West Seattle development: 2 sites for sale in The Triangle

Our latest check of West Seattle commercial-real-estate listings – which can be precursors to future development – shows two Triangle sites are new on the market:

4441 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: The current Elliott Tire/Goodyear site has just been listed under the heading “West Seattle Development Site.” It’s zoned NC3-65; NC stands for “neighborhood commercial,” without a size limit for most uses, while 65 means up to 6 stories. (City records show a 6-story proposal for this site was canceled in early 2011.) Listing price: $2.8 million.

4151 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: At the very tip of The Triangle, northwest corner of 35th/Fauntleroy, this strip mall has just been listed for $2.6 million. The marketing flyer linked to the listing calls it a “trophy property with a gateway location” and also reveals a bit of new information – a line item shows Zaw Pizza – organic take-it-and-bake-it – as a future tenant. We’ll be checking on that.

41 Replies to "West Seattle development: 2 sites for sale in The Triangle"

  • MrElliott August 14, 2013 (7:59 pm)

    Where is the responsible infrastructure to support all this potential growth in the triangle?

  • miws August 14, 2013 (8:01 pm)

    Hmmmm….at 4151, the current Cleaners isn’t listed with the other tenants. Wonder if that means Zaw will be taking that space?

    .

    Don’t know if it’s the same owner, but a Cleaners is what went in there after the Seattle FilmWorks/Photoworks Store I worked at in that space, closed up its operation, ten years ago next month.

    .

    Mike

  • transplantella August 14, 2013 (8:52 pm)

    Ohno….not MORE pizza…:-[

    pizza here, pizza there, pizza pizza everywhere.

    The very last thing we need is another pizza place. Ugh.

  • WSrez August 14, 2013 (9:03 pm)

    I very much welcome any change that might better this neighborhood! For those of us who live near the triangle, there is no good pizza close – and not to mention, driving into WS from Fauntleroy is still disgusting. People should try and be supportive of change that brings new blood, increases employment/interest in the area as well as what these changes do for our housing market. Maybe we will even get some crosswalks! Cities change – if some people are against it, Burien or DesMoines might be a more consistent suburban type feel. Not to mention, zaw is nothing like any pizza place currently in WS with all their vegan, gluten free and raw options!

  • J August 14, 2013 (9:20 pm)

    YMCA expansion?

  • Robert Hull August 14, 2013 (9:34 pm)

    All the more reason for us to move away from West Seattle. This area will be as bad as Capital Hill ( Broadway Area) is the very near future. I really don’t like it here anymore. I was born and raised in Seattle, and have lived in WS for 20 years.

  • Sonoma August 14, 2013 (9:35 pm)

    “Trophy property”? Is that like a trophy wife? Looks good on the surface but not much depth, and wears out its welcome fast. Or like Trophy Cupcakes? Ah, marketing language!

  • miws August 14, 2013 (9:36 pm)

    Be sure to check out Zaw’s link in the story. Doesn’t look like they are run of the mill.

    .

    They are Take-n-Bake, sell wine and beer, try to be as organic and try using as Local as possible Vendors as much as as possible, (including the Employee Owned Bob’s Red Mill out of Milwaukie Oregon), offer Gluten-Free, etc. They also deliver by bicycle or scooter. I’ll be curious to see what the delivery area for this location is.

    .

    Mike

  • Sue August 14, 2013 (9:50 pm)

    OMG, vegan pizza option near my house? I think it’s a great place for a pizzeria. A lot of people live in the triangle area (and more coming with all the new development) and not a lot of food choices right there that don’t involve getting in the car.

    • WSB August 14, 2013 (9:59 pm)

      Occurs to me that the 35th/Fauntleroy site is walkable from Avalon, too, where one big building’s almost done and several other projects are in various stages (including the one we reported yesterday is up for sale even before groundbreaking), as well as the project revived at the site from which The Bridge will be moving later this year …

  • Beach Dr Home August 14, 2013 (10:01 pm)

    Stop making up nonsense about the impact to the “traffic” and “infrastructure”. One of these two is just selling the strip mall, SAME tenants/size, no change (other than ownership). The other takes a car service retail and might replace it with apartments. SO what! Did you read this? 45,000 cars go by that every day NOW. 45,000!!!! Adding even 1000 cars a day (1,000 apartments, more than ALL of the proposed apartment developments combined) is statistically moot. So then, if NO ONE AT ALL takes the bus (which isn’t valid) you could have 46,000 cars a day instead of 45,000. That’s a 2.2% increase in the 3-5 years it would take to build every possible apartment complex ever proposed in the junction. 2.2% increase in traffic, if NO ONE AT ALL took the bus (which is crazy). This isn’t a rule one-lane dirt road that we’re building a 20 story building on. This is ALREADY one of the major roadways in the city. And the 50 units here, 100 there, is just statistically insignificant. I know it SOUNDS like a lot of new traffic, and I suppose if no one took a bus, and EVERY single unit had at least one car (which we know they can’t, won’t be the parking for that) and every one of them left at the exact some moment (7:13am), yes it could cause one extra traffic light to get out of the junction, maybe. But that’s not going to happen. Relax.

  • gayle August 14, 2013 (10:10 pm)

    I’m with MrElliot and Hull.

    I’ve lived in WS for five years and LOVED it—until recently. The ubiquitous new condo and apartment highrises that are taking over will only add to the already packed bridge traffic. It’s out of control.
    Add the impending tunnel mess and the impact is bound to be a nightmare for WS quality of life.

  • Donna August 14, 2013 (10:13 pm)

    Let’s see how many people can they stuck up in West Seattle. One of the top of another. NO one makes it out through the crowded bridge. MOney, money give me more give me more. LIke putting people in mass graves.

  • West Seattle Wanderer August 14, 2013 (10:16 pm)

    I hope they serve Merlot. (Come on, someone had to say it!)

  • Kevin August 14, 2013 (10:25 pm)

    I’m disappointed by the comments on this site. Nothing witty, nothing funny. Just bitchiness about development a how WS is being ruined by new people.

  • Kristin August 14, 2013 (10:32 pm)

    Well said WSrez.

  • datamuse August 14, 2013 (11:01 pm)

    LIke putting people in mass graves.
    .
    Wow.
    .
    Seriously.
    .
    Wow.

    • WSB August 14, 2013 (11:23 pm)

      Kevin – sorry, this is not a humor site, never has been, never will be. There are occasional flashes of humor but in context. Commenter “Cranky Westie” comes to mind.
      .
      Meantime, this isn’t about people claiming West Seattle is being ruined by new people; yes, some have tried to accuse renters of somehow potentially dragging down the community – I won’t stand for that; homeowners are NOT “better” than renters, and even homeowners had to start somewhere anyway, AND it’s been pointed out that renting makes more financial sense these days for many than owning, so old prejudices really need to die. Everyone should be welcome in our community, whatever age, whenever they got here, wherever they live, so long as they’re law-abiding etc. etc.
      .
      The main pain seems to be, repeatedly, through many of the comments bemoaning development, that the macro transportation picture is not being addressed. But the road to a solution is not “don’t build anything else.” Memories may be short – we got here 22 years ago and the bridge already sucked during regular commute hours back then. I was lucky enough to work weird shifts and didn’t have to deal with it too often. But the challenge is that nobody seems to have accountability for West Seattle’s big picture. I asked the mayor about it when he came over here a couple months ago to talk about how Sound Transit is going to study possible West Seattle light rail. Somewhat contrary to his recent declarations about moneybag developers, he said he didn’t think transportation impact fees would be affordable for developers. And when I asked who has the responsibility of taking a look at “okay, 2,000 apartments are on the way” (that’s closer to the current actual number) and matching that to transportation capacity … there wasn’t an answer. Maybe the answer is indeed “really, that’s not so much.” It just would have been reassuring to hear that somebody’s actually looking.
      .
      Back to “no, we can’t just NOT build.” There are other steps – it’s not zero-sum. Can we get more jobs IN West Seattle so fewer have to leave? Can more people telecommute? Get their employers to allow flex shifts so it’s not a massive wave of everybody out at 8, back at 5 (etc.)? Can we not just save Metro from cuts but actually expand service? Can bicycling, scootering, etc. be made safer and more feasible? Some of this can be made to happen on a person-to-person basis. We started this small business, and that’s a couple fewer cars on the bridge. 100 more new microbusinesses – 200 or so fewer cars. And so it will go.
      .
      Also, though, it can’t go unnoticed that, as neighborhood advocates have pointed out, growth HAS outstripped what was envisioned in the 1999 Junction-area Neighborhood Plan (including The Triangle and Avalon Way). I keep a copy of it open. It was envisioned that 1,100 additional households would be added between 1994 and 2014. We’re definitely past that. The plan just seems to be a guideline or road map … there are no quotas and no processes for saying “gotta stop there.” If land is sold and developers build, there is zoning for far, far more than that. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, just that it’s a fact, and I wish someone somewhere was accountable for looking at it in the very big 10,000-foot picture and saying “OK, we can do that, but then we have to do THIS, and that would require THIS …” Or perhaps necessity will indeed be the parent of invention and somehow the on-peninsula jobs WILL follow … TR, rambling

  • chris August 14, 2013 (11:16 pm)

    Gayle,Hull, and Robert really ? Traffic ? In a city ??? You re kidding please take the cash out and move to Roslyn .. There is a need for a more dinner places in that area because of the development. By the way the development in that area is heck of lot better than what was there and whats there now .

  • casey August 14, 2013 (11:33 pm)

    I’m all for new jobs, but I’m so sick of all the new condos and apartments driving up prices and clogging up parking around town. Traffic out of WS already sucks. But yeah, let’s add more people and call it infrastructure.

  • Soccer dad August 15, 2013 (12:41 am)

    Thank you TR. Well said indeed.

  • ELBSeattle August 15, 2013 (3:55 am)

    I have lived in W Sea for 6 years. I like the changes that are happening here. There are more and more places to enjoy, and fewer places to think, ‘I wish this eyesore weren’t here’ when I walk or drive past. Ugly one-story buildings are being torn down and replaced with much more attractive buildings. I don’t see this as a bad thing at all. Ballard has gone through a similar transformation, from a sleepy dowdy little out of the way place to a rather fun destination.

  • Amber August 15, 2013 (6:37 am)

    All you complainers: move to Delridge or Highland Park! We’ve got plenty of space and lots of single family homes. Also no grocery, few restaurants, no cleaners, no florist, no bank, no retail, only one coffee shop, few bars – it will feel like the good ol’ days.

  • Gene August 15, 2013 (6:56 am)

    ELBSeattle- did you read TR’s post?? Please do- it’s a truly intelligent & on- point commentary that explains- at least in my view some of the real- valid concerns many here have . But change – just for change’s sake- & a build build build mentality with no accountability for support isn’t the answer either. I have lived here for 65 years- talk about seeing changes! I welcome new people & businesses that bring diversity & vitality to WS.
    Quite agree that Ballard is a fun destination- –getting there in the future –might not be so much fun!

  • Al August 15, 2013 (7:10 am)

    I don’t understand how building more condos and apartments drives up prices. That seems contrary to that whole supply v. demand economic principle. I mean I get that more condos and apartments are being built and that also currently prices are going up but I don’t think the first is causing the second. In fact I think the causality is exactly reversed. More is being built because the demand/price people are willing to pay is so high. Ultimately though when the dust has settled I would imagine we will see prices drop once that supply outstrips the demand. One thing seems certain to me though if they don’t build more housing there’s no way prices for existing options will go down.

  • datamuse August 15, 2013 (8:22 am)

    Al said what I was going to. I have friends who’ve lived in Seattle for 10 years and more who are moving away because they can’t afford to live here anymore. And the reason for that is that there aren’t enough places for people to live. It reminds me of the late 90s when the rental market in Seattle was so tight, it was actually cheaper for me to buy a house.
    .
    Lots of people are moving to the area. Amazon is hiring like gangbusters and so are other companies. This is a GOOD thing–have you been to the cities and towns where the recession hasn’t ended? They’re not fun places to be. Seattle’s unemployment is below the national average. This is also a good thing.
    .
    Finally, Amber is also correct: plenty of single family housing with yards down here in Highland Park. We’ve even got a dog park–a legit one. Though considering how many people on the north end of the peninsula won’t even come down this way to go to Zippy’s, sometimes I think we might as well be on the moon.

  • WrldCitizen August 15, 2013 (9:23 am)

    Really, it’s unrealistic to think growth in a major city such as Seattle with all it has to offer is going to slow at all. The developers are responding to the market and the influx of people into the city by building. I think the onus is on us as current residents to push for the new buildings to be of a nature that is 1) durable and 2) architecturally and aestheticly pleasing.

    The only other consideration is to push for a way to move these inevitable new neighbors in and out of the neighborhood. We have to aggressively push for a rail service with a set schedule in and out of the West side, with at least 2 stops. I don’t have a good answer for how to make this a reality, but it is a necessity for growth to continue in a healthy manner.

    I say lets welcome our new neighbors with open arms and ask them to join in the growing chorus for a way to make this land better for all of us.

  • anonymous August 15, 2013 (9:27 am)

    Pretty soon the supply of apartments will be more than the demand and the industry will be saturated in W.Seattle. Then hopefully there will be some huge price drops in rent and developers will have no interest in building more apartments. But for right now, there’s a huge demand for apartments in west seattle. I think it’s slowly happening already though. I’ve noticed lots of price drops recently. (still too high for me to afford though….)

  • Andi August 15, 2013 (10:05 am)

    I confess that for years I was a condo/new building hater, only because I loved the architecture of Seattle past without taking into account the growth and development a city undergoes as years go by. Especially in a city like this one that is a hub of technology and science. And food. Yummy yummy food.

    Born and raised a Seattleite, I loved the sleepy small town feel this city had, and hissed at the attention we got in the 90s due to music and computers. “Yes it rains all the time here, go away.” was the lame attempt of a joke we all had to keep our little corner of the world secret. This corner of the world is not secret anymore, when we have the jobs and the climate people want. We have to grow and accept them into our quirky little family to make it work as a quirky big family.

    Yes, our infrastructure as it is now can’t handle the bursting-at-the-seams-ness, especially here in West Seattle. But, the city is waking up. As much as it seems to the contrary, and as much as the work being done is currently making our lives miserable, there IS work being done. We may not like the way it’s being done, we may moan and complain and wring our NIMBY hands, but we can’t stop the growth.

    One thing to remember is there are people who work very hard in all aspects of community, many of them volunteers that only want the best for the area they call home. If you have concerns, volunteer your time. Make your voice heard.

    • WSB August 15, 2013 (10:19 am)

      An excellent reminder in light of the fact that the newly relaunched Junction Neighborhood Organization – whose “jurisdiction” includes The Triangle, Avalon, etc. – meets again next week (August 20th, as noted here: https://westseattleblog.com/2013/08/support-your-neighborhood-community-council-meetings-ahead )
      .
      Community Councils are 100 percent volunteer-powered. And generally not bursting at the seams with said volunteers, so you’ll almost certainly be welcomed with open arms, wherever you are … and if your area doesn’t have one, start one!

  • dcn August 15, 2013 (10:32 am)

    I agree with Tracy. We can’t stop growth, so we need to push for better transportation infrastructure. Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to bring light rail to West Seattle (despite McGinn’s mention that they are thinking about it). Sound Transit is going to extend rail up to Lynnwood and to the east side. Since these plans represent over a decade of light rail construction, any new plans to bring rail to West Seattle are probably at least 2 decades away from becoming a reality. The growth will happen first, and maybe eventually city leaders will respond with a plan to deal with it. Maybe.

    Here is Sound Transit’s interactive map showing all plans for light rail into the foreseeable future: http://www.soundtransit.org/Projects-and-Plans.

  • Wes C. Addle August 15, 2013 (11:03 am)

    I’m OK with this as long as they bring the Ice Cream place, Lick.

    Lick is in the Zaw store in Cap Hill and it’s awesome ice cream.

  • DTK August 15, 2013 (11:30 am)

    This is the end
    Beautiful friend
    This is the end
    My only friend, the end
    Of our elaborate plans, the end
    Of everything that stands, the end
    No safety or surprise, the end
    I’ll never look into your eyes…again.

    – The Doors

  • CandrewB August 15, 2013 (11:38 am)

    “Really, it’s unrealistic to think growth in a major city such as Seattle with all it has to offer is going to slow at all.”

    I hope you are right. However, with Microsoft’s increasing irrelevance in everyday lives (not a Msoft-basher here, but even Gates could agree with that) and Boeing’s obvious intention to divest from the NW, we’re potentially facing some staggering job losses that have nothing to do with the economy. I hope it is gradual enough to be absorbed with normal economic evolution.

  • Dennis August 15, 2013 (2:16 pm)

    I have owned the 35th and Fauntleroy site since 1987. It was previously a contaminated gas station site owned by Hudson (long bankrupt). The property has had its ups and downs, searching for the right tenant mix, but the current tenants all seem to be serving the community in their own ways.

    Zaw is going into the former dry cleaner space. Their pizza is awesome and unlike anything you have had before. They have been selling at the WS farmers market for several years. Try it.

    This site is zoned C-1/65, which means it could accommodate a large variety of commercial uses and go up six stories. That may happen in the future, but the prospective buyers are looking at the property as a successful retail operation. We are not marketing it as a development opportunity.

    • WSB August 15, 2013 (2:19 pm)

      Thanks, Dennis. We have had a researcher trying to follow up on this today – but nothing beats a direct update. Good luck. – TR

  • SrslyShrn August 15, 2013 (7:00 pm)

    Please please PLEASE!!!!! A Trader Joes that has Merlot!!!!

  • T August 16, 2013 (4:43 am)

    Just what I want to see – an ugly apartment monstrosity less than a block away from my home.

  • T August 16, 2013 (4:50 am)

    I’ve lived in West Seattle since 1982. More new comers do not even know what it was like here back then. Development has to be SMART, and not just money money money. These buildings affect us all, not just the people that live in them and near them. I want to see McSchwinn seriously address the severe lack of AFFORDABLE housing in WS. People who have lived here lifelong shouldn’t be pushed out because of big realtors. This is OUR community, and it’s time we started standing up to these yahoo developers and Seattle City Council members who are letting this crap fly.

  • kaarisakarlten August 16, 2013 (8:36 am)

    Having the privilege of living in West Seattle for 45 years, I watched the Space Needle being built and the box it came in. The house I grew up in has a view of the city of Seattle.
    I do not think I am so special when, I declare that I had thoughts as a child/teenager whilst walking everywhere I needed to go between Admiral and Morgan Junctions. Thoughts that every building needed to be at least 10 stories tall to grab the views. Water and Olympics in the west, water and Cascades in the east.
    The past 10 years when I come and visit friends and family, I think, what did I know, not much. Parking, Traffic !

  • ericak August 16, 2013 (10:06 am)

    Tracy – Thanks for the mention of and support for JuNO. We are a group of volunteers that would love more of our neighbors to get involved. The growth and development projected in the Junction Neighborhood Plan has come and gone . . . while useful at one time, we have far exceeded not only the projections, but also the infrastructure that supports that growth. I agree that the accountability piece is the biggest challenge for us and failure of the city. The process that DPD and city have created to allow citizen input via the design review process has so many constraints that do not fully address the impact of the development. Growth and change can be great, but this often requires a level of participation, engagement and partnership to fully realize the public benefit potential.

Sorry, comment time is over.