ARLINGTON — Apartment and retail shops some day may sprout up in a now-empty Arlington field.
A developer has shown interest in building on the northeast corner of 67th Avenue NE and 172nd Street NE. It’s a major intersection to enter the city.
The proposed development has been called Centennial Park, not to be confused with an actual park downtown with the same name. The location also is near the former small town of Edgecomb.
No plans are permanent yet. It could be months before the builder can even apply for a permit, city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.
Initial drafts say there would be 206 apartment units on the nearly 9-acre site. More than half would have one bedroom, and the others two or three. Early estimates show that rent could be between $1,700 and $2,200 per month, Banfield said.
There also would be a gym, pool, trails and a garden. About 6,300 square feet of the complex has been reserved for retail space.
The developer has proposed about 20 buildings in all. Some of those could be small gathering rooms and other recreational spaces.
Similar projects have been in the works before.
“I know of at least two other proposals on that corner going pretty far back in time,” Banfield said.
One of those was shelved after the economic downfall.
The plot is near homes, with some shops and railroad tracks across the street.
It would be built in what was once Edgecomb, a rural community where about 350 people lived in the early 1900s.
There used to be a house made from a big tree stump and a general store. That old building was demolished in the early 2000s.
The proposed development still has a ways to go. The builder is less than halfway through a 19-step process to get a conditional use permit, Banfield said.
If that’s issued, they’d still have to submit applications to build other infrastructure, such as roads, sidewalks and sewer systems.
The state Department of Transportation also is planning to widen 172nd Street NE, also called State Route 531. Money was secured for that project in 2015.
There’s one eastbound and one westbound lane between 67th Avenue NE and 43rd Avenue NE along that road. Another lane is expected to be added to each side.
That work is set to begin in 2021, Banfield said.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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