DEVELOPMENT: Gatewood, Alki projects up for design comments

| Development | West Seattle news

A month and a half ago, we reported on two townhouse projects in the Early Community Outreach for Design Review process. Now they’re both in a phase where their design proposals are open to community comments – no public meetings planned, so this is your chance to speak up if interested.

(Rendering by JW Architects)

3507 SW WEBSTER: This proposal in Gatewood is for a four-story, 6-unit townhouse building with 6 offstreet-parking spaces, replacing a four-plex, on a site zoned for up to five stories. Three massing (size/shape) options are shown in the design packet. You can send comments to joseph.hurley@seattle.gov – the city planner assigned to the project.

(Rendering by Cone Architecture)

2236 ALKI SW: This proposal in Alki is for two 3-unit townhouse buildings, one three stories high, the other four stories high, with a total of 9 offstreet-parking spaces. The units, replacing a triplex, will all have three bedrooms and garages. The massing options for this project are shown in the design packet. You can send comments to scott.reynolds@seattle.gov – the planner assigned to the project.

Jim July 9, 2024 (12:42 am)

This is gross and needs to stop! I’m so sick of greed ruining this community for so-called urban density and affordable housing yet none of this is affordable and they’re tearing down perfectly good homes that are overpriced in order to do it

Alki resident July 9, 2024 (4:31 am)

The Saltaire wasn’t a perfectly good home. It was a triplex that needed all new updates as it’s very old. It was rental property with 3 units, until the landlord passed away. The new project will allow more people to live on that property.
bill July 9, 2024 (7:53 am)

I am sure the sellers were happy their homes were “overpriced.” As for greed, do you work for free?
JustSarah July 9, 2024 (8:03 am)

An element of affordability is demand. If supply increases to meet demand, property value increases will slow. This reduces the pressure at all levels of affordability. Yes, building housing specifically as affordable housing is great, but that’s not what these properties were before, anyway. This is still replacing two homes with twelve, increasing overall housing supply. This is just the economic side. I won’t go into the environmental benefits of these twelve homes going in on these spots (walkable neighborhoods with transit service) instead of on undeveloped land, especially in the exurbs.
Derp July 9, 2024 (8:29 am)

Hey Jim, it is their property and they can do whatever they want with it. I’m sure your neighbors said the same thing when your house was built.

K July 9, 2024 (6:25 am)

Yay, so excited to see more development replacing older buildings. New housing helps keeps tax bills lower, while bringing new neighbors to the hood and new customers to local businesses. It’s win/win/win. Build, baby, build!

C July 9, 2024 (6:34 am)

Agreed- if it were for the good of the community and urban density they would be building actual affordable housing not just another ugly townhouse setup that only tech workers can afford. Real estate greed has helped ruin this city and turn it into a faceless artless cultureless boring area.

DC July 9, 2024 (10:36 am)

Why would you expect brand new housing (especially on Alki!) to be affordable? Do you expect brand new cars to be affordable? These new houses will be bought by tech workers who would otherwise have bought older homes. By lessening demand for older homes, the prices will decrease. Just like how when someone buys a new car, there is an additional, cheaper, used car on the market.

Will o Wisp July 9, 2024 (7:48 am)

Thanks WSB for keeping up with major changes to the neighborhood.

Gina July 9, 2024 (8:22 am)

Both these projects are replacing multiplexes and are on major roads, ideal places for higher density.
Justin July 9, 2024 (2:31 pm)

+1 I’m very appreciative to have WSB keeping us informed. Both these buildings look beautiful and are much needed.

Christine July 9, 2024 (8:18 am)

I totally agree, Jim. In a so called inclusive, liberal city, developer greed rules and government and citizens go along with it. Each of those townhouses will cost close to $1 million.

wscommuter July 9, 2024 (10:15 am)

I would encourage you and Jim to immediately purchase these properties and preserve them as is. Put your money where your mouth is.

OneTimeCharley July 9, 2024 (8:32 am)

It’s seeming like the area around the intersection of SW Holden and 35th Ave SW is about to change dramatically. Next will be the corner where the Chevron station is located. In five years that area will be nearly unrecognizable as it exists today.

platypus July 9, 2024 (9:30 am)

Isn’t that good? That is a great location. The new pasta place, the coffee shops. Replacing an underused gas station and a vapory with actual humans, and ideally more shops for the local residents to walk to will make a for a real nice neighborhood. You’re not wrong that it will be unrecognizable, but I would argue that I don’t like really like recognizing it now. All change isnt bad.
Peter July 9, 2024 (9:49 am)

As someone who lives in the immediate area, I say good. It’s mostly concrete now and not much else, very much suburban hell vibes. We need growth, we need A LOT more housing than is currently proposed, and we desperately need more neighborhood businesses.

Philip July 9, 2024 (10:33 am)

My biggest gripe about all the old being replaced by the new is that the new owners don’t take care of the property like the old owners ninety percent of the time. As you’re walking or driving around take a look at the tiny bit of landscape each unit might have and the parking strip. If it looks good it was probably recently built. A year later it looks like crap. These are probably first time homeowners that don’t think keeping up your property helps a community maintain its worthiness as a place to live.

Derp July 9, 2024 (1:01 pm)

Yes, I agree with this one. The two new houses next to us, one tries to keep up the yard. The other does nothing. All overgrown, dead trees planted when it was built. Both houses sold for $1.25m each
JustSarah July 9, 2024 (2:51 pm)

Maybe they bought these homes with tiny yards precisely because they don’t want or are unable to spend time gardening. People can have different priorities than yours. As long as a yard isn’t presenting an actual hazard (like shrubbery encroaching on sidewalks), why does it bother you?This is taking your premise at face value. In actuality, I disagree with your statement that universally, occupants of these newer builds don’t maintain their outdoor space. In my experience it’s no different from any other home. I have plenty of old SFH in my neighborhood with very overgrown yards, newer homes with gorgeous yards, and every combination in between. It’s likely you don’t like the denser developments and therefore notice their aesthetics more.

Philip July 9, 2024 (6:14 pm)

Or it’s more likely that I have lived in my house for 25 years and what I see is what I see. Your comments reek of everything that is going wrong in Seattle. There are many things a homeowner can do to cover up their lack of desire to keep up the landscape. You’re a homeowner now and it’s time to be a grown up and take care of your ten square feet business.