Gables Queen Anne prioritizes the pedestrian experience by preserving the character of its distinct neighborhood to create 325 units of housing above a 45,000 square-foot Safeway. Located at the heart of Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, the project provides a much-needed multifamily housing option in a highly walkable neighborhood well served by transit.

At the ground level, the Safeway includes individual storefronts – a deli, florist, and Starbucks – through diversity of scale and appearance. The project team worked extensively to gather community input to make sure the exterior would conform to Queen Anne Neighborhood Design Guidelines. The brick detailing, variety of awnings, and multicolored storefronts were designed as a direct response to the established retail character along the west side of the project. This process also required a great deal of coordination with Safeway to make sure the business needs of the large format grocer were being met.

A large public plaza adjacent to the neighborhood’s existing farmer’s market visually anchors the block and creates dynamic outdoor space for the public to congregate, relax, and interact. Three residential buildings separated by a private courtyard perch above the grocer. Clean, elegant design denotes the residential architectural character, which relates to the quieter, single-family homes on the east side of the nearly full-block project. Lush landscaping and vibrant murals line all four facades, creating a welcoming and engaging streetscape at every entrance.