West Seattle, Washington
30 Sunday
The newest Junction development proposal we’ve found in city online files isn’t a total surprise. The site is 4800 40th SW, now in the city system with an early-stage proposal for a four-story mixed-use building. The site is currently home to Bella Mente Preschool, which – as reported here two months ago – is moving to a new location (6007 California SW) after losing its lease because the site was to be sold and developed.
The site is in the vicinity of a sizable amount of future development. It is kitty-corner from the 150-unit 4745 40th SW project that appears to be starting soon, with heavy equipment and temporary power on site; it’s south across Edmunds from the parking lot of the Masonic Center, which itself is bordered on two sides by the future development The Whittaker.
This new proposal at 4800 40th SW, with an early filing just last week, has a site plan in online files showing only its ground floor so far – residential units facing 40th, live-work units facing Edmunds, a lobby on the 40th/Edmunds corner, and parking off its east-side alley. City files show the same prospective developer/architect team as 4745 40th SW, Alliance and Encore.
They’ve met with the city, and with the developer. Next step: Meet with you. While pursuing an appeal of city decisions about the 30-apartment, no-offstreet-parking plan at 6917 California SW in Morgan Junction, “a small group of neighbors has continued to advocate for possible solutions with the Department of Planning and Development and the developer,” and invites you to hear and talk about what’s next. Their invitation: “Come to this meeting to hear updates and vote on some proposed mitigation solutions for our community!” The meeting is set for 7 pm Thursday (May 15th) at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW. Neighbors’ appeal hearing is still on the schedule too, rescheduled for May 20th (9 am, Hearing Examiner‘s chambers at the Municipal Tower, 700 5th Avenue downtown).
(Top clip is the first hour, second clip picks up a few minutes later for final half-hour after our card change)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
As with most recent neighbor-petitioned comment meetings for West Seattle development proposals, last night’s meeting about the 40-apartment, 5-parking-space 4439 41st SW project (first reported here in March) included a big-picture component.
After the hearing’s Department of Planning and Development point person, Bruce Rips, began by saying he does planning on current projects, he also introduced Geoff Wendlandt as a colleague looking at “long-range policies.” While Rips is a fairly frequent West Seattle visitor as designated planner for multiple projects, Wendlandt was last seen here during the neighbor-petitioned meeting for 3210 California. He pointed attendees to the city website for background information including current zoning and future changes in the multifamily zoning code.
Rips continued: “This project, unlike those I’m usually (here for), doesn’t have a design-review component – Geoff will probably touch on that as well. … But it does trigger what’s called the State Environmental Protection Act. … My department made its initial reviews of the project.” He mentioned correction letters sent to the applicant, often from concerns raised in community comments sent to the Department of Planning and Development. They haven’t heard back yet from the developer yet, on correction notices sent a month ago, he said
Next, Wendlandt spoke. “There’s a lot of development happening here as you know … a lot of cranes in The Junction. It may seem .. like development’s happening very fast, very haphazardly, but we do want to say to you there’s a plan for where development can occur – that’s the City’s comprehensive plan … which (outlines) where development can occur over time.” He talks about its background, and how The Junction is designated a Hub Urban Village, which “allows single-family neighborhoods to stay single-family neighborhoods.” Fremont, Ballard, Lake City, North Rainier are other “hub urban villages” around the city, he says. He notes that the Comprehensive Plan update process dubbed “Seattle 2035“ is under way and encourages people to participate. (A West Seattle open house about it last month was sparsely attended.)
He explained that this project is in a “low-rise multifamily zone,” which generally means areas between commercial cores and single-family neighborhoods. He mentions the 2010 changes to low-rise multi-family zones, “to allow a little more flexibility,” specifically in the townhouse-development area. And he mentiond the low-rise development zoning changes that are under way now “to make sure we’re getting the outcome we expected. He said “the growth that’s occurring in The Junction is consistent with (the current city plan) and if you don’t agree, (get involved with the Comprehensive Plan changes).”
One attendee asked if the presence of a business improvement area (such as the West Seattle Junction Association) would have any effect on zoning, particularly in this case related to businesses and where their employees park.
Then, it was on to the community comments.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In their fifth year at 7514 35th SW in Sunrise Heights, the owners of Red Star Pizza are looking for a new home.
Co-proprietor Mike Supino tells WSB they’ve been told they’ll have to clear out by year’s end, if not sooner, because the site’s owners are selling the property. No sale is on record with the county so far, but there’s an early-stage redevelopment proposal for a three-story medical building, described in city files as an “eye clinic.” Documents filed with the city in the past week further describe the project as a 13,000-square-foot clinic, with 1,460 square feet of retail and “more parking than required by city code” – 15 spaces are proposed in a garage, up to 51 on the surface, and the project proponents are hoping to keep it accessible from 35th, though current city codes usually encourage parking access from alleys.
Supino identified the future clinic owner as West Seattle Highline Eye Clinic, and one of the city documents indeed lists that firm as the applicant; The architect for the project, PB Architects, also worked on the clinic’s current space in Westwood Village. We sought comment from the clinic; our message for its owners has yet to be returned.
The site-plan documents indicate the project does not involve the building housing John’s Corner Deli, but that at least two residential structures on the property would be demolished, as would the small retail building housing Red Star.
Supino and wife Shannon Cross opened Red Star in fall 2009, after buying what had been Pizza Time. They had been operating a pizza shop under the Red Star name in the Pierce County town of Lakewood before that. Supino says they’d appreciate any leads on a suitable new spot; they’ve been looking but haven’t found a workable site yet.
More than a year before they opened the shop in 2009, the site was listed for sale, as reported here, along with the co-owned parcels north to Webster. It’s all zoned NC-40, which means buildings up to four stories (depending on the grade). Records show the owner has held the deli site on the corner for almost 30 years, and the south part of the site, where Red Star is, since 2006.
Thanks for the tips today that the first city land-use-permit-application signs have gone up on the future Aegis Living (former Life Care Center) site at 47th/Admiral/Waite. We’ve been reporting on Aegis’s purchase and plans for the site since last fall, including a conversation with its CEO last November and most recently, back in February, the company’s official announcement that it plans a new complex with 76 assisted-living and memory-care units. The land-use application that is now filed, leading to the signage that just went up, is NOT for the new complex, but rather, just for demolition of the existing building. Formal notice hasn’t yet been published in the twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin (the next one will be sent on Thursday), so there’s no comment deadline yet.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: We reported the bottom line of this meeting briefly last Thursday night; this is the detailed report of how the Design Review Board reached the decision.)
(Above, “preferred” massing as proposed at meeting; below, project site)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Usually, a design-review meeting starts with an explanation of the process.
Thursday night, the Early Design Guidance meeting for 3211 California SW started with a relocation, as the 20-plus board members and attendees were forced out of the usual venue, the Senior Center of West Seattle, due to what was described as a “natural-gas issue.”
Southwest Design Review Board member T. Frick McNamara offered her shop a block south, Bin 41, as an emergency-substitute venue.
With a projection screen against the front window, the board behind the front counter, and attendees in folding chairs, it worked, aside from acoustics. (The air conditioning helped, too, given the unseasonably weather that night.) Behind the window covering and across the street, an under-construction project approved many board members ago, at California/Alaska/42nd.
Two more unusual points even before the change of venue: This also was the first single-project meeting in a while, and it was the last scheduled SWDRB meeting till further notice, as the flow of larger projects has slowed down, and if there’s no project scheduled to be reviewed, the all-volunteer board doesn’t meet.
On to 3211 California SW (design “packet” here):
6:58 PM: If anyone feels like they need some wine after tonight’s Southwest Design Review Board meeting, they’ll be in the right place. The meeting had to relocate out of the Senior Center of West Seattle due to what was described as a “natural-gas issue,” and is now convening, about half an hour late, at Bin 41, the wine shop co-owned by board member T. Frick McNamara about a block south. Separate story later tonight about the meeting, but we thought we’d mention it in case you were planning on dropping in on the meeting – just one project tonight, the 67-residential-unit building proposed for 3211 California SW.
8:49 PM: The delayed, relocated meeting ends with a decision to send the project back for a second round of Early Design Guidance. Full story to be published separately later.
This Saturday, a Feet First-presented “Jane’s Walk” presents a look at development in and around The Junction and The Triangle – on foot, with veteran walking ambassadors and WS residents Timothy Lowry and Bryan Fiedorczyk. FF explains the Jane’s Walk concept here: “The walks get people to explore their cities, connect with neighbors, and learn new information about their communities.” Over the course of up to 3 miles – heading out from the Charlestown water tower (map) at 10 am – you’ll hear and talk about the past, present and future. RSVP here!
Announced this morning: The city has set the date for a public-comment meeting on 4439 41st SW, the 40-apartment, five-parking-space project that has drawn opposition from neighbors including nearby schools and churches. Today’s Land Use Information Bulletin includes the official notice of the meeting – 7 pm Thursday, May 8th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). The project did not require a meeting, as it’s not subject to Design Review, but the community can request one on a project by collecting at least 50 petition signatures. Petitions were circulated after an organizational meeting three weeks ago (WSB coverage here). This is the same type of meeting held in recent months for projects including 6536 24th SW in March, 3210 California SW in February, and 4535 44th SW in November.
(Option 3 from design packet for 4505 42nd SW)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The second project seen by the Southwest Design Review Board in their 3 1/2-hour-plus Thursday night meeting was, like the first one, coming back for a second round of Early Design Guidance – that’s the stage in which the proposal is seen for general properties such as size and shape. Unlike the first one (3824 California SW, covered here), this one – 4505 42nd SW – got the go-ahead to move to the second stage of Design Review.
For this project, Steve Fischer of NK Architects presented the revised design proposal. The site, 6,900 square feet, is across an alley from the Senior Center of West Seattle, where the meeting was held.
(The “massing” options shown tonight for 3824 California SW, whose architects have to try again)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
3824 California has never had it easy before the Southwest Design Review Board.
Seven years ago, when a standalone Petco store was proposed on the site, the project died after its first two Early Design Guidance proposals were shot down, and the Charlestown Café stayed open three more years before closing in 2011.
Now, the first post-café development proposal for 3824 California SW – a ~30-townhome/live-work-unit project – has been ordered to come back for a third round of Early Design Guidance, meaning it will appear before the board at least four times before, if, it gains approval to move ahead..
Here’s how EDG round two unfolded tonight (here’s the design packet that was used for most of the review):
Two projects return to the Southwest Design Review Board tomorrow night at the Senior Center of West Seattle, and the revised design proposals for both are now publicly previewable:
REVISED DESIGN FOR EX-CHARLESTOWN CAFE SITE: At 6:30 pm, it’s the second Early Design Guidance meeting for 3824 California SW; board members asked the team for the 30-unit (townhouses and live-work units) project to give it another try (here’s our report on the first meeting in January). The rendering above is the “preferred” option proposed by the architects, Caron, the third of these three “massing” options:
You can see the full “design packet” by going here – again, remember, this is the “Early Design Guidance” stage, which means they are just proposing size and shape, and that’s why you don’t see other potential design details.
REVISED DESIGN FOR 4505 42ND SW: At 8 pm tomorrow, this Junction project also is returning for a second round of Early Design Guidance (our report on the first meeting in January is here). The changes in this one involve size as well as shape:
On a site zoned for up to 8 stories, what started as a 7-story proposal is now down to 6, and 45 apartments (five fewer than previously proposed), with 17 parking spaces, and 4,300 square feet of retail. See the full “design packet” by going here.
P.S. Both of these projects are among the dozens on our finally-updated map of West Seattle development projects under construction/on the drawing boards/recently completed. See it here.
If you’re concerned about development, it might be “the city department you love to hate” – the city Department of Planning and Development. Land use, zoning, permitting, reviewing – all under the DPD’s umbrella. You’re invited to tomorrow night’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting to hear from and talk with three DPD reps AND a community expert on grass-roots land-use research/activism. DNDC chair Mat McBride asked us to share the agenda :
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014 – 7:00 pm7:10 p.m. Seattle 2035 – Patrice Carroll and Nicolas Welch, Department of Planning and Development
7:40 p.m. Pedestrian zones – Aly Pennucci, Department of Planning and Development
8:00 p.m. North Delridge Community Development Action Plan – David Goldberg, Department of Planning and Development
8:20 p.m. (What citizens should know, from a grass-roots perspective) – Cindi Barker
The DNDC includes reps from community councils and other orgs around eastern West Seattle, but you’re welcome no matter where in the area you’re from. If you are researching development in your own neighborhood, Cindi Barker’s information might be particularly helpful. Tomorrow’s meeting is at 7 pm in room 106 at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
Back on Friday, we reported on the official debut of the city’s proposed rules for (including a definition of) microhousing, when the legislation showed up on the City Council’s Introduction and Referral Calendar. Today, another online city publication, the Land Use Information Bulletin, brings news of the public hearing required before a vote can be held: 5:30 pm Monday, May 19th, in the City Council chambers at City Hall downtown. Here’s the hearing notice, including a summary of the proposed rules (which you can read in full here) and details on how to comment if you can’t make it to the hearing. The rules would not affect any of the projects already making their way through the city system. (WSB photo: First West Seattle microhousing project to open, Footprint Delridge)
The proposed city rules about microhousing are officially on their way to the City Council. From the council’s Introduction and Referral Calendar for next week, see the council bill here. Among other things, it sets the threshold for Design Review, by “dwelling unit” (which usually equals one floor with a common kitchen and multiple “sleeping rooms”) – four in a Neighborhood Commercial zone, eight in a Low Rise zone. It includes the definition of a “micro”:
“Micro” means a room or rooms located within a micro-housing unit that includes a sleeping room and has all of the following characteristics:
a. contains 285 square feet or less of net floor area, including abutting ancillary areas such as a private bathroom, closets or a sleeping loft;
b. contains a bathroom with a toilet, bathing facility, and sink;
c. does not contain a food preparation area or kitchen; and
d. no toilet, bathing facility or sink is located outside of the bathroom.
It also spells out “a microhousing unit is not a single-family dwelling unit and is not a permitted use in single-family zones.” Regarding parking, while one space would be required for every four sleeping rooms in some areas, the proposal does not change the current standard of no parking required if “frequent transit” is no more than a quarter-mile away. The proposed rules have been in the works for months; they will go first to the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee.
SIDE NOTE: West Seattle has one microhousing project that recently opened, another almost complete, and at least three others in the works, as shown on the development-tracking map we finished and published earlier this week.
(At left, California-facing front of project, from plan set filed with city; at right, front of Northeast Seattle project that developer says it’s based on)
A hearing has just been scheduled before the city Hearing Examiner for the neighbors appealing the land-use permit granted for the 6917 California SW project – three stories, 30 apartments, no offstreet parking. The group calling itself Morgan Neighbors filed an appeal after the approval was announced last month, and they are set to take it to the Hearing Examiner at 9 am Tuesday, May 6th. The grounds for appeal are summarized on a document in the appeal file as “inadequacy of review of project by the Department of Planning and Development.” In these types of hearings, city policy says, it’s up to the appellant to prove why the city’s decision was wrong; the public is welcome to attend the hearing, to be held in the examiner’s chambers on the 40th floor of the city Municipal Tower downtown. The developer owns three lots including and adjacent to the site; two have already been cleared for work to start on smaller units.
6:07 PM: Just under way at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), the first West Seattle meeting/open house in the Seattle 2035 planning process. As explained on the city website:
In 1994, Seattle’s first Comprehensive Plan was passed with the idea of creating Urban Villages. This strategy designated certain neighborhoods as Urban Centers or Urban Villages and encouraged new housing, jobs, and transit towards these centers. Our goal was to make neighborhoods where people could easily walk, bike, or ride transit to get to work, go out to eat, or buy groceries. By concentrating growth in this way we also were able to more efficiently provide services and proactively plan for the future.
The Seattle 2035 update will look at current growth projections and present different scenarios to the public on how we can adapt the Urban Villages strategy to leverage growth to the benefit of the city. We will be looking at things like where Seattleites live, where we work, how we get around the city, do we have enough public services, are there equal opportunities for every community, and how to protect our environment.
Be part of it. Stop by Youngstown before 8 pm. Here’s how else to have a say.
6:38 PM: At the meeting right now – it’s VERY casual.
Easels around the Youngstown theater, a table with some literature, a few city people to answer your questions, big pads to write your thoughts on. Transportation mobility/accessibility is a big topic. And of course this isn’t JUST for West Seattleites – as we’re reminded, noting that one piece of paper includes a comment about Ballard (“Density in Ballard is great, but worried about the ‘canyon’ on Market St.”).
P.S. Youngstown’s director David Bestock was at the meeting and suggested we check out the youth-music showcase next door.
It was the Totem Star program’s Spring Mixer + Open Mic. Sounded great! As for the meeting – still a trickle of turnout by the time we left; here are the three alternatives the city is mulling as it prepares an environmental-impact statement as the first outcome of this process. Consider letting them know what you think.
For those asking about “the big picture,” we’ve been promising for a LONG time to update the WSB map of planned (and recently completed) West Seattle development, and after a few weeks of on-and-off work have just finished it today, which happens to be the same day as the Seattle 2035 first West Seattle open house, an opportunity to start having a say in the city’s future planning – whatever you think about what’s happening (or not happening) right now, whatever you think about what should happen (or not) in the future.
What you see above are markers for every planned/under construction/almost done/recently opened (within the past year) development of 15 units or more that we know of – via the city Department of Planning and Development‘s maps and project pages, via our coverage of projects as they go through Design Review, via what’s under construction now, and so on. We count 3,272 units (of multiple types). If you find something wrong or missing, please let us know! We have a side story or two in the works. We recommend viewing the map full-page on the Google Maps site, which you can do by clicking the little blue link beneath it (or go here). The markers overlap in the Junction/Triangle/Avalon areas, so you have to zoom in if you want to see them all in the version above. As with any G-map, you can also grab it and pan around.
Meantime, if you missed it in our West Seattle Wednesday daily-highlights list, get the info here about tonight’s Seattle 2035 open house – 6-8 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW.
Another side note: Two of our fellow online-neighborhood-news publications have published similar maps for their neighborhoods. Just in case you’re interested, we’re linking them here:
*Capitol Hill development (from capitolhillseattle.com)
*Northeast Seattle development (from ravennablog.com)
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 am, the City Council’s Transportation Committee revisits the “alley vacation” request for 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW, the mixed-use project now named The Whittaker. Four weeks have passed since March 11, when the committee held the required-by-law public hearing but decided to postpone a vote until some questions could be answered (WSB as-it-happened coverage here). While tomorrow’s meeting is not an official public hearing, it will begin with a public-comment session. Meantime, six West Seattleites sent City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the committee, one more plea not to advance the alley vacation, and detailed concerns about the project and process. It is in essence their response to his response to those who sent him comments and concerns, as reported here on March 14th.
RE: ALLEY VACATION PETITION FOR THE 4755 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL
Dear Councilmember Rasmussen:
Thank you for the explanation of your analysis of the proposed development at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW in West Seattle. We appreciate the time you took to listen and respond to community inquiries about this proposal. We continue to be concerned about several aspects of this proposal presented during public testimony by the developer and others that appear to be in error. This letter is sent to ensure that the record is accurate and that our concerns are appropriately considered.
Triangle Plan – First, we want to make it clear, we are not opposed to redevelopment of this site within the applicable zoning code requirements. We also feel strongly about adherence to the Triangle Plan because this is a legacy decision that our community will live with for 50 to 75 years (at a minimum). The community, including residents, businesses owners, and other interested parties, dedicated significant time and effort to making the Triangle Plan the best guidance possible for the life of the planning area. Attached is an analysis of concerns we have with the proposed development’s compliance with the Triangle Plan in Exhibit A – Triangle Plan.
Public Benefit – We understand the alley vacation is not a “giving” of the public right-of-way to the property owner, but a market rate sale. We hold that public property is a limited resource that should not be sold or otherwise transferred out of public ownership without substantial public benefit being achieved. To that end, we sought, without success, a Community Benefit Agreement with the developer that would establish terms of the benefits accruing to the community from such transfer. We remain concerned that some of the benefits identified by the developer to justify the alley vacation are standard requirements under the Seattle Municipal Code and should not, therefore, be counted toward the benefit required for vacating public right-of-way. Please see the full discussion in Exhibit B – Public Benefit.
Community Outreach – Members of the community have been actively involved in the review of this project since first presented in 2012. We appreciate that the developer made presentations at meetings with the community. We are concerned that on Page 5 of the developers March 11, 2014 presentation to the Transportation Committee, many of the Community Outreach Meetings listed with a particular group actually involved only one or two members associated with that group. Further, the meetings were held in conjunction with members of other groups. The developer has by accident or design overstated their outreach to the West Seattle community. This is important because it may appear that a particular group or board has supported the project, when in reality that group or board never saw a presentation. Please see full discussion in Exhibit C – Community Outreach.
Traffic Impacts – We also are concerned about the lack of a more robust traffic analysis for the retail component. In May of 2013, we submitted to the Seattle Design Commission (SDC) the attached pictures and vehicle counts of actual delivery truck traffic patterns and conflicts associated with the Whole Foods located in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood. We also provided the SDC with a copy of the USDOT/WSDOT-sponsored study of truck traffic at Puget Sound grocery stores, which showed that even at conventional grocery stores, freight deliveries are much more frequent than project proponents assume. We ask that you look carefully at these highly relevant comparisons because they do not comport with the traffic analysis relied on by the Seattle Department of Transportation in making its recommendations to the City Council on this development. There is also additional analysis available from work done by Ross Tilghman, P.E, who is now a member of the Seattle Design Commission. Please see Exhibit D – Traffic Impacts.
Review Process – Much has been made of the project reviews before the Southwest Design Review Board (SWDRB) and the Seattle Design Commission. We attended all of the public meetings and we believe that these reviews were much more tentative than characterized in public testimony. The SWDRB was not unanimous in its final approval. The SDC conditionally approved the vacation, and had scheduled an administrative review of a key design condition prior to the alley vacation hearing. But that review was cancelled purportedly because the developers were not ready to provide updated plans. This is consistent with what happened to the public as this proposal moved forward, i.e., the chance for public review continually shifted, and our comment opportunities diminished. Please see Exhibit E – Review Process.
Finally, we believe the inaccuracies and insufficiencies in the public record are enough to ask the City Council to pause in its deliberations. Pretty drawings and clever naming does not change a poor development into a good one. If this developer has the staying power to do a development that provides the legacy and cornerstone project the West Seattle community is looking for, there is no need to rush this forward. We believe there are sufficient reasons to hit the pause button and make sure the record is clear and correct before you proceed.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
West Seattle Residents:
Deb Barker
Rene Commons
James Guenther
Elena Perez
Shawn Terjeson
Diane Rose VincentC: Seattle City Council
Mayor Ed MurrayExhibits: Exhibit A – Triangle Plan
Exhibit B – Public Benefit
Exhibit C – Community Outreach
Exhibit D – Traffic Impacts
Exhibit E – Review Process
Much of the major development happening now is the result of zoning decisions made more than a decade ago. Changes, Mayor Murray suggested in his recent WSB interview and again at the Westside Awards breakfast last Thursday, are most likely to be made as a result of the Seattle 2035 comprehensive-plan-review process that’s just begun. While the first official West Seattle open house/meeting is Wednesday night, the Southwest District Council got a preview this past week. The SWDC also took further steps toward forming a West Seattle-wide Land Use Committee to seek early, public looks at major development proposals, as happens in other Seattle neighborhoods. Details ahead:
“This has the potential to be a really, really good project,” Southwest Design Review Board chair Laird Bennion told the architects of 1307 Harbor SW, as the board approved its Early Design Guidance proposal on first look during the second part of last night’s SWDRB doubleheader at the Senior Center of West Seattle.
Keep in mind, Early Design Guidance is just for the project’s “massing” – size and shape – and that’s what’s reflected above. Meeting details ahead:
(South residential, street level)
The 134-unit, 152-parking-space, ~450-foot-long building at 3210 California SW was presented to the Southwest Design Review Board tonight for the fifth time – and this time, the board voted to recommend approval. Here’s how it unfolded:
PROJECT TEAM PRESENTATION: Boyd Pickrell from Nicholson Kovalchick Architects said he wanted to “laser in” on the points that were brought up at the fourth meeting, and the architects’ response. He showed off, first, the massing changes – height/bulk/scale. “The big move here is that we have eliminated the top floor of the north building,” he said. That “creates stairstepping of roof lines along California,” he added.
It’s been a busy morning so no “West Seattle Thursday” preview today (see the full calendar here), but here’s a reminder about tonight’s Southwest Design Review Board meeting at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon), involving two sizable projects:
(Rendering courtesy Nicholson-Kovalchick Architects)
6:30 PM – 3210 CALIFORNIA SW (map)
This is the fifth meeting for the block-long 134-unit, 152-parking-space, ~450-foot-long mixed-use project in the south Admiral area. Two weeks ago, we published an update with news of changes made in the project since the last meeting, including a one-story (and 10-apartment) reduction on the north end of the building plan. The full design packet is here; our report on the last Design Review meeting is here.
8 PM – 1307 HARBOR SW (map)
This is the first Design Review meeting for this mixed-use project on 7 parcels including the former site of the Alki Tavern. Here’s the design packet, as linked in our report one week ago when it, and new project details, became available online, including these listed “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
Both meetings will include time for public comment, as always.
P.S. A new member joins the board tonight – as mentioned in our coverage of the most-recent meeting last month, term limits (two 2-year terms maximum) forced Myer Harrell to leave the board; Matt Zinski should be on hand for his first meeting tonight.
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