To us, wasted energy is an abundant alternative resource in need of advocates. King County’s participation in this Pilot Project is to be commended. They are being the public leaders we need to plan for our community’s future.

In general, we consumers of energy aren’t interested in purchasing electricity or gas or coal or whatever…we just want reliable energy for comfort, hot water, appliances and lighting. The Interbay District Heat Utility is an example of how we can provide for what we need in new and smarter ways. Turning a Bad Thing into a Good Thing.

Other times, it just means having a great place to live.

And if it’s affordable, centrally-located, environmentally responsible, and energy efficient? All the better.

Currently, we are designing an innovative apartment building for Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood. A modern structure with a light and airy central courtyard, Barrett Park will feature windows on opposite sides of each unit to promote airflow and ventilation, and provide all units with garden views. Bamboos and other tall vegetation will provide added visual appeal and a cooling effect. We’re even looking into using stretched fabric as a covering for the courtyard to protect from rain and excessive sunlight, which would also add visual appeal as it catches the wind.

Step out the door and catch Metro’s coming RapidRide express bus,  bike on the flatland, or share a car, Barrett Park will encourage environmentally responsible transportation while saving residents money – and living well in the city. Surrounded by parks, close to the basics like groceries and with waterfront to the north or south, the apartments will serve the growing Interbay work community as well as Seattle Pacific University students and faculty, who will be just a short walk from campus.BP WestElev

Affordable, centrally-located housing in Seattle. Too lofty an idea? We think not.

The Mobile Chowdown is back after a smashing inaugural event. Some of Seattle’s best food trucks – including Marination Mobile, which was voted by Good Morning America viewers as the best food truck in the country — will rally on Jan. 9 at Interbay to celebrate all that’s great about “curbside cuisine.”

Vendors include: Marination Mobile, El Camion, Dante’s Inferno Dogs, Veraci Pizza, Anita’s Crepes, Kaosamai Thai, and Gert’s BBQ. Once again, the trucks will convene at the lot at 1616 W. Bertona in the Interbay neighborhood. There will be live music and a dining area.

The Mobile Chowdown is sponsored by Seattle Magazine, the Freehold Group/Interbay Neighborhood Association, and Suzuki + Chou Communimedia.

EVENT DETAILS:
Mobile Chowdown
Jan. 9, 2010
1616 W. Bertona (Interbay)
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Twitter: @mobilechowdown
Web: Seattle Magazine

1. There isn’t one in Seattle. Enough said.

2. Bringing a group of wineries together increases the sales of Washington wines.

3. Bringing a group of wineries together makes for great wine tasting events.

4. The affordability of retail locations in Interbay would enable the participation of quality small- to mid-size wineries in the area.

5. The cruise ship industry. With Interbay positioned near the newly opened port, tourists will have access to the best the state has to offer, without figuring out how to get to Woodinville or Walla Walla.

In the planning stages, the wine district would – as we see it now – consist of a long wing of connected retail storefronts in the mixed-use Interbay Building, with a large covered outdoor patio and lounge area for shared use.

If you think you can help make this happen, call or email us with your thoughts.

For more information please download the following leasing brochure:

Interbay Wine District.pdf

And that’s why we like it, and why we really like Interbay so much.

For the past ten years, the Freehold Group and our neighbors have imagined Seattle’s Interbay district to have a similar feel. Our combined vision for the area is to create spaces with vitality. Places for people to meet over breakfast or shop while their kids are practicing in the playfields, to find great local food and neighborhood restaurants for lunch and dinner, to visit the vet or get a hair cut. Unique and beautiful places – some modern, some old – where creativity and productivity happens.

And so far, so good. With locally-based businesses from successful craftsmen making world-class musical instruments to high-tech machinery turning out commercial cutting surfaces, Denali Fitness, a software design firm, video producers, the Seattle Storm WNBA headquarters, and more, Interbay is now home to some really innovative people who are doing some really interesting stuff. It’s a place where people feel a strong sense of community.

Big things are happening here, a step at a time. And we love the mix.

Why we want to add to the conversation about things like “sustainable development.”

A catchphrase popular in the real estate world right now, this term sometimes refers to ecological concerns, and sometimes it refers to the endurance of a structure based on the quality of its materials and construction. And those things are important. But there is another important element to this concept that is often overlooked: the longevity of the design itself.

In Europe and elsewhere, structures are used for centuries, not mere decades. 200-year old edifices serve in turn as libraries, museums, theatres and schools. To us, this is the true definition of sustainability: when a building survives over a long period of time because it’s still relevant, still practical.

At the Freehold Group, we are not just business people who hire architects. We are designers and architects ourselves. We are long-term thinkers, and our goal is to make every building we create a truly sustainable part of the city’s design, one that a hundred years from now will be appreciated for its form and artistry but also for its diverse functionality.

Like Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood. Largely neglected for over forty years, this area has recently begun to experience economic growth with cutting-edge facilities which complement the lifestyle of its inhabitants. The buildings we’ve created and restored there are now home to craftsmen, small business owners, factories, and artists, all working under the same roof.

Creating spaces that serve multiple purposes in our rapidly changing world: consider it our form of recycling.

It started in 1998, when our company began the restoration of a near-derelict building with only six occupants, creating from it a community and mix of businesses which now employees about 200.

It was a challenge. Located between great neighborhoods, it was kind of like the hole in the middle of the doughnut: each side wanting to respond to its surroundings in an entirely different way.

Close to downtown and to residential areas as well, Interbay is perfectly poised as the hub between the Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods and links to the major N/S arterial. This central location is a fantastic place for new businesses to flourish and where existing businesses are growing.

In stimulating this growth and support people who are working here, there needed to be something else: a place to eat. With only a couple restaurants nearby, people had to get in their cars and drive someplace else for places to enjoy food and good company. So we looked over a map of Seattle and knew then what Interbay could be.

Our efforts in the neighborhood continue to grow. Because we planned it – and because we listened to the needs that were already there and found a way to fulfill them. We didn’t force anything to work. All the ingredients are already here – we just provided some of the leadership to help get things started.

Interbay is on the way to bigger things and that’s what gets us up in the morning.