Plan Calls For College Apartments to be Demolished

Built over 120 years ago, the College Apartments have seen better days. In a memo sent to members of the Bellevue Planning Commission, the three apartment buildings are described as “vacant, in disrepair, suffering severe deterioration, unfit for human occupancy, and due to the existing deterioration, need to be demolished for health and safety concerns”.

The three buildings sit on roughly 4 acres of land near the top of West 19th Avenue in Olde Towne, about 1/2 mile north of Mission Avenue.

At the recent Planning Commission meeting Brent Beller, a representative for applicant Stella Realty, shared the vision for the property. The three existing College Apartment buildings will be demolished and replaced by four new buildings. The new buildings will have 160 units in all including 15 two-bedroom, 123 one-bedroom, and 22 loft-style apartments. Projected monthly rent costs will be in the $1,300-$1,400 range.

Beller referred to the development as a “pretty cool design, taking advantage of the fact that it sits up on a hill”. Some of the proposed amenities include a clubhouse area, gym facilities, an in-ground pool, elevator access, and a resident package delivery center. In addition to a new parking lot, the development will offer some parking underneath the buildings, due in part to the unique topography of the land.

The total projected cost will be a little over $26 million.

The Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve the plan. Up next, the proposal will go before the Bellevue City Council at the June 21 meeting.