By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Not growing is not an option, says the city. So, reps from three city departments asked at a first-of-its-kind meeting in West Seattle, what should that growth look like, and where should it happen?

Another question posed: How do we make room for the people moving to Seattle now and for those who will need housing in the future – such as current residents’ kids?

Questions like those were at the heart of the city-organized event in West Seattle this past Saturday, titled “Let’s Talk.” The documents you see throughout this story weren’t presented slide-deck-style, but instead were on easel-borne boards around the room. The meeting was formatted loosely, in hopes of conversation, and that, we can vouch, was under way from the start.

Then, about half an hour into the event on the upper floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle (with decorations lingering from Rainbow Bingo the night before), a few minutes of speeches were offered, but more in the explanatory vein than declaratory – and then the conversations resumed.

Two city department directors were among the city staff on hand, Diane Sugimura (above right) from the Department of Planning and Development, Bernie Matsuno from the Department of Neighborhoods. Not long after the brief speeches, they wound up in a conversation circle with more than two dozen attendees in the back of the room, near the bingo board.

Back in the rest of the room, one-on-one conversations continued, and dozens of other attendees continued perusing the boards. We asked for digital copies so we could share them with you here. (Most are self-explanatory; the ones atop this story show options for what it would take for the city to become carbon-neutral by 2050, with now-digitized red or green dots regarding whether attendees liked or disliked specific options.) Here are the main boards – the first one was displayed at the room’s entrance to set the stage, and then the next eight with lots of information about development and growth in West Seattle, zoning, how to give feedback on development, and questions too:

Noticing the conversation group setting up with Sugimura and Matsuno, we took notes. “We want to be able to participate in the decisionmaking,” said one attendee, and that was at the heart of almost everything else.

The questions, concerns, and suggestions were many (please note, the following are paraphrased bullet points, not exact quotes unless contained within quotation marks):

-West Seattle’s transportation infrastructure isn’t made for intensive growth.

-The city permit system is an expensive hassle.

-Why isn’t development focusing on streets that could handle it, say, 35th SW?

-People need to get involved in the Comprehensive Plan process (Seattle 2035).

-City reps should come back for an intensive three-to-four-hour summit to really talk in depth with and listen to West Seattleites.

-Neighborhood groups are small and don’t network and don’t know the “rules, codes, options” so they are outgunned when prolific developers come into the neighborhood with a project.

-The city needs to push out development information – perhaps an app – it’s not good enough to have it just there waiting to be discovered; an app should keep checking what’s happening in an area of interest you identify, and push out the information to you when something is planned in your area.

*West Seattle needs a hospital. Matsuno said the city can “encourage” it, but has no authority to force a health-care organization to build one. “Well, ARE you ‘encouraging’ it?” asked one attendee. Reply: “In conversations with any kind of businesses, we encourage them to go where they are needed.”

*West Seattle needs employers so fewer people will have to commute outbound. This generated a significant amount of discussion, with Matsuno saying you can offer incentives for employers, but you can’t force them to locate in a specific area. One participant said she was a commercial banker and “the way you do it is to give them money.”

*”Regular” people are being pushed out by “wealthy” people.

*Applications by prolific developers often show up with “sloppy paperwork,” leaving neighborhood advocates wondering “how did this get through?” and suggesting there should be a penalty for repeat offenders. Couldn’t a computerized review check for chronic offenders?

*The issue of projects with little or no parking came up. Sugimura noted that the mayor had asked for a review of that, and “we are in the middle of it.”

*Why doesn’t West Seattle have a transit center “like Burien”? Sugimura said she wasn’t familiar with the Burien Transit Center. The centralizing of bus routes at Westwood was mentioned. One attendee countered, “But it’s all on the perimeter and there’s no parking.” The city of Seattle doesn’t build parking garages, pointed out city reps, so “it always takes somebody (private) willing to put money into it.”

*Projects are reviewed on a standalone basis, without the “cumulative effects” of changes in a specific area being considered. One attendee said the parking study done for a 40-unit project didn’t take into effect other apartment projects within a block or two.

*Environmental reviews are not triggered if, for example, a single-family house is being replaced by a single-family house.

*What about a “cap and trade” type of program? one attendee suggested – requiring developers to “replace the affordable house they’re destroying” when a “$300,000 bungalow” is demolished and replaced with a $1 million house.

11:30 came, and the discussion circle was wrapped up. Two community-group reps volunteered themselves as liaisons for a followup meeting with the city to get and share information on what would be done with what DPD, DON, and SDOT heard at the meeting. So watch for that (we’ll be following up, and information will be circulated through community councils too). And, as was exhorted several times, get involved in the Comprehensive Plan process – there were boards for that too:

SIDE NOTE: During the brief “remarks” portion, attendees were asked to raise their hands in reply to questions such as how long you’ve lived here and whether you own or rent. A quick look around revealed mostly people who’ve been here more than a few years, and almost entirely homeowners. Some suggested maybe the Saturday morning meeting time was wrong – but it’s a frequent observation that evening meetings aren’t convenient either – so, if you’ve read this far but didn’t go, was it a matter of time? Or?

A public notice published today lists 11 potential changes to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, with at least four of interest to West Seattle. All 11 will be lumped together in one public hearing set for the City Council’s Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee on July 15th. The four are:

*Rezoning to allow a six-townhouse project on land owned by the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene south of its 42nd/Juneau sanctuary and parsonage in north Morgan Junction. (Here’s our most recent report on the project, from a meeting in which the Morgan Community Association endorsed it; see the proposed amendment here.)

*Rezoning to “remove an area waterward of Harbor Avenue Southwest and south of Southwest Bronson Way known as Pier One from the Duwamish Manufacturing/Industrial Center and change the designation of that area from industrial to commercial/mixed-use.” We first wrote about this proposal two years ago; see the proposed amendment here.

*An amendment to “limit live-work units along arterials.” See the text here.

*An amendment to “add policy language regarding the monitoring and reporting of growth and to require action when an area exceeds its growth targets.” This comes up often in development discussions regarding the West Seattle Junction area, already well past its current “growth target” and is in fact proposed by a West Seattleite, Cindi Barker. See the text here.

You can read the full text of all the proposed amendments by going here. The meeting on July 15th is at City Hall, 2 pm; if you can’t be there, the notice points out other ways to comment.

DEVELOPMENT P.S. We covered Saturday morning’s well-attended “West Seattle: Let’s Talk” meeting and expect to publish the report by tonight.

Another round of development notes, including demolitions current and future:

THE WHITTAKER UPDATE – DEMOLITION THIS SUMMER: Despite previous controversy over the 4755 Fauntleroy Way project, aka The Whittaker, no one had filed an appeal of its key land-use approval by the deadline yesterday, so the project is moving ahead. A spokesperson tells us they expect to start demolition by summer’s end, but don’t yet know which of the buildings on the site will be first to go. This is the project with a Whole Foods Market (we’re checking to see if any other retailers have been signed), ~389 apartments, ~594 parking spaces. If construction does start this year, it would be on target for completion in 2016.

3008 ALKI DEMOLITION: Nine months ago, we noted an application to build five “rowhouse” units in two buildings at 3008 Alki Avenue SW. This week, the existing structures on the site were torn down:

(Thanks to the person who texted the photo!) One building, with two units now described as townhouses, will carry the Alki Ave. address; the 3-unit building will be at 6502 SW Stevens. Documents filed with the city say the offstreet parking will total 10 spaces.

1 DOWN, 2 UP AT 5421 49TH SW: A demolition-permit application was filed this week for that 93-year-old house at 5421 49th SW.

City files say it will be replaced by two single-family houses; its lot is 15,000+ square feet.

UPDATE ON 2-REPLACING-1 AT 8437 41ST SW: We reported earlier this month on the plan for two single-family houses on the site of one to-be-demolished house in Upper Fauntleroy. The owner/developer is now seeking a lot-boundary adjustment, to split the site into 4,500- and 7,300-square-foot parcels.

DESIGN REVIEW REMINDER NOTICES: The dates have already been reported here, but in case you missed them, the formal Southwest Design Review Board meeting notices appeared in Thursday’s Land Use Information Bulletin for 3824 California SW (8 pm July 10th) and 2626 Alki SW (6:30 pm July 17th).

‘LET’S TALK’ WITH DPD, SDOT, DON IN WEST SEATTLE TOMORROW: One more nudge before our Saturday morning calendar highlights – tomorrow is the West Seattle “Let’s Talk” conversation with Department of Planning and Development reps including director Diane Sugimura, 9:30-11:30 am at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction) – and we see on the DPD’s website that reps from SDOT and the Department of Neighborhoods will be there too. It’s listed there as “open-house-style” so we’re trying to find out more specifics about the format.

Five development notes tonight:

ANOTHER DESIGN REVIEW MEETING SET: The Southwest Design Review Board hasn’t had a reason to meet since May 1st, but next month is getting busier. A second project has been added to the schedule for July 10th’s meeting, which already had the 7520 35th SW eye-clinic project on the docket for 6:30 pm. The 8 pm slot is now scheduled for the third Early Design Guidance review of 3824 California SW, the former Charlestown Café site. Two months have passed since the second EDG meeting for the townhouse/live-work-unit project (WSB coverage here). The July 10th reviews will be at the SWDRB’s usual meeting site, the Senior Center of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) at California/Oregon in The Junction.

ANOTHER CORNER ROWHOUSE ON FAUNTLEROY WAY: One block south of the south end of 4755 Fauntleroy Way (The Whittaker), a 65-year-old duplex on a LR-1-zoned corner at 5003 Fauntleroy is proposed to be demolished and replaced by a 7-unit rowhouse.

It’s a few blocks north of Fauntleroy/Findlay, where the 5-unit corner rowhouse mentioned here a few times is almost complete.

LAND USE APPROVAL FOR ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY DEMOLITION: Days after the last school year for the old Arbor Heights Elementary ended, the city has published a notice of land-use approval for its demolition. The publication opens a 2-week appeal window, until July 7th.

APPEAL HEARING SET FOR 3078 SW AVALON: Permits for the 102-apartment building planned at 3078 SW Avalon Way are being appealed by the group Seattle Neighbors Encouraging Reasonable Development, founded in an adjacent neighborhood. They’re scheduled to go before the city Hearing Examiner on September 8th. The project received a key land-use approval last month.

REMINDER – ‘LET’S TALK’ WITH DPD ON SATURDAY: Interested in development/land use? Set aside 9:30-11:30 am Saturday morning to meet with DPD director Diane Sugimura and others from the city, specific to West Seattle issues and policy – here’s our most-recent preview.

Another update on the Department of Planning and Development “Let’s Talk” event in West Seattle one week from tomorrow: We’ve confirmed with DPD that its director Diane Sugimura will be there. So if you have a question or comment for the person in charge of the department that reviews and approves development, she’s the one, and this is your chance. Here’s the announcement we published last week; the event was first announced two weeks before that, during the West Seattle “conversation” with Councilmember Mike O’Brien (WSB coverage here), who chairs the committee that deals with development and planning. “West Seattle: Let’s Talk” is scheduled for 9:30-11:30 am Saturday, June 28th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (WSB sponsor), California/Oregon in The Junction, all welcome.

SIDE NOTE: Sugimura was in West Seattle last June to talk with the Southwest District Council (WSB coverage here).

Big stack of development notes/updates, all involving teardowns large and small:

First, the city has officially given a key land-use approval to The Whittaker, the 7-story, 389-apartment, 594-parking-space, Whole Foods-including project at 4755 Fauntleroy SW. It’s received a Determination of Non-Significance, meaning a full environmental review will not be required. Here’s the notice; here’s the decision. This is appealable until June 26th (this explains how). A project spokesperson tells WSB that they hope to start work at the site (which still holds five buildings, all to be demolished) this summer.

Next: The second Southwest Design Review Board meeting for 2626 Alki SW is on the schedule for July 17th (6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle). This is a three-story commercial/residential building planned for the corner of Alki and 59th, replacing three buildings that currently include a rental company, a retail store, a café, and a dispensary. The date is technically still temporary, so it has not yet appeared on the Land Use Information Bulletin. Here’s our coverage of its first Early Design Guidance meeting in February, when the board told it to give EDG another try.

Nor is a new lot-boundary-adjustment application we noticed in city files. The line adjustments proposed for 8437 41st SW in Upper Fauntleroy would make way for what are shown on a filed “site plan” as two houses, replacing the existing brick house on an 11,000-plus-square-foot site that was sold to a developer last month.

A one-into-two subdivision is being sought at 3036 Alki SW, turning one into two (2,663 and 4,049 square feet), with four townhouses and one single-family home proposed to replace what’s on the site now.

And one was recently approved at 1310 California SW, adjacent to Hamilton Viewpoint Park, splitting an 11,000-square-foot lot into two almost-equal-size parcels also bordering Donald and Palm. This review carried some controversy, according to the full decision document, saying that a surveyor determined the site to be about 50 percent larger than it was believed to be, which paved the way for the split. Two new houses are proposed, replacing a 79-year-old house; the appeal period on the lot split is open for one more week.

OTHER DEMOLITION/NEW-CONSTRUCTION PLANS: In Admiral, a demolition permit has been granted for 2600 45th SW, a 108-year-old duplex (County Assessor’s photo above) to be replaced by a two-unit townhouse (following a recent lot-boundary adjustment). … In Gatewood, one has been sought for 7931 California SW, a 64-year-old house slated to be replaced by a new single-family house. … And in Westwood/Roxhill, there’s one pending for 9411 35th SW, where an 89-year-old house is proposed for replacement by a three-unit townhouse … On Pigeon Point, 3816 22nd SW is proposed for demolition and replacement by a single-family house and a two-unit townhouse; we note that a separate application for 3806 22nd SW (no teardown, though) proposes four single-family houses nearby.

Wondering if anything’s planned near your home/townhouse/apartment/business/etc.? Browse the map on the DPD home page – and if you see something, follow the link to find out more. Caveat – we’ve noticed this map shows some idle/canceled years-old proposals as well as new and recent plans, though.

When City Councilmember Mike O’Brien came to West Seattle to talk about development and land use last week (WSB coverage here), the meeting included early word of another conversation, one for which Department of Planning and Development officials would come to West Seattle later this month. Details weren’t quite set that night but now they are. Just in from DPD:

West Seattle: let’s talk! Encouraging civic engagement around development issues

The City of Seattle will host an event to provide information about development in West Seattle, and to provide opportunities for discussion. The event titled “West Seattle: Let’s Talk” will take place on Saturday, June 28 from 9:30-11:30 at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 SW Oregon Street).

Usually, DPD reps just come here for meetings on specific projects – this time, you can ask about policies and other big-picture issues.

P.S. Speaking of development, we’re working right now on a roundup with news of several West Seattle projects, new and not-so-new, big and not-so-big. That’s coming up later this afternoon.

Some site-clearing work is under way today at 4515 41st SW, the official address of three lots proposed for a memory-care facility (last updated here in November), and that led us to check the online files for new information. Indeed, new details are available: The project team, led by Nicholson Kovalchick Architects, has told the city that they’re planning a four-story building with 48 units for 66 residents and 15 underground parking spaces, to be accessible from 41st SW, since the alley to the east is 20 feet higher than the street. The city has told them that the project will require Design Review (no meeting on the schedule yet) and will have to follow the West Seattle design guidelines put into place by the city last December. It’s in a “lowrise” zone but won’t be affected by the future “lowrise code corrections,” which haven’t been finalized yet. Living Care Lifestyles‘ sign is still up at the site, though its website doesn’t mention this project yet.

Just spotted demolition in progress at the former U-Frame-It/Amante Pizza storefronts (3239 California SW). No, this is NOT related to the mixed-use/apartment buildings planned on both sides of the street a bit to the north. As first reported here in December, live-work units and single-family homes are going in – two of the former, facing California; four of the latter, behind them; six parking spaces on the alley. The developer is Dwell. As also noted previously, the two businesses have moved to other West Seattle locations.

Lot-boundary-adjustment proposals are often first word of development plans on the way for a site, so we watch the city’s online files for early word of them. Two more West Seattle proposals have just appeared:

3917 CALIFORNIA SW: This two-lot, two-building, six-apartment site at California/Andover has been listed for sale for a while. Now there’s a proposal to change the lot boundaries/sizes. While the eventual development plan has not yet appeared online, the application says the 71-year-old, California-fronting four-plex is to be demolished, with the Andover-facing duplex to remain, for now. The site is currently split into two equal-sized rectangular parcels; the “adjustment” would result in two L-shaped lots, both with frontage on both California and Andover.

The site is zoned Lowrise 3.

4023 SW GRAHAM: This 7,500-square-foot site at 41st/Graham on the east edge of Morgan Junction is on the books as one 7,500 parcel but technically two lots, and is proposed to be “adjusted” into two 3,750-square-foot lots. The application says the 67-year-old house and slightly newer garage/carport currently on the parcel will be demolished; the future development plans are not yet on file. The site is zoned single-family 5,000, and a document in the file says 3,750 sf is the minimum allowable building-lot size.

Very busy Land Use Information Bulletin from the city today; we’re working on several stories, but for starters – it’s officially comment time for proposed multi-family zoning changes dubbed the “low-rise code corrections.” They’re meant to be a response to neighborhood concerns that zoning changes back in 2010 enabled multi-family projects that were out of scale with some neighborhoods. The notice summarizes the key parts of the proposal (which you can see in full here):

Specific proposed development standard changes are:

*Eliminate a height allowance of up to an additional four feet above the base height limit for apartment housing type developments that include a partially below grade story.

*Eliminate a floor area exemption from the floor area ratio (FAR) calculation for the portion of buildings in a partially below grade story for apartment type developments.

*Add a new height control to limit the maximum street-facing façade height for development on sloping sites to 44 feet in a 40 foot maximum height Lowrise zone, and 34 feet in a 30 foot maximum height Lowrise zone.

*Place a 30 percent coverage limit on how much of a rooftop may be covered by clerestory architectural features.

*Require the area of unenclosed exterior stairs, hallways and breezeways to be included as chargeable floor area in FAR calculations.

*Include the floor area of loft spaces that are less than full ceiling heights in the FAR calculation.

*Add a side setback requirement for rowhouse developments that are next to other types of housing.

*Change the rounding up threshold for the density limits in Lowrise zones from 0.5 to 0.85.

*Add a density limit of one dwelling unit per 1,600 square feet of lot area for rowhouse development on small lots in the Lowrise 1 zone.

Not sure if there’s lowrise zoning near you? The city’s zoning maps are here. Today’s notice, meantime, includes a “determination of nonsignificance” – meaning the city doesn’t think these changes will have environmental (noise, traffic, etc.) ramifications; the comment period runs through June 12th – scroll to the bottom of the notice to see how to comment. The proposal requires City Council approval, and would not affect any projects currently in the pipeline.

One week after the announcement that construction was beginning on the mixed-use project at 4435 35th SW, the lone building on the site is coming down. We recorded the short video clip of the backhoe at the former Bridge/Redline/Legends/Pizza Pete/etc. around noon; the south wall was still up when we went by again a short time ago. The six-story building was designed with 159 apartments, 151 parking spaces, ground-floor retail and a public “hillclimb” stairway on the south side, to connect it to the rest of The Triangle and, beyond, The Junction. The developer is Trinsic; the architect, GGLO; the contractor, Compass Construction.

Two years after neighborhoods around the city started sounding the alarm about what became known as small-lot development, the City Council has passed new rules to regulate it.

While the final vote on the bill was unanimous, the votes on two amendments were not – with one regarding developable lot size approved by a 6-3 vote, and one limiting height passing 5-4. That one was proposed by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who later said that zoning rules for small-lot development were “not about keeping people out, but about welcoming people in” within the context of neighborhoods’ existing character.

Those speaking in the public-comment period that started the council meeting included West Seattleites from the Benchview neighborhood, which has been prominent in the small-lot fight for a year and a half, since discovering a house on an 11,500-square-foot corner lot had been sold, after its owner’s death, to developers who planned to split it into three and add two new houses. Benchview residents took their concerns to court; while the judge partly sided with them, the city allowed a lot split and the new owners began building the houses, one of which was featured in neighbors’ projected-video protest this past weekend. (While some development advocates contend small-lot development is more affordable and environmentally friendly because the houses are “smaller,” the new Benchview houses are 3,162 square feet and 2,624 square feet; the pre-existing home is 2,380 sf.)

One of the earlier briefings on the city zoning changes even cited the Benchview case as one that would not have been allowed under the new rules, which will regulate lot sizes and shapes as well as characteristics of homes on the smallest lots. Councilmember Mike O’Brien, who chairs the Planning/Land Use/Sustainability Committee, said he expects followup legislation including some rules for neighborhood notification of lot-split proposals.

From this morning’s city Land Use Information Bulletin, approvals for two more Junction projects, including one that drew community concern for its lack of offstreet parking:

(Rendering: NK Architects)
4535 44TH SW: Back in November, this project, Lofts at The Junction, was the subject of a community-petitioned meeting, requested by neighbors concerned mostly about its 36 apartments/two live-work units having been proposed without any offstreet parking, as allowed by city zoning because of the proximity of frequent transit. The Department of Planning and Development has now ruled that it does not require a full environmental review, and has made a Determination of Non-Significance; here’s the announcement; here’s the decision (which also summarizes comments received about the project, including Design Review and the aforementioned requested-by-petition meeting). This starts the clock on a 2-week period for appeals (info here). The project had its final Southwest Design Review Board meeting last December.

4433 42nd SW: A similar decision has been announced for this four-story, 78-apartment/two-live-work-unit project, Junction Flats, planned with 53 offstreet-parking spaces. See the notice here; the decision details are here. June 2nd is the appeal deadline for this (info here) as well. This project finished Design Review in January.

On Monday afternoon, the City Council’s expected to take its final vote on changes to what can be built on “small lots” in single-family zones. Councilmember Mike O’Brien – who chairs the Planning, Land Use, Sustainability Committee – explains the changes on the city website, and points out, that type of development is not being banned. Instead, restrictions are proposed, as well as new rules for how and when neighbors will get notice of changes.

Small-lot development has been a sore spot for some neighborhoods around the city, including one in West Seattle that has been caught up in it for more than a year and is trying to get out a last-minute pre-vote message – by projecting it onto a new house to which it objects, using a new nickname for these types of houses: “Billboard boxes.” (And a Facebook page spinning off the nickname.) We shot the video above as the messages scrolled through around 10:30 Saturday night.

Benchview is on northwest Charlestown hill (map), near the upper reaches of Schmitz Park. We told its story last year, starting in January, as neighbors slugged it out with the city over a lot-splitting plan that followed purchase of a house whose longtime owner had died, and that sought two larger homes next to that original house. The highlighted area below was the site as shown in the county system in July 2013, pre-split:

(3650 55th SW is the original address of the site; map is from King County Parcel Viewer)
Here’s how the trisected site appears in the system now:

The somewhat-L-shaped lot beneath the shrunken 3650 55th SW is where the protest projection was made onto the south side of a new house. (Added Sunday morning – the daylight view:)

(back to original report) Neighborhood spokesperson Dave Allen was outside when we stopped by Saturday night, and had done an interview with a TV station.

Back to the background: Allen and other neighbors took the fight to court and won one round, believing the ruling would limit the site to one new house, but then, late last summer, the city approved boundary revisions enabling two houses.

In the ensuing months, the city has been working through changes to the rules/conditions that have led to similar situations around the city. The Benchview case has been cited by multiple sides of the debate. What’s going to be voted on Monday has already been amended and tweaked, and Benchview’s contention is that it just creates “new loopholes,” with hundreds more homes still to be allowed on smaller lots around the city. Councilmember O’Brien, meantime, writes: “I believe that the new provisions the City Council is considering will help new single-family developments on under-sized lots fit into existing neighborhoods.”

The council meeting is at 2 pm Monday; the council will take public comment at the start of the meeting, which is in their chambers at City Hall downtown, and according to O’Brien’s explanation of where this stands, will be considering some amendments before voting.