Developers broke ground Thursday on a new 24-building, 20-acre mixed-use project featuring nearly 500 apartments known as Marquee on Meeker.
Auburn-based Landmark Development Group and HAL Real Estate will construct the project on the former Riverbend par 3 golf course property along the Green River they bought from the city of Kent for $10.5 million. The City Council voted to sell the property to eliminate the Riverbend Golf Complex fund’s debt of about $4 million and spend about $6 million to improve the 18-hole course across the street from the former par 3 course.
Twenty-one three-story residential buildings and two six-story mixed-use buildings with 12,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor will be constructed in two phases and serve as a new western gateway to the city at 2030 W. Meeker St., according to a press release from the developer.
“We could not be more delighted to be breaking ground with longtime partners Landmark Development Group,” HAL Real Estate President Jonathan Manheim said in the press release. “We are grateful to the City Council, mayor, city staff and our excellent project team to help bring it to fruition.”
Marquee on Meeker will provide Kent first-of-its-kind, luxury rental housing and retail via two new six-story, 120-unit buildings featuring 6,000 square feet of retail each, and 21, 12-unit, three-story walk-up residential buildings. Residential units will feature high-quality finishes.
The apartment complex will include lounges, decks, fitness centers and a large clubhouse including a modern kitchen, pool, spa, outdoor fireplace and barbecue areas.
“The serenity of being surrounded by large open spaces, including the Riverbend Golf Course and the Green River – which offer sweeping views and access to the Green River Trail – are unlike any apartments the region currently has to offer,” Landmark Development Group’s President Brett Jacobsen said.
Mature trees will be preserved within the 200-foot natural buffer between the buildings and the river.
Crews will build the complex in two phases. Phase I will include one of the six-story buildings, 14 of the three-story buildings, the clubhouse and public access through the site to the Green River Trail. Phase I is slated to be complete in 2020 with Phase II to follow.
As part of the purchase, Marquee on Meeker will kick-start the City’s “Meet Me on Meeker” project. The team will invest about $2 million in new street improvements, from the Meeker Street Bridge along the frontage of the site to the driving range.
“Marquee on Meeker is going to be a one-of-a-kind project for the residents of Kent,” Landmark Development Group’s CEO John McKenna said. “It will be a beautiful place to live in the bend of the Green River.”
Kurt Hanson, City Economic and Community Development director, said the development will mark a major change for Kent.
“Marquee on Meeker is an important project for the city and a tremendous leap forward in remaking Kent’s historic main street into a living, working destination for Kent residents,” Hanson said. “This multi-phase project brings high-quality housing to our downtown and we see it as a springboard for continued reinvestment along the corridor that will better connect residents and businesses to our historic downtown.”
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Developers Jonathan Manheim, far left, John McKenna, Brett Jacobsen and Charles Strazzara join Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, center, to break ground Thursday, May 24, on the Marquee on Meeker mixed-use project on the former par 3 golf course property. COURTESY PHOTO
