The condominiums are being built by single- and mixed-use project builder 2312, based in Mercer Island, Wash., and affiliated with but separate from HMI Real Estate. The project's architect and designer was H+dlT collaborative and the interior designer was Richard Stead.

Iolanthe Chan-McCarthy, the project's marketing director, says the high-end touches — such as stainless steel finish appliances or limestone countertops and the color palette — make it unique. "It has the quality of finishes you would expect to find in larger, more expensive condominiums," Chan-McCarthy says.

Home buyers can choose from three packages of kitchen cabinets, flooring, tile and wall colors in muted, natural tones. Stead's past projects in the Seattle area include the Banya 5 spa in South Lake Union, the Palermo Condominiums and the Bellagio Condominiums on Capitol Hill.

The project, however, is not without opposition. One look on the comments page in the online version of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer shows some suspect the project is an example of a developer trying to cram as many people into one space as possible.

Chan-McCarthy's retort: "We are providing affordably-priced, new, high-quality homes to people who would otherwise be priced out of downtown Seattle's most sought-after neighborhood. The enthusiastic response from home buyers tells us that there was definitely a need for a project like Moda." Indeed, as of press time, the waiting list has ballooned to 1,800 people and the project has nearly sold out.

Plans call for Moda to be ready for residents in Summer 2008.