Roosevelt 1A

1300 NE 65th St

Overview

The next time you take a sip of coffee or tea at Santo Coffee, or grab a smoothie at Berry Much, take a glance across NE 65th Street. Right now, what you’ll see isn’t much: a barren, city-owned lot on the right and a stretch of overgrown vegetation, vines, and boarded-up houses on the left. But that will change.

The Roosevelt 1A is a planned mixed-use development that will bring an 8-story, 198-unit apartment building — with 113 parking spots — to that very stretch of empty land. Originally developed by the Roosevelt Development Group, the Roosevelt 1A is now being developed by HB Management.

The Roosevelt 1A is set to occupy most of that vacant corridor, with the exception of the city-owned land bank parcel on the eastern edge of the block (shown in green in the above satellite image) and the two houses at the very northwest corner of the block (shown in orange). The land bank has been  proposed as a future park, while the two northwest corner houses will be cleared to make way for the Brooklyn 1B — a separate apartment project planned for that corner. Pairing with the rectangle-shaped Brooklyn 1B, the Roosevelt 1A will be an L-shaped apartment building, going from 1300 NE 65th on the west end to 1317 NE 66th and 1318 NE 65th on the east end.

Demolition is partially complete; as of May 2026, six of the eight structures that once stood on the site have been torn down. The remaining two — a deteriorating Tudor-style home at 1317 NE 66th St and the long-boarded-up Hugh Sisley house at 1315 NE 66th St — have been gutted,cleared out, and are now awaiting demolition before construction can begin in earnest.

The Roosevelt 1A is part of a broader push to bring more transit-oriented housing to Roosevelt’s urban core — putting new homes within easy reach of the neighborhood’s light rail station and the everyday amenities already lining its streets.

Land Use Context

Demolition permits for both 1315 and 1317 NE 66th St are set to expire on August 16, 2026, unless they are renewed before that date. The permits were originally issued in February 2022.

The Roosevelt 1A site is currently designated as NC2P-75 (M1) at 1315 and 1317 NE 66TH St, and as NC2P-75 (M2) at 1300, 1306, 1310, 1312, 1316, and 1318 NE 65TH St. That classification means Neighborhood Commercial 2 Pedestrian-75; this zoning permits mixed-used buildings that are no more than 75-feet tall and requires a more pedestrian-friendly street setting. Ordinance 125791 brought this zoning into effect on April 19, 2019.

Both sites have Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) as a result of the upzoning that took place. Under MHA, HB Management would either need to set aside some units as MH affordable housing or pay a fee in lieu of building MH housing.

Should HB Management opt for the former, the northern half on 66th would have to set aside 9% of units as MH affordable and the southern half on 65th would have to set aside 10% as MH affordable.

Using the Shaping Seattle Tool, Roosevelt 1A has been under Construction Application Review since July 16, 2020, with no construction permit yet issued.

  • TBA: Grand Opening
  • July 2016 Neighborhood Outreach and Early Design Guidance
  • February 2022: Land Use Permit Issued
  • May 2024: Master Use Permit Issued
  • TBA: Construction Permit and Start
  • TBA: Construction Complete

Issues and Solutions

During the second quarter of 2024, both properties were enrolled in the city’s Vacant Building Monitoring program, with instructions to secure the structures and clear all debris and overgrown vegetation. Within a few months, both properties were removed from the program after three violation-free months, and no further incidents have been reported since.

However, this removal was only a temporary administrative shift, not a permanent solution. Because neither building has been physically abated or demolished, the inherent risks of vacancy—such as fire hazards from debris and overgrown vegetation—remain. The properties are effectively one community complaint away from being forced back into the program’s strict oversight, costly daily fines, and monthly fee structure.

Interest rates shape the economic viability of any commercial real estate investment — and Roosevelt 1A is no exception. When rates are high, borrowing costs rise, construction financing becomes more expensive, and projected returns can shrink to the point where deals that once penciled out no longer do. There is little the neighborhood can do to directly accelerate development of this property.

With that said, we can express greater support for the abatement or demolition of the buildings at 1315 and 1317 by directly submitting a report to the

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) via phone at 206-615-0808 or through the “Make a Complaint” widget on their online portal when hazards such as overgrown vegetation, littering, and graffiti arise.

Site Valuation History

YearTotal Appraised Value
2025$11,333,500
2024$11,333,500
2023$11,056,200
2022$9,954,600
2021$9,954,600
2020$9,955,600
2019$7,191,800
2018$5,533,600
2017$4,566,200
2016$4,566,200
CAGR10.629%

Valuation history includes estimates from King County Department of Assessments starting from when the project was first proposed. They are only an approximation and are heavily influenced by a variety of factors, including the existence and condition of built structures.

Resources:

More Roosevelt Horizon Projects

Learn more about Roosevelt land use on the Roosevelt Horizon page.

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