Construction has commenced for a mixed-use residential development at the former site of Pacific Alliance Medical Center in Chinatown, representatives of the development team announced earlier this month.

Essence 501, which is being developed by property owner 531 West College Street, LLC and an affiliate of AGI Avant Partners, will rise at 531 W. College Street, on a site which also fronts North Hill street to the east and Yale Street to the west. Plans call for the construction of an eight-story building including 455 apartments with 9,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, 7,700 square feet of medical facilities, and a 473-car garage.

Street-level view looking northeastSteinberg Hart

Project entitlements include Transit Oriented Communities incentives to permit a larger building than otherwise allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, 91 apartments are to be reserved for lower-income renters for a period of 99 years.

Steinberg Hart is designing Essence, which will include multiple privately-owned by publicly-accessible paseos, as well as private terraces and a clubhouse with a mass timber roof. The building is clad in white plaster, and is to include a contemporary interpretation of a Chinatown "paifang" gateway.

Street-level view looking northwestSteinberg Hart

“The project stitches into the unique urban fabric of this part of Chinatown, completing the loop of the existing walk-street network while creating secure, publicly accessible paseos and a courtyard that invigorate the neighborhood,” said Steinberg Har principal Fredrik Nilsson in a statement. “Street-facing retail activates the ground floor and engages the community, anchored by a medical outpatient facility at the corner of Yale and West College Streets.”

Other members of the project team include Westport Construction and Siemens, which is serving as technology and energy consultant. 

Pool deck view looking southSteinberg Hart

The project is intended to open in the lead up to the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Essence joins a handful of large mixed-use developments now planned or under construction in the Chinatown community, including a proposed high-rise complex along North Broadway and the affordable New High Village development along North Spring Street.

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