Seattle's Largest Active Construction Projects in 2026

Plenty of Seattle projects carry a "construction" label in the permit system. Far fewer have actually broken ground. The gap matters if you want to know what is really rising on a given block this year. A project only starts building once the city issues its construction permit. Until then it can sit in review for months, sometimes years, with a permit application on file and nothing happening on site.

BuildVue tracks that distinction directly from the permit record. Below are the largest developments in Seattle that have an issued building permit and are physically under construction now, ranked by the construction value on that issued permit. After that comes a second list, the large projects that are permitted or in review and waiting to start.

How we ranked these

Early design estimates inflate a lot of published project values. A tower can show a placeholder figure of several hundred million dollars from an early design guidance filing years before anyone pours concrete. We skip those. Each value below comes from the construction permit the city has actually issued, which is the closest thing the record offers to a real construction budget. That is why some numbers here read lower than headline figures you may have seen elsewhere.

Under construction right now

The former Seattle Times block leads. At 1101 Thomas St in South Lake Union, the city has issued a phased construction permit worth about $213 million for a 41 story office and retail tower on the block the Seattle Times once occupied. The full redevelopment plans office and residential space across several towers, so this is the first major piece rather than the whole thing.

A 44 story tower in the Denny Triangle. 2405 7th Ave is a 442 home apartment high rise from Holland Development with Weber Thompson as architect. Its issued permit values the tower at about $138 million, well under the $215 million early estimate that appears on some records.

Horizon House keeps growing on First Hill. The retirement community at 800 Seneca St received its west tower construction permit in December 2025 for a 33 story, 202 home addition on the First Hill edge of downtown.

Neighborhood towers, not just downtown. Four of the eight sit outside the downtown core. 3020 NE 45th St, a Quarterra project near University Village, is building 734 homes across low towers on a podium. Fremont, Roosevelt, and the University District each hold a large active site of their own.

Permitted and waiting to break ground

These projects carry a construction status but have not started. Their building permits are still in review, so we list them by the number of homes proposed rather than a construction value.

The Columbia City project at 5900 37th Ave S is the largest by home count of anything in this stage, a phased redevelopment of a low rise apartment site into 750 homes. Downtown holds two skyline sized towers waiting on their permits, the 53 story 800 Stewart St from Lincoln Property and the 46 story 1516 2nd Ave. Out in Wedgwood, 8340 35th Ave Ne would bring a 319 home grocery anchored building to a low rise commercial corner.

What the two lists tell you

About 130 Seattle projects have an issued building permit and are actively under construction today. Read the raw "construction" count and you get a much larger and misleading number, because most of the difference is projects still stuck in permit review. The issued permit is the honest line between planned and building.

The biggest active budgets still concentrate downtown and in South Lake Union, where zoning allows the tall towers that justify a nine figure construction cost. The biggest home counts spread wider, into Columbia City, Ravenna, and the University District, where large mid rise projects add hundreds of homes at a time. For a neighborhood by neighborhood view of that mid rise wave, see what is being built in Fremont.

Track the pipeline yourself

Sort every Seattle project by construction value or home count on BuildVue's map, or filter for projects under construction to see only the sites where work has started. For the March ranking that used headline values, compare the 10 biggest projects under construction.

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest project under construction in Seattle right now?

By the value on its issued building permit, the redevelopment of the former Seattle Times block at 1101 Thomas Street in South Lake Union leads, with a construction permit worth about $213 million for a 41 story office and retail tower. Among residential towers, the 44 story, 442 home building at 2405 7th Avenue downtown is the largest actively building high rise.

How can you tell if a Seattle project has really started construction?

Look at the building permit. A project has broken ground once the city issues its construction permit, which appears in the record as a CN or PH permit with an issue date. Many projects labeled "construction" still sit in permit review and have not touched the site. BuildVue reads that issue date so the site can separate the two.

Why are these values lower than figures I have seen elsewhere?

Many published values come from early design filings that predate real budgets. Those early numbers are often placeholders. Every value in the first list comes from the construction permit the city actually issued, which reflects the real scope far better than an early estimate.

Where are most of Seattle's biggest projects being built?

The tallest and most expensive towers rise downtown and in South Lake Union. The projects with the most homes now stretch into Columbia City, Ravenna, the University District, and Wedgwood, where large mid rise buildings deliver hundreds of homes on a single site.