Not every business moving in on Capitol Hill will be the latest expansion of a dental services startup backed by a big name tech executive. Some of the neighborhood’s more traditional spirit is taking shape on E Pike where paperwork shows early planning underway for a new Chill Bar project in the Greenus Building next to Meet Korean BBQ and the neighborhood’s location of the Studs ear piercing studio chain.
“Located in a historic auto row building, this gorgeous 3,807 square foot space is an ideal location for any office/retail needs,” the listing for the 500 E Pike commercial space reads. “This property is surrounded by a lively retail core, and is walking distance to downtown and easy transit/parking options.” Rent will run the new tenants something around $150,000 per year.
Details of the new project are still few and far between and details on the ownership are a bit of a mystery for now but the project surfaces the ongoing demand for food and drink, and nightlife economy real estate on Capitol Hill — especially in Pike/Pine.
The project also marks one of the bigger challenges for new ventures entering the neighborhood. There are plenty of square feet of commercial spaces available but many like this one will require a longer, more challenging, and more expensive “change of use” process to secure the permits required to construct food and drink infrastructure in spaces previously used only for retail or offices.
The proposed bar would replace the home of early childhood development nonprofit the Perigee Fund which moved into the space during the pandemic.
Its addition could eventually add to the activity in the building overhauled by property owner and developer Hunters Capital as it transformed the former auto row-era home of Brocklind’s Costume Shop and Theater Schmeater. At one point, Hunters envisioned an eight-story development on the corner that preserved portions of the old structure but opted instead to invest in restoration.
Once lined up to be home to a “Roman-style trattoria” from the owner of Havana, the building’s core restaurant space is today home to Meet Korean BBQ which survived the challenges of a 2020 launch to thrive in the space. Its ownership is also lining up a new Cheese Room project in the old Machiavelli space.
As for Chill, the “change of use” requirements mean its buildout and opening are, at best, months away. In the meantime, another nightlife investment in the neighborhood is taking shape below Melrose Market where the Wild Cherry/Vice Seattle nightclub project is underway.
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