West Seattle development: Townhouse plan for 3062 SW Avalon Way, once planned for 100+ apartments

| Development | West Seattle news

The newest development plans on SW Avalon Way are for nine 3-story townhouses on each of two adjacent parcels, one of which was previously proposed for a 7-story, 100+-apartment building. The sites are 3062 SW Avalon Way and 3070 SW Avalon Way, which county records show were bought together for $1.4 million this week by Isola Homes.

The city file for each site shows an early-stage plan for three rows of three 3-story townhouses, with each of those nine-townhouse clusters having seven parking spaces along the alley to the north. The previous plan for 100+ apartments at 3062 SW Avalon Way, under different ownership, idled after one Design Review meeting in 2012. The new proposals are described in the city files as candidates for what the city calls Streamlined Design Review, which does not require public meetings but does have opportunities for public comment. Watch for those when the formal applications are filed for 3062 and 3070, which currently hold a duplex and 6-unit apartment building, both built in the 1950s.

These proposals do not involve an adjacent site that had been proposed for an ~100-unit apartment building, 3078 Avalon, which has separate ownership and was caught up in an appeal filed by a neighborhood group; a quick check of that file shows the most recent document activity back in September, and we’re still looking into that project’s status.

M February 7, 2016 (9:24 pm)

Love my Isola home.

Elly February 8, 2016 (5:47 am)

Good. Maybe the “density drive” madness is coming to an end??

AMD February 8, 2016 (5:55 pm)

I don’t love every old house being torn down and turned into condos. But if I have to choose between a “density drive” and suburban sprawl, I’ll take the former (and yes, we do have to choose. People need to come where the jobs are and the jobs are here in Seattle). It’s a bummer to deal with construction and parking issue in the short term, but long-term it’s better for the environment and communities. A big hurdle is getting the culture to shift away from feeling like everyone needs to have a car. Where transit is at now it’s a necessity for most, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I think once transit catches up to the density levels, we’ll be alright.

MsKit February 8, 2016 (7:00 am)

Yay! Plans that include parking!

candrewb February 8, 2016 (8:56 am)

The density drive won’t ever end. I think maybe, just maybe with large apt buildings being built all over the area, there lacks sufficient demand for such a complex.

GlynB February 8, 2016 (9:31 am)

The “density drive” is definitely not over. It is ongoing and everlasting as long as the economy is strong and NW living appeals to people. Only going in an upward trajectory. Embrace it and it won’t frustrate you so much… :)

MarcusB February 8, 2016 (11:17 am)

Someone from the WS Transportation Commission was interviewed on the news last night and said the Alaska Junction area is 300% more dense than projected at this time. Crazy.

Recovering Urbanist February 9, 2016 (12:38 pm)

At some point many of us urbanist/pro density folks grow up, have children, want a yard with a little spot of sunshine, don’t want to share a wall with inconsiderate neighbors, can’t ride a bike everywhere, and realize that we need a car to get to the mountains or take kids to school, and then we look at density through a different lens. It happened to me and now I question how it is that some current urbanists (density at all costs promoters) get to shout down anyone who wants a single family home, a small yard with sunshine, and has a car. Yeah, the urbanists and developers co-opted the affordability debate and are forcing HALA on Seattle, but not all of us want to live in a New York/Boston style city. If we did, we’d live there. But God forbid we question density decisions in Seattle lest we be called NIMBY.

sam-c February 10, 2016 (8:30 am)

+1 to that ^I am glad I no longer have neighbors above me that get home from partying every night at 2 am, loud and obnoxious, when I have to get up to get ready for work at 6.also, interestingly, I heard a story on the radio yesterday, that Seattle had broken into the top 10 densest urban cities in US. Among the top 5, obviously, were New York and San Francisco. Despite the density, incredibly expensive to live there. yet, Seattle (Ed Murray) keeps going on and on about how more density will improve housing costs. Obviously there’s a much bigger debate to go along with that.

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