DEVELOPMENT: Alki Point and vicinity

| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Pelicans)

ALKI POINT PROJECT: 3220-3224 Alki Avenue SW is not a big site, but it caught some readers’ attention because of its prominent location where Beach Drive becomes Alki Avenue at Alki Point. The 97-year-old house above and a smaller building behind it were demolished earlier this week; only debris remained by Friday.

(Photo courtesy Alex)

City records show this site, purchased by a homebuilder for $1.2 million, will be redeveloped with two three-story, 2-unit townhouse buildings, each with three parking spaces (as required by the Alki Parking Overlay, one and a half spaces per unit). The site is zoned Lowrise 2.

A few blocks south …

BEACH DRIVE ROWHOUSES: Two duplex buildings at 6003 SW Orleans, just off Beach Drive near Cormorant Cove Park, are proposed for replacement with six rowhouse-style townhouses, with six offstreet-parking spaces. It’s an early-stage proposal for a site that also is zoned Lowrise 2.

Eric January 27, 2019 (1:17 am)

Said a nother nice old home made of real Wood tore down for new cracker Jack box ugly condo

WOODY in Gatewood January 27, 2019 (10:55 am)

Eric, The new homes will also be framed with real WOOD, much of it now farmed and engineered wood that is stronger and less wasteful than the old growth forests slaughtered for century old homes. The new WOOD homes lack the asbestos, creosotes, lead in pipes and paint, DDTs from exterminators that threaten those in old homes that have not been remediated.
- Admiral resident January 27, 2019 (8:53 pm)
  
  Woody, I think Eric’s comment was less about material used in old vs new homes and more about the fact that they’re tearing down century old homes and replacing them with [often] ugly apartments and condos.. The fact of the matter is, that while new homes are free of the contaminants that you mentioned, the new developments are slowly stripping the city of its heritage/culture/character. Frankly with the rezoning laws (HALA, etc), the city seems to be encouraging it! A damn shame in my opinion.

waikikigirl January 27, 2019 (4:31 am)

Built in 1922 sold 12/2017 for 1.2 mil as says on Zillow. What a shame, but now someone has a chunk of change in their pocket(s) :>(

Kirsten January 27, 2019 (5:23 am)

BINGO Eric…it’s a real shame.

Mike January 27, 2019 (6:56 am)

Wow, $1.2 is super cheap for a waterfront view , especially one that has a big chunk that can never be obstructed. The unit that will be on the SW side of the new construction is going to cost more than $1.2 alone. I assume 1.5 spaces is basically a long garage space that’s really 1 car and storage space, typical of new narrow but taller townhomes. Sorry people on the North end of this new construction, you just lost what views you had.

sc January 27, 2019 (9:49 am)

In the 1928 Seattle House and Street Directory a Walter B Axtell is listed as living at 3220 Alki. In the 1920 Federal Census Walter is listed as a painter. His spouse is Ada Axtell.

dunnkld January 27, 2019 (10:10 am)

I remember when there was a bust of the head of Michaelangelo’s David cast from the original statue sitting in the front window of this house. It was huge.

Jim Sullivan January 29, 2019 (3:04 pm)

Hello dunnkld, I brought that piece back from a trip to Florence in 1997. It was indeed cast from the original David carved by Michelangelo. I visited the “casting” company while in Florence & the owner stated his families company had the rights to cast David for over 100 years… I loved having the piece in that house too, it sat in the dining room. I would often sit in different seats each time I used the room because the differing perspectives of the serious expression on his face were changed depending on your view angle… You know millions of people have stood in front of David in Florence, but not many people have had the pleasure of sitting eye to eye with with such a great piece of classic art…it’s quite something! All the best…
- dunnkld February 6, 2019 (2:15 pm)
  
  My husband and I lived and worked in Europe 15 years including over 11 years in Italy. I understand, I brought back a lot of souvenirs, but we never went that big. Indeed, my husband’s Italian co-workers at SETAF in Vicenza gave him an 18 inch replica of David as a parting (joke) gift. What happened to the bust, do you still have it?

cc January 27, 2019 (11:31 am)

Hey Eric I happen to like new cracker box condos, townhomes. And It suits my taste. New angular straight lines, lots of glass you know. That teardown is in my neighborhood while I understand you don’t like losing the charms of old it really is an old house with far less function as opposed to newer that may arrive there…

T January 27, 2019 (12:43 pm)

The new homes stand out like sore thumbs. Sorry I just cannot get used to it. It’s a free country though.

Joan January 27, 2019 (1:33 pm)

What a beautiful house that was torn down, so much character, back when they built homes that looked like homes, not boxes. Very sad to see that. My house is 100 years old and has had some renovations. It still has a lot of life in it. I’m sure that house had lots too.

Woody in Gatewood January 27, 2019 (2:52 pm)

It is always sad to see old houses razed. This looked like a classic Dutch Colonial that was sited in an area that can no longer sustain such single family residences. I agree that there is always more life in old houses, but due to changing tastes with ‘open floor plans’ now the norm, the formal layouts of these classics is a liability for most buyers. There are additional costs of maintenance, renovations, toxic cleanup and inefficient insulation of windows and walls = high energy costs.I appreciate that this one house will be replaced with 4 new homes at this location.

Pelicans January 28, 2019 (12:09 am)

There was a duplex behind this house that housed 2 renting families, and the owner of the house rented out his basement. So altogether the lot had four “families” in affordable housing. Not just a single family lot. The duplex that was torn down dated to 1919, according to King Co. parcel viewer.
- Pelicans January 28, 2019 (6:42 am)
  
  How many of you are so delusional that you believe City of Seattle will replace these 4 affordable homes with four more affordable ones? Or do you believe that regular/mid income people do not deserve to live in this neighbohood?
  - Woody in Gatewood January 28, 2019 (9:25 am)
    
    Pelicans, can you tell us what the the four families were paying as ‘affordable rents’?And Just Wondering, the new plan calls for 1 1/2 car parking, while the old house with four families has no parking at all. So in this case, the new development will actually ease street parking.
    - Jim Sullivan January 29, 2019 (2:47 pm)
      
      Hi Woody, as the ex-owner who sold…the rents in the back were: studio @$650/mo. Was at that rate for about 5yrs. The 1 bdrm was $750/mo. also about 5yrs @ that rate. I paid water, sewer, garbage & tenants paid electricity individually metered. I was always more concerned about good people renting (both were long term 5+ yrs) rather than maximizing rent… I had a great 28yr run, enjoyed every minute of it. I am enjoying people’s comments concerning the iconic home & setting. The best to all…

just wondering January 27, 2019 (3:36 pm)

“one and a half parking spaces per unit” How do you park half a car?

Dense January 27, 2019 (9:50 pm)

This is sad. Wow really. I loved that house. $$$$$$ that is all that matters. Woody enjoy🤗 I’m sure it will be a lovely place.

TJ January 28, 2019 (8:10 am)

Pelicans, the city isn’t building these. It’s private development. And unfortunately nobody has a right to live somewhere. There are many areas in the city I can’t afford to live in. We can’t build our way into cheap housng, and the only way prices will ever drop significantly in Seattle is with a large economic downturn.

Gofigure January 28, 2019 (8:15 am)

Pelicans. You are right. The new unit’s will NOT be “affordable”, unless you’re a “high earner”

Danimal February 6, 2019 (12:54 pm)

Many a great memory in that house and the unit in back. My friends and I from Spokane used to come visit our buddy in the summers and that house and the Alki bars down the street were places I got myself into many youthful indiscretions. Sad to see it go!