West Seattle development updates: Special meeting for no-parking Junction project; Design Reviews confirmed; more

| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Six West Seattle development updates today – starting with a special public meeting for one of the projects proposed without parking spaces:

SPECIAL MEETING FOR 4535 44TH SW: This five-story, 36-apartment building on the west side of The Junction (map) currently includes no parking. Neighbors concerned about that and other aspects of the “Lofts at The Junction” project circulated a petition last summer seeking a special public meeting to address that and other State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)-related concerns, and that meeting has just been officially scheduled and announced. The meeting is set for 6:30 pm Tuesday, November 19th, at Hope Lutheran School (42nd/Oregon); here’s the formal notice. This is separate from the Design Review process, in which this project passed Early Design Guidance in May (WSB coverage here), with an early-stage proposal including the sketch you see above; it still has to go through at least one more Design Review meeting, and there’s no date for that yet.

Meantime, today’s edition of the city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin also included confirmation of the next two Southwest Design Review Board sessions, both on November 21st, as reported here earlier this month:

3210 CALIFORNIA: As first reported here more than two weeks ago, this 5-story, 143-apartment, 168-parking-space mixed-use building (map) is scheduled for its next review at 6:30 pm Thursday, November 21st, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). See the official notice here.

3078 AVALON WAY: As first reported here 11 days ago, this 8-story, 108-apartment, 61-parking-space residential building (map) is scheduled for its second and possibly final review at 8 pm during that same November 21st meeting; its first review was more than a year ago. Here’s the official notice.

Also in today’s bulletin:

6917 CALIFORNIA SW: This is the official published notice regarding the 30-apartment, no-parking building in Morgan Junction (map) that we’ve mentioned twice, first on October 16th; the clock is now ticking on its official comment period, through November 13th.

4522 DELRIDGE WAY SW: This four-house proposal (map) also was mentioned here back on Monday; the official notice of its land-use-permit application is in today’s bulletin, with a comment period through November 13th.

3947 SW KENYON: The city is taking comments through November 13th on an application to split one lot into two at this Gatewood location (map). Separate from this application, the city website shows applications to build two new homes on the site.

Gatewooder October 31, 2013 (4:00 pm)

I say that if the city grants exemption from parking requirements for proximity to “Mass Transit”, then it should get us some Mass Transit. RapidRide is just a red bus.

flimflam October 31, 2013 (4:53 pm)

why of course, there is no way this would impact the neighborhood negatively…obviously none of the residents will drive. lol

mpento October 31, 2013 (5:07 pm)

I don’t like any of these multi-story apartment buildings but to see them all listed here together I am wondering how we can prevent developers from “developing” My impression is all these comment periods and meetings are the equivalent of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. How do you take the “developing” option off the table.

mr. the horse October 31, 2013 (5:19 pm)

No parking? No way!

Developers… they are working in your best interest!

mbranniff October 31, 2013 (5:46 pm)

The one on Kenyon is across the street from my house, and their neighbors immediately to the east just closed two weeks ago. I bet they were hoping to keep their view just a little bit longer. Yikes.

jissy October 31, 2013 (5:49 pm)

mpento: The only way that’s going to happen is if YOU buy the properties and YOU decide not to develop them. But my research has found that developers typically like to develop, no matter what us common folk think/want.

Darth Grevious October 31, 2013 (6:01 pm)

Stop developers from building on private property that THEY own? Why? Because we were here first? How selfish. That argument didn’t seem to work very well for the Native Americans so I don’t know why anyone thinks it would work now. Nor should anyone feel like they have any more right to on street parking than anyone new coming to live here. Wake up and smell the toast burning. There are cranes everywhere. Droves of new people are coming. Seattle is a growing city and West Seattle is a neighborhood with some of the greatest potential for growth. It’s not going to stop no matter how many entitled people stomp their feet in defense of the status quo.

Elma October 31, 2013 (6:21 pm)

Gatewooder– well said! RapidRide does not meet my definition of mass transit.

Uncle Joe October 31, 2013 (6:36 pm)

It’s not about entitled people stomping their feet, it’s about seeing nice neighborhoods that we know and love changed, and not always for the better. That it’s inevitable doesn’t lessen the discomfort. Building housing with inadequate parking puts the problem on the surrounding streets and in everybody else’s way. This is just another gift to developers at the expense of the community.

flynlo October 31, 2013 (7:03 pm)

The Kenyon lot is currently 8305 square feet.
The developer is proposing to split it into two
lots, one of 4310 square feet and one of 3995 square
feet.
This is in an area that is zoned SF5000 which I understand to mean that minimum lot size is 5000 square feet.
Can anyone explain why this is legal?
(I have asked the question of the city but I don’t
really expect an answer!!)

Civik October 31, 2013 (7:47 pm)

It is legal because of the 75/80 rule. Basically they can split a lot to 75 or 80% of the allowed zoning and this can be the average of all the lots on a block facing.

As for Darth, the reason we have zoning rules is to give developers a guideline for building in the neighborhood. Most people can’t afford to buy multiple properties to protect their neighborhood from overdevelopment. It is a very selfish and elitist attitude to believe that money makes it right!

Darth Grevious October 31, 2013 (7:54 pm)

Uncle Joe: I’m having trouble understanding how “nice” neighborhoods are threatened by new people moving here. Something tells me it’s probably not crack heads and criminals populating these new buildings as much as it is educated people with jobs that will not only support local business but will build the tax base and contribute to the community. To me, building housing with no parking sends a strong message that these new residents should be prepared to rely on public transportation (or bikes) and to not add more cars to our streets. We have plenty of space for more people but not for cars. Heck, I’d be more up in arms if these buildings under development DID have parking. Having no space to park our drive a car is a pretty strong deterrent to more traffic. Just like building more road capacity encourages more driving, building parking spaces encourages more car use. I’d say these developers are on the right track.

buckwheat October 31, 2013 (8:04 pm)

Well hell, why doesn’t the City Government just demolish all of Avalon and just create one super apartment complex with no parking; genius! If you really think the city or any of its offices really give a crap about West Seattle you are sadly mistaken. Just wait in ten years on how bad West Seattle is going to be with traffic, crime, crappy looking apartments/a-podments everywhere, and worse yet, more progressives trying to fix the problems. Thank god we have a Fatburger!

seattlite October 31, 2013 (8:33 pm)

Darth Grievous — Your comments are so off the mark. Uncle Joe is right on. WS has totally lost its uniqueness by way of overdevelopment. If you think “educated” people are going to dwell in the beehives, think again. Public transportation sucks. Bikes are nuisances without bike laws — speeding, safety hazard to pedestrians. WS use to be a fun place for out-of-towners to visit, not any more.

nyhopi October 31, 2013 (8:42 pm)

We have to SHOW UP! I plan on spreading the word about this meeting. Everyone here has taken the time to post…SHOW UP! Tell your neighbors.

DTK October 31, 2013 (8:50 pm)

The end is nigh. Save yourselves while you still can. Move to Shoreline.

JN October 31, 2013 (8:59 pm)

@Seattlite, um, car drivers break the law constantly. It doesn’t matter what transportation is used, jerks will be jerks. Only difference is a bike weighs twenty pounds and can travel at a limited speed. A car weighs two tons, has severely restricted sight lines, and can travel in excess of eighty mph. I wonder which one pedestrians are more afraid of?

Louisa October 31, 2013 (9:28 pm)

Who in the world is letting this level of development go through? No parking, overcrowding…no open space. This will turn is into a rabbit hutch neighborhood!

Gene October 31, 2013 (9:31 pm)

Well – after these structures with no parking are built- & rented/leased- it would be interesting to find out how many there actually do NOT have a car. Just because there’s no parking on site-doesn’t necessarily mean no car–nor is it necessarily a deterrent.
I really have a hard time believing that the majority of those moving into these buildings will be relying soley on public transit.

Darth Grevious October 31, 2013 (10:02 pm)

seattlite: Pray tell what uniqueness has West Seattle has lost? A handful of dive bars? Pardon me for not missing Rocksport, Alki Tavern and Chuck and Sallys. But I call bull. I don’t see commenters here lamenting the loss of some kind of culture as much as they seem to be wringing hands about parking spaces. That’s the culture all of these California transplants are kicking and screaming to protect: car culture. After all, West Seattle seems to be a place where if you run down a woman on an early morning jog you just push the pedal to the floor and leave her for dead. These comment threads are NIMBYism to the extreme. Uniqueness? Bollocks.

me October 31, 2013 (10:11 pm)

Question: I can only count 4 floors in the sketch, but the text mentioned “five-story building”. An additional floor would make a totally different impression, I think. Or is the fifth story on the west slope?

WSB October 31, 2013 (10:22 pm)

Site grade. Follow the “WSB coverage here” link in this story to see our coverage of the first Design Review meeting; toward the bottom of that story you’ll see the five-story west side – at least, as shown then; we haven’t seen the next round of designs for this project yet, and the second half of Design Review is when they get into details – TR

G October 31, 2013 (10:52 pm)

Poor Californians, they get it every time. I’ve been hearing that stale bit of moldy folklore since I was a kid growing up here. Yes, they’ve come to take away our rain gardens, Dutch bikes, and paralysis at 4-way stops. Jeez.

C November 1, 2013 (1:18 am)

Wish the monorail had been built.

Darth Truth November 1, 2013 (9:26 am)

Darth,

Its the right of the community to pressure officials. Show up to these meetings and pressure officials.

My concern along with others is that the infrastructure (ie. transporation, schools, etc) will not catch up to this surge in development.

Educate yourself about the West Seattle public school capacity issues and make an educated/informed comment.

WSB November 1, 2013 (9:56 am)

In particular – the meeting about 4535 44th SW is a rare type of meeting – it is being held because neighbors petitioned, not because it’s required by law, and it can involve the topics that are NOT the scope of Design Review meetings, which ARE required on this and many projects.

MellyMel November 1, 2013 (1:21 pm)

It’s not a matter of *stopping* developers from developing. It’s that development/zoning laws are out of whack with what is sensible.
.
If you agree with that, then the battle must be fought at the city planning level. If there is a WS-wide group that has this as their focus, I will join it.
.
Small numbers of affected neighbors trying to intervene in these projects one-by-one is a recipe for failure.