LOCAL NEWS
Amazon pauses Bellevue tower construction, reevaluates design
Jul 18, 2022, 6:34 PM
(Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Amazon.com Inc. announced it is pausing work on most office towers in Bellevue, but the company is not halting hiring in the city, where it still plans to have more than 25,000 employees.
The decision, which affects six towers totaling more than 3 million square feet of space, will allow the company to reevaluate the design of workspaces. One tower is being put on hold, while the shell-and-core work on the other five will be completed.
“The pandemic has significantly changed the way people work. For our corporate and tech roles, we’ve adopted a hybrid model that offers employees increased flexibility — each team decides the balance between in-office and remote work that makes sense for them,” Amazon Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities John Schoettler said in a statement.
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Amazon plans to finish building out some areas, including cores, exteriors, lobbies, retail, and communal spaces, and, in certain cases a number of lower floors for Bellevue buildings already under construction.
The tech company says it will fully complete the planned 43-story Tower 1, but pause plans for beginning construction of Tower 2, which Vulcan Real Estate is slated to develop.
Construction will also be halted on Tower 3 and the 42-story, 1M SF 555 Tower — also Vulcan developments — as well as the planned 25-story Artise building that had an initial opening scheduled for 2024.
Amazon has not yet provided timelines for pausing or restarting work on its Bellevue buildings. The company also has not specified how changes to construction timelines will affect its original planned occupancy dates.
