With a combination of apartments, retail, and commercial space, Ballard Yards’ design honors the character and history of its surrounding neighborhood by linking borth the commercial “High Street” frontage and the maritime industrial zones behind it. The building’s massing and material choices reflect this dual identity, with a front façade that draws on character elements from the commercial brick buildings in the nearby neighborhood center, and a rear façade that echoes the maritime culture and waterfront it overlooks.
The project’s retail court sits next to Seattle’s popular Burke Gilman Trail, which will run along the building’s north edge in a future phase. Ballard Yards features a welcoming two-story lobby with a historic, nautical-inspired design that blends smoothly with the project’s retail areas.
By setting back the east and west facades where possible, the building is positioned for future redevelopment, further readying it for connections to Ballard’s neighborhood growth. With seven floors containing 171 apartments and more than 6,500 sf of retail and commercial space, Ballard Yards makes full use of the site’s development potential while delivering much-needed housing services, and commercial uses to this growing community.