(WSB photo from September 2011)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

As we continue working on an overview of major under-construction-and-impending West Seattle development, we are checking on individual sites, and have finally connected with a representative for the project that’s been known for five years as Spring Hill, at 5020 California SW, just south of The Junction.

Spring Hill was initiated in 2007 by BlueStar, the original developers of Fauntleroy Place, former name of “The Hole” (now known, under new ownership, as Spruce West Seattle).

BlueStar took Spring Hill all the way through Design Review, with final approval in September 2008. Then the project stalled (as did, more notoriously, then-Fauntleroy Place) and went to a foreclosure auction in 2009.

Last year, a Burien-based firm, F & M Development, bought it. Last September, they demolished the three vacant, vandalized multiplex buildings on the site (top photo). We tried repeatedly to reach them for comment and got no reply.

Then last week, a building permit application appeared on the city Department of Planning and Development website. That led us to try again – and this time we received a reply.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Tomorrow, the Junction development at, and known as, 4724 California will mark a milestone, officially applying to the city for its Master Use Permit.

That step was enabled by its preliminary approval from the Southwest Design Review Board at the Early Design Guidance meeting two months ago (WSB coverage here). And while its second, and potentially final, design review isn’t expected till fall, the project team has just put together a look at how its design is evolving as of this “waypoint.”

The update was shown to and discussed with a small group of community members late last week. After hearing in advance about the planned informal discussion, we requested, and received, permission to cover it. In addition to a look at the in-progress design, we also learned new details about the overall plan and timetable.

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(June aerial photo of “The Hole” by Long Bach Nguyen)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“The Hole” has a new name, according to plans filed with the city Department of Planning and Development: Spruce West Seattle.

Nine and a half months have passed since the project/site formerly known as Fauntleroy Place was auctioned off to an entity of Madison Development Group (WSB coverage here), and many West Seattleites have been waiting and watching to see what, if anything, will happen with the long-idle site. Work stopped in fall 2008 after site excavation; a lawsuit ensued; and once that was finally settled (in June of last year), foreclosure and auction led to the sale.

Back in May, we finally got a short response from Madison owner Tom Lee, who said they expected to have an update “soon.”

No word since then – but a revised plan was filed at the DPD this week, making it a matter of public record.

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We’ve been reporting a lot recently about big development proposals – like the one we mentioned the other day, the early-stage proposal for a site including the former Huling Chevrolet showroom at 4755 Fauntleroy Way, and Junction plans including the soon-to-start Equity Residential two-building project at California/Alaska/42nd. But smaller development – such as what we dubbed “teardowns-to-townhomes” back in the 2007-2008 boom – is intensifying too. Case in point, two three-story 5-unit townhome projects starting soon in two of West Seattle’s “junctions.” The demolition permit has just been granted for one site, the house above at 4503 SW Oregon in The Junction (city project page here); the other one, on the current site of a 60-year-old brick duplex at California/Myrtle in south Morgan Junction, is a few months out:

We talked to the developer of both, a company called Isola Homes. We had actually only asked about the Morgan Junction site, which is fairly high-profile since it’s right across from the Caffé Ladro (etc.) business pod, but when Isola vice president Tim O’Shea answered our e-mail inquiry with a phone call, he told us about the other one too:

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From last night’s Alki Community Council meeting: The official comment period for the proposed rezoning of six waterfront acres east of Salty’s on Alki has been extended through August 1st. We first reported on the rezoning proposal two weeks ago; ACC invited a city planner to the meeting to help them understand the proposal and the process.

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(2011 WSB photo looking southwest toward project site on Alaska’s south side, 42nd to California)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

With the remaining businesses on notice to clear out of the future Equity Residential two-building development site in the heart of The Junction by the end of this month, demolition could start days later.

We’ve been working for weeks to get an update directly from the site’s owner/developers, and finally have some new information.

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Thanks to everybody who tipped us to this: Chain-link fencing has gone up around the now-vacated homes that will be demolished to make way for the 3261 Avalon Way residential project, six stories and 120 apartments. (That’s usually the first step toward demolition – second step, “no parking” signs out front, though no sign of them as of this morning.) Here’s our most report on the planned project, from January, when the land-use permit was granted.

Two notes this morning from the east side of The Junction:

(Click picture for larger image)
Thanks to West Seattle pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen for that new aerial of the Oregon 42 site at 42nd/Oregon, where excavation is now under way, following demolition of the remaining three homes on the site. It’s had development plans since 2008, but the first round stalled and a revised proposal was unveiled one year ago; nothing happened till last month, when a fence went up and we confirmed with the site’s San Diego owners/developers that they were about to begin. The homes were demolished in late May. The project is planned for 131 apartments.

Immediately east of that same block, a potential development site has just gone back on the market:

That’s 4515 41st SW, in a (newly added) photo by WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli. He also photographed the site in 2007, following development proposals including an idea for a park-and-(car)pool facility. (City files show a 7-story apartment-building proposal was canceled in 2010.) The 2007 $1.5 million listing apparently did not yield a sale, as county records currently show no changes since the current owners bought it for $925,000 in 2005. Today, a tipster points out its brand-new listing for $2.8 million, with the description: “Fantastic development site right in the heart of the West Seattle Junction. Zoned LR3 and in the West Seattle Junction Hub Urban Village and Frequent Transit Corridor. Possible 70+/- units …” (Before you comment on the price comparison, please note we haven’t verified whether it’s the exact same lot size as the previous proposal – just that it’s the same street address.)

P.S. Also in the 4500 block of 41st, a relatively small townhouse project is up for “streamlined administrative design review,” which means no board meeting, but its design packet is publicly available online.

Next Thursday night, the Southwest Design Review Board considers a three-story, 30-unit apartment building proposed for 3829 California SW (map), currently home to one-story multiplexes (as shown in our original report from June 5). The proposal’s graphics/background “packet” is now available via the city website. Since this is an Early Design Guidance meeting, the image above, taken from the packet, is NOT a final design proposal, but rather roughed out for “massing” – size/shape. Here’s how the packet describes the project:

The proposed development will create an urban infill apartment building with partially underground parking under the structure. Basement level provide parking for 20 cars and garbage and bike storage.

The ground level of the preferred scheme consists of a residential lobby and eight residential units with a variety of studio, one, and two bedroom units. The apartment service and utility area is located on this level.

The second and third floors house 11 residences each, with a mix of studios and one bedroom units.

The roof of the building will be accessible and act as an amenity space for tenants with opportunities for entertaining, community gardening and relaxation.

Parking is required for this project, as it does not fall within a frequent transit corridor nor an urban village overlay. One space is provided per unit via underground and surface parking, both accessed from the alley.

The Design Review meeting is scheduled for 6:30 next Thursday (June 28) at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction). As always, the meeting’s open to all and includes a public-comment period – as long as the comments focus on design issues – after the architects have made their presentation and been quizzed by the board members.

A new commercial-real-estate listing of note: A half-acre site that includes Morgan Junction’s Short Stop market and adjacent dry cleaners, immediately north of Morgan Junction Park. The $2 million listing for 6311 California SW pitches it as a “TOD site with 60+ unit potential.” (TOD stands for transit-oriented development.) That number of units is comparable to the 62-unit almost-converted-to-condos Strata on California across the street. We checked and there’s no formal development proposal on file for 6311 California, but there is a city notation that “paid land-use coaching” was sought this past January “… to verify highest/best use … fully understand zoning/setbacks, units possible, height restrictions, etc. … understand comprehensive plan for area.”

(Rendering of what Vesseliye might look like along 20th SW – massing only, not final design)
One week from tonight, the Southwest Design Review Board will meet for a second ‘Early Design Guidance’ review of a four-story, 20-unit apartment building planned at 9051 20th SW (map). The meeting “packet” is available online now, and the added information explains why the project, called Vesseliye (translated at the 1st meeting in February as “Joy”), is going back for more “early” guidance even though the board agreed it could move to the next phase. The developers say that several discoveries since the 1st meeting have led them to completely revise the plan into one building instead of two. The site currently holds the two vacant, vandalized houses shown in our photo’s foreground (we’ve blurred the graffiti), which are just south of two commercial properties:

The design-review meeting is at 6:30 pm next Thursday, June 14th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon, entrance on the north side).

SIDE NOTE – THIS MONTH’S OTHER DESIGN-REVIEW MEETING: Today the city sent out the official notice of the June 28th meeting first reported here on Tuesday, the first review for a 30-unit building at 3829 California SW.

More proof that apartments are the hot building trend right now. We just learned the Southwest Design Review Board is scheduled to meet June 28th to review a proposed 3-story, 30-unit apartment building at 3829 California (map). The site now holds the two one-story brick multiplexes you see in our photo above; last summer, it was sold for $1,000,000. The design-review meeting is set for 6:30 pm Thursday, June 28th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon).

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Two days after the “no parking” signs went up and the construction fence was pushed out to the street – as reported here Tuesday – demolition has begun at the Junction site of the mixed-use development Oregon 42, along the east side of 42nd SW, south of SW Oregon. One of the three houses on the site was already down by the time Christopher Boffoli took his first photos today; two more will be demolished.

The site originally held a fourth home, but it was moved to a new location in a much-chronicled overnight operation two years ago (this development has been in the works for four years). When we talked to Oregon 42’s San Diego-based developers two weeks ago, after the first round of fencing went up, they told us they expected to move right into excavation and construction after demolition, with the building expected to take almost a year and a half to complete.

ADDED 11:40 AM: Christopher’s video from this morning:

The three homes, by the way, were almost a century old – King County records say the northernmost one was built in 1914, the house next door in 1915, and the one south of that, in 1913. Some materials had been salvaged before demolition; we saw a Second Use crew at the site before the fencing first went up in mid-May.