Industrial Real Estate isn’t Sexy, but in Seattle it Sure is Hot

Puget Sound Business journal | Marc Stiles | January 28

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2016/01/industrial-real-estate-isnt-sexy-but-in-seattle-it.html

“Like other segments of the Puget Sound region’s commercial real estate industry, the industrial sector is having its best year since 2006. Big new buildings are going up, but that’s not enough to keep with demand. The resulting rise in rents has investors clamoring to buy, with $2.4 billion worth of properties trading hands in 2015. That’s a whopping 202 percent increase over the previous year, according to international research firm Real Capital Analytics.”

 

Few US Neighborhoods Affordable, Walkable with Good Schools

Associated Press | Josh Boak | January 27

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/63cdef9f28dd410eb92eefe6b105af11/few-us-neighborhoods-affordable-walkable-good-schools

“Few neighborhoods can match the perks of Adams Morgan in Washington, D.C. – a reality that reflects a broader problems for the U.S. housing market…Across the country just 14% of neighborhoods manage to be at once affordably priced, walkable and near decent schools…In the Redfin report, only 24 neighborhoods in eight cities met all three criteria of walkability, affordability and schools. Seven of the neighborhoods were in Seattle. Its University District neighborhood – site of the University of Washington’s campus – ranked as the highest.”

You can see the list of neighborhoods here.

 

Starting March 19, Trips from Downtown Seattle to UW Will Take Just 8 Minutes

Puget Sound Business Journal | Marc Stiles | January 26

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2016/01/starting-march-19-trips-from-downtown-seattle-to.html

“The commute from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington Medical Center is about to get a whole lot easier, and faster…The underground trip from downtown Seattle to the UW will take eight minutes, bypassing some of the region’s worst traffic. The trip currently takes around 30 minutes by bus and 10 minutes by car, if traffic isn’t congested. Completion of the line along the region’s most densely populated neighborhoods is expected to significantly boost light-rail ridership.”

 

How the ‘Seattle Tech Universe’ Map Ended up at the World Economic Forum

GeekWire | Clare Mcgrane | January 26

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/how-the-seattle-tech-universe-map-made-its-way-to-davos/

“The Seattle region’s technology landscape was in the spotlight over the weekend in Davos, Switzerland, where top executives and global leaders were gathered for the World Economic Forum. Brad Smith, the Microsoft President and chief legal officer, showed the Seattle Tech Universe map during an event Friday night in Davos to make his point about the ways universities and industry can collaborate to foster innovation…Asked why Smith was showing the map at the event, a Microsoft representative explained that he was talking about the connection between leading universities and innovation ecosystems, using the University of Washington as an example.”

You can check out the map here.

 

Nine Washington Community Colleges on the List of 150 Best in the Country

The Seattle Times | Katherine Long | January 26

http://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/nine-washington-community-colleges-on-list-of-150-best-in-country/

Nine Washington community colleges – including seven in the Puget Sound regions – are on the list of the nation’s 150 best, as picked by the nonprofit Aspen Institute. The list includes Everett Community College, Highline College, Olympic College (Bremerton), Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom, Renton Technical College, South Puget Sound Community College, Tacoma Community College, Clark College (Vancouver) and Whatcom Community College…Both Renton Technical College and Olympic College were recognized when the prize was last given two years ago, and finished in the top 10…Ten finalists will be named in the fall of this year, and the Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits and college more data.”

 

Seattle Business Leader Wants to Build an LGBTQ Co-Working Innovation Center

Geekwire | Monica Nickelsburg | January 25

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/this-seattle-business-leader-wants-to-build-a-co-working-lgbtq-impact-hub/

“In 2008, Seattle’s LGBTQ Community Center shuttered its doors, an early sign of the Capitol Hill neighborhood’s evolution from gay haven to trendy turf…Local business owner and activist George Pieper decided to run with that opportunity. He started by forming Seattle LGBTQ Community Development, a bridge organization to other non-profits to collaborate, without any turf wars. From there, sprang the idea for an LGBT Community “impact hub,” modeled, in part, on success in the startup ecosystem.”

 

High-End Home Sales Booming as Tech Execs, Foreign Buyers Shell Out Millions

The Seattle Times | Sanjay Bhatt | January 22

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/high-end-home-sales-booming-as-tech-execs-foreign-buyers-bid-up-prices/

“An eight-bedroom mansion on Mercer Island’s Faben Point fetched last year’s highest price for a home in King County – $13.8 million. The buyer, whose identity was concealed through a shell company, paid cash, public records show. Brokers say the buyer is from China and will use it as a family home…Those sales sum up two broad trends seen last year in the Seattle area’s ultra-high-end home market: Buyers tend to be either technology-firm leaders, including those moving up from Silicon Valley, or foreign nationals…With so much demand, Realogics Sotheby’s is sponsoring a new luxury Seattle magazine in Chinese that could accelerate the influx of international buyers.”