West Seattle, Washington
21 Monday
New hope that redevelopment might finally happen at the long-vacant strip-mall/restaurant sites in the 5200 block of California SW. The demolition permit was renewed back in February; now two expired construction permits are being reviewed for renewal, and the city permit system has the explanatory notation “Ownership is working to obtain funds to move forward with the project.” The project as first proposed back in 2017 was for 18 rowhouse-style townhouses. Then in 2023, a senior-living complex was proposed instead, but that was scrapped. It’s been almost nine years since the strip mall’s previous major tenant moved further north into The Junction; as for the two ex-restaurants, the former Papa John’s closed in 2017, and Thaitan (on the corner) closed in 2019. Records indicate the combined redevelopment site hasn’t changed ownership since around the time of most of the closures.
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Six years into the city’s efforts to have developers help meet the need for affordable housing, things aren’t turning out exactly as expected. Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) laws, which the City Council unanimously made citywide in 2019, were supposed to both provide more income-restricted units in market-rate buildings, and fund the construction of additional low-income housing. While some of that has happened, the MHA is also being blamed for making it harder to build multi-family housing units in Seattle, according to a report released recently.
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office commissioned the report by BERK Consulting and Heartland LLC to evaluate how well the MHA policies, which included select upzoning to increase density, met goals during the first 5 years. After giving latitude to construct taller buildings with more units because of the upzoning, the city asked developers to either commit to providing a limited number of low-income units in their buildings for 75 years or to pay a fee based on the building square footage. It might seem like a simple choice to make, but it’s complicated by market conditions, land costs and in the case of the period from 2019–2024, the turmoil caused by the pandemic. The report paints a picture of declining feasibility not just in Seattle but across 13 “peer” cities they examined, where higher interest rates and increasing construction costs made it difficult for projects to pencil out. “MHA requirements play a relatively small but important role,” notes the report, adding that even with better market conditions, the cost of complying with the MHA could well be the deciding factor for a developer to say, “No go.”
As bleak as that sounds, many thousands of new housing units have been built since MHA passed. Through 2023, developers paid $300 million in fees to the city. The report points to MHA funds supporting 4,702 new low-income units, but those funds were pooled with other financing, so it’s hard to tease out exactly how many units can be attributed solely to MHA funds. The developers themselves only built 404 income-restricted units in projects during that time. The stated goal was for MHA to be directly responsible for 6,000 new units over 10 years, with no specific goals for how much of that would be achieved through developer fees. It turns out that 95% of developers opted to pay fees for their projects, most of which were either low-rise or high-rise. Of the 5% who did not, the vast majority of the income-restricted units were built in mid-rise projects.
While the preference for paying fees has been consistent, the amount collected has varied significantly. Fees from developers made up almost half of the Office of Housing budget in 2021 by bringing in $74 million that year, but that is down to a projection of $22 million for 2025. The Office of Housing does have other revenue streams, including the Housing Levy and Payroll Expense Tax on companies with high earners. That means the opportunity to build many more affordable housing projects remains, but not because multi-family housing is booming generally.
In light of some of the challenges during MHA’s first 5 years, and knowing that the legislation was written based on much different economic situation than the current one, the BERK/Heartland report makes a number of recommendations to take that all into account and still encourage more affordable housing:
* Adjust MHA fees annually based on market conditions, housing type and location, rather than using a formula
* Allow fees to be paid later or over time (currently paid early in the process, which is an added financing cost)
* Raise fees or remove fees entirely as an option to ensure more income-restricted units in projects.
* Remove red tape: Streamline permitting and eliminate design review, adjust other miscellaneous policies
In a letter to the City Council last week, Mayor Harrell indicated he will look into the possibility of fine-tuning the MHA, saying the report, “…serves to confirm that MHA can be a useful tool, but it requires careful design and active management to ensure it does not result in unintended consequences for Seattle’s housing market.” Harrell’s Press Secretary Callie Craighead told WSB that a 5- to 7-person technical review committee will be convened to assess and provide feedback on the report. Craighead said the BERK/Heartland study cost $250,000 and was funded by MHA administrative fees collected by the Office of Housing.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Convened by the city for the first time in 15 months, the Southwest Design Review Board gave its final approval tonight to an 8-story apartment building proposed for 3010 SW Avalon Way, with just a few relatively minor recommendations.
All five current board members were in attendance – chair Gavin Schaefer and members AB Alvarez, Nicole Li, Jessie McClurg, and Rob McCulloch, all identifying themselves as West Seattle residents. The city land-use planner assigned to the project, Theresa Neylon, was in attendance too. Schaefer was the only holdover from the board’s previous meeting (about another project) in December 2023. The previous meeting about this project was three and a half years ago.
Tonight’s hour-long online meeting unfolded in the standard design-review format:
9:21 AM: Thanks for the photo! Demolition is under way at 4448 California SW [map], a few doors north of California/Oregon in The Junction. We reported a week and a half ago that it was imminent after a fence went up around the building whose final tenants had included Rush Hour and West Seattle Coworking (both of which moved to new locations months ago). As we noted then, the plans show its nearly 90 units are planned to be half apartments, half “lodging” (hotel), with about 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and no offstreet parking. It’s another collaboration between Housing Diversity Corporation, STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor), and Atelier Drome architects (WSB sponsor), also currently building a mixed-use project at 9201 Delridge Way SW. This one is expected to be complete in the second half of next year.
11:27 AM: Updated photo from a WSB team member:
ADDED: End of day:
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned next week.
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
Even though it was an online meeting, wintry weather canceled the scheduled Southwest Design Review Board meeting earlier this month for the 8-story, 86-apartment project planned for 3010 SW Avalon Way [map]; our followup explained why. Now there’s a new date: 5 pm Thursday, March 20, online. Watch this page for the viewing/commenting info when the meeting gets closer; it does have the link, though, if you want to preview the “design packet” with details on the project. Its previous SWDRB meeting was more than three years ago.
Thanks to Bill for the tip that fencing was up around the site of 4448 California SW [map], long planned for a seven-story mixed-use building. A spokesperson for the development team confirmed to WSB that demolition is expected within days, and a groundbreaking ceremony is planned in early March, now that the project has obtained financing. This is the same team that built the newly opened Harbor Flats apartments and is constructing 9201 Delridge Way SW, with the 17th/Roxbury site also in their portfolio – Housing Diversity Corporation, STS Construction Services, and Atelier Drome architects. The plans for 4448 California show its nearly 90 units are planned to be half apartments, half “lodging” (hotel). The online files also show that, like most developments, for the Mandatory Housing Affordability requirement, the owners have opted to pay the city a fee for affordable-housing development elsewhere rather than include it in their project; they were charged, and have paid, $595,000. (There will be some reduced-rent apartments because of the project’s participation in the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption program.) The development team spokesperson says that with construction about to start, completion is expected in fall of next year. (Note: Harbor Flats, STS, and Atelier Drome are WSB sponsors.)
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
As noted in a comment on today’s event list, the 5 pm Southwest Design Review Board meeting for the 86-apartment project at 3010 SW Avalon Way has been canceled. This was scheduled to be an all-online meeting, so we asked the Department of Construction and Inspections why it was called off. Spokesperson Wendy Shark responded:
While the Design Review Board meetings are held virtually, and public comment can be submitted virtually, there is an in-person component to these meetings held in [Seattle Municipal Tower] as well. This way if someone doesn’t have access to reliable internet, they always have the option to attend a viewing room in-person, facilitated by SDCI staff. It’s a way to make sure everyone who would like to participate in these meetings can.
Because of the predicted ice tonight, the decision was made to cancel the in-person component of the meeting. Rather than hold a meeting without the in-person option, the team decided to reschedule to a time when everything would be available to residents.
Once we have a rescheduled time, it will go up on our calendar.
This was scheduled to be the SWDRB’s first meeting in more than a year.
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
Three weeks ago, we told you about the upcoming Design Review hearing for an 86-apartment project at 3010 SW Avalon Way. At the time, the city hadn’t linked the “packet” for that hearing (though we found a draft version for our story), but now it’s available and you can see it here. The online review meeting is at 5 pm Thursday (February 6); the links for participating/viewing are on this page. As we noted last month, this will be the first time the city has convened the Southwest Design Review Board since December 2023. The project passed the first phase of Design Review in November 2021. P.S. If you’re wondering how close this is to the future light-rail station, that’s shown on a map in the packet.
As we’ve reported previously, the rezoning plan that’s gone to the City Council as part of the comprehensive plan (aka One Seattle Plan) review includes a new designation for parts of the city, Neighborhood Centers. Some community groups have voiced opposition to them; a new group called West Seattle Urbanism has launched a petition drive to urge the council to support them. Here’s the announcement we received from Scott Berkley:
West Seattle Urbanism is circulating a petition in support of the proposed neighborhood centers in West Seattle that are part of the One Seattle comp plan. We already have 200 signatures and we’d love to double that! West Seattle has long been known as a neighborhood for raising families, but the rising unaffordability of housing threatens that. By allowing the continued natural growth of small neighborhood centers like High Point and Alki, we can allow more affordable housing options, as well as create walkable neighborhoods that support small local businesses. We encourage anyone who wants to see a thriving West Seattle for decades to come to sign the petition and join our call for continued thoughtful growth and opportunity!
actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-the-west-seattle-neighborhood-centers
West Seattle Urbanism is a newly formed group that cares about the affordability, walkability, bikeability, transit-access, and overall livability of West Seattle and our greater region. We meet on Wednesday nights.
The group’s next meeting is at 6 pm this Wednesday (January 29) at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW). Meantime, the City Council’s next Comp Plan review meeting is Wednesday (here’s the agenda) and it’s holding a public hearing on February 5 (here’s that agenda, which explains how to participate).
Thanks for the tips. Above is the alley-side view of demolition that’s under way at the long-idle development site adjacent to past-and-future Ephesus Restaurant. What’s being demolished is the foundation constructed almost eight years ago for a never-built mixed-use building. We reported two months ago that the site’s current owners received a key approval for a subsequent proposal for the property, a nine-unit project of townhouses and live-work units, but first they have to clear the remnants of the previous plan. The nine-unit project has been on the drawing board for three years. The site has changed hands twice in the past 2 1/2 years, sold for $1.6 million in August 2022 and then for $2 million two months ago; Ephesus’s proprietor owned the site before that and had pursued the mixed-use-building plan in the early 2010s.
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
Five years have passed since we first told you about an apartment building planned for 3010 SW Avalon Way [map]. Three years ago, the proposal passed the first stage of Design Review. Now it’s set for a second and potentially final review, at what will be the Southwest Design Review Board‘s first meeting in more than a year (they last had a project to review in 2023 – much Design Review is now done by city staff, without public meetings). The 3010 Avalon project is currently described as eight stories, 86 units, 84 bike-parking stalls – that’s from the latest design proposal, which the city’s meeting page says is “not available” but which we found buried in the online files – see it here. The meeting is set for 5 pm February 6th, online; commenting and attendance info will be here at least a week in advance.
Checking the city’s online files for notable development proposals hasn’t yielded much lately, but we keep checking anyway, and found one this week: An early-stage proposal that has four old brick duplexes on the east edge of The Junction, west side of the 5000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW, slated for demolition, to be replaced on the 31,785-sf site by 28 new residential units – 20 townhouse duplexes and eight standalone houses. Off-street parking would be along the alley to the west. The stretch of Fauntleroy Way between The Junction and Morgan Junction has been slowly redeveloping for years, primarily into townhouses, but mostly a few units at a time; the size and scale of this makes it noteworthy. County Assessor files do not yet show a record of sale for the parcels, whose addresses range from 5029 Fauntleroy to 5045 Fauntleroy [vicinity map], but the developer is listed on the site plan as IS Property Investments and the architect is listed as David Cone. Again, this is an early-stage proposal, so it’s not in any official review phase yet.
Three notes tonight, with one week to go until the December 20th deadline for comments on the city’s rezoning proposals (on which we first reported two months ago):
CITY’S ONLINE ‘INFO SESSION’: An online informational meeting last night had some technical trouble, so the city has scheduled one last “virtual info session” about the rezoning plan for Tuesday (December 17), 5:30-7:30 pm. Here’s the link.
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MEETING: Last night’s Morgan Community Association-organized meeting at High Point Library filled the meeting room there with more than 50 people. No presentation, but the meeting did include two Q&A sections, with MoCA president Deb Barker answering most questions. While the rest of the meeting just involved people milling around city infosheets on the walls (you can look up Morgan or other neighborhoods’ proposed changes here), we did record both sections of Q&A:
The zoning changes by neighborhood for City Council District 1 – which includes West Seattle – can be seen here.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION’S CALL TO ACTION: Another West Seattle neighborhood group, the Fauntleroy Community Association, has launched a last-minute letter-writing campaign in opposition to some of the proposed rezoning. They contend that the changes “would harm our neighborhood.” Their campaign includes two templates for potential letters to the city – one with prewritten statements of concern, the other in which you can voice your own concerns about the plan. Or, scroll down the city’s main page to see how to comment, whatever you think about the proposals.
Even if you don’t live in the Morgan Junction vicinity, you might want to check out the Morgan Community Association‘s community briefing this Thursday (December 12) on the city’s new zoning plans.
Wherever you live, there’s likely change on the way, even if only to bring lots up to the new state-mandated “at least four units” law. Before the comment time runs out on Friday, December 20th, MoCA decided to set up a community briefing. We checked with MoCA president Deb Barker (a former municipal land-use planner) to verify that city reps will not be in attendance. She confirms that and adds, “It is solely community driven. Morgan Community Association wants folks to understand what types of zoning changes are proposed where. We also want community feedback on those proposed Morgan Junction Urban Center changes. The MoCA Board will forward the Urban Center comments to SDCI by the December 20th comment deadline. Copies of MoCA’s May 6, 2024 ‘One Seattle Plan’ comments will be available.” (The “Morgan Junction Urban Center” would be the city’s new name for what was the “Morgan Junction Urban Village.” Barker adds that they did get a bit of city support – “SDCI has provided MoCA with the following maps of proposed zoning changes which we’ll display: Morgan Junction – (Modified Urban Center, former known as Urban Village), High Point (a new Neighborhood Center), Endolyne – (a new Neighborhood Center, in Fauntleroy), Fairmount – (a new Neighborhood Center). Thursday’s briefing is at 6 pm in the High Point Library meeting room (3411 SW Raymond).
(From second Early Design Guidance packet for the CVS project in 2015)
Seattle’s Design Review program is a shadow of its former self already – take a look at the city’s project-review calendar, empty as of our check while writing this story. It’s been criticized for adding time and money to projects. But over the years, it’s also been the main channel through which some not-so-great projects have eventually died – two examples in our archives, the standalone Petco store (and parking lot) once planned where the Rally live/work/townhouse complex sits at California/Charlestown, and the standalone CVS store (and parking lot) once planned (rendering above) where the Maris mixed-use building went up at 4722 Fauntleroy Way SW. The last Southwest Design Review Board meeting in our archives was almost a year ago. So what should the program’s future be? You have three days left to let the city know via a survey:
Design review changes are coming to the City of Seattle. Please tell us your thoughts by November 27:
Design review is currently required for most new larger buildings in the City of Seattle. It includes public notice with the ability for neighborhoods to comment on the appearance of new buildings. City of Seattle Staff and volunteer Design Review Boards review new buildings to make sure they meet the Design Guidelines.
Recent changes to Washington State law require us to make changes to Seattle’s Design Review program.
SEVA Workshop is asking for people’s feedback on several topics, including:
-Which areas of Seattle should require Design Review for new construction
-Which types of new construction should go through Design Review
-When and how people can comment on new construction projects
-How to update the Design Guidelines to be easier to understand
-How adding incentives for new construction could improve equitySome of the possible design review program changes could include:
-Limiting projects to only one public meeting,
-Streamlining the Design Review process to be quicker and less costly for applicants, and
-Reducing the number of projects that are required to go through Design Review (if new construction does not require design review, then most new buildings will not include any public comment period or public notice)SDCI’s goal is to update the Design Review program before the Washington state’s House Bill 1293 deadline of June 30, 2025.
Take the Design Review Program community survey and add your voice to help shape the future of Seattle. The survey closes November 27.
(Thanks to Robin Schwartz in South Park for circulating the survey.)
The development docket’s been quiet lately, but a West Seattle project of note showed up in the city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin today: 5249 California SW [map] is the long-vacant site next to the once-and-future Ephesus Restaurant. Almost two years ago, we found the newest project proposed for the site, with nine residential units. Now that’s received a key land-use approval, which in turn opens a two-week appeal period for anyone interested. What’s planned on the site is summarized by the city as “a 3-story, 6-unit townhouse building and a 3-story, 3-unit live-work building” with four offstreet-parking spaces. As also noted in the city’s bulletin, the foundation that’s on the site was built in 2017; at one point, there was a plan for a small mixed-use building there. Here’s the decision city planners reached, including their design- and landscaping-related comments; here’s the notice explaining how to appeal, by the December 2nd deadline. After this is finalized, the project still has to obtain a building permit before proceeding.
(Trees in High Point, photographed by Jerry Simmons)
Among this week’s events in West Seattle: The Trees and People Coalition plans an “interactive information session” Tuesday night (November 19) to discuss how the city’s proposed zoning changes might affect the tree canopy. They’re planning presentations around the city, starting with 6:30 pm Tuesday at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW). The sessions will include information on how to comment on the rezoning proposals by the December 20 deadline. If you can’t get to this, there’s also an online session next Saturday, noon-1 pm (register here to get the link), with citywide information and the chance to ask questions about your neighborhood.
(Image from Google Street View)
The former Trueliving Church site in southeast High Point – long eyed for redevelopment – has new ownership. We checked into its status after multiple questions from readers. Records show the church sold its site at 2900 SW Myrtle for $3 million less than two weeks ago, and dedicated its new location in Burien today. The church had been in West Seattle for more than 30 years. But change for its site had long been in the wind – three years ago, we wrote about a proposal for 34 residential units on the site. A version of that application is still alive in city files, although it’s not clear yet what the current plan is for the site: The new owner is another church, Debre Menkirat Kidus Georgis Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Two readers report activity on the site, including clearing brush. We’re working to contact them to find out about their plan for the site.
6 PM: Got questions about how the city is proposing to rezone your property – or your neighborhood? Wondering about what “neighborhood centers” – of which (updated) District 1 would have 8, if the rezoning plans announced three weeks ago are approved – really would be like?
Until 7:30 pm, in the gym at Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW), this is your chance to peruse large versions of the rezoning maps, and/or ask questions. Right now this is mostly circulating between easels and one-on-one conversations, but we’re told they’re expecting a brief presentation at some point.
6:16 PM: Office of Planning and Community Development director Rico Quirindongo spoke shortly after our first update, mostly just explaining the setup of the meeting – and the purpose of the process. Also speaking, City Councilmember Rob Saka, veering onto the topic of the presidential election, promising that the city would continue to fight to be safe and welcoming, where everyone can “thrive and be safe … we’re going to continue to do the people’s work.” That, in this case, will eventually involve legislation to change the zoning, Some of what’s proposed is to get city code in line with the “four units per lot” mandate from the state; but the overarching goal is to add more housing capacity. The “neighborhood centers” are also meant to bring mini-hubs of business and housing together. Get here during the meeting and you can look at the maps for the ones nearest you. OPCD tells us they want to hear what you think about the borders and density – before the final version of the rezoning plan goes to the council. There’s a chance to comment here, and you also can do it via the rezoning-proposal website.
8:15 PM: Keep in mind that the neighborhood-center names don’t necessarily dovetail with neighborhood names. “Upper Fauntleroy,” for example, is mapped to stretch southeast to 29th/Roxbury. The neighborhood center known as Holden spans part of Sunrise Heights and Gatewood. But the “centers” – including the renaming of “urban villages” like The Junction, Morgan Junction, and Admiral to “urban centers” – aren’t all that the plan will change. Look closely at the upzoning proposals – some of which are relatively subtle, 55′ become 65′, for example.
WHAT’S NEXT: Comment deadline is December 20.
(Google Maps Street View image, west side of 35th/Barton)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Above, you see the heart of what would be the Upper Fauntleroy “neighborhood center” as part of the proposed zoning changes just unveiled by the city.
The maps are part – but not the entirety – of the “comprehensive plan” (aka One Seattle Plan) updates that the city’s been working on for the past two years, part of a state-mandated process to update the plan once a decade. We got a preview at a City Hall media briefing this morning; the city says its proposed sheaf of changes would give Seattle the capacity for a total of 330,000 new housing units, far more than they envisioned when circulating the draft earlier this year. (Here’s the slide deck from today’s briefing.)
The proposed maps build on the draft maps circulated last spring, as reported here in March, when we first noted that the city intended to plan for increased business activity and housing density by designating “neighborhood centers” as well as making some changes in its existing “urban centers” (formerly known as “urban villages”). Back in March, the city’s early version of these changes showed six “neighborhood centers” for West Seattle. Now, the newly unveiled maps show (update: 7 out of the 30 total proposed citywide – OPCD tells us 3 were were “studied” but are not currently being proposed):
*Brandon Junction (centered on Delridge/Brandon)
*Fairmount (centered on California/Findlay)
*Holden (centered on 35th/Holden)
(UPDATE: Studied but not proposed) *Sylvan Junction (centered on Delridge/Orchard)
*Upper Fauntleroy (centered on 35th/Barton)
*High Point (centered on 35th/Morgan)
(UPDATE: Studied but not proposed) *Highland Park (centered on 9th/Trenton)
*Endolyne (centered on 45th/Wildwood)
*Delridge (centered on Delridge/Dakota)
(UPDATE: Studied but not proposed) *Alki (centered on 61st/Stevens)
(For now, check the online maps for exact boundaries and the attendant rezoning where applicable – we’ve requested a larger version of the map/list and will add it here when available. UPDATE: Here it is.)
The “neighborhood center” additions are only part of what you’ll find on the zoning maps. West Seattle’s four “urban centers” – Admiral, Alaska Junction, Morgan Junction, and Westwood/Highland Park – would, in most cases, expand (here again is the interactive site with the maps).
If you’re not in an urban center or neighborhood center, check your zoning anyway. Upzoning is proposed along major transit routes (Fauntleroy Way SW along the RapidRide C Line route past Lincoln Park, for example). And if you’re in a “neighborhood residential” zone (the new name given to “single-family” a few years back), and otherwise unchanged, you’ll be in an “urban neighborhood” area. Most formerly “single-family” parcels already have had the capacity for three units – a main house and two Accessory Dwelling Units – because of previous city changes, but now the State Legislature-passed HB 1110 requires capacity for four units on these parcels. If affordable housing is included, some might be eligible for six units, and/or four stories. And lots of parcels will become mixed-use in one specific way – any corner lot in an “urban neighborhood” zone would be eligible for a corner store.
Other changes include parking rules:
As a result of this, we learned, the Alki Parking Overlay – which requires a space and a half for every dwelling unit in that area – would be abolished (as would the only other “parking overlay” in the city, in the U District). General parking for residential units – aside from the frequent-transit zones where none would be required – would be one space for two units.
Lots more in the maps, and there’s more in what the city announced today. But for starters, you can browse for yourself, and make comments now – that’s why the maps are being made public, with other plan-updates to come. You can also attend an upcoming informational session. The West Seattle session is 5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, November 6, at Madison MS (3429 45th SW) and the full list of citywide events (plus the online session) is on this flyer. All this ultimately goes to the City Council for consideration. (added) The official comment period, meantime, runs until December 20, so you have time for a close look. Also of note, as discussed in comments, the city plans to propose more upzoning in Urban Centers in a future “phase” of planning (see page 10 of the slide deck).
THURSDAY UPDATE: OPCD says three of the 10 “neighborhood centers” listed for West Seattle were studied but not proposed. We have labeled them as such above.
ADDED THURSDAY PM: Here also, provided by OPCD, is a District 1-specific map (see it in PDF here):
(WSB photo, April draft ‘One Seattle Plan’ open house at Chief Sealth IHS)
Next week, we’ll see how the city proposes updating its plan for future growth – aka the Comprehensive Plan, or “One Seattle Plan” in keeping with Mayor Harrell‘s signature phrase. This afternoon, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s office has sent out a heads-up on what’s ahead and how/when you can attend a briefing/comment opportunity in West Seattle, six months after the draft version of the plan was circulated at events including one covered here in April:
Many of you had expressed interest in the City’s Comprehensive Plan over this past year. Here is another around of community engagement so please share out broad and wide!
On October 16, the Mayor’s Office and the Office of Planning and Community Development are releasing Mayor Harrell’s updated Growth Strategy for the One Seattle Plan along with detailed information on zoning changes, including draft legislation to implement HB 1110 in our Neighborhood Residential zones and draft zoning maps for other land use changes in neighborhoods across the city.
This release kicks off a two-month public comment period on the zoning legislation and maps that will run through December 20. OPCD has planned a schedule of engagement, including info sessions in every Council District.
The outreach happening this fall is strictly related to zoning changes. Residents will be able to view the specific zoning changes on detailed maps, and will be able to comment directly on the maps via an online tool.
OPCD will host one online session on October 23rd and an in-person session in District 1 on November 6th at Madison Middle School Gym. Residents can learn how to view the maps, use the commenting tools, and voice their feedback. You are welcome to attend any of the other sessions as well.
This feedback will inform zoning legislation that will be sent to council in early/Spring 2025 as part of the Select Committee.
The West Seattle session is 5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, November 6, at Madison MS (3429 45th SW) and the full list of citywide events (plus the online session) is on this flyer.
West Seattle’s been fairly quiet for development applications lately. One project appeared on today’s Land Use Information Bulletin – the six townhouses (with nine parking spaces, as required by the Alki Parking Overlay) planned for 2236 Alki SW [map], replacing the 108-year-old triplex shown above. We reported briefly in May when the project was in early stages; now the project team has formally applied for a Shoreline Substantial Development permit (since it’s across the street from the bay), and that opens a comment period. Today’s notice explains how to send your comment in, deadline November 5.
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.
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