Lincoln Square Accident Adds to Project Delays

BELLEVUE, WA-Work on the $360 million Lincoln Square mixed-use development here is halted this week due to a construction accident that has three workers in serious condition.

The project, being developed by Lease Real Estate Investments and Westbanks Projects Corp., was already scheduled to shut down temporarily in August because of an uncertain market and a slew of problems.

This week’s early set back for the Downtown project occurred when an elevator fell nearly 60 feet at the construction site. The three men, who work for Northwest Tower Crane Service in Seattle, were listed in serious condition yesterday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Their injuries were not considered life threatening.

Located at Bellevue Way and Northeast Eighth Street, the Lincoln Square project was originally slated to include 330,000-sfof retail space, a 303-room Westin Hotel, a 530,000-sf office building, and 148 luxury residential units.

The project’s developers plan to put construction on hold for about six months to adapt the project’s scope and design to the rapidly changing market conditions of the area. The residential part, which had been scheduled to open in 2003, may be pushed back to 2004, and the developers may toss the office tower component altogether.