West Seattle development: Updates on two projects on southeast side of The Junction – 4754 Fauntleroy, 4800 40th SW

| Development | West Seattle news

Two updates on two early-stage projects we’ve mentioned before, both in what’s becoming a very busy corridor along Edmunds between 40th and Fauntleroy:

4754 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: New names and a new size for the project proposed for the parcels currently holding the Capitol Loans pawn shop and the parking lot to its north. We first reported last December that a seven-story building with 125 units and 90 offstreet parking spaces was proposed. Now, after a new filing with the city, it’s described as 133 residential units, 134 offstreet parking spaces (on two underground levels), still seven stories (the site is zoned for up to eight). The developer is now listed as Holland Partner Group, a Vancouver (Washington)-based company best known for apartment complexes; the architect is now Mithun (it was Caron). This will have to go through Design Review, but no date’s set yet.

Less than a block away, another update:

4800 40TH SW: When we reported on a proposal for this 40th/Edmunds site two years ago, but it went idle as its prospective developers moved their attention next door to 4801 Fauntleroy Way SW. That 53-unit mixed-use project which has since passed both phases of Design Review. Now, a new site plan has just been filed to reactivate 4800 40th for redevelopment; the city filing has only the summary, “demolition of existing structures on site, and construction of a new multi-family residential building with (1) level of below-grade parking, and (4) levels above grade. The ground floor will consist of both residential and commercial uses” – no unit count mentioned so far.

Chuck April 13, 2016 (11:46 am)

Lordy. I think Amazon (or even Google) should just build a campus in W. Seattle and give their employees a break from having to go down the hill. And, the rest of us from having to sit in traffic with them. Honestly, I’m surprised big business hasn’t set up shop here, yet. I’d imagine it’s coming. Everyone else is.

M April 13, 2016 (12:31 pm)

Love the extra underground parking and Mithum for the Capital Loan site.

Joe Szilagyi April 13, 2016 (1:59 pm)

Replacing empty unused asphalt and a gun store with homes for up to 133 families and a bunch of new commercial spaces on the ground floor seems like a very easy victory for the community.

Bored in WS April 13, 2016 (3:05 pm)

Nice to see the inclusion of 1+ off-street parking spot for every housing unit. Wish every new development was held to this standard.

Now here’s hoping we get some vibrant new nightlife in this ground floor retail, and not just another Chipotle/Starbucks/etc. fast casual chain.
KM April 13, 2016 (5:25 pm)

Agreed. And the parking is underground which is better than taking up liveable/workable square footage. It’s also any easy intersection to be transit-reliant–having done so there for years.
Meyer April 13, 2016 (6:49 pm)

@Joe I completely agree. Although I didn’t see where the plans stated it would have retail shops on the bottom floor. Either way though I’m happy about the parking and happy about providing more housing to a crowded city.

Diane April 13, 2016 (3:10 pm)

that is a huge shift for that project to change from Caron (ugly boxes is all they do) to award winning Mithun Architecture; this should be a much better design; and Holland Partner Group; wow; they do pretty much all luxury, lease up, then flip/sell for millions in profit; I went to the big splashy opening of their Premier on Pine last year, where the top units I think were renting for ~$7,000 per month; maybe it was only $6,000/mo; this is a milestone moment for WS; and the extra parking spaces will no doubt rent for $200+ per month

H.T. April 13, 2016 (3:41 pm)

I just wish there was something in all of these contracts that are building putting money into the current infrastructure for traffic. It’s already bad. Continually adding apartments but not fixing the traffic problem is going to be an even bigger problem.

KT April 13, 2016 (7:51 pm)

Wait until the viaduct is gone.

mike April 13, 2016 (9:20 pm)

Dense development should not be allowed until the infrastructure is in place.

John April 14, 2016 (8:05 am)

mike, bored, km,

20-20 hindsight.

Ignored is the fact that each and every time we the people have decided against building infrastructure because the density was not here.

Cognizant that more roads are not possible, what infrastructure are you insisting be in place?

And with the roads currently beyond capacity, what is the point of requiring parking for cars that cannot go anywhere?

Adding below grade parking is extremely expensive, adding disproportionately to skyrocketing housing costs.

Going down the same path, lauding and perpetuating our already failed single car culture worsens the problem.
- KM April 14, 2016 (8:56 am)
  
  Indeed, John. I’d rather there be little to no parking added and/or parking requirements for the reasons you mentioned, but I didn’t feel like having that discussion at the time. However, City Observatory has some great recent pieces on parking and parking requirements for those interested in how they affect housing costs.
  
  These topics tend to bring out anger in many, I was just going with the positive angle of not having to look at parking structures above ground. I guess we’ll bring it up now, hah.
- Bored in WS April 14, 2016 (11:41 am)
  
  But do we really think that citizens of our fair region are going to give up their cars just because there isn’t a parking spot? No, they’re just going to utilize our rapidly vanishing street parking. You can’t wage a war on car ownership until a viable alternative already exists. We’re getting better, but we’re not even close to there yet, and until we are cars need to be accounted for.
  
  I’d personally rather see ST3 funded more by the density developers and less by yet another dip into taxpayer pockets. These new luxury buildings aren’t designed for living wage tenants, and as Diane pointed out above the going trend is just to flip them for millions in profit anyway. No sympathy here for the plight of the developers.

WSGirl April 14, 2016 (9:11 am)

Good! More apartments means rent will finally start going down (or at least not continue to rise) in the next year or so in older buildings.

WS since '66 April 14, 2016 (9:13 am)

KISS April 14, 2016 (5:04 pm)

As long as they bury the utility lines along Fauntleroy between Edmunds and Alaska. Have you ever really paid attention to the incredible number of utility poles in the city? Imagine if they were all living trees. Take the photo at the top for example, there are two right there in front of the pawn shop. Just sayin’.

Sorry, comment time is over.