Downtown Seattle’s ongoing revival got an eco-friendly boost with the arrival of Populus Seattle, the city’s first carbon-positive hotel. Developed by Denver-based Urban Villages, the property is part of the firm’s ambitious RailSpur mico-district in Pioneer Square—a one-block development that blends hospitality, housing, office, and retail space into a single sustainably mined hub.
Like its Denver predecessor, Populus Seattle features a biophilic, plant-forward design, including 465 potted plants and living installations throughout the hotel. But this iteration takes sustainability even further. According to Urban Village’s founder and CEO Grant McCargo, the Seattle property is 40% greener than the Denver original, thanks largely to its adaptive reuse of an early-20th-century warehouse.
Located at 100 S. King Street, the six-story timber-frame building, once a team-supply warehouse built around 1907, has been meticulously retrofitted to meet modern seismic standards. Inside, every element reinforces its eco-conscious mission. Renewable electricity powers the entire building and the hotel’s Salt Harvest restaurant operates on a zero-waste model. Old-growth redwoods and a rare 16-foot-tall yew add a lush, natural ambiance.
The broader RailSpur project, valued at $180 million, is helping to revitalize Pioneer Square. Next door to the hotel, the former F.X. McRory’s building now includes another rooftop space and additional offices, while Populus’s upper floors feature co-working spaces that are already attracting tenants. The district also includes Lowlander Brewery, Death & Co., and Un Po Tipsy Pizzeria, rounding out a growing mix of hospitality, dining, creative workspaces.
This post was based on information found on Puget Sound Business Journal.
