(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.

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.

(Rendering by Atelier Drome)

Two years after its final approval from the Southwest Design Review Board, the 7-story mixed-use project planned for 4448 California SW in The Junction just got a key city land-use approval. Publication of the decision (read it here) opens a two-week appeal period (explained in this notice). The city description of the building includes a mix of 43 apartments and an unspecified number of “hotel” units, plus commercial space, with no offstreet parking. The development team is the same one that’s built the almost-complete 3405 Harbor SW apartment building and is constructing the 9201 Delridge Way SW mixed-use building – Housing Diversity Corporation, STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor), and Atelier Drome. The building currently on the site is partly vacant; West Seattle Coworking maintains an auxiliary space there (though their main location is at 9030 35th SW). We have a message out to the project team to ask about the project’s timeline.

ADDED FRIDAY: Their reply – “We’re looking at Q4 but still finalizing the timeline.”

Two years after having West Seattle’s first ceremonial apartment-development groundbreaking in eight years, the partnership of STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor) and Housing Diversity Corporation had another one today. This time, the project is already under way, but they decided to take a few minutes to celebrate anyway. The project they heralded in 2022, at 3405 Harbor Avenue SW, is almost complete; this one is at 9201 Delridge Way SW, and its foundation is taking shape.

The five-story building is going up on a former auto-shop site on the south side of Delridge/20th/Barton; on the north side, STS already has two properties, Blue Stone and Livingstone, both mixed use – the early-learning facility Bella Mente is in Blue Stone, while STS’s company headquarters are in Livingstone. The new project, Keystone, will have 4,000 square feet of commercial space as well as 74 apartments. All speakers at today’s ceremony talked about the challenges of getting a project going amid a difficult financing environment; STS Construction’s Craig Haveson said he and his wife Mara Haveson first invested in the area 17 years ago, and he’s always believed in its potential.

His parents Rena and Paul, wife Mara, and kids Scarlett and Colton were there to join in the celebration, including the ceremonial shovel-turning:

Speakers also included Housing Diversity CEO Brad Padden, who has built more than 2,800 apartments in the Northwest and Southern California; he said the intent of this project, and the heart of his business, is to provide more middle-income housing.

Architect Michelle Linden of Atelier Drome echoed the dedication to affordability, saying that people who grew up in this area deserve to be able to stay in this area:

Too soon to say what the rents will be, as completion is more than a year away, but the goal is for the apartments to be affordable to people making 80 percent of the Area Median Income or less; 15 of the units will be rent-restricted via the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption program. Linden noted that the site on which attendees gathered for this afternoon’s ceremony will be a mini-plaza when Keystone is done. The site had proposals under earlier ownership, including a storage facility, but this is the one that finally went through. Meantime, STS and HDC are partners in other future West Seattle developments, including 4448 California SW in The Junction and 17th/Roxbury (which underwent some demolition recently, but that was for safety reasons, not because construction was imminent).

FINANCIAL PARTNERS: Since much was made of the challenges of securing financing for projects right now, here’s who is involved in this project, according to a project-overview infosheet – senior lender First Fed, with a $5 million loan; Nuveen Green Capital as Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency (C-PACER) lender, loaning $9.74 million; and Citizen Mint, raising $5.18 million of equity.

An old house goes down, three new ones go up. City zoning allows that now, and will soon incorporate a new state law allowing four units on most lots. And as more homes are built, more people are moving here to live in them. How will our city evolve over the next 20 years, both for those of us here now and those coming to join us? West Seattle Realty (2715 California SW; WSB sponsor) hosts a discussion on Tuesday night with West Seattle architect and advocate Matt Hutchins, and you’re invited – here’s the announcement:

Opening the door for middle housing:
A look at the future of Seattle neighborhoods.

Seattle can expect to be a city of one million residents by 2040 and is undergoing a comprehensive planning process to guide that growth. If you are interested in what Seattle might look like in twenty years or what are the immediate impacts and opportunities, join local architect Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD in a virtual tour of how our neighborhoods are most likely to grow in the future.

In addition to designing creative urban infill development, Hutchins is a housing advocate, policy wonk, sustainable building expert and Seattle Planning Commissioner.

No RSVP or admission charge – just show up at 6 pm Tuesday (June 18).

Four development notes this afternoon:

5249 CALIFORNIA: We noticed new signage today at this long-mostly-idle site just south of the past-and-possibly-future Ephesus: “New Homes Coming Soon!” A check of city files shows that permits are still under review for the latest proposal here, two 3-story buildings with nine townhouses, same project we last mentioned in early 2023. The website for J&T Development, which bought the site two years ago, says the units will all be 3 bedrooms, 3 baths.

3507 SW WEBSTER: This 4-story townhouse project, replacing a 2-story building, is in the “early design review” stage and a community survey closes after tomorrow (Monday, May 27). Project information is on a webpage the developers set up here; the survey is here.

2236 ALKI SW: This site also has a townhouse project in “early design review,” and an outreach webpage set up by the developers. It says they’re planning a community “site walk” for Q&A and info, 4-6 pm on Thursday, June 6.

ADMIRAL CHURCH AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP: Also coming up, Homestead Community Land Trust and Admiral Church plan an update meeting at the church (4320 SW Hill) 2-4 pm next Sunday (June 2) with “concepts” for their affordable-homeownership project. (Here’s our most-recent coverage.)

Toward the end of last week’s West Seattle bonus briefing on the draft of the future-growth “roadmap” One Seattle Plan, an attendee asked city reps if they could extend the comment deadline (which was yesterday). No promises were made. But today, the city just announced it’s giving you two more weeks. So if you have something to say about the plan – an update on how the city wants to see growth handled over the next 20 years – you now have until 5 pm Monday, May 20. Here’s a link to the draft plan; here’s the city’s overview; here’s our first report from March on some West Seattle highlights; here’s our report from April on the official West Seattle open house; here’s our report on last week’s WS briefing. Two ways to offer your feedback: via the city’s Engagement Hub, or via email, OneSeattleCompPlan@seattle.gov.

(King County Assessor’s Office photo, mid-2010s)

Back in December, we reported on the latest in a somewhat long line of development proposals for vacant parcels grouped under the address 3257 Harbor Avenue SW. An early-stage proposal in city files at the time suggested that developer Bode was exploring a 115-unit project. Now it’s turned up on the city’s Early Outreach for Design Review website, described as a much-larger size – eight stories, “approximately 308 dwelling units.” However, on the Bode website, the project (under an adjacent address, 3303 Harbor SW) is listed as 220 apartments, and other city files still suggest 115 units. Bode designs, builds, and manages its own projects; it already has two in West Seattle, 75 apartments at 2222 SW Barton and 115 apartments at 3050 SW Avalon Way. We’re contacting them in hopes they will clarify the 3257 Harbor plan.

(Photos courtesy Housing Diversity Corporation)

The new 115-apartment complex at 3405 Harbor Avenue SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge, is close to completion. The developers at Housing Diversity Corporation shared “our first photos of 3405 Harbor against the Seattle skyline,” taken via drone, now that part of the scaffolding has been removed.

HDC’s Alex Thompson tells WSB the complex has a name: Harbor Flats. It’s on track for opening in June; we covered its groundbreaking in March 2022. Final-stage work includes installation of utilities plus the automated parking system (similar to this); the building will have spaces for 60 vehicles. West Seattle-headquartered STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor) partnered with HDC on construction of Harbor Flats.

As reported here last month, the city is revising the Comprehensive Plan – meant to look ahead 20 years, but updated every 10 years or so – and hosting open houses for info, Q&A, and comments. The West Seattle open house for what’s now called the Draft One Seattle Plan is tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 3), 6-7:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle). Our March report looked at some of the changes envisioned for District 1; here’s a map featured in D-1 City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s latest newsletter:

Share your thoughts and get your questions answered by dropping in at any time during tomorrow’s event. You can browse the full draft plan here; see the full list of upcoming events (including an online meeting) here; provide comments online here (May 6 is the deadline).