The 25,025-square-foot property, located at 201 106^th Ave. NE, houses Taco Time and a dry cleaner, although the site is zoned for a 20-story mixed-use project. The developer is with an investment fund based in northeast China, according to the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

A Windermere Real Estate broker who is working with the developer said he plans to build apartments and retail on the downtown site, according to the article. The developer reportedly has family in the Seattle area and is working with MulvannyG2 Architecture of Bellevue.

The redevelopment permit process is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

If you’re looking to get in shape for the New Year, check out the new Pilates Plus studio in downtown Bellevue.

Pilates Plus offers the SPX Fitness regimen, combining Pilates, body building, and physiotherapy to strengthen and tone the body.

A 40-minute session, which includes creative movements on resistance equipment known as the Megaformer™, will work all the muscle groups, according to the studio. The routine burns calories, develops core strength, and stimulates balance and body coordination.

Pilates Plus is located next to Safeway, at 310 Bellevue Way NE. Call (425) 512-4528 or visit Pilates Plus for more information.

The company reported that it was “out of contract” on the southern part of the block, according to an article in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Touchstone Corporation had a purchase-and-sale agreement with Wasatch Development Associates, which owns the superblock.

The Washington Square superblock — bordered by Northeast 8^th and 10^th streets and 106^th and 108^th avenues northeast — was intended to be a 15-story complex with 250 hotel rooms, about 320,000 square feet of office space, and 20,000 square feet of retail space, according to Touchstone’s website.

Now Wasatch Development Associates is working with design firm NBBJ to develop a project with office, hospitality, and retail space on the 10.5-acre block. The northeast corner of the block could also include housing.

Both the Bellevue Way and Midlake post office branches will close and retail operations will move to a new facility in downtown Bellevue by mid-2013, according to an article in The Bellevue Reporter.

The U.S. Postal Service announced the changes this week as part of a national consolidation campaign to save the agency $2.1 billion each year.

The USPS is looking for a location for the new facility and is accepting public input. The site will require 10,000 square feet of retail space, 80 to 90 customer parking spaces, and 10 employee parking spaces.

The boundaries for the facility’s location are Northeast 12^th Street to the north, Main Street to the south, 120^th Avenue Northeast to the east, and 100^th Avenue Northeast to the west. Readers, do you have any suggestions for the new location?

(Photo Credit: greenplasticamy)

In the last couple years there has been an abundance of frozen yogurt shops in Downtown Bellevue. Unfortunately it looks like Shnoo was not able to survive and has recently closed its shop, which is located at Washington Square next to Top Pot Doughnuts. This is the 2nd frozen yogurt shop to close in Downtown Bellevue, as 3 Berries at The Courtyard Marriott was also previously a victim to the excess amounts of frozen yogurt establishments.

Red Mango, Blissberri, and CeFiore will be met by Yogurtland when it soon opens on Bellevue Way. Will another shop fall victim in the year to come?

The reported new Apple Store in Bellevue Square is beginning to take shape. The exterior of the store is now a cohesive unit. The store size is quite the spectacle, and it took 4 separate photos to capture the entire exterior of the space. Talbots and Bailey Banks & Biddle were the previous tenants of the large space. Apple’s current store is 4,600 square feet, and by the looks of the exterior of the new store, it could be up to 3 times larger.

There is no official word on the opening date, or a confirmation that it is actually an Apple Store. It would be ideal for Apple to have this transition complete before the holiday season, due to the large crowds and lines in November and December.

The University Village Apple Store has recently been closed and will re-open this week following a remodel.

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Lunchbox Laboratory is coming to the 989 Elements building in Downtown Bellevue, according to the Seattle Times. The restaurant currently has a Seattle location on South Lake Union and is gaining quite the following. This will be the restaurant’s 2nd location.

Lunchbox Laboratory prides themselves on huge gourmet burgers, tasty shakes, and sweet potato fries. In addition to the tasty food, with rich flavor and tasty sauces, customers also describe the restaurant as being a bit quirky.

The new restaurant will take over the space that was previously occupied by Zen Asian Bistro at the base of 989 Elements apartment building. There is not a planned opening date yet.

The owner of Lunchbox Laboratory is also the owner of the 5 ‘Neighborhood Grills’ throughout the greater Seattle area – Greenlake Bar & Grill, Eastlake Bar & Grill, Lake Forest Bar & Grill, Crossroads Bar & Grill, and Bremerton Bar & Grill.

This will be the 5th frozen yogurt shop in Downtown Bellevue, in addition to Blissberri, Shnoo Yogurt, Red Mango, and CeFiore. Capitol Hill is the only current location with a Yogurtland in the greater Seattle area, but coming soon will also be locations in the University District and in Wallingford. Yogurtland has been largely popular due to their numerous frozen yogurt flavors, as well as toppings that customers have to choose from.

Fashion is not the only thing to celebrate as The Bravern embarks on its 2-year anniversary.  The luxury complex has put together a whole host of community events that bring people of all ages together.  These events have included Fashion’s Night Out, Hermés Festival of Crafts, Bellevue Holiday Tradition, Sips & Sounds Happy Hour, and Little Bookworms Story Time. Many of these events have included a charitable partner, giving back to local organizations that are in need of help.

As The Bravern celebrates its 2nd anniversary this month, it’s seeing positive growth in sales and even some new tenants arriving.

Update on Business at The Bravern
The 1st half of this year has proved to be a strong one for The Shops at The Bravern. Same-store sales saw an increase of 15%, year-over-year (some stores saw a triple digit increase compared to last years results). In May of this year, Neiman Marcus saw the biggest year-over-year increase in the franchise’s 41-store chain. At Fashion’s Night Out, the 2 Neiman Marcus fashion shows were the 2 of the most attended events throughout the evening; people were standing on their toes just to get a peek at the runway, behind several rows of seated guests. Neiman’s certainly drew a crowd that night.

The Shops at The Bravern, which opened on September 11th in 2009, launched with an exceptional rate of 85% of its retail space leased.  Throughout the ups and downs of the economy that we’ve seen the last 2 years, The Bravern has been able to sustain their retail occupancy of 85%. The Shops at The Bravern have 10 additional spaces available for new shops and/or restaurants in the future.

Since The Bravern Signature Residence Apartment Homes have fully transitioned to apartments in both towers, the leasing has been full steam ahead.  The homes are now 75% leased and are expected to be fully occupied by January 2012, according a recent interview with Jeff Harmer of Schnitzer West.

Just as we had speculated in the past, Blue Martini is set to arrive at The Bravern later this year, as confirmed by The Bravern this week. The premiere martini lounge will add yet another dynamic tenant to The Shops at The Bravern. It’s expected to have an array of specialty martinis, wine and champagne, light fare, and live entertainment.

The Bellevue City County reviewed plans Monday for the construction of a 3-level parking garage for the downtown Bellevue Regional Library.

The King County Library System plans to build the new garage to replace an 80-stall surface parking lot. When combined with parking currently available under the library, the garage will add 163 stalls, bringing the total from 199 to 362, according to a press statement.

This week, library and city staff discussed ways to minimize impacts on library patrons, neighbors, and users of the nearby Ashwood Park. Construction is expected to run from September 2011 through September 2012.

The library, located at 1111 110th Ave. NE, averages about 68,000 visitors per month.