Published May 2002

Streetscape, condos planned for Stanwood center

By Kate Reardon
Herald Writer

A $30 million proposal for five new buildings housing offices and condos at the Stanwood-Camano Village follows a national trend to turn suburban strip malls into urban-style villages.

Lindstrom Development Group of Stanwood plans to construct mixed-use buildings in an area adjacent to the Stanwood Pavilion cinema and restaurant complex, said Sol Baron, President of Lindstrom.

The 55-acre Village complex currently has 19 commercial buildings with about 50 businesses including anchor tenant Haggen grocery and one residential building containing 100 assisted-living units.

The first new building will be the cornerstone for a new streetscape for the Village and will connect two existing strip-mall buildings located behind Haggen and the movie theater.

Plans for the first building call for 17,000 square feet of office and commercial space with 54 condominiums on the top three floors of the four-story building. A secure parking garage for residents is also planned. The design of the first building will draw from the city’s historical architecture. Future buildings will have varying looks.

Baron said he hopes the condos will attract seniors and empty nesters who want to stay in the area and close to family, friends and the community.

Two more mixed-use buildings would bring a total of 120 condominiums to the site and 37,000 square feet of office and commercial space. Two additional single-story buildings would add another 30,000 square feet of office and commercial space.

The condos would have a mountain view on one side and a landscaped courtyard on the other, Baron said.

Plans are still in the preliminary stage, but the company has asked the city to approve a zoning overlay to allow for housing in the area. The zoning overlay will need to be approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council before the project can really get moving, Baron said, adding he would like to see construction begin by fall.

Dan Nelson of Designs Northwest in Stanwood and Gregory Minaker of Perteet Engineering worked on the design of the project.

Minaker said designers wanted to convert the current one-third-mile-long road connecting the projects with a vibrant streetscape lined by buildings, plazas and landscaping that would be separated into blocks and cross streets.

Integrating a housing project in the middle of a shopping center is somewhat challenging, Baron said. That’s why designers wanted to add interior courtyards and streetscapes. Baron believes his project is on the cutting edge of a nationwide trend that reinvents suburban strip malls and turns them into urban villages.

“We believe that the vibrant project we’re creating will give office users an attractive alternative to bland stand-alone buildings currently offered in other north Snohomish County suburban areas,” Baron said.

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