From a 12th-floor condominium described as a sub-penthouse, the Seattle waterfront is a changing tableau of light, water and tiny vessels. The wealthy owners who’ll pay more than $1 million for this compact 1,800-square-foot apartment will also have access to technology that some think is as breathtaking as the views of the distant Olympic Mountains.
Developers behind the $60 million project that houses the condo claim it is the most technologically advanced residential building in the Pacific Northwest.
Already, the developers of the building, called the Concord, have another similar project in Seattle ready to get a permit. Around the country, developers are thinking as much about Internet access as they are about marble counters and professional cooking ranges as features some buyers are seeking.
“I think what is happening in Seattle is one step ahead of what is happening in other communities because of the high-tech and Internet presence in that area,” said Donna Reichle, vice president of communications at the nonprofit Community Associations Institute. “But it is happening in California and is spreading nationwide.”
Talk about wired. The technology at the Concord begins before owners enter the building. First, they must present a palm to a machine that scans their hand and unlocks the front door. Inside, walls in soothing colors are stuffed with the kind of cable needed to provide high-speed Internet access, video conferencing, multiple phone lines, two cable-TV systems, satellite TV, security and in-apartment entertainment systems and computer networking.
The building even has its own private Web site, or intranet, which allows owners to check by computer to find out when the laundry is back from the dry cleaners. All 203 condominiums in the building are similarly equipped.
Reichle says passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act has been a catalyst in spurring developers to install such high levels of technology in residential buildings. The act allows developers to bid out telecommunications rather than accept a single phone company or cable company.
Concord residents can choose from cable-modem service from either of Seattle’s cable TV franchises, TCI and Summit, as well as US West’s Digital Subscriber Line (DSL).
The question remains, however, whether such amenities really draw in buyers.
Windermere real-estate agent Mary Alice Shea, who specializes in downtown condos, sells about 40 a year, but her customers have so far never asked if a building has high-speed Internet access. She notes that several older buildings downtown have been retrofitted with Reflex, a communication system that employs cabling and microwave technology.
Seattle-based developer T. Jones researched the likely demand for a high-tech condominium building before proceeding with construction of the Concord. Dean Jones, the company’s marketing director, estimates that the additional wiring added $2,500 to $10,000 per unit to the construction budget. “This isn’t just smoke and mirrors,” he said. “We have bandwidth in this building big time.”
Bandwidth is the term used to describe the capacity of wiring to handle intensive data and video signals. The Concord wiring wouldn’t embarrass an Internet company, which is to its favor, because many who earn their living working in software will be moving in. There’s a conference room in the building where residents who work out of their homes can set up meetings and video conferences.
Jones, who sprinkles his sentences with the word “lifestyle,” said the growth of Internet companies, the popularity of downtown living and the level of traffic congestion are all factors in the Concord’s attraction to buyers. Apart from a few units being retained for public show, the building is sold out.
“We are finding a convergence of design, family and lifestyle,” he said.
High-speed Internet access was enough to lure Gabriel Ciobanu from a 25th-floor apartment near Pike Place Market. “It was hard to give up the view,” he said.
He’ll use a high-speed Internet connection to make it easier for the stock-trading he engages in every morning before heading off to manage an auto dealership in Edmonds. Next week, Ciobanu will move into an 800-square-foot one bedroom apartment for which he paid $250,000.
“I do not think I’m paying a premium at all for the technology I’m going to have,” he said.
Retired music teacher Virginia Leonard and her husband, Paul, a retired electrical engineer, are spending $350,000 on a 1,200-square-foot condo. “It’s a beautiful building, and we have a west-facing view,” said Virginia Leonard. “We just feel a connection to the great view, and the building is beautiful.”
As for the technology, Virginia Leonard said it was not a motivating factor to buy.
“I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. My husband might use it. And maybe I’ll have a close relationship with the computer as part of the relationship with the building,” she mused.
