Overview
Directly south of Safeway, there used to be a Swedish Health Services clinic. Lee Johnson Holdings bought the building in 2021, planning to turn it into a car service shop. But two years later, they dropped that plan and put the site back up for sale. The clinic building was demolished in 2025, and the lot is now being used to store Mazda cars, since Lee Johnson also runs a Mazda dealership nearby. As of 2026, it’s still unclear what will end up being built there.
An issue standing in the way of a sale, let alone any future development, is soil contamination. Five underground fuel storage tanks need to be removed from the site, and about 900 cubic yards of soil will have to be dug up, hauled away, and replaced with clean soil.
Land Use Context
The site is currently zoned NC2-55 (M), or Neighborhood Commercial 2-55, a designation that took effect on April 19, 2019, through Ordinance 125791. Interestingly, the same zoning applies to a nearby parcel that once housed an auto repair shop, whose address happens to be an anagram of this site: 7012 Roosevelt Way NE.
Under this zoning, buildings can rise up to 55 feet and be used for commercial, residential, or mixed purposes. Commercial uses allowed include local restaurants, small auto repair shops, and, somewhat ironically, medical offices.
There’s also a concept brochure from West Coast Commercial Realty (WCCR) outlining a possibility: a mixed-use apartment building. This version would stand 4 to 5 stories tall, with around 72 units, ground-level retail, and 14 parking spaces.
Should the concept proceed, the developer would need to participate in Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program. That means either paying a fee to support the city’s affordable housing trust fund, or setting aside affordable units within the building itself. If they choose the second option, about 6% of the units, roughly 4 to 5 units, would need to be designated as affordable housing.
As the fuel storage tanks and contaminated soil environmental issue must be addressed first, there is currently no officially proposed project for this site. When an official project is presented, the timeline below will be updated.
- N/A: Neighborhood Outreach and Early Design Guidance
- N/A: Land Use Permit Issued
- N/A: Construction Permit and Start
- N/A: Construction Complete
- N/A: Grand Opening
Issues and Solutions
The former Swedish Health Services clinic sat empty for years and became a real headache for the neighborhood, eventually earning a “high hazard” label from the city. Broken windows and damaged fencing let people in and out at will, and the building became a magnet for drug use, squatting, and vandalism. Neighbors said scrappers had stripped out the power and plumbing, which left the building without working sprinklers and created a serious fire risk. Outside wasn’t much better, with graffiti, trash, and overgrown vegetation piling up.
Getting the situation under control took sustained pressure from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. The department issued several Emergency Orders requiring the owners to board up every opening and clear the debris from the grounds. The property was also placed in the city’s Vacant Building Monitoring program, which meant monthly inspections and thousands of dollars in fees to keep the owners in line. The problem was resolved in March 2025, when the building was torn down. There have been no known safety issues since.
Macroeconomic conditions, like interest rates and labor costs, affect more than just whether real estate development on this site makes financial sense. They also affect whether the soil decontamination and fuel tank removal are feasible. When costs, such as the labor needed to remove the tanks, run high, the cleanup and any redevelopment that follows can end up slowed down or stalled entirely. Unfortunately, there’s not much the neighborhood can do to directly speed up the cleanup or bring development sooner.
That said, there is something meaningful we can do: help address safety issues on the site while it sits in this in-between state. If you notice problems like overgrown vegetation, littering, encampments, or car thefts, you can flag it for the city by contacting the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI). Call 206-615-0808, or submit a report through the “Make a Complaint” tool on their online portal.
Site Valuation History
| Year | Total Appraised Value |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,600,000 |
| 2024 | $5,600,000 |
| 2023 | $5,600,000 |
| 2022 | $5,600,000 |
| 2021 | $5,600,000 |
| CAGR | 0% |
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:
- 3042948-LU Site Decontamination Master Use Permit
- Apartment Concept Brochure
- Ordinance 125791
- Lee Johnson’s Seattle Mazda Car Dealership
- August 11, 2021: Lee Johnson has Plans on Roosevelt and in Kirkland
- November 03. 2021: Lee Johnson Buys Roosevelt Corner, with More Deals Pending
- October 19, 2023: Lee Johnson Unloading Roosevelt Corner Site
- Parcel Info for 7210 Roosevelt Way NE
More Roosevelt Horizon Projects
Learn more about Roosevelt land use on the Roosevelt Horizon page.