DEVELOPMENT: Townhouse project proposed across from Cormorant Cove Park

| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

The development files have been fairly quiet lately, aside from townhouse projects, which aren’t always noteworthy, but this is an exception, as it’s one of the larger such projects we’ve seen in a while, and on a high-visibility site: Two years after the sale of three 80-year-old duplexes across from Cormorant Cove Park, there’s an early-stage redevelopment plan. Nine 3-bedroom townhouses, with nine offstreet parking spaces, are proposed to replace the boxy duplexes on the corner of Beach Drive SW and SW Orleans (which hold the official addresses 3702-3708 Beach and 6011 Orleans). Seven units would face Beach, two would face Orleans. These are the last un-redeveloped parcels on the inland side of the 3700 block of Beach Drive. A Seattle investment entity affiliated with architecture firm MG2 – whose name is on the site plan – bought the site for $3 million in 2022.

Flivver August 13, 2024 (3:32 pm)

I’m quite sure these will be market rate. That means: EXPENSIVE.

Parker August 14, 2024 (2:53 pm)

Market rate.
Yes, someone who purchased those rentals in 2022 has taken on a $20,000 per month expense.
Currently those six units with two bedrooms each would require $3,300 per rental for the landlord to break even.
The added density of nine three bedroom units all with parking is positive as the existing two apartments at 3708 rely on public-street parking.
The 4 old units have a large concrete parking pad and all have broad expanse of lawns with virtually no trees, ever!
The new re-delopement will improve the greenness of the site with required trees, plantings and infiltration while limiting impervious surfaces.
I am happy to see these tired, WWII era cheaply constructed, but highly valued apartments, replaced.

CW August 13, 2024 (3:58 pm)

Where is Cormorant Cove Park… ah, next to the perennial sewage leak!

Andy P. August 14, 2024 (4:05 am)

After you’ve been there awhile you likely won’t even notice the smell of the sewage leak.
- Peter S. August 14, 2024 (10:50 am)
  
  Just like living downwind of the old Everett Pulp Mill (for those old enough to remember) :)

Niko August 13, 2024 (4:11 pm)

This absolutely needs to stop! Enough is enough!!

bill August 13, 2024 (10:26 pm)

Let me restate that for you: Owners should not be allowed to decide what to do with their property.
Elton August 14, 2024 (10:12 am)

Last I checked, this is a free country and a capitalist society. People can sell their land to whoever they want and that land can be re-developed based on local zoning standards. If you don’t like the zoning of the area, talk to the City Council. Very strange sense of entitlement to want to reduce housing – there’s clearly still a need for housing within Seattle. Sure, this isn’t necessarily affordable housing but more inventory will help make homes in general accessible to more people. If you don’t like townhomes, the good news is that you don’t have to buy one :) But for a lot of people, a townhome is a great starter home or even a long-term home.
Anne August 14, 2024 (10:30 am)

Property owners are free to do as they wish with property they own – as long as proper codes/laws are followed. At least in this country.Once upon a time buying property was considered an investment-

Lauren August 13, 2024 (5:53 pm)

That is so sad. This neighborhood is already dense enough. The duplexes there allowed people to be able to have affordable rent, the yards were always kept up nicely , people had great views of the water and allowed for space ( we don’t need anymore townhomes around here)- and they are bulldozing all the old homes in favor of making developers rich and moving locals out due to steep costs.

KBear August 13, 2024 (6:41 pm)

Couple of facts here. West Seattle was annexed over 100 years ago, so that’s how long it’s not been a suburb. Your house was built by a “developer”. And if you built it yourself, then you’re a developer. The population is increasing and people need a place to live. The logical place is in already developed urban areas, like West Seattle.
Kyle August 13, 2024 (8:02 pm)

Tell me you already own a SFH in the area without telling me.
Jason August 13, 2024 (10:50 pm)

What about dense housing is “sad”…. we NEED so so so much housing!
Movedfromdelridge August 14, 2024 (6:37 am)

West Seattle is far from being dense, especially in the Beach Drive area.You don’t want a townhouse there? Don’t buy one
K August 14, 2024 (7:00 am)

It was the landlords that allowed people to have affordable rent, Lauren, not the buildings. New buildings can have good landlords, and old buildings can have crappy landlords. Let’s not conflate the two. You’re basically saying lower income people can’t (or shouldn’t) live in nicer housing, and that’s a terrible premise to start from in urban planning.
Treeless August 14, 2024 (10:28 am)

Yes Lauren,
“They” are bulldozing ALL of the homes, including these prime examples of cheap post war housing.
Maybe “they” could place them on a barge and ship them to a new location.

“They” just don’t make them like these beautiful residences any longer..

And what about the trees that have been there for 80 years? Maybe have a ceremony in appreciation of the trees that could have been?
Oops,
There are NO TREES at this site.
At least the greedy developer will be required to plant some trees in this heat island area when this is re-developed.
Patti August 16, 2024 (6:23 pm)

I lived there for 20 years until last year when they tripled the rent. The original owners passed away and their greedy nieces and nephews wanted the property sold for top dollar. Just seeing this depresses me.

Jackie Daytona August 13, 2024 (7:17 pm)

Nothing wrong with an area being developed into a housing development which is already housing. There is plenty demand so it’s going to be supplied.

WestSea4ever August 13, 2024 (9:56 pm)

Nary a word when it happens along California, Avalon, Fauntleroy, etc., but if it happens on Beach Drive…NIMBY!

Anne August 14, 2024 (10:28 am)

Baloney- plenty of comments pro & con when it happens along California Ave,35th Ave SW- anywhere-maybe you just haven’t noticed.

anonyme August 14, 2024 (6:09 am)

More density, less affordability. This is not progress.

SoLongDelridge August 14, 2024 (11:27 am)

The only way out is to build. Tear this stuff and the SFH down and create more units.
JustSarah August 14, 2024 (5:38 pm)

Are you dense? This is literally the opposite of how housing costs work. More supply = more affordable housing.

Sigh August 14, 2024 (6:38 am)

So depressing. I don’t understand why so many people want to basically live on top of each other. At least they will provide parking unlike at other places…..

KT August 14, 2024 (9:46 am)

So when does all this “density” make Seattle affordable?

Peter S. August 14, 2024 (10:45 am)

Plenty of development already going on in that area. (Not that I think it’s great.) The biggest downside I see is what *appear* to be well-maintained and quite serviceable existing older structures will be replaced with shiny new structures, that will undoubtedly cost considerably more to occupy, either as an owner or renter.

Most people can agree that we have an affordable housing shortage, and I guarantee that these new townhouses won’t meet the average persons’ definition. I spoke with Council Member Saka about the possibility of tax breaks for owners of older rentals who provide sub-market rent to incentivize owners to hang onto them instead of cashing out. He suggested I contact one of the landlord advocacy groups (of which I’m already a member). In other words, he wasn’t opposed to the idea, but didn’t indicate he was willing to pick up that torch.

WSB August 14, 2024 (11:28 am)

Interestingly, since it relates a bit to the point you make – we had just observed days before I found this in the files, that it was surprising to see the old white duplexes still standing. We’ve paid attention to that block because a couple doors down is where we lived for the first two years we were in West Seattle in the early ’90s – renting a unit in a condo building built just a few years earlier (in 1989). There were still a few older houses on the block back then but one by one they’ve been replaced – it’s been gradual redevelopment over 35+ years – The water side of the street has seen changes too; there was a little store on what’s now Cormorant Cove Park – TR

Alkibean August 14, 2024 (7:46 pm)

This is 1/2 block from my old 1906 beach cabin. I knew that someday we’d lose the sliver of view still left to us. Maybe we should become a developer and build up to the max height like everyone else. Makes me want to move. :-(

SoLongDelridge August 14, 2024 (11:52 pm)

This is anti-social behavior.

Martina August 16, 2024 (9:42 am)

I live directly behind the southernmost of the duplexes. Not happy about this news, but no way to stop it so might as well get used to the idea of losing the view and the light. The thing that irks me is that they’ll likely chop down the tall tree between our units. It’s an evergreen that’s home to hummingbirds, squirrels, and many other creatures. It must be pretty old, too, it towers over all the buildings in the area.I wish there was a way to save it, but I doubt it. So sad. :(