I might actually laugh at this except I think you’re serious.  Run for city council…you’ll fit right in.

They might have cars.  They will definitely have laundry.  And we don’t require buildings have an individual washer and dryer for each unit.  Would you be worried about available space at nearby laundromats?

Parking is not different, except that city gives it away for free and some feel more entitled to that freebie than others. 

A rule, recently subject of vigorous debate at City Council, is not a “loophole.” 

Rules are made for the benefit of society as a whole, not solely renters.  There, fixed it for you.

Oh, and just to make it known, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the property market were to decline a bit. Sure, it would be unpleasant for those of us who bought at the top of the market but it would also be achieving the purported goal of all this construction which is to make affordable housing more available. If I can’t sell my property at a 100% profit in 5 to 10 I think that’s a hardship I can deal with. Rules are made for the benefit of society as a whole, not solely property owners. 

Developers are buying them and building multiple boxes on one property to profit more, old houses sell just as well.

wscommuter, I typically agree with a lot of your comments but I don’t see any evidence for the conclusion that you are drawing. The price of homes is going up substantially, particularly in that dense area you are describing. That property is valuable, water view or not, solely because of it’s relative proximity to other things. If somebody let’s that property go downhill it is still going to be sold at a premium price just because of the plot of land. People are paying over $500,000 for properties that have condemned houses on them. 

As to the remainder of the discussion, I’m glad to see so many people speaking out against residents trying to force increased parking costs on future residents. We live in a city, with living in a city come traffic and parking issues. Trying to screw your future neighbors will not resolve those problems. 

Anti-renter?  Seriously?  Did you even read my post carefully?  I acknowledged the benefits of density.  Which part confused you?  

Go drive along 42nd Ave on the blocks from Admiral to Fauntleroy … if you take the time to see, you will find homes beginning to be let go.  Not all – by any means.  But look at the homes which have lost western views or are now in the shadows of those 4-5 story buildings.  

In our hot real estate market where currently prices have gone up your tax records data presents an illusory picture … but it doesn’t take an economist to understand that the diminished relative value of those properties will inevitably occur.  If you owned a home with a water view that was blocked by a new apartment building, are you seriously suggesting that the value of your home wouldn’t be adversely affected?  

We have to build apartments – we clearly need the housing, given the surging population the city is experiencing.  But please don’t pretend that adjacent property owners won’t get hurt.  They will – they are.  

Just the ones that fit my narrative! The other ones are objectively bad.

WSCOMMUTER,

Great theory with nothing to back it up, although I sense  a bit of anti-renter rant underlying it.

To test your theory, just look at King County Assessors info on the property finder IMap for the ’cause and effect’ houses described.

This will show you precisely how your theory is not valid, as these SFRs continue to be desirable with sale prices rising similar to other blocks of the neighborhood.

Yep, at the rate we’re going, West Seattle is going to be one enormous ghetto.

But, for example, the inevitable “cause and effect” is going to be that many houses on the west side of 42nd Ave that are now becoming blocked by the big boxes and losing a sense of privacy means they go down in value … many will become rentals … and many will begin to be less well-taken care of.  Then the people who own on the east side of 42nd will have less desirable houses across the street, and the decline spreads.   Not saying this is the end of civilization … just that it will happen.  Is happening already in a few places.  

Again – can’t stop this progress, but not all progress is good.  Tough problem.  

Amen! I live in a “Boeing Box.” There’s hundreds of them, if not thousands in the whole area. They aren’t special in any way. 

ANONYME is confused.

Pay what you use?  The argument would be if builders were required to build two-bedroom apartments and you only can afford or need a single.