Case Studies from Clients
Before the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District could play ball, it literally needed to assemble the field. The goal was to purchase all property on the SODO site without resorting to eminent domain litigation. However, there was an enormous catch: they only had 6 months to complete the process and relocate 22 businesses, one of which was a methadone clinic, visited every day by 600 recovering heroin addicts.
The Seattle Symphony had a very ambitious goal: raise funds and community enthusiasm for a new symphony hall in downtown Seattle. The primary challenge was determining where to build and how to accommodate established businesses on the targeted site, given the massive scale of the proposed facility. The City and the symphony leadership turned to Kinzer to help define the process and to find a world-class solution.
The success of Adobe Systems had always depended on the loyalty and around-the-clock dedication of its highly-talented, mostly young, professional staff. As hard as the staff worked, they also liked to play, which made the firm’s original Pioneer Square office a perfect fit. But with success came a pressing need for more space, and lots of it. Adobe considered moving from its urban location to a suburban campus, but knew it would hurt employee retention and recruitment. Was there a way to support the brand culture and expand the firm’s regional headquarters?
The not-for-profit needed to move out of a large amount of mixed lab and office space across multiple floors with only two years remaining on an above-market lease. In addition, the building was marketing competing available space, and the life sciences market offered very few prospective tenants. Not surprisingly, the landlord was completely uninterested in negotiating a lease termination.
One of the key strategic drivers behind the City of Seattle’s decision to purchase the 62-story Seattle Municipal Tower was the desire to consolidate city departments into one central space. Once the Tower transaction was complete, the city faced another real estate and public relations challenge: what to do with the city-owned 15-story Dexter Horton Building, a much-loved historic landmark in need of extensive rehabilitation. Again, the City turned to Kinzer.
Over 20 years ago, Starbucks had fewer than 100 stores but big plans — so big that the company thought a suburban office campus was the only answer to their need for expansive space at an affordable price. But Starbucks was, and is, an urban creation. With that in mind, Kinzer set out to find a unique city-based alternative that would support the Starbucks brand and give it the flexibility to grow.
Our knowledge of Puget Sound area real estate markets, connections with local real estate professionals, tenant and owner representation skills, expertise in financial analysis, development and development feasibility analysis, and confidential services are an excellent match for the University of Washington’s real estate needs and requirements. Over the last few years, we have worked as the exclusive broker of the UW real estate team to leverage their brand, help shape the future of the U District, support emerging startups, and support unique requirements with our expertise in life sciences and medical office.
Seattle Children’s Research Institute faced an immediate need for 60,000 SF of in-city interim lab and office space, and a longer-term need for a larger, permanent facility. Not only was the Institute facing two moves, but it was also facing a three-year wait, even for an interim move, assuming the specialty lab space needs would require building versus leasing.