A project that will reshape a northern block of Broadway and demolish the more than 100-year-old structure home to Bait Shop and TRIBE Fitness to make way for a new six-story, 122-unit apartment building with retail and three live-work units plus underground parking for more than 100 vehicles will come before the East Design Review Board next week in what could be the project’s final step in the city’s public design process.

The development from Cascade Ridge Partners with a design from Studio Meng Strazzara is hoped to achieve a configuration that “continues the character of the Broadway E. corridor massing vernacular” with a U-shape concept while also addressing sensitivity raised in the previous design review phase about how the planned building can better relate to the mix of architecture on its 10th Ave E side.

Around the block off Broadway, a collection of old-stock housing including a duplex, triplex, four-plex, and a circa 1908 15-unit apartment building would also be demolished for the development. The corner’s Diamond parking lot would also be part of the proposed project’s footprint.

CHS reported here in January as the project passed through the early design guidance phase of review.

Public comment presented to the board supported the U-shape concept with other suggestions focused on moving planned live-work units on the ground floor of the project to line the 10th Ave side of the building. There was also support for including brick and masonry elements in the final materials plan.

The plans to be presented next week in Wednesday’s review meeting include a final design concept with a masonry-focused materials palette and a response to the concerns about the design’s transition to the surrounding structures on 10th Ave “regarding the height, bulk and scale of the project relative to context.” As part of changes to the layout, developers appear to have managed to maintain the design’s 120 or so unit apartment count.

Studio Meng Strazzara has been responsible for the design of multiple area developments including the Broadway Building at Broadway and Pine and the recently completed Capitol Hilltop Apartments building on 15th Ave E.

Public comments received by the city on project so far has been mostly focused on the future of businesses that will be displaced by the development. “I live a few blocks away and am excited to see the surface lot finally get redeveloped, and am hopeful that Bait Shop is able to come back into the new space since it’s truly a beloved local spot,” one commenter writes.

UPDATE: Landlord and prolific Capitol Hill area property owner Redside Partners has kept tenants informed about the project but there is currently no plan for Bait Shop or its neighbors to return to the block after development and construction. CHS reported here on the ten-year anniversary of Bait Shop in 2023.

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