West Seattle development: High Point, Admiral, Morgan projects; new Junction building for sale

Four notes today, three about in-progress projects, one about a recently completed project going up for sale:

KEY APPROVALS FOR 35TH/GRAHAM: The latest development proposal for much of High Point’s most-visible vacant site has won two key approvals, according to a notice in today’s Land Use Information Bulletin. The project is described in the city files as “two 4-story structures, one containing 61 apartments above 5,604 sq. ft. of retail and one containing 41 apartments above 4,346 sq. ft. of retail and 2 live-work units. Parking for 110 vehicles,” mostly in an underground garage. The decision announced today opens a 2-week appeal period, filing deadline November 14th; here’s how that works. Here’s our April report on final Design Review approval for the project, called (at least at the time) Upton Flats.

DEMOLITION PERMIT FOR 2310 CALIFORNIA: Nine years after the first redevelopment proposal for this site that in the interim was briefly the home of Brickyard BBQ, a demolition permit has been issued. The current redevelopment plan appears to be the same one we mentioned a year ago – a 4-story building for a gym, child care, and four apartments. The demolition permit is for three buildings on the site.

NEW PLAN FOR 6921 CALIFORNIA: Last July, we reported that the then-owners had scrapped a plan for this house in south Morgan Junction to be rezoned and remodeled to include a restaurant. (They explained their decision in this comment.) Now there’s a new plan for the site – tear down the house and replace it with a fourplex. Online records show the site was sold to a construction company earlier this month.

JUNCTION BUILDING FOR SALE: One of the newest apartment buildings in The Junction is up for sale. The year-old Lofts at The Junction, 38 apartments at 4535 44th SW, is listed as an “unpriced offering” – you can find out more via this website.

Jon October 31, 2016 (11:41 am)

Looks like The Lofts at SoDoSoPa (behind Historic ‘Kenny’s House’) weren’t as profitable as they’d hoped.

trickycoolj October 31, 2016 (1:13 pm)

You sir win the thread.
flimflam October 31, 2016 (7:11 pm)

yup, that about says it all…

Oakley34 October 31, 2016 (11:48 am)

I’m not good with conceiving size and space…what sorts of shops would fit in 5600 sq ft and 4300 sq ft of retail space? If it’s any kind of bakery my willpower will be tested daily…

Joan E. Miller October 31, 2016 (12:10 pm)

Is that where that big tree is? I hope they save the big trees.

Diane October 31, 2016 (12:21 pm)

re “Looks like The Lofts at SoDoSoPa (behind Historic ‘Kenny’s House’) weren’t as profitable as they’d hoped.”; translation please

JanS October 31, 2016 (12:42 pm)

Diane…I was thinking the same thing…and inside joke that no one else knows, perhaps?
- WSB October 31, 2016 (12:47 pm)
  
  Google solves the mystery. SoPa as in “South Park” – the series, not the nearby neighborhood.
  
  The mockmercial for “The Lofts at SoDoSoPa” etc. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miXMWJyOdgw
  
  (Didn’t see your comment while arriving at same result… just now catching it at 7:17 pm, sorry)
JanS October 31, 2016 (12:45 pm)

lol…Diane…Google is my friend…it’s from the show “South Park”. (one that I don’t watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miXMWJyOdgw

JanS October 31, 2016 (12:51 pm)

the new loft building at 35th and Graham….wouldn’t it be nice if somehow they could get some sort of grocery store in there? That area needs that so badly…

Diane October 31, 2016 (1:13 pm)

re “Lofts” at the Junction; having participated in design
reviews for these teensy micro apartments with zero parking, and meetings with
city & neighbors re impacts to community, it’s fascinating to read their
sales brochure; these barely qualify as “apartments”; 36 are teensy tiny
micro-apts; and I forgot until looking through brochure, small print notes at
very bottom; they also got the MFTE (multi-family tax exemption), which means
they pay zero property tax on the 36 micro-apts because 8 of the 300sf studios
are at MFTE rent (so-called affordable; I would like to know the specific $
amount of rent on the MFTE studios; are they at 60% AMI?), so with MFTE, they
only pay property tax on the land and the 2 live-work units, for 12 years;
wonder what the monthly profit would be after MFTE expires and the owner has to
pay property taxes on entire building; the current PT of $988/mo is about 10%
of what it will be when MFTE expires; of course many landlords pass on property
tax increases to tenants as rent increases; based on their brochure, total rent
income per month & charging tenants for utilities, avg $1530/mo; per CL
search, rent price range of these micro-apts, $1300-$1500+; and you have to
climb a ladder and crawl into your “loft” bed; this project will be interesting
to watch over time http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/apa/5852277320.html

John October 31, 2016 (2:02 pm)

Diane,

I could not disagree with you more.

These micro-units have been around for a year continue to be in high demand and few of the much touted ‘concerns’ about them and their tenants have proven true.

Not everyone needs a big conventional space to sleep. Some may even be attracted to a loft accessed by ladder. Why not let the market decide?

There is a housing shortage at all levels and especially rentals. With the new West Seattle lagging behind the city as a whole with less than half of us renters, there is high demand for all units.

Where Diane’s arguments fall short is her opposition to more apartments of all sizes.

If we overbuild apartments, the rents will drop…supply vs. demand.

And as the new units age into the marketplace, they lose their ability to make premium rental demands.
- East Coast Cynic October 31, 2016 (3:58 pm)
  
  I would bet that North Seattle neighborhoods such as Maple Leaf and Laurelhurst are even bigger laggards than West Seattle. They’re probably the first ones to complain to the Mayor’s office when he starts talking about up-zoning Single family homeowner neighborhoods.
  - KM October 31, 2016 (6:05 pm)
    
    Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children?!
- JanS October 31, 2016 (5:54 pm)
  
  John…there are lots of apartments oiut…the problem is…we can’t afford them. Some of us don’t work at Amazon, etc. Some of us are older, retired or semi-retired, and on fixed incomes. In West Seattle there are exactly 72 low income senior housing apartments offered by the Seattle Housing Authority. Guess how many seniors have spent their whole lives , or most of them, in West Seattle, raising their families, and now are priced out. Yeah, we’ll klet the market do it’s thing when we’re homeless after the next rent increase…more for you guys, I suppose. :(
  - John October 31, 2016 (7:10 pm)
    
    JanS,
    
    I feel sorry for your plight, but fail to see the connection to me.
    
    I do not get more as you charge.
    
    I have nothing to do with apartments. As a homeowner and West Seattle urbanist, I speak for more housing options for all people. I believe welcoming those who have just arrived as well as supporting housing first for those most in need. More housing available will not benefit me any more than other residents renters or homeowners. It will benefit all.
    
    That said, I feel different than you, in that I plan to adjust with the times and don’t feel entitled to stay where I was born, raised and returned to raise a family.
    - MsD November 1, 2016 (9:55 pm)
      
      Utilitarianism is a hell of a drug.
- bolo October 31, 2016 (9:56 pm)
  
  “With the new West Seattle lagging behind the city as a whole with less than half of us renters, there is high demand for all units.”
  
  Are we in a competition to attain the highest percentage of renters? What is the prize?
  - WSB October 31, 2016 (10:15 pm)
    
    Should also note here that it’s not necessarily that Seattle is more than half *renters* – rather, slightly more than half its *housing units* are *rentals*. Don’t know how West Seattle shakes out on that, but citywide, more people live in owned units than in rental units. Do the multiplication for the numbers on this page:
    
    http://www.seattle.gov/dPd/cityplanning/populationdemographics/aboutseattle/housing/default.htm
    
    According to the stats there, 314,996 people live in owned units, 269,281 in rented units.
    
    Caveat – 2010 census numbers. But it’s the only page of its kind that I could find. If anyone has those exact stats, newer, let me know!

Diane October 31, 2016 (1:18 pm)

thanks for solving the mystery TR

Meyer October 31, 2016 (1:30 pm)

I would have much preferred a quaint neighborhood restaurant in that location rather than a four plex but I guess it’s too late now.

Jeannie October 31, 2016 (1:59 pm)

I am so glad the FlatLofts@SoGraham#WeSe offers a couple of WoLi spaces. I am not sure what a “work/live” space entails, but it sounds hip. I am sure all these new buildings won’t worsen congestion in West Seattle one iota. Now, I just need to grow a hipster beard and pierce my septum. There’d BETTER be a coffee shop on the main floor, too.

miws October 31, 2016 (2:11 pm)

I was clueless on “SoDoSoPa” as well, and I think the confusion is compounded by the fact that we have our own SODO and South Park.

Mike

west seattle steve October 31, 2016 (3:36 pm)

Live/Work is a 2 story unit with a small business on the first floor and the owner living above. A friend of mine was looking into them for her hair salon. A lot of time they just become apartments.

WSGirl October 31, 2016 (4:27 pm)

Well said, John. Exactly right.

AMD October 31, 2016 (6:03 pm)

Like the details of the building, just hate the name. High Point Plaza isn’t all that creative, but at least it would feel like they want to celebrate the neighborhood instead of trying to hide from it.

John November 1, 2016 (7:40 am)

“in Seattle, both renters and homeowners can claim the majority, depending on which data you use.” Gene Balk, Seattle Times August 6, 2016

Wsgal November 1, 2016 (9:07 am)

How’d ya like to see a coffee shop in the graham building? Let’s see how many are in support of a cool coffee shop serving seattles top coffee with a night time light music scene?

Sorry, comment time is over.