In 2011 Brooks Sports announced that they would be relocating 
their corporate headquarters to 3400 Stone Way – a trailhead along the Burke-Gilman Trail. The announcement was covered on Wallyhood in this story. This news received a mixed response in Wallingford as many were happy to see a company like Brooks re-locating to the neighborhood and others were skeptical about the re-zoning that allowed the developer Skanska USA to build a taller building than would previously have been allowed.
Who is Brooks Sports?
Brooks Sports Inc is a 100 year old company with the motto Run Happy. In 2001 Brooks refocused their product line exclusively to running shoes, apparel and accessories. Today Brooks is the top-selling brand in independent running stores. The global Brooks workforce is approximately 600 employees, 260 of which will be located at the new Corporate Headquarters. Brooks’ website states, “We are a team of men and women united by the compulsion to deliver the best running experience on the planet.”
Relocating to our neighborhood is not all Brooks is doing in Seattle. Brooks’ professional middle-distance track club, the Brooks Beasts call Seattle home. They can be seen training along the Burke-Gilman, in Magnuson Park, and soon at the Brooks Corporate Headquarters. These runners excel on the international stage and are former Olympians and Olympic hopefuls for 2016. Additionally, Brooks sponsors many Seattle area running events, including the Fremont 5k and Briefcase Relay, just up the road from their new home. If you have been to a local Brooks event, then you have surely experienced the enthusiasm of their employees.
Why Stone34?
As Brooks grew over the last decade, space became sparse at their former home in Bothell. Their lease was coming to an end when CEO Jim Weber chose the northeast corner of Stone Way and 34th St as their new Corporate Headquarters. Brooks signed a ten year lease on the property (with the option to renew) with Skanska USA who developed the new 120,000 square foot building.
The proximity to the Burke Gilman Trail gives Brooks access to thousands of active people every day. In a recent New York Times article Weber says, “The opportunity to be right here, so close to our customers is amazing.” Fun Runs and other community programming will be planned from the Stone34 in an effort to establish it as a “trailhead” along the Burke-Gilman.
Brooks hopes they have found a home that inspires future product generations and fosters the energetic culture necessary to fuel continued business growth. On the ground floor, Brooks will open a concept store where the focus will be on facilitating an open dialogue with Brooks’ costumers. A Brooks representative explains, “The store will tell complete brand stories, be a part of the Seattle running community and connect with core consumers in a highly compelling shopping experience.”
What is the Deep Green Pilot Program?
Stone34 was built as part of Seattle’s Deep Green Pilot Program. This program allows for exceptions to the zoning code for buildings that agree to meet certain environmentally friendly initiatives. In Stone34’s case, the developer Skanska USA was asking for an additional 20 feet of building height. The Seattle Deep Green Pilot Program was created in 2012 by the Seattle City Council as an additional tier to the Living Building Challenge Pilot Program. The Living Building Challenge Pilot Program was established three years earlier to permit the development of 12 environmentally friendly projects. The new tier is reserved for projects actively in the Living Building Challenge Pilot Program that will meet sixty percent of the imperatives of the Living Building Challenge. In return for additional height, Stone34 was designed to reduce energy usage by seventy-five percent as compared a typical commercial building in the city and capture and reuse fifty percent of storm water on site. Currently Stone34 is on track to be LEED Platinum certified. Here a few of the unique environmentally friendly features:
- Hydronic heating and cooling system
- Energy efficient laptops which employees must turn off at the end of t
he day - A feature stair case designed to encourage employees to take the stairs. The staircase, encased in glass and visible from the street, is made from salvaged fir wood from two 1920’s era buildings that once stood at 34th and Stone Way. Skanska says, “Using salvaged wood gives the staircase a look and feel not usually found in new construction. Incorporating original materials connects us to the local history. Plus it’s environmentally responsible.”
- Salvaged wood is also used for slats under several glass canopies on the building and the exterior cladding on the north side of the building.
- Commuting by bike or foot is encouraged. The parking garage has designated bike lane and secure bike parking. Locker rooms are available with showers that shut off after 5 minutes for water conservation.
- Dashboards throughout the building will broadcast real-time statistics on energy consumption and a kinetic sculpture by local artist, Casey Curran, features brass flowers that bloom when the building is running efficiently and wilt when it is not.
So Wallyhood, what do you think of the New Shoe in Town? Are you happy with how Stone34 turned out? Will the insurgence of enthusiastic, active employees continue recent development at the corner of 34th and Stone Way? Will you check out the concept store or join in on a Fun Run from Stone34? As for me, I am glad to see Brooks is investing in Wallingford. I am happy with how the company has embraced the global running community while investing locally in Seattle based runners and events. However, I may be biased as I love to run and I run in Brooks shoes. In the spirit of welcoming our new neighbors, lace up your favorite pair of sneakers this week and Run Happy!
eexxxhhhaaallleeee
Do they have clinics or workshops?
Do they have discounts for Wallingford residents?
Are they even there? It’s too early to gauge the effects of Brooks’ tenancy here in this little bit of Suzie’s Fremont office building empire that extends into Wallingford, since as far as I know they haven’t even moved in. All we know now is about what it’s going to look like.
Here’s what they told us it would look like, by the way: http://www.wallyhood.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/3400-Stone-Way-North.jpg
@Donn, the building’s basically complete, so we know what it will look like, at least. My understanding is that they’re going to be moving employees in this month.
What the impact is remains to be seen, but it feels like the good kind of growth to me, and very simpatico with the neighborhood, to the extent that an office building can be simpatico with a residential neighborhood.
I just want to know what shops will be filling out the bottom retail layer! Here’s hoping for a decent mid-level restaurant like a sandwich shop or something. Joule and Whale Wins are great but we need some casual eats around here…
“… to the extent that an office building can be simpatico with a residential neighborhood.” indeed. We know what it looks like, an office building, and we know who’s going to be in it, hundreds of office workers. About the only relevant question is isaacmarion’s – who’s the ground floor retail? We already had a sandwich shop there – maybe Subway can come back, if it’s OK that there’s now another one only a few blocks up Stone.
According to the Brooks blog: “The ground floor of the new Brooks headquarters building will also house the brands’ first ever retail concept shop”.
No sandwich shop.
I think the building looks great. I love having more businesses in the neighborhood. I think it is great for all the business- new and old. It feels pretty vibrant in that area now.
psyched to have the best running company choose to be headquartered in our neighborhood.
ooops… just found out that, along with the “retail concept store”, there is room for 4-5 additional shops. Maybe you will get your sandwich shop.
Where will the workers park/ Customers?
Cathy,
Parking is available in the underground garage which has parking spots for cars as well as secure bike storage.
How about traffic and impact on the streets? As someone who had lived in the ‘hood for nearly twenty years, I can tell you walking across Stone Way into Wallingford has turned into an often time-consuming and dicey affair. And now we’re adding dozens (hundreds?) more cars to the mix.
Okay, they put parking under the building — for how many cars? Unlikely it’s enough for all their employees, plus customers to the retail area, so that’s more impact on street parking. It may be time to look at RPZs — at least for the few blocks on either side of Stone Way.
Correction: Some who HAS lived in the ‘hood and still do. (But not for long if my rent goes up by another $250 like it did during the last lease renewal.)
Hey old timer – people are coming to the hood, and it’s a good thing! There will be parking, the facebook page shows electric chargers as well!
I agree that lower underground parking is often inadequate.. and that customers will likely park inneighborhoods. Look at area around Bastyr. However, that being said, I am well aware that I will be told, as before, to go live somewhere else because we all want these new developments. if there were a bold button I would bold WE ALL.
RPZ though another personal cost makes sense.
Maybe we can wait until the building is open–and see if there really is a parking problem–before trying to solve the “problem”?
I will say that it’s set back further from the street than I expected, and doesn’t create the canyon that I feared it would.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how nice the building looks and how unimposing. I see it on both the 34th Street and 35th Street sides and it’s fine. Of course, it’s not exactly as it will look when the transfer station is no longer a big hole in the ground, but that’s not Skanska/Brooks’ issue.
Looks like this thing is finally finished, after blocking streets and sidewalks for months.
Interesting thing about this LEED/deep green/super efficient building stuff – the builder/developer can make all the performance projections & promises they want – and get zoning/code allowances and variances as a result, but they never have to prove that any of it works – that it saves one BTU, ounce of water or anything else!
That’s the word from the misnamed Department of Planning and Development (they have never planned or developed anything and never will).