Matt Hanna Moderates Bisnow Panel, “The Future of Downtown: Seattle’s Great Building Boom,” With Some of Seattle’s Top Commercial Real Estate Experts

CH& attorney Matt Hanna recently led a panel discussion with some of Seattle’s CRE thought leaders and experts.  The crowd included developers, investors, and real estate industry professionals hoping to garner insight into the future of downtown Seattle’s quickly changing landscape.

The panel featured: John Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association; Clise Properties President, Richard Stevenson; Claudio Guincher, President of Continental Properties; and Steve Reents, Senior Vice President of Bentall Kennedy.  Topics included the building craze, multifamily developments, capital markets, and public transportation.  Panel members agreed that the Seattle market continues to be strong, but affordability and homelessness were still inescapable issues that challenge the City’s definition of growth.

Still, Stevenson and Guincher both agreed that as multifamily, apartment, and condo development continues to grow, Seattle’s tech industry has simultaneously given rise to an international workforce that is reminiscent of cultural hubs like Barcelona and Amsterdam.  Scholes notes that “some of the DSA’s goals for 2017 include transportation reliability,” and significant investments in the infrastructures needed to sustain them.  Overall, the panelists’ predict that Seattle’s real estate outlook remains significantly positive and ready to take on the next phase of expansion.