West Seattle development: Housing proposals, sales pending for ex-substations in Pigeon Point, Highland Park

We’ve discovered that both of the former West Seattle City Light substations put up for sale on the open market five months ago, with “major price reductions” less than two months ago, now have sales pending and early-stage development proposals.

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(WSB photo, March 2016)

2100 SW ANDOVER: This 8,000-square-foot corner site in Pigeon Point was appraised at $350,000 and originally listed at $400,000, then cut in late June to $200,000 asking price. It now has a proposal for 5 rowhouse units, and the Commercial MLS website shows a sale “pending.” The city page for the site lists the “owner” as Greenstream Investments in Bothell. So does the site plan in city files, which shows three units would face onto 21st, one would be on the corner of 21st and Andover, and one west of that would face onto Andover only. The plan shows three units with “garage parking,” two as “no parking.”

8822 9TH AVENUE SW: This 13,000-square-foot site also is shown on the Commercial MLS site as having a “pending” sale.

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It was originally offered to King County for its appraised value, $355,000, as a stormwater-retention site, but as explained in our March report, the county decided against it. It then went on the market for $500,000, until a “major price reduction” to $200,000 in June, concurrent with the one for the Pigeon Point site. This site’s city webpage notes a new proposal for 11 townhouses, though it’s filed under a revised address of 8822 9th SW instead of 8820. There is nothing in the files yet showing how the 11 units would be configured; the city files show the “owner” as 9th Avenue Townhomes LLC, whose owners in turn have a Puyallup address.

BACKSTORY: These are two of six ex-substations for which the City Council authorized disposition last fall; three of the other four have potential community-group purchases/projects in various stages.

20 Replies to "West Seattle development: Housing proposals, sales pending for ex-substations in Pigeon Point, Highland Park"

  • TC August 16, 2016 (1:37 pm)

    just what seattle needs MORE CONDOS AT UN AFFORDABLE  PRICES YAY!

    • Peter August 16, 2016 (3:02 pm)

      OK, I’ll bite: Which of these is going to be condos, and how much will they cost? And where did you get that information?

  • Gatewood Rob August 16, 2016 (1:43 pm)

    Prices going up everywhere, yet a price reduction, probably unannounced?  On two properties?  And it’s probably not 200k per new parcel division.  Wow.  Does this even get a sniff test or audit?

    • WSB August 16, 2016 (2:05 pm)

      As linked in the story, we reported on the price reduction. But you could call it unannounced – we only found out because we routinely check real-estate files, development files, etc., and happened to notice the revised flyers, with MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION splashed in red across the cover pages, while making one of those checks in late June. I don’t know who it would have been “announced” to unless perhaps the broker and/or city department had a list of interested parties. I still don’t have an answer to a question that we raised at the time, which is whether the community groups that have been given time to raise $ to buy other substations will get price breaks too, or whether they will just have to pay the appraised value since they expressed interest from the start. For example, the Urban Homestead Foundation – who we wrote about last month – would have to raise something like $500,000 to buy the ex-substation on Genesee Hill, if the original terms hold – TR

    • John August 16, 2016 (2:11 pm)

      Actually it was fully disclosed, advertised and listed on the open market.

      As to whether the city could have gotten more,

      it was exposed to the market originally at  too high a price, becoming  a stale listing,and  we do not know what  price they actually settled on as the dramaticly lower price relisting may have generated multiple  escalating offers that exceed $200,000 new listing. 

      • Mike August 16, 2016 (6:05 pm)

        yes, fully disclosed after behind doors deals were signed, but sure, if you want to at the trash the city officials feed you… ‘fully closed door’ would be a more appropriate way to phrase it.  Guess it’s time to start requesting documents under federal law and expose the crap going on that developers are being handed basically at 50% off.

        • John August 16, 2016 (7:19 pm)

          Mike, those claims are both in denial of the facts and fully manufactured falsehoods.

          The parcels were listed on the open real estate market, the multiple listings we all can access as easily as this (WSB) on our devices.  FOR SALE signs were posted on the sites.  I looked into them, even contacted the agent.  Yes, a commercial real estate agent listed the sale, not the City as Mike claims.  There was no denial of opportunity.  The process was open.

          • Mike August 17, 2016 (1:52 am)

            Yes, a commercial real estate agent listed the sale, not the City as Mike claims.”  Seems the only one manufacturing falsehoods is you, John.  Where did I ever state your above quote?  Please, please point it out, because all I see is you posting COMPLETE LIES!  I can only assume you are a small beans developer in West Seattle, probably hawking jewelry on the side to fund your hobby.  See, we can both manufacture falsehoods, but when I do it it’s sarcasm… or is it?

        • John August 17, 2016 (7:51 am)

          @Mike,

          Yes, a commercial real estate agent listed the sale, not the City as Mike claims.”  

          Your reply, “Where did I ever state your above quote?”   

          Finally you are correct, in part, as I did not make any such quote.  

          You wholly manufactured a quote from me instead of defending the accuracy of your falsehoods.

          Please read.  

          The mentioned commercial realtor is  as plainly seen on the listing sign shown in the photo at the top of this story.  

          I choose to avoid personal attacks and the fabricated conjecture that fuels your posts, just the facts please.

           


  • sgs August 16, 2016 (1:48 pm)

    Hmm, in the next story, it is reported that Seattle Parks purchased the Morgan Junction property for $1.9 million, but is selling lots for $200,000.    Don’t know enough about the stories to really understand any comparison, but it seems like we need better deal makers in local government.

    • Peter August 16, 2016 (3:04 pm)

      City owned properties are inherently less valuable due to the high risk of lawsuits and political interference if anyone tries to actually do anything with them.

  • AmandaKH August 16, 2016 (1:57 pm)

    What happened to the MFTE opt-out money? The City of Seattle could have built affordable housing on these sites.  Instead, it will go to developers who will turn around and sell for as much as they can get. This City just baffles me so much. 

  • John August 16, 2016 (1:59 pm)

    just what Seattle needs,

    SIXTEEN MORE UNITS OF MARKET RATE HOUSING where there were none before, on surplus city land.

    Better  here than in the sprawlburgs.

    • Mike August 16, 2016 (6:07 pm)

      MARKET RATE HOUSING”  Or as I like to put it, building overpriced subpar quality that sells to Californians sight unseen without inspections.  I guess I can’t blame developers for feeding on stupidity.

  • Mary Fleck August 16, 2016 (5:11 pm)

    Three community groups are working to re-purpose decommissioned substations in West Seattle:  Fauntleroy Community Association (the substation near Endolyne Joe’s), Urban Homestead  Foundation (the substation across from the new Genesee Hill School) and Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (the Delridge wetland).   Each of these groups welcomes public support!  Seattle Green Spaces Coalition has asked Seattle City Light to tell us in advance if it is planning to drop the price on substations, so we can work with community groups to keep the land in public hands.   We need to be thoughtful about the future of our public land!  Join us on Sunday, August 21 at 3:00 at the Southwest library for our next strategic planning session.  Mary Fleck, Co-Chair, Seattle Green Spaces Coalition

    • John August 16, 2016 (9:43 pm)

      Mary Fleck,

      As always, I enjoy your careful use of words.  The stuff you author for the Green Space Coalition is excellent too, but here your pivot, “re purpose” of excess city lands from green space is exemplary.  

      Of course everywhere else on WSB and on the applications themselves will be the word “development”. 

  • MSM August 16, 2016 (6:45 pm)

    Any update on the Dumar site @ 16th & Holden? Is it for sale, per the last update in Sept. 2015? 

    • WSB August 16, 2016 (6:54 pm)

      That was not placed on the open market. As with Dakota, it’s on a two-year delay (clock starting when council passed the ordinance) Local advocates had suggested the city rezone it to commercial property to help build up that business district, and as we reported in October, that was to be analyzed … rereading the fine print in our story, a report was due July 1st, but I don’t recall seeing/hearing the results … will see if we can track down its status. – TR

  • Shepherd Siegel August 18, 2016 (5:29 pm)

    I just want to know how, as all of this development comes in, what the plan is to change our roads and our public transit to accommodate it…yes, I know light rail will be here in 15-20 years…groovy.  What else is being done in anticipation of all the folks and cars moving into West Seattle?

    • John August 18, 2016 (6:27 pm)

      Good question Shepherd,

      The city has been acting in anticipation of this for the last twenty years.  Since we can’t build any more roads, the planning is in anticipation of a continuation of the changes we are experiencing.  These changes include a future less reliant on so many single occupancy vehicles.  The new Seattle majority is renters who already are eschewing car ownership and parking more than the generations before.

      Not every one needs or wants a SUV.  

      Not all people go the mountains or camping.  

      Not all people require a car for work.  

      Some people are choosing car2go and uber to avoid the hassle.

      In addition to planned light rail there have recently been massive increases in bus services to become  make transit options more viable.  

      Just a few years ago the constant refrain on WSB regarding development was, “How can they allow development when they are cutting bus service?”

      All of these things add up to give Seattle a changed but environmentally viable future while protecting our nearby forest lands from clear cutting and development.

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