SEATTLE—Inspire at the Russell W. Young Building is nearly 100% leased within six months of opening, according to a joint venture between Shilshole Development and Russell's Fifth Avenue Inc. This is Seattle's first multifamily building designed to be carbon positive, meaning it produces more renewable energy on-site than the building consumes. Inspire is also Seattle's first apartment building to pursue Seattle's Living Building Pilot Program and the International Living Future Institute's Living Building Challenge Energy Petal Certification for net-positive energy buildings, one of the world's most ambitious green building certifications.

Located in the Fremont neighborhood at 3825 Bridge Way North, the six-floor 42-unit residence with studios and one-bedroom apartments opened in March 2020 the same week Governor Jay Inslee issued the stay-home order for Washington State. Inspire achieved stabilized occupancy in less than six months since the pandemic first hit and is now 97% leased.

"With Inspire, we are thrilled to deliver Seattle's most sustainable multifamily development, with incredible leasing velocity that has achieved nearly 100% occupancy in six months, despite the pandemic headwind our city and our nation has faced. Inspire proves there is great market demand for carbon-positive buildings and that buildings like this can make financial sense for profit-oriented developers," said Brett Phillips, a board member with Russell's Fifth Avenue Inc.