West Seattle development followup: Comment time for 11-apartment plan @ 1118 Alki

| Development | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photos)

We first told you last year about the six-story, 11-apartment, 16-offstreet-parking-space proposal for 1118 Alki Avenue SW, revised in December from a September plan for five units. It would replace the two houses shown in the photos above (at 1118 and 1122 Alki SW). Now, a formal application has been filed, according to this notice from today’s edition of the city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin. That opens a comment period for two aspects of the application – shoreline and environmental approvals. The deadline for those comments is June 17th; here’s how to comment.

P.S. Also in today’s LUIB, notices relating to two citywide policy proposals – through June 2nd, you can comment on this proposal seeking to “remove barriers to the creation of backyard cottages and accessory dwelling units”; this notice announces a June 21st public hearing on a bill proposing a “mandatory housing affordability program for residential development.”

Mark schletty May 19, 2016 (3:11 pm)

The proposal “to remove barriers to the creation of backyard cottages…” deserves a thorough follow up article. It entails the destruction of single family zoning. It will allow BOTH attached dwelling units AND detached dwelling units plus the existing single family home on the same single lot. And it eliminates any requirement for off street parking. It, in fact, turns every single family zoned lot into a lot zoned for a triplex with no off street parking, even in non transit areas. This is exactly what the Mayor said was off the table. The city is attempting to hide this in what they make sound like a simple noncontroversial policy change to help with creating what used to be thought of as mother in law units. It also reduces the owner occupancy requirement to only the first year after the units are added and no longer requires a 50% ownership. This would allow developers to make one tenant a .0001 % owner for a year and convert it to all rental housing after that. These changes are a complete give away to the developers and the end of true single family zoning.

HelperMonkey May 19, 2016 (3:56 pm)

there must be a typo here. I swear this says they’re including an adequate number of parking spaces. that can’t be right. :)

WSB May 19, 2016 (4:08 pm)

Alki has a “parking overlay” in which one and a half spaces are required per unit. They’re not an urban village and don’t have anything resembling “frequent transit.”

ACG May 19, 2016 (4:03 pm)

I agree with Mark about the backyard cottages. This most certainly deserves more in depth investigation.

Rick Sanchez May 19, 2016 (5:03 pm)

Very good to see the city ignoring the NIMBY pitchfork crowd and moving ahead with sensible reform of the biggest obstacle to addressing our housing crisis!

Erithan May 19, 2016 (9:16 pm)

Does it matter bald eagles nest right behind that spot and the brick building?(my grandma lives there, I’ve watched the nesting eagles since I was little)

Sorry, comment time is over.