Antique Mall site in downtown Kirkland could be redeveloped this summer

Construction on a mixed-use development at the site of Kirkland's old Antique Mall could begin this summer, according to the developer.

Construction on a mixed-use development at the site of Kirkland’s old Antique Mall could begin this summer, according to the developer.

The nearly 42,000-square-foot lot, located at 151 3rd Street in the heart of the city’s downtown, has housed a vacant mall and been used as a paid parking lot recently.

According to documents filed with the city by the developer, Bellevue-based Kirkland Main Street, LP, the project will contain some 13,250 square feet of commercial space, 114,900 square feet of residential space and around 67,650 square feet of parking in a split level garage and street-level parking.

However, this parking will be for residents, and the city does not plan on securing slots from the new development.

The development, being called Park Lane, will hold 128 apartments, according to Ellen Miller-Wolfe, the city’s economic development manager. The city will essentially lose the 99 public parking stalls that have been utilized since shortly after the mall closed.

The property has sat vacant since 2009 and was bought in 2015 for $12 million and sits adjacent to the Kirkland Transit Center and Heathman Hotel and is two blocks from the waterfront.

Although Park Lane is situated next to a transit center and offers many features like mixed-use and easy access to transit that transit-oriented development (TOD) offers, city transportation planner Stephen Padua said Park Lane is not officially a designated as a TOD.

Since the development is located in the Central Business District it will be limited to a maximum height of 55 feet.

The Antique Mall was opened in 1983 and was the centerpiece of the downtown for decades.