DEVELOPMENT: Morgan Junction 34-unit ‘stacked townhome’ project advancing

(Early rendering from 2021 presentation to MoCA)

From the latest city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin, the townhouse project planned for 6314 41st SW [map] has advanced to the next major step in the planning process. We’ve been reporting on this HALA-upzoned site for two years – first, a larger project was planned; then, one year ago, the developers presented a revised plan to the Morgan Community Association. That’s what’s moving through the system now – three 4-story buildings with 34 units total, and 14 offstreet-parking spaces. Though the city website continues to label this an “apartment” project, the developers told MoCA last year that it’ll be a mix of small townhouses and flats that will be sold, not rented; the project is described on their website as “34 stacked townhomes in the heart of West Seattle.” They’ve given the project a name, too – Callie. The project is going through Administrative Design Review and passed the first phase, which is why it’s advanced to the application stage. That opens a new public-comment period; this notice explains how to comment. January 26th is the deadline.

30 Replies to "DEVELOPMENT: Morgan Junction 34-unit 'stacked townhome' project advancing"

  • CarDriver January 14, 2022 (2:00 pm)

    Any idea how much are they going to ask for these? With all the talk of “affordable housing” betting these units won’t be affordable to a lot of people. Oh, and 14 off street parking places. High likelihood will be a LOT more than 14 cars associated with these. 

    • WSB January 14, 2022 (3:08 pm)

      Click through to the link from the MoCA briefing a year ago.

      • Ohboy January 14, 2022 (3:29 pm)

        Like most of these developments they will most likely cost above what the average resident can afford and the extra cars will migrate into the surrounding neighborhood swelcome to the slow strategic destruction of west Seattle 

        • Derek January 18, 2022 (12:18 pm)

          Cars are destroying west seattle and need to be phased out. Period. 

    • Mark Schletty January 14, 2022 (4:26 pm)

      As in almost all HALA affordable housing projects there are no affordable units. The developer pays a ridiculously low fee and the affordable units are built somewhere else. This program leads to neighborhood gentrification because it almost never puts the affordable units where the project is built and often dislocates existing lower rent unit tenants. 

      • Gatewood resident January 14, 2022 (6:25 pm)

        As long as additional affordable housing gets built why should it matter exactly where it is? There isn’t a right to live in an expensive neighborhood, and the higher prices make it worth a developer’s time, and more house anywhere is helping to address the housing problem

        • DM. January 14, 2022 (8:06 pm)

          “There isn’t a right to live in an expensive neighborhood”. Ha. I’ve been in WS for 20 years, I think there should be a right to not be priced out of your childhood home, your neighborhood, away from your friends. There’s no right to keep you neighborhood full of rich, white, Tesla driving residents. 

          • Gatewood resident January 15, 2022 (9:25 am)

            I’ve lived in seattle for 20 years as well, yet somehow don’t share your sense of entitlement

          • Derek January 18, 2022 (12:19 pm)

            Imagine how Jewish and black citizens in the Central District felt when they were forced into one small area of town due to racial covenants then forced out later with property taxes. I think you are being way entitled. Single Family Zoning is something from the Baby Boomer generation that perpetuates entitlement and it needs to go. Same with cars.

        • SweetB January 15, 2022 (7:56 am)

          Gatewood Resident, if the developer agrees to accommodate affordable housing on the property they bought, it should be at that parcel. Otherwise, affordable housing are targeted in concentrated areas such as White Center, etc. People should have the opportunity to live where they can be closer to work, schools, etc. 

        • Ice January 16, 2022 (1:04 pm)

          I see where you are coming from with this comment. In my opinion, in a housing crisis, infill such as this should get built wherever is possible, regardless if it is ‘affordable’ or not. A development like like this is a lot better than the alternative of a couple of a McMansions, both for the urban fabric and the affordability of the neighborhood. The other alternative is to build nothing, which is not good. Making this project purely ‘affordable’ housing isn’t something that our government/non-profit sector has the resources to do. With that said, putting all of the ‘affordable housing’ far away from any given neighborhood is not a good strategy. Having neighborhoods be segregated by income, and having all of the poor people in one place isn’t going to help alleviate poverty and will likely only make it worse. Each neighborhood should have some amount of affordable housing (or subsidized housing) mixed in with it’s market rate housing. That was the strategy that the city used when they redeveloped Highpoint, and according to everything I’ve read, it has worked very well.

  • 935 January 14, 2022 (3:15 pm)

    WOW…..That’s huge

  • CarDriver January 14, 2022 (4:25 pm)

    I see the “preliminary” starting price is $300,000 for 500sq ft. From my financial standpoint definitely does not sound “affordable”. 

    • zipda January 14, 2022 (6:20 pm)

      In this crazy real estate  market, I doubt any of those units will sell anywhere close to 300K when it’s all said and done.

  • Jim January 14, 2022 (4:45 pm)

    This NEEDS to stop! 

    • Gatewood resident January 14, 2022 (11:42 pm)

      Building more is housing has to happen to match the increase in people living here. Otherwise, is pretty basic supply demand economics when the prices of homes goes up

    • Derek January 18, 2022 (12:21 pm)

      No, we need MORE of this.

  • StopCuttingDownTrees January 14, 2022 (4:54 pm)

    One of those rendering photos looks like a haunted Sesame Street.

  • JW January 14, 2022 (5:13 pm)

    Fourteen parking places. How anachronistic!

  • CarDriver January 14, 2022 (6:48 pm)

    Gatewood resident. Didn’t realize Morgan was an “expensive neighborhood” are there any neighborhoods that aren’t expensive in Seattle?? And, if “anywhere” counts then you’d be fine if developers built their “affordable” housing in say Carnation-requiring a car as there would be no transit (or nearby work) options . We do need developers. However, in my book we DO NOT need to give them a blank check and no rules.

  • eric January 14, 2022 (7:42 pm)

    500 sq/ft for $300k will sell easily. If that’s true.I’m sure they’ll be quite attractive, and with the Morgan/California stores,  a fantastic location.

  • TJ January 15, 2022 (9:17 am)

    CarDriver, what rules and blank checks are you talking about? They are adding way more units than what was there before. I think your problem is just that they wont be cheap enough for most people. People talk about “affordable”, but that is a subjective term. Some people would say $400K is too much. Well these wont be cheaper than $600K. Prices are dictated by what people will pay, plain and simple. People don’t have a right to live wherever they want if they can’t afford it. This is private money building market rate housing. The government’s role was never to build housing or even try and dictate the prices. As a 50 year old life long resident I don’t like what Seattle has become. But I have benefited from the real estate here. My house sold 2 weeks ago for $1.9 million. I was liquid on it. I should be living out of state now, but am renting a adu for a month to transition my business. If you asked me a year ago I would not have thought I would have gotten what I did. But the free market played out the way it always has and should.

  • eric January 15, 2022 (11:08 am)

    I walked past and noticed construction has started.  This project will be replacing a number of vacant/derelict houses on 41st  that are quite an eyesore.  I don’t know how “affordability” comes into this.  These are not rental units, they are homes for sale.  When I read the city requirements that allow a project under “affordability” rules it makes my head spin(it’s a mess).  Maybe, (and I’m guessing), if someone were to buy a unit, then rent it out, it would be rent-control limited to a precentage below market rate, or based on the area median income. Or something like that?? Either way, I commend the builder for getting a project moving in spite of numerous job-killing city requirements. I hope it works out.

    • WSB January 15, 2022 (12:20 pm)

      Construction has not started – this notice is part of the permit process and they’re only midway through that. They are pursuing demolition, though, which can be done independent of whether the future project is approved, as well as a hazardous tree removal.

  • Bryan January 15, 2022 (4:23 pm)

    Awesome! Will add some much needed housing!

  • Jeff B. January 16, 2022 (8:26 pm)

    The amount of trees and green space lost to concrete is significant in this development and every development of this type.  Most people don’t care about the wildlife we share West Seattle with, but there is a significant decrease and runaway development is a huge factor. 

    • Ice January 17, 2022 (7:38 pm)

      This is such a penny-wise, pound-foolish way of looking at what is happening with the environment. Sure, these homes aren’t as green as a forest canopy, but new homes are going to be built no matter what, and infill is considerably less damaging to the environment than building of new suburban homes. Do you want homes like these or more environmentally damaging homes closer to more ecologically sensitive areas? ‘Neither’ is not a choice in the real world.

  • Roddy3 January 16, 2022 (10:31 pm)

    For 20+ years, we lived directly across the street from where this will be built. We loved our house, but once we got wind of what we would eventually be looking at and dealing with, we got out as soon as we could. West Seattle, go right ahead and keep on building! Bring on that density, build more (not really) affordable housing, and plonk more money in the pockets of developers (and our former neighbors who sold to them)! Bully for you! Born and raised in WS and lived there for 45 of my 57 years, but now we’re very happy out here on Vashon (don’t move here, it sucks!).  So I guess now I can finally say it: West Seattle, it’s a nice place to visit, but…

  • Live and Let Live January 18, 2022 (7:15 pm)

    Much of the development on California Ave over the last 10 years and more recently in the adjacent areas of WS is ugly. It doesn’t blend in with surrounding styles and is mainly geared toward density. It seems like there needs to be some kind of local review process much like the historic review boards in parts on New England.

    • Auntie January 18, 2022 (7:34 pm)

      Too late. It’s pretty much ruined by ugly boxes in unearthly color tones. Ugh.

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