Comments on: West Seattle development: See the design packet for 1307 Harbor SW, ex-Alki Tavern site, before next week’s Design Review

By: WS since '66

WS since '66 — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 13:47:12 +0000

The no parking in the new buildings has proven to be a fallacy. I saw someone’s facebook page,Jim Biava at RSVP Real Estate, where there is a chart of units vs parking spaces. After reviewing 15 of the biggest projects the tally shows 1,483 units and 2,064 parking spaces. The building projects will continue to added to the list.

By: Sunsetgirl

Sunsetgirl — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 03:51:31 +0000

As many of us know, lots of the new developments in Seattle are with minimal parking and/or none! The city is trying to encourage people to use bikes and walk, not cars. So parking requirements will likely continue to decline. The design with the hill climb means that all residents will have a new and more direct route to get from Harbor up to California instead of going around. Runners and walkers can head down thru the building to the planned coffee shop at beach level. Developers don’t have to do this (its expensive and doesn’t pencil out) so this seems to be a purposeful amenity to enhance the use and appeal of the building. Check out the architect firm they picked….its Miller Hull!!!!! this isn’t a turn and burn so lets give it a chance.

By: amalia

amalia — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 23:36:25 +0000

The hillside will be engineered for stability. It will be safer than what exists now (there’s a very old retaining wall there).

By: old timer

old timer — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 19:26:30 +0000

How about some kind of Government/Development alliance to build a massive parking garage behind the new building.
It would be heavy concrete, to add to hill stabilization, and could be connected, via a bridge with ramped access, to the waterfront.
Parking would aid potential Water Taxi passengers who now face a bus and a shuttle connection to the ferry, as well as all the other users of the waterfront.
Too rad?

By: wetone

wetone — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:18:13 +0000

41 parking spots for a 100k sqft building that includes:
21 residential apartments, totaling about 25,400 square feet
11,800 square feet of commercial office space
7,500 square feet of light manufacturing
6,700 square feet of ground floor retail
4,200 square feet of restaurant

So who is the parking for ? residents, customers and employees for the commercial office space ?customers and employees for ground floor retail space or the restaurant customers and employees ? This place should have double the parking at a minimum as to not impact area anymore.This area has zero daytime parking available now as the foot ferry users use it up. We just spent how many millions for new foot ferries and now taking away what little parking there was, another winner idea by our city, I guess we will just subsidize them alot more. You have a dive park, public fishing pier, Marination and more. People have nowhere to park already for access to this area. Doesn’t do much good to have all this maintain it and not be able to use it. Don’t forget more apartments (big)coming soon down the road that will really make it fun for access on/off Harbor ave.

By: dawsonct

dawsonct — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:09:39 +0000

Vanessa, the one immediately behind the project will probably be quite stable with a retaining wall and what I have to imagine are some pretty deeply drilled anchors.
However, as we saw recently near Oso, our bluffs are fairly unstable in a geologic sense. The likelihood is we will see similar landslides coming off the bluffs of West Seattle at some points in the future, and if the one above that part of Harbor/California gave way, it would certainly bury all that is below, no matter how well the part of the hillside directly behind the building is stabilized.
—
But you know what? We can’t live our lives anticipating disaster all the time. That would lead to paralysis.

By: dawsonct

dawsonct — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 17:51:32 +0000

Oh GREAT, how uninspired! Just a dotted outline for a building!? How do they expect people to live in that? And where are they all going to park!?
I wish there had been a law passed to never allow West Seattle to change. Ever. At least since the time I moved here 5,10,50 years ago.
—
Has anyone heard if they are going to open a Trader Joe’s in Morgan Junction? It’s SUCH a hassle getting into the parking lots at the Fauntleroy Joe’s.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 17:03:06 +0000

How safe is that hillside behind them?

By: Acer macro

Acer macro — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:28:23 +0000

Parking below the waterline…

By: Marty

Marty — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:15:07 +0000

At least they have parking…

By: sna

sna — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 15:03:29 +0000

California Way is a designated scenic drive.

http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?d=CODE&s1=25.05.675.snum.&Sect5=CODE1&Sect6=HITOFF&l=20&p=1&u=/~public/code1.htm&r=1&f=G

However, the city has long neglected its responsibility to protect scenic drives and viewpoints via vegentation management so why block this project.

By: unknown

unknown — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 14:24:21 +0000

OH BROTHER!