s cultural history and features Northwest artists.

“The WSCC’s Summit building is one of the largest capital projects in downtown Seattle’s history and creates new opportunities to generate more economic impact for the region,” says Jeff Blosser, Washington State Convention Center president and CEO. “This additional facility is a game changer for our ability to give meeting planners additional dates and space with the opportunity to book their events in Seattle. We look forward to the opening in 2022.”

The project will be funded without additional city, county or state taxes, with leaders opting to issue a bond and finance the project with existing taxes garnered from hotel room occupancy charges.

“The addition of this convention center represents Washington’s ongoing commitment to international engagement,” says Brian Bonlender, Washington State Department of Commerce director. “This is a ‘welcome’ sign to the rest of the world. Washington is open for businesses. We want people to come here from every corner of the earth and exchange ideas, work together to conquer challenges, create business relationships and explore all that Washington has to offer.”

Construction of the facility will result in as many as 6,000 union positions during the next three years.  And, after its opening, Summit is estimated to create 3,900 new permanent jobs across the region.

However, the additional facility offers more to Seattle than simply growing its economy. It offers a rare opportunity to join and strengthen neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Denny Triangle  and Pike and Pine, left divided by past infrastructure projects.

Acting in tandem, convention and local officials earmarked $93 million from the project to make drastic improvements in pedestrian and transit infrastructure, refurbish open space sites and create affordable housing opportunities in the region.

For example, the project includes two adjacent blocks of mixed-use co-development to the north, planned as a 530,000-gross square foot office tower and a 385-unit residential tower, both rising over street-level podiums with retail opportunities. The Summit building is located at the crossroads between more than seven of Seattle’s most iconic neighborhoods and touching four of its most prominent streets. This site positions the project to uniquely function as a connecting hub for multiple urban districts, redefining the long-anticipated mixed-use development zone, GlobeSt.com learns.

And, Freeway Park will receive $10 million in upgrades and improvements under the project. Keeping with the convention center’s 30-year commitment to providing affordable housing opportunities in the area, $39.3 million has been earmarked to the cause.

Once opened, WSCC will also continue to partner with organizations such as FareStart and Mary’s Place to offer employment and facilities to participants. Specifically, these plans will enhance pedestrian corridors near the Summit building by widening sidewalks and adding better lighting and landscaping. Streets receiving enhancements for pedestrians include Pike and Pine streets between downtown and Capitol Hill, as well as Boren and Ninth avenues near the additional facility.

Intersection connections for pedestrians will also be improved in the Denny Triangle, Capitol Hill and First Hill neighborhoods. The project will help fund protected lanes on Pike and Pine streets, and along Eighth Avenue streets for pedestrians and cyclists, while drivers and mass transit riders will benefit from safety improvements on Olive Way and Ninth Avenue.

The project’s contributions to the public realm are as massive as its scale, navigating a diverse mix of public-private intersections while catering to the next generation of convention delegates.

“Tourism and business travel are essential, growing components of our regional economy, and this expansion–a long time coming–will create jobs and business activity for decades to come,” says Dow Constantine, King County executive. “It took a lot of work to reach the Summit, but when this new landmark opens its doors, our hospitality industry will reach new heights.”

In the process, Seattle’s hotel inventory is growing too–by 20% in the next year. By the end of the year, eight new properties will augment the brand mix and add almost 2,500 additional rooms, bringing the downtown room count to 14,343.