When people in Bellevue think of Bellefield Office Park, they probably don’t think much about it.
And that’s a mistake, says new owner Talon Private Capital, which has invested significant time, money and effort in making the office park an attractive destination just south of Downtown Bellevue. A coffee bar just opened in the center of the office park, capping off Bellefield’s remodel.
The 15-building campus sits on a freshwater wetland ecosystem that hosts a King County Courthouse, food trucks, a hiking trail, a cafe and paddleboard and kayak rentals.
“It’s been a low-cost alternative to Downtown Bellevue for years,” said E.J. Maloney, vice president of Pinnacle, the property management firm working for Talon at Bellefield. “But it’s always been separate. We have this impressive park setting and amenities here.”
Bellefield is located on an island straddling Mercer Slough Nature Park and West Bellevue. It houses 79 tenants and Talon has spent more than $5.5 million in bringing the buildings up to a higher standard.
On May 5, Bellefield Office Park opened Dilettante Mocha Cafe, a coffee bar with sandwiches, beer and wine that Talon and Pinnacle hope will become an after-work destination for some of the hundreds of employees in the park. Multiple parks for outdoor meetings are strewn throughout the office park as well.
“These are things you don’t see in a typical office park,” Maloney said. “There are fitness classes, bocce ball courts, giant Jenga, croquet and a basketball court.”
It’s been an effort to get Bellefield looking nice, but the natural beauty of the area and several reliable tenants have made it easier to attract tenants.
“We are able to provide these amenities and that’s a huge draw for tech companies and startups,” said Tamara Maloney, general manager with Pinnacle. “The feedback to the campus has been pretty incredible so far.”
Talon is done with large-scale capital projects for the moment, the Maloneys said, but as opportunities arise that could change.
Part of these renovations have included adding a wooden artifice outside some buildings, the parks, the cafe and art inside the buildings.
Only five minutes from downtown, E.J. Maloney said he hopes people will come down for a shady lunch break, a food truck’s offerings and maybe a walk along the seven miles of hiking trails in the office park.
