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34-524: The Spring District is being developed by Wright Runstad & Company in a joint venture with Shorenstein Properties . NBBJ is the project's master plan architect, though individual buildings developed by Security Properties and AMLI Residential are being designed by GGLO. Plans for the neighborhood were drawn up in the late 2000s and allowed after a 2009 upzone of the Bel-Red corridor. Demolition of

68-600: A mixed-use development , the buildings are split between residential, commercial, and retail uses. The Spring District is expected to include over 3 million square feet (280,000 m) of office space and 1,500 residential units. City of Bellevue zoning allows for buildings as tall as 150 feet (46 m), though buildings range from 3 to 12 stories. At full build out, the development will support an estimated 2,000 residents and 13,000 office workers. The first residential building opened in May 2017. The Global Innovation Exchange ,

102-547: A 2005 comment about the Southcenter mall indicates his disdain for those who can't afford to shop at Bellevue Square : "When you walk through the [Southcenter] mall, the way the customer dresses just to shop there — the light blue and pink hair curlers, the shoes that flop, flop, flop along — it’s a completely different customer," said Freeman. "Yet we are 12 miles apart." Freeman Jr. holds leadership appointments in several community and economic development organizations in

136-481: A consistent opponent of Sound Transit's light rail plans. In 2002, the Freeman-backed group Sane Transit sued Sound Transit after the 1 Line was reduced in scope, alleging that a reduction in project scope required the agency to put the issue to another public vote. In 2008, Freeman campaigned against the plan to bring light rail to downtown Bellevue, and backed city council candidates in an effort to route

170-525: A former distribution center on the site began in September 2013. Construction of the first phase, consisting of two apartment buildings, began in June 2015 and finished in 2017. The full development is anticipated to be completed by 2028, adding 5.3 million square feet (490,000 m) of housing, office space and retail to the area. Two major office tenants have confirmed their intent to occupy space in

204-720: A high-tech academic institute supported by the University of Washington , Microsoft , and Tsinghua University , was announced as the first major tenant for the Spring District in 2015. It opened in September 2017, with 43 students from China and the United States taking master's degree courses. The facility was expected to have 3,000 students in various programs by 2027. Outdoor supplier REI announced in March 2016 that it intended to relocate its Kent headquarters to

238-438: A light rail station to serve it, was opposed by Downtown Bellevue real estate developer Kemper Freeman . Freeman funded the campaigns of a set of Bellevue City Council candidates in the 2011 elections, while Spring District developer Wright Runstad funded a set of opposing candidates. Freeman had filed an appeal with the city prior to the election, arguing that the environmental impact of additional automobile traffic generated by

272-508: A threat to white prosperity. He founded the Anti-Japanese League of Washington in 1916 and was a vocal proponent for the state's 1921 alien land laws , the 1924 Immigration Act , and the 1942 incarceration of American citizens of Japanese ancestry in concentration camps during World War II. Freeman Jr.'s father, Frederick Kemper Freeman Sr., led the development of what is now Bellevue Square, which opened in 1946. He also

306-666: The Aon Center in 2014, and sold the building to a consortium of investors including Carolwood in December 2023. This corporation or company article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kemper Freeman Frederick Kemper Freeman Jr. (born October 23, 1941) is the active chairman and CEO of Kemper Development Company, which built and operates Bellevue Square , Bellevue Place, and Lincoln Square , all located in Bellevue, Washington . Kemper represents

340-461: The Cascade Range to the east. NE 16th Street will be renamed to Spring Boulevard, which begins in the new district and continues east towards Overlake Village station . Part of the development will cross Kelsey Creek tributaries in the area, as well as three other creeks. The city has termed the creeks and wetlands "unhealthy" and has planned mitigation measures. The Spring District was

374-464: The "Spring District" to be located in the Bel-Red industrial area. The firm had, together with Shorenstein Properties , bought a 36-acre (15 ha) lot in the Bel-Red area in May 2007 for $ 68 million; the land was formerly owned by Safeway , who had a distribution center for its supermarkets at the site. The first phase of the project was to be completed in 2010, pending zoning changes approved by

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408-420: The Bel-Red area at 120th Avenue and 130th Avenue . The Bellevue City Council adopted a rezone of the Bel-Red area in 2009, allowing for buildings up to 13 stories tall, approximately 150 feet (46 m), as well as mixed-use development incorporating residential units and retail. In December 2007, Seattle-based real estate developer Wright Runstad unveiled plans for a transit-oriented urban village named

442-528: The Bel-Red area, with considerations to future residential units and retail lots, in an attempt to direct growth. The Bel-Red area was selected in part due to plans for a light rail line through the area on the way to the Microsoft campus in Overlake near Redmond. The plan for light rail was approved by voters in 2008 as part of Sound Transit 's East Link Extension and finalized in 2011 with two stops in

476-665: The Bellevue Collection, covering approximately 50 acres of land in downtown Bellevue. In 2016, Bloomberg reported all of Freeman's holdings had a worth of "about $ 2 billion" of which Freeman and his two daughters owned a majority stake. Freeman Jr. often speaks out against mass transit. In 1995 and 1996, Freeman Jr. led a campaign opposing the creation of a regional transit authority which later became Sound Transit , arguing "the automobile has won". In 2004 and 2008, Freeman backed state initiatives to convert HOV lanes and bus lanes to general traffic. Freeman has been

510-652: The Spring District by 2020. The company announced in August 2020 that it would sell the headquarters building and 8-acre (3.2 ha) campus within the Spring District due to the surge in remote working amid the COVID-19 pandemic . Facebook (now Meta ) announced its purchase of the unfinished campus the following month for $ 368 million, while an undeveloped 2-acre (0.81 ha) lot was sold back to Wright Runstad. The 11-story Meta offices at Block 16 opened in October 2022;

544-405: The Spring District would require further study than the current master plan. It was settled in 2012, with the city requiring a future study of traffic impacts in exchange for the withdrawal of the appeal. Sound Transit 's decision to build a light rail operations and maintenance facility adjacent to the Spring District was opposed by Wright Runstad, who argued that the facility would be damaging to

578-827: The Spring District: Meta (formerly Facebook) and the Global Innovation Exchange , an educational institute formed from a partnership between the University of Washington , Microsoft and Tsinghua University . In 2016, the Puget Sound Business Journal ranked the $ 2.3 billion project as the second-largest construction project in the Puget Sound region , behind the East Link light rail extension. The Bel-Red area (named for its location along Bel-Red Road between

612-469: The United States. The company has sponsored twelve closed-end real estate funds, with total equity commitments of $ 8.8 billion, including $ 723.5 million from the company. The main office of the social media company Twitter at 1355 Market Street , San Francisco, belongs to Shorenstein, as was reported when Twitter was in arrear for paying rent. In 1946, after being discharged from the military, Walter Shorenstein joined Milton Meyer & Company, which

646-416: The city centers of Bellevue and Redmond ) was originally developed in the 1960s for light industry , such as warehouses , as well as some pockets of commercial and office development. The 900-acre (360 ha) area accounts for more than a quarter of Bellevue's industrial land. In 2005, with businesses moving out of the area, the city government began a planning study that reexamined existing zoning in

680-571: The city, and replace existing warehouses and light industry with 1,000 residences and 3 million square feet (280,000 m) of offices along with 16 acres (6.5 ha) of open space. A master plan for the Spring District was unveiled by NBBJ in 2008, taking inspiration from the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon , and was approved by the City of Bellevue in 2012. In March 2013, it

714-569: The company expanded into Block 20 (the former REI building) and Block 24 by the end of the year. As of 2023, Meta occupied nine buildings in the Spring District; several commercial and retail spaces remained unleased. Shorenstein Properties Shorenstein is a real estate investment company based in San Francisco that owns interests in 23 million square feet (2.1 × 10 ^  m ) of office space throughout

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748-410: The developer's vision and plans for the area. Bellevue's abandonment of plans for low-income housing in the district, allowing Wright Runstad to pay into a development fund instead, was criticized in a piece on Crosscut.com as part of trend with private developers shying away from building affordable housing around transit. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 16, 2013, to celebrate

782-437: The nearly $ 316,000 donated to the "No on ST3" campaign. Freeman called the plan a "major calamity", criticizing the plan's timeline, cost, and scope. Freeman's motivations stem from a belief that cars provide significantly more personal freedom than transit. He believes that socialist nations have failed in part due to their reliance on public transportation. Critics have accused him of being motivated by classism, arguing that

816-734: The new light rail line alongside the I-405 freeway, away from population centers. Freeman sued Sound Transit in 2009, arguing that the use of the I-90 HOV lanes for light rail was illegal. The suit was ultimately rejected after being appealed to the Washington State Supreme Court . In 2011, Freeman supported Tim Eyman's Initiative 1125, a proposed tolling measure containing a subtle clause prohibiting any "non-highway purpose" for I-90. In 2016, Freeman spent $ 210,000 in opposition to Sound Transit 3 , making up two-thirds of

850-416: The northern part of the planned neighborhood. Architecture firm NBBJ , inspired by the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon , designed the neighborhood with small blocks and a grid of interconnected streets integrated with the station and amenities, including parks, open space and mid-block pedestrian passages. The buildings will be staggered and oriented for views of Downtown Bellevue to the southwest and

884-468: The recipient of a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for neighborhood development in 2022. It was recognized for promoting alternative modes of transportation and incorporating habitat-friendly water features. The Spring District is planned to consist of 24 buildings on 36 acres (15 ha) of land, totaling 5.3 million square feet (490,000 m) of leasable space. As

918-515: The seat to focus on his business in building and development. He then began working full-time on the expansion and enclosure of Bellevue Square with his father, which re-opened in 1981. In early-1980, Freeman Jr. founded the Kemper Development Company, which has overseen the continued expansion of Bellevue Square as well as development of: In total, the three properties (Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place, Lincoln Square) makeup

952-414: The southernmost and easternmost blocks; the second phase will open from 2019 to 2022 and primarily consist of commercial space in the centrally-located blocks; the third phase will open from 2022 to 2026 and include residential and commercial buildings as well as a hotel adjacent to the light rail station on the north end of the site. The Spring District is centered around a light rail station located in

986-753: The start of site demolition at the future Spring District. Demolition of the Safeway distribution center was completed in January 2014, and construction of the first phase, a 79-unit apartment building, began in June 2015. Construction of all five buildings in the first phase will be finished in 2017. The second phase began construction in November 2016. Construction of the Spring District is expected to last 15 years, ending by 2028, and be divided into three phases. The first phase will open from 2017 to 2022 and primarily consist of residential buildings and office spaces on

1020-612: The third generation of the Freeman family, who have been involved in the growth of the Bellevue community since 1897. He is a former Republican member of the Washington State House of Representatives from the 48th district and publicly active in conversations about traffic and transportation in Bellevue. Kemper Freeman Jr. is a third-generation resident of Bellevue, Washington. His grandfather, Miller Freeman,

1054-410: Was active in state politics and public affairs, including promoting the development of a bridge connecting Seattle, Mercer Island, and Bellevue, and acting as a driving force in anti-Japanese discrimination, agitating for what he called a "white man's Pacific coast". Beginning in 1907, Miller Freeman was a prominent voice calling for the segregation or deportation of Japanese immigrants, whom he saw as

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1088-467: Was announced that Security Properties would develop the first phase of the Spring District, beginning with a five apartment buildings with 316 units. A second developer, AMLI Residential , announced its intention to purchase a 1.47-acre (0.59 ha) parcel in the Spring District for $ 13.3 million; AMLI built a 204-unit apartment building on its site that opened in 2020. The development of the Spring District, and its use of public funding to build roads and

1122-430: Was involved in building Bellevue's first hospital, Overlake Hospital Medical Center . Kemper Freeman Jr. was born on October 23, 1941. He married Betty Austin in 1965 and has two daughters, Amy Schreck and Suzanne McQuaid. In 1973, Freeman Jr. was appointed to a vacant seat in the Washington State House of Representatives as a Republican representing the 48th district . After serving for three years, he resigned from

1156-481: Was later renamed Shorenstein Company. In the early 1990s, Walter Shorenstein stepped back from day-to-day operations of the company. His son, Douglas W. Shorenstein , became chief executive officer of the company in 1995. Walter Shorenstein died in 2010 at age 95 and Douglas Shorenstein died at age 60 of cancer in 2015. In 2020, Brandon Shorenstein, Doug's son, was named chairman and CEO. Shorenstein, purchased

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