Design Reviews ahead: 4724 California this week; 9051 20th in June

| Delridge | Development | West Seattle news

Though the development slowdown has meant not many Southwest Design Review Board meetings the past few years, the board now has two on the calendar.

(Sketch described as development team’s preferred ‘concept’ – click image for larger view)
4724 CALIFORNIA: We told you 3 weeks ago about the meeting date for this Junction project, so this is just a reminder – Thursday night, 6:30 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), is the first design review for the proposed 100-or-so-unit development at the ex-Petco site in The Junction. Last Thursday, we brought you the first look at concept sketches that the project team has shown to community members in advance of the formal meetings, as well as the “massing” – size/shape – options in the “packet” put together for Design Review (see it here).

9051 20TH: This planned two-phase, 40-plus-unit project in South Delridge had its first Design Review meeting on March 8th (WSB coverage here). It’s now tentatively scheduled for a second meeting on June 14th, 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle.

Dave May 21, 2012 (3:06 pm)

I’m looking forward to this for two reasons! I’ve always wanted a mid-block walk through on that side like there is on the west side. And ANYTHING would be better than that giant ugly featureless beige wall that is PetCo. People talk about the “character” of the Junction. I know what you mean, but WHAT bleeping character is in that PetCo building? How is the new building any more out of character (other than size) than a architecturally void beige wall we already have? And DON’T start in about size. Density is MORE ecological and environmentally sound…sprawl is bad. And the Junction is already more dense than it was in 1990, which is more than it was in 1970, which is more than it was in 1950, which is more than it was in 1920…which is more than when the native Americans owned the place. So enough with the NIMBY “it’s too big”. Too big for what? The Junction you idealize and want to keep is FAR too big for the folks 50 years earlier. It’s all relative. The only constant in the universe is change (until entropy drops to zero anyway). Point is, the Junction has never been a static museum piece, it’s been changing since the first ‘white’ settlers and will look ENTIRELY different in 100 years from now. Sorry. It will.

Give A Hoot May 21, 2012 (3:59 pm)

The improvement to that dumpstery alley alone will be worth all the construction mess.

Anne May 21, 2012 (5:01 pm)

So Dave you’re saying it’s just change & we should just be quiet & accept anything? If anyone knows how the junction has changed over the years it’s those who have lived here during the 40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s 80 I think you get my drift here.
I’m one of those folks & I am all for change but in my opinion size does matter in this case. A walk through & something other than the old Petco building will be most welcome–but it doesn’t have to be 7 stories tall & I don’t think that’s idealizing anything.

datamuse May 21, 2012 (5:32 pm)

So will y’all be there on Thursday? Seems like the best opportunity to make your voices heard on this project.

jeff platt May 21, 2012 (6:13 pm)

oh boy more cars and people stuffed and cramed into an area with roads that are not maintained or updated in and effective way EVER!
just more people to clog the west seattle machine up.
i think in less than 10 years it will take 40 mins to drive from one side to the other of the west.
if we get lucky maybe mcginn will put bike lanes and square speed bumps everywhere in the ally too.
he should! cars go down that ally at like 5mph all the time someones gonna get hurt!

JN May 21, 2012 (8:01 pm)

Wow, jeff. Way to marginalize the safety of non-drivers.

Alki Area May 21, 2012 (9:13 pm)

7 stories is moot. That’s fine. No, it’s GOOD. If West Seattle is going to grow, and it is whether you want it to or not, I WANT it to grow THERE. I don’t want random sprawl all over the town. This is simple common sense obvious zoning. The junction is the densest most directly connected to downtown segment of West Seattle. Where ELSE do you want us to grow? Again, stop whining and ask a native American about “how much it’s changed”. West Seattle used to be all old growth forest. Why not tear EVERYTHING down and put it back “the way it was”. Silly. Look the problem we’re all dancing around is Seattle (including West Seattle, particularly the junction) is in a mid-sized awkward stage. We’re not QUITE big enough to have a real sub-way or mass transit off grade system (we JUST started light rail). But we’re a bit too big to JUST have buses. This is always an awkward stage for any city. We’re stuck in the “are we a big small town” or a “small city”. It’s a growing pain thing. Look, somewhere between now and 50 years there will be a train/sub-way/something into the junction. It will happen BECAUSE growth continues and it becomes too hard to drive/bus around and it’s just simply needed. We’re RIGHT in that stage before that, right when traffic is starting to hit it’s maximum, but we’re not QUITE big enough to spend $500 million or a billion to run trains through West Seattle. I understand the nostalgia (often rose colored) for the past and the magic of the way it “used to be”, but it will never be that again. You can’t roll back the clock. Sorry. Our choice we CAN make is, WHERE do we want growth, and WHAT does it look like…both of those, zoning and design, we have ENDLESS decisions in (god, Seattle gives you nearly endless meetings to go to where you can jump in, more than you get in most cities).

JW May 22, 2012 (9:58 am)

I agree with a lot of what Alki Area and Dave are saying.

But as long as this thread at least partially is all about expressing our FEARS, I’ll put my sole one out there.

I’m concerned that the rents for the retail spaces in these new buildings are going to turn that area into another version of what’s popped up in many new buildings around town – a strip of Quizno’s and Jimmy John’s and Starbucks, etc. etc. All are places I might go from time to time, but they’re about as expressive and interesting as the data analysis of a spreadsheet, not the personality that is familiar and welcoming in the retail outlets in the Junction as it currently exists.

Peter on Fauntleroy May 22, 2012 (10:19 am)

There’s always a lot of neighborhood fretting and infighting about every new building in Seattle, not just in WS, but all over town. People forget that the reason we created the “urban hub villages” is to limit dense development to contained areas in order to preserve the 75% of Seattle that is zoned exclusively for single family homes. We all know dense development has many economic, environmental, and social benefits over single family development. And this is the appropriate place for dense development.
.
And yes, we need mass transit ASAP.
http://www.facebook.com/seattlesubway
.
Speaking of appropriate places for density … In case there are any deveolpers reading this: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start building something in the Triange! Year after year of looking at the empty expanses of asphalt on Fauntleroy is getting to me.

george May 22, 2012 (12:41 pm)

I guess the pro-growth folks won’t be happy until we get our own Wal-Mart up here in WS. Yes, bring it! Say good bye to Husky Deli and the other “rose colored” nostalgia’s when the rent increases and leases drive them out. Who needs em?? If you look past your bias, you may note most of the resistance is based at California Ave, not the Triangle, The wHole or 42nd where such growth is expected. If you really love growth and new construction, why not move to Fremont, Ballard or Mercer Island. Did you really move to West Seattle because you were so excited to see it “grow into a big city”? Really? Yes, the Natives would love Alki now. Why not just blow up their whole memory and build out Admiral and Morgan Junction. Its next on the hit list, in your 50 year picture.

Give A Hoot May 22, 2012 (1:28 pm)

Complaining and dropping red herrings like “walmart” and “mercer island” while failing to make a point does nothing for supporting your point of view. Just because you don’t live downtown doesn’t mean west seattle hasn’t been part of the city for over a century now.

datamuse May 22, 2012 (1:56 pm)

That’s funny, George, I hadn’t realized that Fremont, Ballard, or Mercer Island had WalMarts!

george May 22, 2012 (3:03 pm)

Sorry about those new reading glasses DM :)

george May 22, 2012 (3:06 pm)

OK. To answer “bleeping charactor”, a pass through would be nice, but not at the expense of a 7 story building on the Ave (to match the other 2 going in). And, ANY business or development would change the frontal of the PetCo building if they moved in (see E-Bay). HTH.

Sorry, comment time is over.