New Building In The Works For U District Photo Studio

UNIVERSITY DISTRICT

Yuen Lui Studios Inc. is doing more than touching up its portrait studio at 6303 Roosevelt Way N.E.; last week, the building was demolished.

Construction on the building's replacement - a five-story retail and apartment complex - will begin as soon as the final permit is received, said Terry Weaver, Yuen Lui Studios' construction representative. He expects the go-ahead within two weeks and said the building should be completed next spring.

Architect Takao Yamashita of Kumata & Associates, Architects, said the project will cost about $1.3 million. The building will include a basement garage, one floor of retail space and four floors of apartments. The box-shaped building includes a roof garden, said Yamashita.

So far, the only tenant in the almost 5,250 square feet of retail space on the ground floor is a Yuen Lui Studio. The 20 apartments will average about 900 square feet each, said Robert Will of Lunde Construction in Bellevue, prime contractor on the project. The building's total floor area is 24,128 square feet, including the garage and the roof garden.

Will said constructing mixed-use buildings, like Yuen Lui Studios' complex, is a trend, because banks will loan money for owner-occupied projects.

"The owner gets the office space, yet the building is paying for itself with the rental spaces above," said Will. "It's a good opportunity for owners to build."