Trinity Parish Episcopal Church, one of Seattle’s oldest congregations, tapped Caydon Property Group of Melbourne, a major developer mostly active in Australia, to develop a residential high-rise at Eighth Avenue and Cherry Street in First Hill.

The project will include a 30-story tower adjacent to the historic church, with more than 200 residential units, various amenities, landscaped open space and a ground-level design that will enhance walkability on Eighth Avenue, according to Caydon.

The church building is not part of the redevelopment site and will not be affected. Trinity will retain ownership of the entire parcel, and sell development air rights to Caydon for the northern half of the site. The new development will also allow Trinity and Caydon to make a substantial financial contribution to the City of Seattle for new affordable housing.

The development is Caydon's first on the West Coast, and second in the United States. Currently, the company also is at work on The Midtown in Houston.

“For our first West Coast residential project, we knew the neighborhood we wanted to be in,” Caydon Property Group principal Joe Russo said. "Seattle is a breathtakingly scenic city and its Downtown and close-in neighborhoods are some of the most dynamic in the country.

“We’re looking forward to advancing a design that's modern and fits into the First Hill neighborhood, but also melds well with the existing historic church building.”

Caydon will build new church facilities on three floors within the new building. In addition to the expanded nonprofit space, the new Trinity facilities will include room for a new parish hall, assembly and mission space and administrative offices.