City buys more Admiral land to add to West Seattle’s greenbelts

On behalf of City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen (who chairs the Parks Committee), this photo and update are just in from his legislative assistant Brian Hawksford:

In August the Seattle Parks Department closed on a .12 acre property, with an abandoned house, located in the Admiral Way greenbelt.

Last spring Councilmember Tom Rasmussen spotted a “for sale” sign on the property and immediately called the Parks and Recreation Department to urge them to make an offer. The property was in foreclosure and the Parks Department negotiated a purchase favorable to the City.

This acquisition along with the transfer to the Parks and Recreation Department of the Manning St. SW triangle and 9.6 acres of other City owned properties along Admiral Way will place over 70% of the land fronting both sides of Admiral Way from the West Seattle Bridge to the Belvedere Viewpoint into a greenbelt.

The City is currently undertaking a significant reforestation effort along this stretch of Admiral Way as part of the Green Seattle Partnership. The house will be demolished (date to be determined) and the site restored to a natural condition.

This acquisition was made possible with funding from the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Councilmember Rasmussen praised the Parks and Recreation Department for its quick action in saving this portion of the greenbelt from possible development.

Starting later this year, people with proposals for spending the levy’s Opportunity Fund will be able to start the application process – find out about it here. And you can get a firsthand look at what the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee, which has three West Seattle reps, is up to, by attending their next meeting a week from tonight, 7 pm September 29, at Parks HQ downtown.

18 Replies to "City buys more Admiral land to add to West Seattle's greenbelts"

  • Dennis Ross September 22, 2009 (7:41 pm)

    Thank you councilmember Rasmussen!! — Dennis Ross — Admiral

  • Robert2715 September 22, 2009 (7:55 pm)

    Are there any plans to make a trail of some kind through this area from perhaps Olga down to near Spokane street?

  • Milt September 22, 2009 (8:28 pm)

    “Negotiated a price favorable to the City”?

    Favorable in the sense that it was a good price, or favorable in the sense that they had to do very little negotiating and no one had to work too hard?

    Please, Just tell us how much we had to pay for the property. It’s your job, the law, and insulting to phrase it like that – “Sometimes Mommy and Daddy do things that are hard to understand.”

    Almost makes me want to vote Republican when I hear crap like that.

    How much, please?

  • WSB September 22, 2009 (8:55 pm)

    I’ll ask those followup questions if they don’t turn up answered here sooner – TR

  • Donn September 22, 2009 (10:55 pm)

    .12 acre is a typical 5,000 square foot house lot in the city. And a 5,000 square foot lot in a less than desirable location in West Seattle is valued at about $125,000. It seems that the city would be better off renovating the house and making it low-income housing with a requirement that a certain percentage be treed.

  • Donn September 22, 2009 (11:11 pm)

    Maybe we should be asking is what John Seelbach who owns the pricey property right behind this gets out of this and how he might be related to Tom Rasmussen. The property above is not contiguous with the park property. It is it’s own little island surrounded by pricey mansions. According to the county records, the City of Seattle bought this for $140,000 on August 13th (and the land is valued by King County at $123,000). It previously sold for $225,000 in 2005.

  • What? September 23, 2009 (7:02 am)

    These comments make it seem like bloggers don’t like green space. Do people in West Seattle think the green space project is a waste of money? Just asking, do people value condos over trees?

  • AceMotel September 23, 2009 (7:32 am)

    OMG. People will complain about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. If there were a plan to build a condo there, people would complain. Regardless if the property were slated for senior housing, clear cutting, a jail, low-income housing, a mansion, a hotel—-people would find some reason not to like it. Now the city wants to do basically NOTHING, and all the kooks and cranks are at it again. Not only that: they’re finding conspiracy! In the office of one of the CLEANEST elected officials in the state, probably the country!!! Where do you people come from? What a friggin embarrassment!!!

  • Tony S September 23, 2009 (7:38 am)

    Thank you Ace for your comments – I was finding it amusing at the conspiracy whacks cobbling together a lead lining in a silver cloud.

    The Green Seattle guys are really busting their tails getting the greenbelt in shape. My hats off to them; they’ve been out there every morning before 6:30am clearing up the invasive plants. This was an area that was in really bad shape with ivy, blackberry and the like.

    The house in question is more than an eyesore; it’s one of those notorious abandoned places that seems to attract scumbags like flies to honey. I’m pleased to see this purchase; it doesn’t look like the city got fleeced; funds used were from a bond issue that was designed for this and we get rid of a nuisance property for greenspace.

  • Meghan September 23, 2009 (7:59 am)

    Good going, Tom! Even though there are always negative, cynical people who complain and question every single project or motive (unless it benefits them personally, of course), this was a very good decision for the city!!

  • WSB September 23, 2009 (8:29 am)

    As I noted at the end of the item above, the Parks/Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee meets regularly and members of the public with concern about how the money is spent – and/or ideas and suggestions – are MORE than welcome at those meetings; the past few times I’ve gone, I’ve not only been the only journalist there, but also one of barely-even-a-handful of people in the audience, period. This is where we’ve gotten (and reported) first word of a variety of other purchases and proposals including new P-Patches for West Seattle, such as the city-owned lot immediately east of the 35th/Barton Exxon station – TR

  • Lindsey September 23, 2009 (9:37 am)

    Thanks Tom! I think it was a good purchase.

  • Mike D. September 23, 2009 (9:51 am)

    -Kudos to Council Member Rasmussen for pulling something like this together in a timely manner. This was the logical solution and imho is a win-win for everyone.

    -Another candidate for acquisition of squalid, vacant housing via the Parks Department exists at the onramp from Delridge Way to the WS/Jeanette Williams Bridge. At this location exists the long vacant 3804 23rd Ave SW house as well an abutting undeveloped lot at 3808 23rd Ave SW. The two parcels combined add up to 12,700 sq. ft of potential Parks green belt/open space. Just an idea that could solve a long standing problem at a site that will likely never be redeveloped with housing due to its proximity to the onramp.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=3804+23rd+ave+sw+seattle+wa&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3804+23rd+Ave+SW,+Seattle,+WA+98106&gl=us&ei=qEu6Ss-0B4O4swPMwqgd&ll=47.569782,-122.362291&spn=0.000514,0.001291&t=h&z=20&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=47.569725,-122.36238&panoid=CxwdvZDYhltSVJqdXkIFqw&cbp=12,72.04,,0,3.69

  • JEM September 23, 2009 (12:48 pm)

    As the story mentioned, this was paid for by the levy that we voted for. It is what the levy is supposed to be used for. And yes, I know I ended my sentences with prepositions; I’m sure folks will be quick to complain about that as well.

  • big gulps,eh? well, see ya later. September 23, 2009 (3:12 pm)

    I think this is a great use of our money. Yes, the folks living next to it get the most benefit, but I think when we have an opportunity to keep the Emerald City emerald we should go for it. It is a nominal cost in the bigger picture.

  • The oldest codger September 23, 2009 (8:35 pm)

    There are 2 nesting pair of Bald eagles in the Admiral area. I have a feeling that this will help their nesting area a great deal. Finally, man’s need for condos takes a back seat to the need of our national symbol.

  • WS Dog Lover September 24, 2009 (12:28 am)

    Green = Good! Its nice to have more green spaces and parks, I am all for it.

  • jmo October 11, 2009 (2:48 pm)

    Thank you Mr. Rasmussen!

    More trees please.

    Our parks, trees, and viewpoints are what makes West Seattle so special.

    I’m very pleased to see this area of Admiral worked on as it’s a first and last impression to many of our part of town.

    What do we want that first and last impression to be? Condos? Low income housing? A rotting, abandoned, over grown dump like that house? No thanks.

    I’m happy the levy was passed by our votes, and I’m happy to see those votes result in this green action.

Sorry, comment time is over.