DEVELOPMENT: Comment time for 16th/Barton apartments

| Delridge | Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

The project team for the northwest corner of 16th/Barton has filed a land-use application for the project, and that opens a new comment window for the site that’s officially known as 9059 16th SW. As first reported here last July, the proposal is for a 4-story, 67-microapartment building with no offstreet vehicle parking and spaces for 67 bicycles. The site is vacant, since the fire-gutted building that formerly occupied it was demolished months ago. The deadline to comment is April 26th; this notice explains how. The project is going through Administrative Design Review, which means no public meetings; here’s the early-design packet by SHW Architecture.

mem April 17, 2023 (7:13 pm)

Holy cow- could you please give these future tenants a little more space? Think I’ve had walk-in closets bigger than these units. Certainly my childhood bedroom was bigger. I get that we want to have more density but this is ridiculous! Also, having 62 units with street parking will cause major problems for everyone. 16th Ave is really busy there with the bus route, Salvation Army and church. The same block on 17th is already super congested and even if only 1/2 the units had a car- adding 30 cars that need a parking spot would cause utter chaos for the neighborhood. The site is replacing a duplex- can’t we cut the number of units down to 30? There are micro units in the new building at Henderson and Delridge….are people renting them? Is there truly a market for this type of housing in Delridge?

Foop April 17, 2023 (8:20 pm)

That building isnt even completed yet. Yes we need more housing.
BR April 18, 2023 (8:14 am)

This part of 16th has tons of parking, especially this intersection. If you drive down 16th, you can see that a lot of the parking on Barton / 16th and Cambridge / 16th is taken up by RVs given the ample amount of parking.

Moima April 17, 2023 (7:15 pm)

I already know it’s going to be 2k for a 190sqft apt 😭

Bus April 17, 2023 (7:46 pm)

Yes, please! This site is well-connected to transit so it’s an ideal location for those who rely on transit, and there’s ample street parking for guests of those living here too. The additional neighbors will be a boon to the small businesses in the neighborhood. And anything is better than what it was before. Can’t wait until it’s finished!

M April 17, 2023 (8:24 pm)

@ Bus – “ample street parking?”

Kyle April 17, 2023 (8:48 pm)

Wow. I am for more density but this is a massive change. Can’t be any middle ground huh. Can’t we build normal sized apartments for a few less units? Instead of incredibly small micros to maximize revenue from more people.

Kyle April 17, 2023 (9:10 pm)

Two top community concerns from their community survey they did were parking and affordability for working families. This housing will not house any families. Only single people in micros.
- anonyme April 18, 2023 (6:11 am)
  
  So what? Must everything be for families, despite the fact that the single population is not only growing but paying for everyone else?
  - Kyle April 18, 2023 (9:00 am)
    
    Was pointing out that this project does nothing for the top two concerns from their community survey. Clearly the developers also said so what and plan to put in a building to maximize profit and only provide housing for a specific demographic.
DC April 18, 2023 (8:38 am)

With new bills getting rid of exclusionary zoning (state mandated areas for single family homes only) we might actually see more mixed size buildings/units! Right now, there is no option but to put as many units as possible into these small corridors that allow apartments. So frustrating when home owners complain about how crowded our urban villages are when they have historically refused to allow density anywhere else.
- Kyle April 18, 2023 (2:24 pm)
  
  I’m actually very excited about more “middle housing”. The backyard cottages and townhomes going up just a few blocks over will house multiple families or people living together and provide a path to home ownership. These will be single occupancy rentals forever and just enrich a large corporation or landlord.
  - renter? April 18, 2023 (4:47 pm)
    
    Apartment dwelling has traditionally been a step in the process to home ownership which was a step to security.
    
    Now home ownership is the expectation of investment and profit.
    Protecting the single family home by restrictive zoning has led to our unaffordable housing.
    The paradigm has swung.
    Nowadays, renters are for the first time, since 1907, the majority in Seattle.
    Wake up.
    The future is now.
    Embrace the positive of the inevitable,
    it may surprise you!

Lived a block away April 17, 2023 (9:04 pm)

Terrible. Don’t let it happen. History shows apodments are actually a detriment to neighborhoods. Looking at Ballard, cd, cherry. There are countless layoffs and restructuring in the sector of business these fools think they’re going to pick from as tenants. Hey “bus”, you obviously know that street is already full of cars parked, right? You realize they belong to the tenants in the existing places and have no patience for additional unwanted traffic, right?Oh, of course you don’t.

Bus April 18, 2023 (3:22 am)

Currently live a block away, well aware of the parking situation, and yes, there’s plenty of street parking, though little will be needed because this location is super well-connected to transit. The apartments a block over have a half-empty parking lot and have for a decade. Since you’re concerned about what’s a “detriment” to the neighborhood, let me share a little history: this was an abandoned building for years, was housing for squatters and eventually a small prostitution operation, before arson gutted what was left of an already derelict problem property. Those of us who actually live in this neighborhood are thrilled to see properties that have long been a blight redeveloped into housing.

KB April 17, 2023 (10:18 pm)

This can’t happen fast enough. Our neighborhood has watched that decrepit building sit there for years as the previous owners neglected it and then let it become a drug den whose actions finally caused it to burn down. 67 new micro apartments is just the right fit for the walkable White Center and Westwood business areas. Hopefully a bunch of fun youngsters move in and make the area their own. If you’re worried about growth in this part of West Seattle, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

D-Ridge April 17, 2023 (10:50 pm)

Predictable comments here from folks who would not choose to live in such housing, are free to choose to not to live in this housing, yet still want to keep such housing from being an option for anyone at all regardless if others may desire to live in this housing one day

m April 18, 2023 (7:18 am)

^yep
Ryan April 22, 2023 (10:38 pm)

yep :)

TJ2 April 17, 2023 (11:12 pm)

Microapartments are a terrible idea for this area. Even though it is close to transit, it is unrealistic to assume that none of the residents will have a car. The building should at least provide limited parking in an underground garage. 16th is already congested and more cars on the street won’t help. In addition to the lack of parking, most micro apartments are barely large enough for one person to comfortably live in and they do not have full kitchens. If someone can only afford a micro apartment, they most likely cannot afford to go out to eat several days a week. Since they don’t have a fully equipped kitchen, their choices are frequent takeout/restaurants, or grocery shopping every other day to buy food to cook.Micros also do not solve the problem of getting families into affordable housing. Why not reduce the number of units and make them large enough for a family of three or four?

My two cents April 18, 2023 (8:25 am)

Your rationale is based on some assumptions and bias. Rough comparison here – 67 units x $1,000 monthly rent = $67,000 month. Assuming that the $1,000 is the ROI amount needed. Take those 67 units and divide by 3 to get 22 units of 3/4 occupants. Monthly rent would equate $3,400 to match the ROI. Delta on housing stock is -45 units in the market. Putting this out as a way to illustrate the potential trade-offs.
DC April 18, 2023 (8:48 am)

How is it a bad thing that the residents would be giving business to take-out restaurants and going to the grocery store regularly? Also, it does help reduce cost/increase availability of family sized units. When I was younger, I lived in a ‘family’ sized unit with three unrelated roommates. Eventually I moved into one of those micro apartments, the others moved into a smaller unit, and a family moved into our old unit.

Westwood Resident April 17, 2023 (11:57 pm)

67 solo micro units? Gross. Parking all along 18th and 17th near Barton is already jam packed. There is no parking that can fit 16 units let alone 67.No thanks.

lya April 18, 2023 (1:33 am)

idiocy.

Nigel April 18, 2023 (1:36 am)

I see bus service at 16th & Barton, and 2 blocks south at 16th & Roxbury, and also 2 blocks west at Delridge & Barton, then a Rapid Ride stop one block north of that on Delridge. Seems like cars are not needed. People need to live someplace.

CarDriver April 18, 2023 (6:33 am)

“Cars not needed” Do you really believe most, if not all tenants here won’t have a car? Why??
- Nigel April 18, 2023 (10:58 am)
  
  Duh, yes I believe they have no cars; they are living in a micro-apartment. Seems like common sense.

Derek April 18, 2023 (6:40 am)

Welcome to west Seattle blog comment section. Complain about lack of housing. Complain about taxes for housing. Complain about homeless and tents. ZERO solutions. Love these piping hot takes.

I live on 17th April 18, 2023 (6:43 am)

only way to get away from car centric living, which is bad for the environment, our neighborhoods, and the city, is to build like this. I’m excited for it.

East Coast Cynic April 18, 2023 (9:14 am)

This 16th Ave SW development is a piker compared to the 144 units of “affordable housing” proposed on 25th Ave SW across the street from the Westwood Village strip mall – with 30 parking spaces! and minimal street parking unless one is willing to walk a few blocks uphill on Trenton.

Maggie April 18, 2023 (9:35 am)

If you look at the public comments provided to date as described in the EDG packet it says that “When asked what is most important about the design of a new building on this property, 64 percent of survey respondents said parking.” That was the top response to this question. And yet there is zero parking. Nice that they pretend to listen to the neighbors tho, LOL.

WestSeattleBadTakes April 18, 2023 (10:01 am)

64% have the wrong priorities. Big whoop.
Ryan April 22, 2023 (10:55 pm)

This is sooooo funny to me. It feels like so many of our neighbors are locked in an alternate reality of scarcity for space to store their cars. Sometimes when I’m in a masochistic mood I pull up google maps and compare the surface area taken up by parking lots relative to… everything else. Indeed, we are absolutely drowning in parking spaces. Parking spaces and other facets of car-dependent infrastructure sprawl out our residential and business districts, making them unpleasant to spend time just about anywhere as a pedestrian. The idea that there isn’t enough parking is nonsensical. Nonsensical! I hate to say that the common joe schmoe can’t be trusted to design a good city, but, indeed, the common joe schmoe cannot be trusted to design a good city.

Foop April 18, 2023 (10:19 am)

The only change is like to see is more commercial space mixed with residential. More bars, shops, coffee, snack stands etc. Give people the incentive to go car-free and make our neighborhoods more walkable.Wite center is great, but once you get north of Henderson there’s nothing worth walking to along Delridge or east or west of it. It’s a slog on the mini highways that are Delridge and 35th with no reprieve for pedestrians. Also for all the people complaining about parking, I wonder how many of you own your home and still park on the street. If you’re so concerned, you can pave a driveway or build a garage and help the problem. You don’t own that street parking.

Phaye April 19, 2023 (7:50 am)

Cook, eat,s…and sleep in 1open 300 S ft space No thank you

Admiral April 19, 2023 (10:42 pm)

My two cents – articulated the math. 67 units at about $1,000 a month provides work force housing for 67 working adults. It’s time to construct more work force housing that is affordable to people working full time at lower wage jobs! This is way more palatable than foisting more levy taxes, that never end, that get swallowed up in the government bureaucracy trying to solve the affordable housing issue.

Sorry, comment time is over.