Seattle's SLU Sees Slew of Development

A rise in investment spearheaded by Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen has brought new residential and commercial development to the area, creating a vibrant, if not gentrified, neighborhood.

"Five years later, the vision of a new South Lake Union is finally taking shape — from a drive-by no-man’s-land to a high-tech community dotted with gleaming office towers, cafes, a new farmers’ market and a lakefront park.

Much of the progress can be gleaned from the growing directory of companies moving to South Lake Union (www.discoverslu.com). Amazon.com is developing an 11-building campus on a six-block stretch between Terry Avenue and Boren Avenue. Tommy Bahama moved into a new six-story headquarters in 2005. And a cluster of biotech and medical research centers, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, are already up and running."