Seattle Region Experiencing A Building Boom

"In Seattle and Bellevue, new office, retail, medical and condominium projects are either planned or under construction, revitalizing a building industry that just a year ago was hunkered down for a long, slow spell.

...At Seattle's Department of Planning and Development, the value of commercial-construction-permit applications is on pace to hit nearly $1.4 billion this year, a 129 percent increase over 2003.

In Bellevue, the value of commercial-building permits issued this year is on track to grow 40 percent, much of it driven by developers reviving projects mothballed in the worst real-estate downturn in a decade."