(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
Right across the street from Admiral’s biggest current project – 3210 California SW, which heads back to Design Review this Thursday – we have new details about another proposed development right across the street, 3211 California SW. It now has an Early Design Guidance date with the SWDRB – one month from today, May 1st. And we know more about the proposal: 63 apartments, 4 live-work units, 63 parking spaces, about 2,500 square feet of commercial space, and five stories, though, like 3210, it’s in an NC2-40 zone, part of the 2010 upzoning of that block. The aforementioned toplines are all from the following early draft of the Design Review packet downloadable from the city website – one caveat, this can (and probably will) change before a final version is linked to the hearing announcement:

This proposal is a couple doors down from the 3239 California SW site where two businesses are making way for demolition and a smaller housing project. The official public notice of application isn’t in yet,

P.S. One more reminder – two big-picture development items are on the agenda tonight for the Southwest District Council, and the public’s welcome (6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle); one is a city briefing on the Seattle 2035 project, looking at future zoning and growth focus, the other is discussion of the Land Use Committee that the council is forming.

(From site plan filed with the city)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A year and a half ago, two 4-unit townhouse buildings were on the drawing board for 4439 41st SW in The Junction, an 8,600-square-foot lot that currently holds one century-old house.

Four 6-year-old townhouses are to the north; a single-family house to the south; Hope Lutheran Church and School across the alley, to the west:

(Parcel-layout map, from city notice)
We first reported here in early March that the number of housing units proposed for the site had quintupled, to a 40-unit, 5-parking-space apartment building, after discovering the proposal during a routine browse of city records.

Turns out the change had been in the works about a month by then. The first public comment on file is from neighbor Abdy Farid – long active in Junction-area land-use issues – in mid-February. Last night, he was among those at Holy Rosary School‘s Hall, about two blocks away, for an organizational meeting of those opposed to/concerned about the plan (here’s the invitation we published Thursday).

Stressing that it needed to be a “true grass-roots effort,” another neighbor, Jim Schwartz, led Friday night’s meeting, which drew about 15 people. “When I saw the design sign go up, I was personally shocked and set back – I’ve always known there was a potential for the site to have some density development, but” … not this dense – a 3900 percent increase in density for the lot, as pointed out by a letter on file from Hope Lutheran leaders, also represented last night.

By the time an hour and a half of discussion had passed, those in attendance agreed their next step would be to gather signatures for a city-convened public meeting on the project, which is not slated for Design Review and therefore not scheduled for any public meetings otherwise. Several neighbor groups have requested and received such meetings in the past year (see list at the end of this story).

Here’s how the meeting unfolded:

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(From cover of Miller-Hull Partnership design packet for 1307 Harbor SW, showing project outline)
Both design packets are out now for next Thursday’s Southwest Design Review Board doubleheader. The first meeting (6:30 pm Thursday, April 3rd) is for 3210 California, and we reported eight days ago on its revised design. Now, the packet is out for the second project of the night (8 pm Thursday), 1307 Harbor SW, the site including the former Alki Tavern. We showed an early rendering here back on March 3rd; the official packet can be seen here. One feature that stands out: A potential hillclimb between California Way and Harbor Avenue. The packet also lists the toplines:

Development Objectives:
• 100,000 square foot mixed-use structure containing approximately:
– 21 residential apartments, totaling about 25,400 square feet
– 11,800 square feet of commercial office space
– 7,500 square feet of light manufacturing
– 6,700 square feet of ground floor retail
– 4,200 square feet of restaurant
– 41 parking spaces below grade, totaling approximately 14,400 square feet

Because of the varying grade on the site, it would rise 70 feet from ground level at Harbor Avenue, the packet says. Review for yourself, and if you have something to say about the design – this is the early stage, where height/size/shape are the focus – say it during the public-comment period at the meeting, Thursday, April 3rd, 8 pm, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).

A new group has just formed to oppose the 40-apartment, 5-parking-space building proposed for that site at 4439 41st SW in The Junction. We’ve written about it twice in the past four weeks – first, here, when we discovered March 4th that the original townhouse proposal for the site had morphed into an apartment building, and then last week, when the comment period was extended. The group invites you to a meeting at 7 pm tomorrow (Friday, March 28th) at Holy Rosary:

Led by a group of neighbors, the newly formed group, Residents of the Junction will have a meeting to discuss apodments being built in our neighborhoods.

Neighbors in the Junction area of West Seattle are meeting Friday night, March 28, at 7:00 pm at Holy Rosary School’s meeting hall, located at 4142 42nd Avenue SW to rally support in blocking the development of 4439 41st Avenue SW, currently a single-family home, into an apodment complex with 40 – 300 square feet each- units and five parking spaces. (Project #3015444).

All in our community who are interested and/or affected by this, and other, development in our community are welcome to join us at the meeting.

The objectives of the community meeting are as follows:

· summarize the shared concerns to create a group letter/petition to the city (planning, council, Mayor, etc.).

· identify a critical path for the group to pursue, once the comment period is over.

· identify areas of expertise and resources within the group and assess what additional resources are needed.

· identify other neighborhood groups who have expertise in organizing opposition to over development of our neighborhoods.

· identify research for various group members to conduct and report at an agreed upon next meeting time.

If there is adequate response, it would be great to grow the size of the group through active recruiting and get the appropriate professional expertise to make the apod style development in our community infeasible.

One note – while the neighbors’ announcement refers to this as “apodments,” that’s a trademarked term for one brand of microhousing, and while this project is proposed as small apartments, so far as we can tell from the online plan set, they are not technically microhousing – they have individual kitchens.

Brand-new in the city’s building-permit application file: A microhousing building proposed for 3268 SW Avalon Way, next to the one that is being finished at 3266 Avalon, with the 35th/Avalon 7-11 on its other side. There’s a four-plex on the site now (top photo); documents available online say it will be replaced with what is described as a “new 7-unit apartment building with 56 sleeping suites.” The “7-unit” description would refer to shared kitchens – 8 sleeping rooms for every kitchen. A site plan on file adds one more line of description – a five-story building atop a “pedestal story.” At least one of the people listed on the documents visible so far, Randall Spaan, has been involved with other microhousing developments – including the one next door.

That image from Gatewood photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen captures in-the-works and relatively-new apartment projects in The Triangle area – in the foreground, the former “Hole,” now Spruce, which you might have noticed has risen above street level; in the background, newer projects including Link, which opened in 2011, and at the top-center of the photo, Nova (WSB sponsor), which started leasing in 2012. Those represent just a fraction of the 3,000+ apartments (by our ongoing calculations) that are under construction/on the drawing boards/newly finished, and some wonder why so much – here’s one answer: The vacancy rate remains low. According to this new report from Dupre & Scott – who specialize in “apartment market research and advice” – forwarded to us by a WSB reader, the “gross vacancy rate” in West Seattle right now is 4.5 percent. That’s lower than the Puget Sound-wide rate Dupre & Scott found, 5 percent.

More development notes tonight, starting with something of a followup to last Thursday’s public-comment meeting about the 6536 24th SW subdivision proposal (WSB coverage here):

Neighbors say that backhoe was dropped off at the site this morning; we went over to take that photo shortly after hearing about it. There are no current permits for work on the site, as you can see on the city webpage for the address. The site includes land the city considers an Environmentally Critical Area, so if anything is started, neighbors vow to call police. The site’s owner is asking the city for approval to split two lots into eight, and has drawn up plans to follow that up with single-family houses. As city planners told those in attendance Thursday night, they are still waiting for the owner’s replies to “correction” notices they have issued (all readable here). We first reported on the subdivision proposal back in December and about neighbors’ concerns in January.

Tonight’s other West Seattle development notes start with another backhoe sighting, this one WITH a permit:

Demolition is expected any day at 4808 SW Alaska, the 88-year-old house that was once Fraker’s Grocery and is now making way for a single-family house. We last wrote about it in December, and commenters shared memories; we had also featured the site in a then-and-now report six years ago.

OTHER TEARDOWNS: Looking at the city Department of Planning and Development‘s online files, a few other demolition permits have been filed for in the past week or so – one big, others smaller. Teardown/redevelopment activity is definitely on the rise for sites of all sizes:

4745 40TH SW: The ’80s-era office building here will be torn down to make way for the 135-apartment, 115-parking-space development that finished going through Design Review in December. Here’s the demolition-permit application.

4522 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Four houses are planned at this teardown site.

6780 48th SW: This 93-year-old house near Lowman Beach will be torn down and replaced with a new single-family house. Here’s the demolition-permit application.

6008 44TH SW: This 96-year-old Seaview house will be torn down and replaced with a new single-family house. Here’s the demolition-permit application.

8313 CALIFORNIA SW: A new single-family house is proposed to replace this 73-year-old Gatewood house.

RESEARCH TIP: If it’s not already in your bookmarks, this is the link to use to find out what if anything is proposed for any given address in Seattle.

Three development updates:

6900 BLOCK OF CALIFORNIA DEMOLITION: Three days ago, city published its land-use-permit-approval decision for the 30-apartments, no-parking project at 6917 California SW in south Morgan Junction. But the two houses torn down today (so far) are not for that site, but rather mostly (due to a lot-boundary adjustment) for the 4 townhouses and two single-family homes shown in city files as planned immediately north.

On to The Junction:

4439 41ST SW COMMENT EXTENSION: The Hope Lutheran Church/School community has been voicing concern about the 40-apartments, 5-parking-spaces proposal on the site above, which is across the alley from their campus, and the latest community update notes that the city has granted a two-week extension in the official comment period. (That’s always an option if requested before the original comment period on any proposal expires.) If you have something to say about the project, Bruce Rips is the assigned city planner, bruce.rips@seattle.gov.

CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE TOWNHOME-PROJECT UPDATE: The six townhouses proposed on the unofficial “park” site south of, and owned by, West Seattle Church of the Nazarene, now have an informational website, as announced by architect David Neiman, who says, “The website contains links to the plans and drawings that we showed at our neighborhood presentations, a project schedule, and a document outlining how the church intends to spend the proceeds from the development. We’ll be posting a draft of the proposed comp plan amendment by the end of the month, and we’ll post additional info as it develops.” The “comp(rehensive) plan amendment” refers to the zoning change required for the project to get approval; the “neighborhood presentations” include this one we video-recorded.

Looking for past WSB development coverage? It’s all archived here, newest to oldest.

(Renderings courtesy Nicholson-Kovalchick Architects)
Here’s your first look at the newest changes proposed for one of the most-scrutinized development proposals on the table right now in West Seattle. 3210 California SW is the 134-unit, 152-parking-space, ~450-foot-long mixed-use project proposed for most of the east side of a block-plus area upzoned in 2010. Intracorp‘s project has been before the Southwest Design Review Board four times, and board members are scheduled to consider it again on April 3rd, as reported here four weeks ago. Today, the project team has shared three new renderings and a summary of changes – including reduced height for part of the building, a key request by nearby neighbors, who have continued to challenge the city rules that wound up allowing a 5-story building in an area upzoned to a theoretical 4-story (40-foot) height limit:

Summary of Proposed Changes:

§ Reduced the north building by one floor. It’s now under the allowed height and zoning. This is also a reduction of 10 apartment units.

§ Reduced the quantity and the height of the stair and elevator penthouses.

§ Set back the top floor of the middle and south buildings by 4 feet from the three residential stories below.

§ Widened the gap between the three buildings to a minimum of 25 feet to allow for more natural light and reduce the massing. (formerly the minimum gap was at 19 feet)

§ Removed all the balconies facing the single family homes. Replaced them with Juliet balconies to allow the doors to open for natural ventilation. (Juliet balconies do not allow a person to step onto the balcony.)

§ Made the bridge more transparent to allow for natural light.

§ Varied the color of the window frames to further differentiate the three buildings, creating a tapestry rather than a uniformed look.

(North retail, street level)
§ Carried the brick material (in a different color) from the northern building to the middle building. This gives the middle building a finer, masonry look and resembles more of the California District character.

§ Added finer scale, smooth masonry face on the retail side of the south building and varied the storefront and other street level materials in order to compliment the character of California Avenue and the Admiral District.

(South residential, street level)
The project team will be submitting the full “design packet” for the April 3rd meeting (6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle, California/Oregon) before the week’s out.

2:16 PM UPDATE: The full packet is now linked from the city website – see it here.

This morning the decision is in from the city Department of Planning and Development – land-use approval for the 30-apartments, no-parking-spaces project at 6917 California SW (map), with DPD determining its “environmentally non-significance,” meaning the city will NOT require a full environmental-impact report. Read the decision here.

After we broke the news of the plan here last October, it drew citywide attention as another flashpoint of concern over increasing density adjacent to single-family neighborhoods – including commentary on its official sign:

Though the project was not planned for Design Review, three meetings were held in December – one with contextual information about the land-use process, one with developer Mark Knoll, a third with city planners, organized after they gathered enough signatures to ask DPD to call the meeting for comments. The decision document includes the results of planners’ review, including these paragraphs about the parking concern:

The proposed 30-unit apartment building proposes zero on-site vehicular parking spaces, and eight bicycle spaces in the basement of the structure. The subject site is within a multi-family zone, the Morgan Junction Residential Urban Village, and is within 1,320-feet of a street with “frequent transit service” (SMC 23.84A.038 “T”); therefore, there is no minimum requirement for on-site parking (SMC 23.54.015).

The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Parking Manual indicates that the residential use could generate peak demand for approximately 41 vehicle parking spaces (1.37 spaces per residential unit peak demand). However, these estimates are generated based on data collected from suburban sites, with typical market-sized residential units. The proposed development consists entirely of studio sized residential units that are approximately 220 square feet in size, located in a dense neighborhood with frequent transit and opportunity for walking and biking to nearby services. It is reasonable to expect that the actual peak parking demand from this project would be less than 41 spaces. As is typical with residential projects, the peak parking demand is expected to occur during late evening and overnight hours.

To better understand the impacts of this development, the applicant submitted a Parking Demand and Parking Utilization Study (William Popp Associates, January 22, 2014). This study estimates the parking demand for this use, and evaluates the existing availability of on-street parking in the area. What the study finds is that this apartment building will likely generate a parking demand of approximately 15 vehicles (0.5 per unit), and that these vehicles can be accommodated on the street as the study area has a late evening parking utilization rate of 55% (282 legal on-street spaces with 156 vehicles parked). The expected 15 project-related vehicles would increase the on-street utilization rate to 61%.

The decision can be appealed to the city Hearing Examiner; deadline is two weeks from today, March 31st. Meantime, demolition and construction permits are pending.

Two West Seattle Junction development notes:

CALIFORNIA/ALASKA/42ND CRANE UP: No, you weren’t seeing double. Two cranes are now up in one square block. The newest – in the foreground of the photo above – is for Equity Residential‘s two-building project at California/Alaska/42nd. That’s just a bit north of the one that’s been up since September for 4730 California. The new crane is rooted just east of the alley that splits its site:

The Equity project will total ~200 apartments with ~270 underground parking spaces. In all, there are now four cranes up in West Seattle – these two, the one over Spruce (formerly “The Hole”) at Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th, and the one for The Blake at 5020 California, which likely won’t be up much longer, as the building has topped out.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Back to the 4730 California project, next Friday (March 14th) its “Level 2” concrete slab will be poured, and the general contractor Compass Construction says that means a lane closure:

Northbound California Avenue SW will be closed during the pour from SW Edmunds Street to SW Alaska St. Uniformed police officers will direct traffic around the closure. The pour starts at 7:00 am and should last about 6 hours. We have the 17th reserved as a backup day. The midblock crosswalk will remain open during the pour.

This project is owned by The Wolff Company.

(Harbor Ave-facing view of project team’s preferred ‘massing’)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Rare words of praise from the Southwest Design Review Board for the second project given its first review last night, 3257/3303 Harbor SW (map).

Both board members and two regular citizen commenters lauded Public47 Architects for an Early Design Guidance presentation that actually included divergent options for the project’s potential “massing” (size/shape), instead of paying little more than visual lip service to the requirement of offering options.

The project involves what are technically two adjacent sites separated by a 23-foot-wide “unimproved right of way” on which they mention an opportunity for public stairs. (There’s another unimproved right of way just north of the site, too.) We had made note of this site a few years back because it was previously owned by fugitive real-estate investor Michael Mastro (who also had owned what are now The Residences at 3295, a mile up the hill at 35th/Avalon). It then went into foreclosure, and was bought by new, unrelated owners who are behind this plan.

The proposal comes amid a mini-boom of projects along West Seattle’s northern waterfront, along Harbor and Alki Avenues; we reported earlier this week on new details of what’s in the works for the ex-Alki Tavern site, and one of last month’s Design Review meetings focused on the Alki Landing project at 59th/Alki.

Now, on to the details of last night’s presentation and decisionmaking:

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(North side of 1606 California SW; design concept by Roger Newell AIA Architects)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In the front end of tonight’s Southwest Design Review Board doubleheader, board members agreed that a residential project proposed for 1606 California SW in North Admiral, first mentioned here last October, deserved Early Design Guidance approval on its first try.

Architect Roger Newell says the project is envisioned to include 14 to 20 units, on a lot now occupied by two structures, on the southeast corner of California SW and SW Seattle. It’s zoned Lowrise 3, just west of a stretch of single-family-home zoning; that means 30 feet, with some extra height under certain conditions. He showed four possibilities for the site, detailed in its “design packet.”

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Another apartment project has surfaced in The Junction. We noticed the site, 4439 41st SW (map), last year, when eight townhouses were in the works (here’s that now-superseded proposal). Now, updated online records describe a different project making its way through the city Department of Planning and Development — a three-stories-plus-basement, ~40-apartment, 5-parking-space building, to replace a century-old home on an 8,600-square-foot lot. The land-use application was just filed Monday, so the formal notice will likely be in the Thursday Land Use Information Bulletin, but the project already has drawn public comments, some centering on its proximity to Hope Lutheran Church/School across the alley to its west, and the major increase in density around the church’s site – it’s kitty-corner from the proposed 50-unit 4505 42nd SW, north of the opening-soon 90-unit Oregon 42 apartments, and east of the proposed 80-unit Junction Flats apartments.