9051 20th SW passes Design Review after three meetings

(How 9051 20th SW should look to passersby along Delridge, per project team’s description)
9051 20th SW – 41 apartment and live-work units over retail – is done with the Design Review process. Its third and final session before the Southwest Design Review Board was relatively short, since there was no public comment. Your editor here was the only person in attendance besides the board, the project’s designated city planner, and the project team. “It seems very few people show up just to say ‘hey, I like the project’,” one board member observed at the meeting’s end. (The other side of the Senior Center‘s 2nd floor, though, had a rollicking party going.) The building will be 4 stories along 20th SW, 3 stories along SW Barton, with big trees on two sides – Norwegian Sunset Maples along 20th and elms around SW Barton, “at the request of SDOT,” per the landscape architect, who pointed out that the full planting list is in the “information packet” available online.

Board members had a few concerns:

The residential entry of the building doesn’t stand out enough – too “minimalist”; also, the commercial spaces need to be dressed up a bit more – one board comment was that they seemed “strip-mallish” – and were described as needing some “detail hierarchy.” The project team cited economic constraints; the board countered that there’s probably a way around that. The configuration of the railings around parts of the roof prompted some discussion, and they wondered if it could be pulled back. An area of cedar siding on the lower level was the subject of discussion – was it “orphaned” amid the other types of siding – but in the end it won thumbs-up. So did all five “departures” from zoning code, none of which was major.

P.S. One bit of news from the meeting: Previously, the building was to be called Vesseliye (described at the first meeting as a Slavic word meaning “joy”). It will be changed, the project team says, because they realized it wasn’t easy for most to pronounce.

Next up for the SWDRB: A meeting that probably won’t have much trouble drawing a crowd: Two weeks from tonight, on November 8th, they have a two-project agenda, both major projects for the Junction/Triangle – 4724 California SW (the former Petco site) and 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW (spanning multiple properties from Edmunds, along Fauntleroy, along Alaska, to 41st).

4 Replies to "9051 20th SW passes Design Review after three meetings"

  • happy October 25, 2012 (8:14 pm)

    Thanks for being there, TR, and keeping the board from being lonely! = )

  • Neighbor October 25, 2012 (9:20 pm)

    That is really ugly. Why are we supposed to settle for such an eyesore? Revolt while we can before we all are living in a gamers fantasy.

  • chas redmond October 25, 2012 (11:25 pm)

    In that area this will be an attractive addition! I can see why there were no objections. It does raise the question of cars versus walking to transit – there’s a #120 stop half-a-block from this construction. RapidRide conversion could be a good thing to look forward to.

  • Amanda October 26, 2012 (8:55 am)

    I didn’t go because I am overjoyed that something will go in that space. I looked over the whole design packet, and loved everything I saw about it. I guess I can send them an email with that info. Maybe they check the Blog :)

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