The low-slung Art Deco strip on N 36th Street that once housed Roxy’s Diner and a cluster of other Fremont fixtures is on its way out. In its place, a seven-story apartment building with 185 homes and ground-floor commercial space is in the works, and recent permit activity suggests the block is inching toward demolition and early site prep.
As reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, Holland Partner Group has submitted plans for a seven-story project that would bring roughly 185 apartments and street-level retail to the site. The report notes that the developer is gearing up to redevelop the stretch that held Roxy’s, Norm’s Eatery and the Backdoor speakeasy. Public filings and renderings cited in coverage show the plan includes parking and commercial space at the base of the building.
What stood here before
The run of closures on the block started in 2024, when owners said economic pressures forced Roxy’s, Norm’s and the Backdoor to close permanently, according to My Ballard. Longtime Fremont residents point out that the Art Deco storefronts were once a Safeway and later a training facility for grocery workers, a history detail preserved by the Fremont Neighborhood Council. That past is fueling debate over whether a dense infill project like this fits with the neighborhood’s long-evolving character.
Permits and timeline
Locally posted permit notices and neighborhood reporting show demolition and shoring work moving through Seattle’s review process, while utility crews have already shut down sections of N 36th Street on a temporary basis. According to Fremont Neighbor, redevelopment filings for the block list around 185 units and about 85 parking spaces, and a construction permit for shoring and excavation has been prepared. Additional city records are available through the City of Seattle permit records, where demolition and foundation permits for nearby addresses appear in the public docket.
Neighbors raise parking and character concerns
Parking anxiety is already flaring. “There won’t be enough parking for sure,” one commenter on Fremont Neighbor wrote, summing up a common refrain about how many cars the narrow streets can realistically handle. Other readers argue that replacing the old storefronts with market-rate apartments risks wiping out small businesses and Fremont’s offbeat vibe while doing little to help long-term locals with housing costs. Those competing views are shaping public testimony and online debate as the city reviews the project’s permits.
Who is Holland Partner Group?
Holland Partner Group is a regional multifamily developer active across the West, with its website touting thousands of completed units and a sizable pipeline of projects. Its move into this Fremont block sits squarely in a broader Seattle trend: mid-rise housing replacing aging commercial strips in once-sleepy corridors. Public filings have not yet made it clear whether the proposal includes any income-restricted apartments or formal affordability requirements.
Permits indicate demolition could begin within the coming months, with construction poised to remake a compact but high-profile stretch of N 36th Street. Neighbors should brace for detours, construction noise and a very different look on the block once the project is built out.
