Apple has expanded its footprint in Seattle with a significant real estate move, inking a deal for a 193,000-square-foot office space in South Lake Union. As reported by KGW, this lease signifies the largest office deal in the city since pre-pandemic times. The tech behemoth will occupy the space at Arbor Blocks West, located at 333 Eighth Ave. North, just a block from its current corporate offices.
Arbor Blocks West was originally destined to house Meta, but the Colliers report, published last Friday, suggests that Meta terminated its lease early, thus paving the way for Apple to sign the lease directly with the landlord. The specifics about the deal surfaced erroneously placed after qualification that it's the largest new lease in the city since 2019, as declared by KING5.
Seattle's office market has faced vacancies, with a reported 30% of its office space unoccupied."While about 30% of Seattle’s office space remains vacant - a number we need to drive down by making it easy and desirable to start or expand a business - the news of Apple’s expansion paired with Amazon employees returning to the office Jan. 1 gives me a sense of optimism that our region's future continues to be bright," Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, told KOMO News.
