West Seattle development: 3050 Avalon Way site work; updates on projects going to Southwest Design Review Board

West Seattle development notes:

3050 SW AVALON WAY: More than nine months after a building permit was issued for a microhousing project at 3050 SW Avalon Way, the site is being cleared (the view above is from the alley on the north side of the site, looking south to Avalon). Last time we mentioned this site was when it was put up for sale in early 2016 (though its ownership has not changed, according to county records); before that, the microhousing proposal for the site – 104 units clustered around 14 shared kitchens – had been challenged by a neighborhood group, whose appeal was dismissed in October of 2015.

Also in development watch:

WHAT’S COMING UP AT DESIGN REVIEW: The schedule for the Southwest Design Review Board this spring just keeps getting busier. All of the following meetings are at their usual spot, the Sisson Building/Senior Center, 4217 SW Oregon.

First, the packet for next Thursday’s 6:30 pm review of 4754 Fauntleroy Way SW [map] is now on the city website in PDF (91 MB). This is the 7-story, 108-unit, 103-offstreet-parking-space mixed-use project on the site that formerly held the Capitol Loans pawn shop.

Also on the SWDRB agenda next Thursday (April 20th), at 8 pm, the next look at 4220 SW 100th in Arbor Heights [map], now described as eight townhouses and one live-work unit, with eight offstreet parking spaces. The design packet is here in PDF (46 MB).

We mentioned last month that the SWDRB will see 1250 Alki SW [map], now much-downsized to ~44 units, at 6:30 pm May 4th (here’s the official notice). An 8 pm review has been added for that night, for 4800 40th SW [map], which we mentioned a year ago had “re-activated for redevelopment”; the new proposal is described (here’s the official notice) as a 4-story mixed-use building with “63 apartment units, 4 live-work units, and retail at street level” plus 44 offstreet-parking spaces.

And for May 18th, the first look at 4417 42nd SW [map] is scheduled at 6:30 pm. We first told you about the early-stage proposal for this project back in December; it’s now described as a “4-story apartment building containing 58 units and 4 live-work units” with 29 offstreet-parking spaces.

13 Replies to "West Seattle development: 3050 Avalon Way site work; updates on projects going to Southwest Design Review Board"

  • Mark Schletty April 14, 2017 (6:20 pm)

    All of this is absolutely insane. Any idiot can see that west seattle can not absorb any more housing units without major access/egress improvements. We really need a moratorium on any more development that produces more than one for one unit replacement.

    • Anne April 14, 2017 (7:40 pm)

      104 “bedrooms” at 3050 SW Avalon Way.  Boarding room style with shared kitchens.  Is this still the plan?

      • WSB April 14, 2017 (8:42 pm)

        That is the newest plan on file and the one for which a building permit was granted in June of last year. However, please take note that I didn’t write “construction is beginning.” All we know is what we can see – that the site is being cleared. Sometimes that happens and construction doesn’t follow, or doesn’t follow for quite some time. The construction permit is valid through the end of this year, according to the online files – TR

  • Eilis Flynn April 14, 2017 (6:40 pm)

    What about the property across from this one, the former church? Talk about a lot needing an overhaul!

  • Captin April 14, 2017 (7:13 pm)

    40 people a day are moving to seattle. This city is transitioning from an average size city to a major tech hub/metropolis. Yes we should have more infrastructure in place ahead of time but we don’t. Yes there are road, transportation, infrastructure problems. But the city is growing regardless. People that are being offered $150,000 a year jobs to move here aren’t going to turn them down because 35th has potholes.

    People wouldn’t be building all of these places if there wasn’t demand for housing. Most of them are sold before they’re built.

    What are we supposed to do?

    • DH April 15, 2017 (5:54 am)

      Well said!

    • Canton April 15, 2017 (7:20 am)

      How bout the city actually collecting the development fees (per times story). The city was supposed to build affordable housing with said fees. They could build bare bones type of units, just linoleum floors and enameled appliances. The city passed the housing and affordability levy, yet the Lam Bow apartments owned by SHA, sit waiting for funding.

    • Swede. April 15, 2017 (11:06 am)

      My understanding is that most the tech workers, brogrammers or whatever you like to call them aren’t buying much. Amazon in particular isn’t known for hanging on to people and drive there workers in the ground with massive amount of hours so they usually only stay 3-4 years at most, then management what’s them to either become middlemanagement  (to keep ‘fresh’ labor and ideas coming in) or get fired, move on to another company. That’s one reason rent is astronomical. Like you said, if someone makes that much $2500-3000 a month isn’t a big deal. 

  • Rick April 14, 2017 (8:40 pm)

    I think the plan is for us to have to move to outlying areas we can afford but commute in so we can provide services to the tech workers, thereby clogging the roadways even moreso, exacerbating the situation. And yes, conspiracy theories are one of my hobbies.

    • Captin April 14, 2017 (9:25 pm)

      That may be. To me that sucks as far as quality of life as well as pollution, etc. Increasing density is a realistic long term strategy. Not perfect, but beats out alternatives over time, especially considering the inevitability of growth until the zombie apocalypse. IMHO we need to move quickly toward quality public mass transit and strategize to coordinate that with growth. I’ve been to Japan, Italy, blah blah blah. They are light years ahead of the U.S. on this stuff. We need to catch up!

      • Swede. April 15, 2017 (5:14 pm)

        Will never ‘catch up’ here. The taxes are to regressive, especially in WA. The reason why it works in the countries you mention (and others you hinted at most likely too) is that they have a working society do to democratic socialism. 

        And it’s not really so much a ‘conspiracy theory’ as reality with having to move out and then loos half your life sitting in traffic. BUT we can choose not to work for or use these tech companies products. They understand declining profits well. 

  • Alex April 15, 2017 (11:03 am)

    The C line already drives by without stopping because it’s so full, and these micro units don’t have parking, so how exactly are these people supposed to get to work?

    • Anne April 15, 2017 (9:31 pm)

      Good question.  My understanding is that a lot of the no parking development permits issued by the City relied on the ability of the C Line.

       

Sorry, comment time is over.