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OPUS presents 5-story office concept for 51100 Eden Avenue; council asks for slimmer massing and stronger Arcadia activation
Summary
OPUS Development showed a sketch plan proposing a five‑story, ~112,000 sq. ft. office building at 51100 Eden Avenue (replacing a 1968 office on site); staff noted rezoning, variances and a replat would be required and councilmembers urged a narrower, taller profile, better pedestrian activation and clarified parking demand.
OPUS Development presented a sketch plan to the council for a proposed five‑story, approximately 112,000-square-foot office building at 51100 Eden Avenue that the developer says could include ground-floor commercial and serve as part of OPUS’s headquarters.
Community Development staff reminded the council that the site previously received preliminary PUD approval in 2023 for a 7‑story, 136‑unit apartment building. Under the new concept the developer would likely request rezoning from Planned Office District 1 to Planned Commercial District 2 (PCD‑2) or a Planned Unit Development, a replat to consolidate seven parcels, and flexibility on height, setbacks and floor‑area ratio.
Nick Murnane of OPUS said the site’s proximity to Highway 100 makes it “slightly less suited to housing” and argued an office use could energize daytime activity in the Grand View district. Architect Bob Logan and Matthew Axman described an east‑west building orientation, an elevated terrace over a pocket park oriented toward Arcadia Avenue, an arcade and multiple pedestrian access points along Arcadia.
Council members pressed on massing and pedestrian scale. Member Jackson and others said the Arcadia façade must avoid a blank, “straight wall” and encouraged stepping, an arcade and active ground-floor uses to create human scale. Member Agnew and several planners said the project will require either PCD‑2 rezoning with variances or a PUD and that those choices influence the council’s discretion when approving deviations from code.
On parking, OPUS said roughly 300 stalls are proposed across two below-grade decks, and the development team said market demand for office tenants supports about three spaces per 1,000 square feet for tenants anticipated to occupy part of the building. Several council members asked OPUS for tenant parking data and for design options that reduce perceived bulk near the sidewalk.
No formal application or vote occurred; staff said the sketch review was nonbinding and advised the team to return with a formal application that includes a traffic and parking study, detailed elevations and a clear zoning path (rezoning vs. PUD) for the council’s review.
