DEVELOPMENT NOTES: Admiral, Pigeon Point, Delridge, Alki

| Development | West Seattle news

A few notes on what’s planned where:

ADMIRAL TOWNHOUSES: The photo is from Graham, who says his neighborhood has long been watching to see what will happen with 2329 48th SW, where the sign has now gone up for a project that will replace a 59-year-old house with seven townhouses – one 5-unit building, one 2-unit building. The site is zoned Lowrise 1. This address hasn’t yet shown up in the city’s Land Use Information Bulletin, which is usually the announcement of a 2-week comment period.

PIGEON POINT TOWNHOUSES: A notice of application that was published today in the aforementioned LUIB opens a comment period for a 6-townhouse, 6-parking-space project at 3850 22nd SW. The notice explains how to comment by the April 23rd deadline. This is one of multiple development proposals on the block, as we mentioned last month.

SOUTH DELRIDGE TOWNHOUSES: A demolition permit is being sought for 9025 17th SW, which went through Streamlined Design Review (the no-meeting type of DR) for the 4-townhouse, 2-parking-space plan.

MORE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD MEETINGS AHEAD: The formal notices are not out yet but here’s what’s been added to the online schedule: The Lam Bow Apartments building to replace the one demolished after the 2016 fire will go to the SW Design Review Board on May 3rd. Here’s the “design packet”:

Then on May 17th, the board is scheduled to take another look at 1250 Alki SW, the downscaled SolTerra project, where one house was moved offsite and 4 remain, facing demolition. The project is currently proposed for 40 units and 76 offstreet parking spaces; that’s fewer units and more parking than when the revised project went before the board for Early Design Guidance last May.

Seabruce April 9, 2018 (11:42 pm)

Can’t believe they are considering increasing the density in Pigeon Point by 6 or more cars when there is no good transit there and it will just mean more cars on the already overloaded West Seattle Bridge at rush hour.

Brian April 10, 2018 (8:58 am)

This is the most precious thing I’ve read all week. Bless you.
- sam-c April 10, 2018 (10:03 am)
  
  Pigeon Point has great transit, especially compared to other areas of West Seattle. The 120 (to be converted to a Rapid Ride) is so frequent and easy. Especially being right near the bridge entrance, you can get downtown in no-time!
  - Angie April 10, 2018 (10:51 am)
    
    Sure, if you enjoy being a sardine once you can actually get on a bus that shows up/stops for you.
    - mjc April 10, 2018 (9:19 pm)
      
      Angie, I believe this is a good sign… packing in to a full bus. It means that people are using Metro! I lived in NYC and Europe for several years and a tight squeeze on the way to work was par for the course. We, us folks here in Seattle, need to start getting use to squeezing in on the bus, train, light rail or trolley. It is part of the transit ritual the world over. It is the barometer of our population choosing to ride instead of drive. We all, me included, need to do more of it. Be thankful that the 120 (or for me 128) is so close and easy. Or, don’t squeeze and ride your bike. I ride from Puget Ridge and I’m downtown in 20 minutes, safe and sound.
      
      Back to the topic at hand, I feel like we need to give commuters more options – more buses, more light rail stops, simply more light rail and more infrastructure – to mobilize us. The car, while necessary in some transit paradigms, is getting in the way of us simply getting to work. Park ’em and ride. Most of West Seattle is well connected my multiple alternative commute options. We, collectively, just need to use them.
    - sam-c April 11, 2018 (9:59 am)
      
      Oh yeah, I can see that (packed like sardines). I guess my reference point was thinking of all the times I’ve waited downtown for a 125 to take me back to West Seattle, and I watch three 120s go by before a 125 comes…
      
      And sometimes think, ‘maybe I should just take a 120 and walk the rest of the way’ (2 miles?), but then also think of the sketchy, dark, blackberry overgrown stairs I’d have to take also…
demand action April 10, 2018 (10:07 am)

Adding more cars to the neighborhood is sheer lunacy. We already have enough cars in West Seattle–what’s adding more cars going to do? Well, unless we act we will all find out.

There is a growing movement in cities to limit the number of cars a person can own, I think it’s time for West Seattle to step up (because walking, not driving) and sign on to legislation like this. There needs to be a HARD LIMIT of no more than ONE motorized vehicle per family. This includes alternative mobility devices such as motorized skateboards, roller skates, wheelchairs and pogo sticks.

Adding cars to neighborhoods is absolutely insane when WE ALREADY HAVE CARS. Seriously, go outside and look around–do you know what you’ll see? CARS. Why do we need to add even more? We need to do the OPPOSITE and impose limits on car ownership across the board. It is ABSURD that there are people with more than one motorized vehicle–it’s ILLEGAL to drive more than one at a time, and the madness needs to stop.

LIMIT CARS NOW!
- Jethro Marx April 10, 2018 (2:29 pm)
  
  I can’t quite tell if y’all are joking. I don’t get out to pigeon point that often, but is it as curious a neighborhood as you say?
  
  a) 6 more cars will crush it into gridlock
  
  and,
  
  b) some of its residents believe laws ought to be passed just to prevent (a)
  
  I’d like to see where in state law the driving of more than one car at the same time is prohibited, also.
- Wseattleite April 11, 2018 (10:39 pm)
  
  Demand Action, Militant much? You make huge assumptions “WE ALREADY HAVE CARS”. Who is “we” and who are you to represent all these car owners, and lump the rest of us in your stable? Your fervor is admirable, though you choose to use laws to impose limits on those who may not enjoy the life you do. Enjoy your privilege. Maybe if your dream comes true, free thinking and the reality to live our lives without your arrogance will come to an end. You must then feel very proud of yourself as we become robots to satisfy your ego and moral superiority. I hope your vision for me is never realized.

DH April 10, 2018 (6:31 am)

Glad to see more density added to WS.

Peter S. April 10, 2018 (11:17 am)

Per both Redfin and Zillow, the house on 48th sold for $1.1M last fall:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2329-48TH-Ave-SW-Seattle-WA-98116/49125095_zpid/

So that’s the value of a teardown in WS these days? I understand this single family house will be replaced by multiple residential units, but that’s still some mind-boggling math factoring in the cost of construction.

I’m sure someone smarter than I has this all penciled out and I’m not criticizing their legal right to do so. However, I’m betting the new units won’t quite fit the definition of “affordable” for many of us, and therein lies the shame.

Peter April 10, 2018 (3:53 pm)

The price is probably due to the huge lot size, 7,500 sf. Nothing in the story indicates these are designated as “affordable.” And that’s fine; middle class people need homes, too, and we’re also being priced out of Seattle due to lack of available housing. Not enough supply to meet demand is the primary driver of home prices. Seattle needs a lot more housing for all income levels, not just low income, or prices will just continue to go up and up and up.
- Peter S. April 11, 2018 (7:38 am)
  
  @Peter: Understood about the lot size and the reason for the sale price. By “affordable”, I meant something that middle income or above could afford. I wasn’t referencing or expecting low income housing, and I don’t use “affordable” as a synonym for “low income”. I’ll be curious to see what the replacement units cost.

Peter S. April 10, 2018 (11:53 am)

@Demand Action: Although I agree with you that cars aren’t the best thing for the environment, I’m going to respectfully disagree with just about everything you said. IMO, the problem isn’t the number of cars, since as you (indirectly) pointed out, one person can only drive one car at a time. A big part of the problem is the lack of offstreet parking that is being required for cars. Especially for new (increased density) residential construction. Cars are not a luxury for many people. They are a necessity. More-frequent and reliable mass transit would help, but still not a viable option for everyone. Then there’s the sticky issue of who gets to decide what someone else can own or collect? Sounds familiar to a few other discussions, right? What’s next: watches, houses, airplanes?

And including motorized wheelchairs? So if two disabled people live together they have to share a single motorized wheelchair between them? Really ???

WSB April 10, 2018 (12:20 pm)

Important general reminder to all: While we don’t require registration to comment, that doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all. Whatever handle you give yourself for a specific discussion, you need to stick to that for any subsequent comments in that particular discussion. Thanks.

valvashon April 10, 2018 (3:22 pm)

So another beautiful Mid-Century Modern house bites the dust, only to be replaced by (probably) some more filing cabinet houses. Thanks.

mjc April 10, 2018 (9:19 pm)

Angie, I believe this is a good sign… packing in to a full bus. It means that people are using Metro! I lived in NYC and Europe for several years and a tight squeeze on the way to work was par for the course. We, us folks here in Seattle, need to start getting use to squeezing in on the bus, train, light rail or trolley. It is part of the transit ritual the world over. It is the barometer of our population choosing to ride instead of drive. We all, me included, need to do more of it. Be thankful that the 120 (or for me 128) is so close and easy. Or, don’t squeeze and ride your bike. I ride from Puget Ridge and I’m downtown in 20 minutes, safe and sound.

Back to the topic at hand, I feel like we need to give commuters more options – more buses, more light rail stops, simply more light rail and more infrastructure – to mobilize us. The car, while necessary in some transit paradigms, is getting in the way of us simply getting to work. Park ’em and ride. Most of West Seattle is well connected my multiple alternative commute options. We, collectively, just need to use them.