For lack of “metallic champagne,” Capitol Hill’s newly completed Broadcast Apartments building will, indeed, face a rare post-construction design review Wednesday night. This public comment letter might sum up many reactions to the meeting:



But the effort to review the change in materials used on the project is required, the city told CHS last month when we reported on the brewing color issues at the 1420 E Madison development.



Trent Mummery of developer Metropolitan Homes told CHS the reason the metal siding of the Broadcast Apartments went up in a uniform dark bronze is that the champagne colored siding planned for the vertical fins wasn’t available from the manufacturer. “They’re fins, they create shadows. It’s nearly impossible to see. We didn’t think it would rise to be on their radar,” Mummery said.

“The original permit was approved for specific colors and materials, and the Design Review Board recommended approval with minimal modulation based on the concept of fins in a contrasting color to create a certain appearance,” a spokesperson for the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections told CHS.

Wednesday’s review will mark a notable fourth session in front of the design board for the project that first lurched into motion way back in 2009 when the Taco Time that used to stand at the site was razed.

The Broadcast building currently has a temporary permit allowing its tenants and is reportedly fully leased. But any final permits including efforts for a new street-level business are on hold pending the new review process.

Developers say the design review will cost around $15,000 in planning and fees but the cost of correcting the color issue with new siding is prohibitive. Instead, they hope Wednesday night to sway the design board that the building’s architecture solves any aesthetic concerns the body may have over what was promised vs. what was ultimately delivered.

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