See what South Delridge project team will show Design Review Board on Thursday

| Delridge | Development | West Seattle news

That’s 9208 20th SW, formerly 9201 Delridge Way SW, which goes back to the Southwest Design Review Board for an online meeting at 5 pm Thursday (July 1st). That meeting will include the opportunity for public comment on the design of the project, which would replace a former auto shop with what the project page on the city website describes as “a 5-story, 77-unit apartment building with 73 apartments, 4 small efficiency dwelling units, and office.” No offstreet vehicle parking is planned. See the meeting design packet here. This is potentially the final review meeting for the revised project; the previous one was last October (WSB coverage here). Under a different architect/ownership team, and before a zoning change, the site originally was planned for redevelopment as a self-storage building. Thursday’s SWDRB meeting will be accessible via a video link and dial-in number that you can find on the official notice, which also explains how to send written comments in advance.

AMD June 29, 2021 (10:02 pm)

If anyone else is confused like I was, that’s the view of the building if you were standing on the NW corner of 20th & Barton, looking SE at the building (NOT the view from Delridge). I think this will be a great addition to the neighborhood, bringing in new customers for 2 Fingers Social, Burger Boss, and the multitude of other local businesses within walking distance of the building. And it’s so well connected to transit, it’s a relief to see there is no offstreet parking. Parking would be a waste at this location. Hopefully this one actually gets built!

abel June 30, 2021 (1:55 am)

Agreed something in that spot will be welcomed. Not sure how parking is a waste when it’s all below grade anyways now a days. What’s the developer going to do, put a pool table down there instead? There will be 50+ new cars parked on the street when built.

Kit June 29, 2021 (11:17 pm)

Why, why, why?? 77+ units and ZERO parking? That’s a terrible idea.

JohnW June 30, 2021 (7:28 am)

Better than a self storage building.
Although it is the hot button topic of WSB comments, a reminder that Design Review does not address vehicle storage.
Abel’s description of underground parking is ignorant of building construction, the cost of excavation and sub-grade parking.
Each underground parking spot can add $50,000 to the building’s construction cost.

DRW June 30, 2021 (8:00 am)

77 Units. 0 making spaces. Ummm. I vote no.

trice51 June 30, 2021 (8:19 am)

How can the developer get away with NO parking. When building a DADU on your own property a parking space is a requirement by the city.

WSB June 30, 2021 (11:13 am)

Because it’s on/close to a frequent transit line. That has been the city’s rule for going on a decade now.
Kram June 30, 2021 (12:20 pm)

Trices51 – Not correct, this requirement was removed 2 years ago. See the ordinance
here. They removed the parking
requirement, removed the owner–occupancy
requirement and allow a single lot
to have both an attached and detached accessory dwelling
unit. They also have pre-approved plans for Dadus that can have a permit in hand in 4-6 weeks with a fairly flat site.

D-Ridge June 30, 2021 (8:38 am)

Another day, another comment section where people can’t imagine a world without more cars.

AJP June 30, 2021 (2:39 pm)

Bingo.

Goosed32 June 30, 2021 (9:22 am)

Cam we please build a building with a grocery store or something on the bottom? Why does Seattle refuse to build more businesses to anchor the neighborhoods??

AMD June 30, 2021 (7:27 pm)

Generally I agree, and street-level retail would be great, though it’s worth mentioning that this site is five blocks from Westwood Village, and three blocks from downtown White Center. So, yes, vibrant area where ground-level retail makes a lot of sense, but not exactly a location where things like a grocery store are hard to find.

Kram June 30, 2021 (9:29 am)

Abel; I think AMD’s point on waste is the cost of each parking spot. It would be 7 figures to add parking to the building which would make for more expensive rents. There is not a basement here looking at the renderings. What is import to understand is that rents in South Delridge are nothing like say Ballard or Cap Hill but the construction costs are the same. Excavation and concrete are the two most expensive elements. These projects are on a knifes edge of being built or not built with current construction costs. If parking is required here there isn’t a project which I realize many people would like but that doesn’t help our housing issue. Renters pay for the cost of parking in more expensive rent so if you want less expensive rent you need to remove the most expensive component of the building; parking. This debate will just continue to go on and on and most people already have their opinion formed without the perspective of understanding why. Plus, everyone should know by now the city hates cars, come on!

Rick June 30, 2021 (10:36 am)

Just shows how money can build and/or ruin a good town.

Alex June 30, 2021 (12:19 pm)

Its the neighbors who can’t win here. Even if this building was not on a bus line, and offstreet parking was required, the owner/landlord is required to separately price the cost to rent the parking space from the cost to rent the unit. Anyone short on cash is just going to park in the neighborhood whether parking is required to be built or not. At a minimum, one would think at least half the units will come with a car.

JohnW June 30, 2021 (1:01 pm)

All problems concerning street parking can easily be solved through monetizing all street parking.
If you store your vehicle on the public property of our streets, you pay.
This would encourage the many SFRs to utilize their existing parking (actually use the garage, not rely on the street) and be fair to those who Alex feels should not be getting ‘free parking’ on the street to avoid paying for a convenient spot in their building’s parking.
Eliminating all free street parking would clean up the streets of neglected and abandoned vehicles.
Paid street parking could be demand sensitive so that parking places would always be available (for a premium).
Paid street parking would also encourage people to own fewer vehicles and encourage the use other less harmful modes of transportation.
The current trend is that younger Seattleites are choosing to be Carless in Seattle and nearly all of the carless are renters.
In 2016, 17% of Seattle households did not own a car.
That was about 55,000 people, five years ago, with many more, now that Seattle has become a majority rental city

Kram June 30, 2021 (3:23 pm)

I can think of way more downsides than upsides to this idea. Just what we need, another fee/tax to make Seattle as difficult as possible to live in. Also, I think you have a typo. “Paid street parking could be demand sensitive so that parking places would always be available (for people with money).”
- JohnW June 30, 2021 (6:17 pm)
  
  I presented the upsides,
  but downsides?
  Instead playing cute with the fake typo deflection, how about spending your words on listing the “way more downsides” of the equity of charging those who choose to store their vehicles on the public street?

SpokesPerson July 1, 2021 (11:34 am)

Temps in the PNW were so extreme last weekend that folks had trouble putting it into context. Local wildlife died en masse. My elderly neighbor almost died. All-time highs were **shattered** and roads in our own neighborhood buckled from the heat/humidity. But sure, let’s keep arguing about parking.

skeeter July 1, 2021 (11:57 am)

West Seattle already has horrible traffic. I support no more car parking spaces being built. And I support removing existing parking spaces. I am sick and tired of sitting in traffic wasting my time.

Sorry, comment time is over.