From Building an Architecture Firm to Developing Walkable Urban Mixed-Use in Washington with Cary Westerbeck – Ep. 69

We can’t wait to share this next conversation with all of you. Today on the show we have Cary Westerbeck. Cary is a small developer, architect, and community advocate. He grew up in the Seattle area and started his architecture practice in 2009 in the depths of the recession. Working as an architect since 2004, he’s made the transition to being a small developer and general contractor for his own projects, fueled by a passion to create lovable urban places in his own city. In 2019 Cary completed his first mixed-use building, Fir Street Flats, in downtown Bothell, Washington, with plans for future buildings. He lives in his new building with his wife, Julie, and their two teen daughters. Cary is an active advocate for urbanism, abundant housing, and compact, walkable, equitable communities.

In this episode, we learned about his transition from owning his own architecture firm to completing his first development project. We discussed the importance of neighborhood action groups in local government. Last, but not least, we discussed how building a community that shares similar passions can really be beneficial for those in development and entrepreneurship! There is tons of great information in this episode! I hope you enjoy!

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share with your friends in the industry. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come. So without further ado, let’s start the show!