West Seattle, Washington
30 Tuesday
Six months after our most recent update on a townhouse/live-work project planned for 5617 California SW [map], the site’s just been cleared. Going by today, we stopped after noting the 113-year-old house that’s held small businesses on the site had been demolished. City records say nine units – with the three live-works facing California – and four offstreet-parking spaces are planned – here’s a rendering:
If you’re interested in full design details, see the design packet here. Side note from city files: Under the Mandatory Housing Affordability policy, the developer will have to pay a quarter-million dollar fee since none of the units will be officially “affordable.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The online public meeting for a development proposal at 2345 Hobart Avenue SW (backstory here) was meant for comments on the latest proposal for the site.
But the proposal was so new, city reps weren’t fully acquainted with it, admitted planner Joe Hurley, presiding over the meeting. A project manager for the proposal surfaced during the meeting, as a commenter, to talk about it. When the public meeting was scheduled, the plan had a duplex and a stand-alone house. Now the latter has been removed, and only the duplex remains.
All the same, neighbors are concerned that any development on the site, much of which is in an Environmentally Critical Area, will threaten the stability in the area. They requested a meeting to get their concerns more conspicuously onto the record as the Department of Construction and Inspections reviews the proposal to decide whether to allow part of the project to get an Environmentally Critical Area exemption.
Hurley said the public meeting was the result of nine comments calling for one, mainly concerns about slide risks and inadequate analysis of the site.
The project manager promised a “detailed stormwater analysis” was planned, and that the project would include repairs of the “Hobart washout.” She said the duplex that’s now the only building planned on the site is similar to what’s been approved for a neighboring site; both are owned by the same family, which she notes lives in the area. She suggested the site’s zoning meant they could build more than they’re seeking to. She also said the site holds some “unhealthy” trees but that rather than being removed, they’ll be “snagged” so their roots remain to aid with soil stability. Finally, she said the plan would have two offstreet-parking spaces for each unit (that too had been a concern, more cars than spaces could lead to onstreet parking in an area where the road is already narrow).
One commenter wanted clarity on the percentage of the site’s ECA that could potentially be built over; the meeting’s purpose was to record comments, not answer questions, so that went unanswered.
Others who spoke included a lawyer for some of the property owners, who said they understood that the city couldn’t place an “undue burden” on a property owner by ordering that an entire site be left undeveloped, but, they asked, would allowing one unit instead of two be enough to relieve that burden?
A nearby resident also cited a policy saying that granting an ECA exemption shouldn’t be “injurious” to those nearby, and she thinks this would be – putting her and neighbors at risk. That was echoed by another neighbor, who said the project could be at best an inconvenience but at worst do harm.
The concerned neighbors also got some support from regional tree advocate Sandi Shettler, who called out a deficiency in the site report, saying it didn’t list the existing trees’ species.
Though they didn’t all speak, the meeting drew more than 20 attendees, according to the counter on the video software.
Next step, the city will continue reviewing the project and will make a decision on the exemption request, with the decision open to appeal.
The only West Seattle project to have had a Southwest Design Review Board meeting this year, ~86 apartments at 3010 SW Avalon Way [map], now has its official design decision. The official report was released by the city today; see it here. This opens a two-week period for appeals, as explained in this notice. As we reported when the project went before the board in March, the project is proposed as an eight-story building with no offstreet parking. As for whether it’s on track to be built any time soon – since the development market has been fairly slow around here – that’s hard to tell from the document files, and of course the West Seattle light-rail project likely looms large in that area’s future.
(Google Street View image of 2345 Hobart SW, from this past August)
City-convened public meetings about development sites are few and far between these days; not only has development slowed down, but design review has largely became a staff function, and that program had been the major reason for community meetings. Next week, though, a West Seattle development proposal is the subject of an online community meeting, and a neighborhood group is explaining why.
The site is at 2345 Hobart Avenue SW in Upper Alki [map], and the proposal is for one three-story house and one three-story triplex, plus six offstreet-parking spaces. The community meeting, online at 5 pm Wednesday, October 15th – requested by neighbors, per the comment file – is to address the project’s request for a variance because of the Environmentally Critical Area that’s part of the site.
Neighbors have formed a group called the Friends of Bonair Place, and a spokesperson told us, “The site proposed for development has a history of landslides, sinkholes and infrastructure issues going back to 1934 – 1935.” They note a WSB story covered a utility problem there in early 2009. “We are doing what we can to ensure that there is broader awareness of this public meeting for several reasons: 1) due to the unique conditions of this steep slope wooded site and the wider impact it could have beyond Hobart Ave, 2) because many neighbors near us were not sent the attached notice, and 3) because last year SDCI granted an ECA variance for a project adjacent to the proposed site. The variance was granted without a public meeting and is managed by a different Land Use Planner, David Sachs. (2349 Hobart Ave SW)” (Joe Hurley is the planner listed as working on the subject of next week’s meeting.)
The city’s file says the site originally went into the system in 2020 with a proposal for five townhouses. That followed various other proposals in previous years, according to city files, including one for eight units. The current proposal includes this site plan showing the developer’s calculations of how much of the Environmentally Critical Area the project would encroach on; it says the site totals 11,532 square feet, that 8,971 sf of that are ECA, and that they believe 1,315 sf of their buildings’ footprint would cut into that.
To participate in (or just watch) the 5 pm October 15 meeting, here’s the link; you can sign up here to comment during the meeting. The meeting notice also has a phone number and access code for participation.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In a week and a half, the City Council will listen to what might be hundreds of speakers at the last major public hearing on the first phase of the Comprehensive Plan – aka One Seattle Plan – which is meant to guide the city’s growth for the next 20 years.
Upzoning has been the focus of what’s working its way through the system, dating back to the unveiling of proposed maps last October. The plan details included new terminology for new types of zones, including Neighborhood Centers envisioned as hubs of businesses and denser housing. We first reported, after that unveiling, on seven West Seattle areas proposed for the Neighborhood Center designation – north to south:
*Delridge (centered on Delridge/Dakota)
*Brandon Junction (centered on Delridge/Brandon)
*Fairmount (centered on California/Findlay)
*High Point (centered on 35th/Morgan)
*Holden (centered on 35th/Holden)
*Upper Fauntleroy (centered on 35th/Barton)
*Endolyne (centered on 45th/Wildwood)
We also noted in our initial report that the city had considered three other West Seattle areas as potential Neighborhood Centers but decided against the designation:
*Alki (would have been centered on 61st/Stevens)
*Sylvan Junction (would have been centered on Delridge/Orchard)
*Highland Park (would have been centered on 9th/Trenton)
Now, one of the 106 amendments that councilmembers have proposed for the Comp Plan/rezoning would resuscitate the idea of an Alki neighborhood center. And Alki neighborhood advocates say that shouldn’t happen without a chance for them to be part of the process – more than just having their say at the upcoming eleventh-hour public hearing.
The Alki NC proposal is in the 34th amendment in this package of amendments, one of eight neighborhood centers that citywide Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck wants to add to the plan (none of the other seven are in West Seattle) with support of a housing-advocacy organization. This amendment starts on page 56 of the 424-page document with all councilmembers’ proposals. Her amendment describes the proposed Alki neighborhood center as follows:
1. Alki (District 1)
This amendment would create a new Alki Neighborhood Center generally located west of 59th Avenue (SW), north of SW Hinds Street and south and east of Alki Avenue SW (Council District 1). It would encompass approximately 95 acres.
The area to be included in the Neighborhood Center includes a mixture of Neighborhood residential zoning, generally to the south, Lowrise 1, 2, and 3 zoning in the middle and west of the proposed center, and Neighborhood Commercial 1-40 zoning along Alki Avenue SW in the northeast corner of the proposed district. The area contains mostly single-family homes in the Neighborhood Residential zone, multifamily buildings in the lowrise zones, and a mix of commercial, mixed-use and multifamily structures in the Neighborhood Commercial zoned area. In addition to the section of commercial zoning proposed to be included in the neighborhood center, the commercial district extends three blocks east along Alki Avenue SW outside of the proposed boundaries. In addition, there are a number of parks in the area, including Alki Beach, Bar-S Playground and Alki Playground.
Bus stops for the 50 and 56 bus routes are located along SW Admiral Way, 63rd Avenue SW, 61st Avenue SW and Alki Avenue SW. The 775 bus route runs westbound along SW Admiral Way, north of 63rd Avenue SW, and eastbound along Alki Avenue SW. None of these routes individually meets the definition of providing frequent transit service. The areas farthest from the transit stops are approximately one half mile (2,640 feet) from the center of the proposed neighborhood center.
“Neighborhood center” was originally defined by the city as:
… places with a variety of housing options centered around a local commercial district and/or major transit stop (such as RapidRide). They typically serve as focal points within neighborhoods, offering shops, services, grocery stores, restaurants, and more. These places are suitable for residential and mixed-use buildings up to six stories in the core and smaller apartment buildings on the periphery. Neighborhood centers should generally encompass areas within 800 feet, or one to three blocks, of the central intersection or transit stop.
Councilmember Rinck’s amendment notes that some of her proposed additions (obviously including Alki) don’t fit the definition;
Many of the proposed boundaries of these Neighborhood Centers include areas that are significantly more than 800 feet from the central intersection of the center or a bus rapid stop. Consequently, the boundaries that would be adopted through this amendment are generally not consistent with Comprehensive Plan policy GS 5.4 which states: “GS 5.4 Determine the boundaries of Neighborhood Centers based on local conditions, but generally include areas within a 3-minute walk (800 feet) of the central intersection or bus rapid transit stop. ”
If the Council wants to adopt the boundaries for the new centers as proposed under this amendment, it should also amend this policy to allow greater flexibility in the configuration of neighborhood center boundaries.
While the originally proposed Neighborhood Centers around the city have been up for scrutiny and feedback dating to last October, the ones Councilmember Rinck seeks to add, including Alki, have not, and the Alki Community Council is voicing concern about that, sending the ACC mailing list an alert today, saying in part:
your voice will not be heard unless you message City Council that Alki deserves the same education, workshops, and outreach that the 30 other designated Neighborhood Centers received before zoning is approved. To compare public information in the 30 other Neighborhood Centers, here is a synopsis below from the city webpage. Alki deserves to be treated equally and fairly.
Outreach & Timeline in 30 Neighborhood Centers
Oct 16, 2024 – Dec. City launches One Seattle Plan zoning update website; 60-day public comment period opens.
Dec 20, 2024 – Public comment period closes.
May 2025 – Mayor introduces plan to City Council with 30 Neighborhood Centers (Alki still excluded after feasibility analysis).
July 31, 2025 – CM Rinck [proposes amending] plan to add back Alki and the other excluded neighborhoods, just weeks before the Sept. 19 vote — leaving no time for public education or feedback in Alki.
Aug 9, 2025 – CM Rinck’s staff holds a small unadvertised meeting in Alki to discuss rezoning.
If you aren’t on the ACC list and therefore haven’t seen it, you can read the full email, including information on how to comment, by going here.
(Regarding the “small unadvertised meeting” last month, we can confirm there was no media notification. One attendee, community advocate Steve Pumphrey, described it to neighbors in a message about the proposed rezoning, saying that he “attended a less than well-publicized (there were just four legitimate Alki residents that I could see) community meeting that was supposed to be for fact finding and community feedback. It was nothing more than a sales pitch.”
Councilmembers are scheduled to vote on the 100+ amendments, and the rest of the Comprehensive Plan’s Phase 1, the week after the September 12 public hearing, so that they can finalize it before spending more than two months focused on the budget, as happens every fall. In urging people to offer feedback, pro, con, or otherwise, ACC president Charlotte Starck says, “Your voice matters — no matter your opinion on how Alki growth evolves. What’s unacceptable is eliminating Alki’s voice altogether.” Testimony will be accepted in person and online during the two-session hearing on Friday, September 12 – 9:30 am and 3 pm; the agenda explains how to participate, as does the ACC email linked above. (Also on the agenda, links to everything that’s currently up for consideration.)
Multiple readers have asked about that big drill rig that’s appeared between ActivSpace and West Coast Self-Storage toward the south end of Harbor Avenue SW. A map check showed it’s parked on property belonging to West Coast Self-Storage (3252 Harbor Ave SW), so we checked in with WCSS’s manager Crystal this afternoon. She said the equipment is there as part of the work of completing their facility, which has been built in phases. She said the final phase includes one more building. The construction permit filed with the city shows the building at a new address, 3300 Harbor Ave SW, and having 3 stories with a mix of parking and storage, but does not have a count on the number of self-storage units. The storage facility on the site to the north has 852 units. Crystal told WSB there shouldn’t be any traffic impacts during construction aside from trucks entering and leaving the property. West Coast Self Storage has been open at the Harbor Avenue location since August of 2020.
Thanks for the tip! Two weeks after the demolition permit was issued for small residential buildings at 1790 and 1794 Alki Avenue SW [map], circa 1910 and 1938, a backhoe has turned them into debris.
We last reported on the project proposed for this site in May 2024; it was going through the system at the time as a four-story, 12-unit building. County records show the parcels were sold four years ago for $2.3 million. City files, however, show the building permit hasn’t yet been issued.
(WSB photo)
While STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor) and Housing Diversity Corporation continue construction on their project in The Junction, another of their West Seattle projects is approaching completion. This is Keystone at 9201 Delridge Way SW, and the development team tells WSB that it’s scheduled to celebrate its grand opening next month. Keystone is a mixed-use building and still seeking commercial tenants for its nearly 4,000 square feet of space – broker Susi Musi tells us, “Our ideal commercial tenants are an office tenant and a cafe, such as therapy, dental/orthodontist, professional services office. Key features are 12-foot ceilings, frontage on Delridge, abundant natural light, location, and demographics.” Here’s the leasing flyer she provided. As for the apartments, the building contains 74 units, also with high ceilings; more info here. (The site previously held an auto shop, and had other project proposals under different ownership before this one “stuck,” including a self-storage facility.)
If you were around for the West Seattle development boom in the late ’00s and early-to-mid 2010s, you probably remember the role Design Review played – a city-appointed review board met as often as twice a month, with up to two projects per meeting, and the calendar was often full. It was the main opportunity for community members to have input into notable projects, for better or for worse. And it changed the plan for some sites – one notable example is at California/Charlestown, where dozens of residences share the corner with lively small businesses largely because the Southwest Design Review Board gave relentless pushback to a previous plan to replace the beloved Charlestown Café with a one-story Petco store and parking lot. Since then, though, the Design Review rules have changed and the board meetings have grown fewer and fewer. The Southwest board had a one-project meeting in March – its first in 15 months. Last November, the city asked for your thoughts on what remained of the process. And now, changes are unveiled. In an announcement today about his proposals for further limiting design review, Mayor Harrell is proposing abolishing the neighborhood boards and replacing them with one citywide board. The summary in his announcement also includes:
–Extend successful exemption for affordable housing. The interim ordinance would extend by six months a Design Review exemption set to expire in August 2025 for projects that meet Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requirements through onsite affordable units. During the two-year exemption pilot, proposed onsite housing units more than doubled compared to all prior years of the MHA program. Building on this success, the legislative proposal coming later this summer would make this exemption permanent.
–Only large projects would be subject to design review. The review threshold would increase to buildings with 150+ housing units or 20,000+ square feet of commercial space. Smaller projects would be exempt, as well as projects located outside Urban Centers or Regional Growth Centers, and projects subject to other review boards, such as the Landmark Preservation Board.
–Clear guidelines and less meetings. Permanent Design Review guidelines would be easier to understand and focus exclusively on elements of the building’s exterior. The permanent ordinance would also limit Design Review to one public meeting that must take place early in the permitting process to help increase predictability, reduce delays, and provide an avenue for public comment when it’s most impactful.
–One citywide board. The eight geographically focused boards would be replaced by one citywide board of 14 members who have expertise in design, development, and equity. Projects planned within established equity areas would use board members from the local community within the pool of 14. This change aims to simplify the program, make it more consistent, and improve representation for historically underserved communities.
–Flexibility in design standards in exchange for public benefits. Departures from design standards, such as increased height or floor area, may be allowed for projects that add public benefits like meeting equity goals or enhancing street-level design. Projects exempt from Design Review would also benefit from similar flexibility through an administrative process.
You can read the full announcement here. It also notes the legislation will be sent to City Council after the environmental-review process that continues through June 26 (various documents, and info on commenting, are here).
Thanks for the tip! Teardown is under way at 4501 35th SW, home to small vacant buildings hit by fires in the past few years. We wrote about it in 2023, when then-owners the Sweeney family were testing the waters with a plan for a small office building. Reached today, family spokesperson Lynn Sweeney said they sold the site last year to the owners of the Fairway Apartments next door, but she was glad to see the demolition because the site has “been such a nuisance for the neighborhood.” We’re hoping to reach the current owners to ask about their plans for the site, which is 2,400 square feet, zoned for mixed-use development up to 7 stories.
Back in February, the City Council‘s public hearing to listen to comments about proposed rezoning was adjourned with a long list of people still waiting to speak. They promised another chance. An all-day public hearing tomorrow (Monday, May 19) brings that chance. In case you’ve missed the mentions in citywide media, here’s how it was announced by the office of Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, who is leading land-use issues:
The Select Committee for the Comprehensive Plan, chaired by Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (District 3), will hold its second public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan and associated legislation on Monday, May 19.
The Select Committee will hear public comments on amendments to the interim HB 1110 legislation. Interim HB 1110 legislation is designed to ensure that Seattle meets the June 30 implementation deadline for the state’s Middle Housing bill. When work on this interim legislation is complete, the Select Committee can begin considering Permanent HB 1110 legislation.
This public hearing will be separated into two sessions, with individual registration windows for each session. Session I at 9:30 a.m. is reserved for remote public comment. Session II at 4 p.m. is reserved for in-person commentors. Each speaker will be provided one minute to give their comments. Individuals will only be permitted to comment at one session. The Select Committee may recess if there are no registered speakers present at any time. The Select Committee will recess for lunch between Session I and Session II.
Meeting information
WHO: Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan
WHAT: Public Hearing (two sessions)
WHEN: Monday, May 19
9:30 a.m. for remote public comment
4 p.m. for in-person public comment
WHERE: Council Chamber, City Hall, 600 4th AvenueHow to register
Session I: Registration for remote speakers – 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.Register here: seattle.gov/council/committees/public-comment</a>
Session II: Registration for in-person speakers – 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
In-person public comment will be accepted beginning at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers, at City Hall
Speakers must be registered in order to be recognized by the Chair and will be called in the order registered. Registration for each public hearing session will end at the established time.February 5 Public Hearing Attendees
Members of the public whose registered speaker’s numbers were not called at the February 5 Comprehensive Plan public hearing will be required to re-register for the May 19 public hearing. There will be a separate, clearly marked check-in location for these individuals. City Council staff has been provided with a list of names to work directly with these individuals to ensure their public comment is heard in a timely manner.Submit Written Comment
You may also submit written public comments to the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan by email to council@seattle.gov. Written comments should be received by Monday, May 19, 2025, at 5 p.m.
HB 1110 is the bill passed last year by the State Legislature that basically ended single-family zoning, as explained in this city document.
It’s not a big project, but 5617 California SW (across from C & P Coffee [WSB sponsor]) will redevelop the last site of its kind on its block, so it’s worth noting. We last reported a year ago about the nine units planned to replace that 113-year-old bungalow, most recently used by a counseling service – six townhouses, three live-works, four stories, four off-street parking spaces. The city has announced a key approval for the project, which opens an appeal window through May 1; here’s how to file one. County records show the 7,500-square-foot site sold earlier this year for just under $1.2 million.
New hope that redevelopment might finally happen at the long-vacant strip-mall/restaurant sites in the 5200 block of California SW. The demolition permit was renewed back in February; now two expired construction permits are being reviewed for renewal, and the city permit system has the explanatory notation “Ownership is working to obtain funds to move forward with the project.” The project as first proposed back in 2017 was for 18 rowhouse-style townhouses. Then in 2023, a senior-living complex was proposed instead, but that was scrapped. It’s been almost nine years since the strip mall’s previous major tenant moved further north into The Junction; as for the two ex-restaurants, the former Papa John’s closed in 2017, and Thaitan (on the corner) closed in 2019. Records indicate the combined redevelopment site hasn’t changed ownership since around the time of most of the closures.
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Six years into the city’s efforts to have developers help meet the need for affordable housing, things aren’t turning out exactly as expected. Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) laws, which the City Council unanimously made citywide in 2019, were supposed to both provide more income-restricted units in market-rate buildings, and fund the construction of additional low-income housing. While some of that has happened, the MHA is also being blamed for making it harder to build multi-family housing units in Seattle, according to a report released recently.
Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office commissioned the report by BERK Consulting and Heartland LLC to evaluate how well the MHA policies, which included select upzoning to increase density, met goals during the first 5 years. After giving latitude to construct taller buildings with more units because of the upzoning, the city asked developers to either commit to providing a limited number of low-income units in their buildings for 75 years or to pay a fee based on the building square footage. It might seem like a simple choice to make, but it’s complicated by market conditions, land costs and in the case of the period from 2019–2024, the turmoil caused by the pandemic. The report paints a picture of declining feasibility not just in Seattle but across 13 “peer” cities they examined, where higher interest rates and increasing construction costs made it difficult for projects to pencil out. “MHA requirements play a relatively small but important role,” notes the report, adding that even with better market conditions, the cost of complying with the MHA could well be the deciding factor for a developer to say, “No go.”
As bleak as that sounds, many thousands of new housing units have been built since MHA passed. Through 2023, developers paid $300 million in fees to the city. The report points to MHA funds supporting 4,702 new low-income units, but those funds were pooled with other financing, so it’s hard to tease out exactly how many units can be attributed solely to MHA funds. The developers themselves only built 404 income-restricted units in projects during that time. The stated goal was for MHA to be directly responsible for 6,000 new units over 10 years, with no specific goals for how much of that would be achieved through developer fees. It turns out that 95% of developers opted to pay fees for their projects, most of which were either low-rise or high-rise. Of the 5% who did not, the vast majority of the income-restricted units were built in mid-rise projects.
While the preference for paying fees has been consistent, the amount collected has varied significantly. Fees from developers made up almost half of the Office of Housing budget in 2021 by bringing in $74 million that year, but that is down to a projection of $22 million for 2025. The Office of Housing does have other revenue streams, including the Housing Levy and Payroll Expense Tax on companies with high earners. That means the opportunity to build many more affordable housing projects remains, but not because multi-family housing is booming generally.
In light of some of the challenges during MHA’s first 5 years, and knowing that the legislation was written based on much different economic situation than the current one, the BERK/Heartland report makes a number of recommendations to take that all into account and still encourage more affordable housing:
* Adjust MHA fees annually based on market conditions, housing type and location, rather than using a formula
* Allow fees to be paid later or over time (currently paid early in the process, which is an added financing cost)
* Raise fees or remove fees entirely as an option to ensure more income-restricted units in projects.
* Remove red tape: Streamline permitting and eliminate design review, adjust other miscellaneous policies
In a letter to the City Council last week, Mayor Harrell indicated he will look into the possibility of fine-tuning the MHA, saying the report, “…serves to confirm that MHA can be a useful tool, but it requires careful design and active management to ensure it does not result in unintended consequences for Seattle’s housing market.” Harrell’s Press Secretary Callie Craighead told WSB that a 5- to 7-person technical review committee will be convened to assess and provide feedback on the report. Craighead said the BERK/Heartland study cost $250,000 and was funded by MHA administrative fees collected by the Office of Housing.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Convened by the city for the first time in 15 months, the Southwest Design Review Board gave its final approval tonight to an 8-story apartment building proposed for 3010 SW Avalon Way, with just a few relatively minor recommendations.
All five current board members were in attendance – chair Gavin Schaefer and members AB Alvarez, Nicole Li, Jessie McClurg, and Rob McCulloch, all identifying themselves as West Seattle residents. The city land-use planner assigned to the project, Theresa Neylon, was in attendance too. Schaefer was the only holdover from the board’s previous meeting (about another project) in December 2023. The previous meeting about this project was three and a half years ago.
Tonight’s hour-long online meeting unfolded in the standard design-review format:
9:21 AM: Thanks for the photo! Demolition is under way at 4448 California SW [map], a few doors north of California/Oregon in The Junction. We reported a week and a half ago that it was imminent after a fence went up around the building whose final tenants had included Rush Hour and West Seattle Coworking (both of which moved to new locations months ago). As we noted then, the plans show its nearly 90 units are planned to be half apartments, half “lodging” (hotel), with about 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and no offstreet parking. It’s another collaboration between Housing Diversity Corporation, STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor), and Atelier Drome architects (WSB sponsor), also currently building a mixed-use project at 9201 Delridge Way SW. This one is expected to be complete in the second half of next year.
11:27 AM: Updated photo from a WSB team member:
ADDED: End of day:
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned next week.
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
Even though it was an online meeting, wintry weather canceled the scheduled Southwest Design Review Board meeting earlier this month for the 8-story, 86-apartment project planned for 3010 SW Avalon Way [map]; our followup explained why. Now there’s a new date: 5 pm Thursday, March 20, online. Watch this page for the viewing/commenting info when the meeting gets closer; it does have the link, though, if you want to preview the “design packet” with details on the project. Its previous SWDRB meeting was more than three years ago.
Thanks to Bill for the tip that fencing was up around the site of 4448 California SW [map], long planned for a seven-story mixed-use building. A spokesperson for the development team confirmed to WSB that demolition is expected within days, and a groundbreaking ceremony is planned in early March, now that the project has obtained financing. This is the same team that built the newly opened Harbor Flats apartments and is constructing 9201 Delridge Way SW, with the 17th/Roxbury site also in their portfolio – Housing Diversity Corporation, STS Construction Services, and Atelier Drome architects. The plans for 4448 California show its nearly 90 units are planned to be half apartments, half “lodging” (hotel). The online files also show that, like most developments, for the Mandatory Housing Affordability requirement, the owners have opted to pay the city a fee for affordable-housing development elsewhere rather than include it in their project; they were charged, and have paid, $595,000. (There will be some reduced-rent apartments because of the project’s participation in the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption program.) The development team spokesperson says that with construction about to start, completion is expected in fall of next year. (Note: Harbor Flats, STS, and Atelier Drome are WSB sponsors.)
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
As noted in a comment on today’s event list, the 5 pm Southwest Design Review Board meeting for the 86-apartment project at 3010 SW Avalon Way has been canceled. This was scheduled to be an all-online meeting, so we asked the Department of Construction and Inspections why it was called off. Spokesperson Wendy Shark responded:
While the Design Review Board meetings are held virtually, and public comment can be submitted virtually, there is an in-person component to these meetings held in [Seattle Municipal Tower] as well. This way if someone doesn’t have access to reliable internet, they always have the option to attend a viewing room in-person, facilitated by SDCI staff. It’s a way to make sure everyone who would like to participate in these meetings can.
Because of the predicted ice tonight, the decision was made to cancel the in-person component of the meeting. Rather than hold a meeting without the in-person option, the team decided to reschedule to a time when everything would be available to residents.
Once we have a rescheduled time, it will go up on our calendar.
This was scheduled to be the SWDRB’s first meeting in more than a year.
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
Three weeks ago, we told you about the upcoming Design Review hearing for an 86-apartment project at 3010 SW Avalon Way. At the time, the city hadn’t linked the “packet” for that hearing (though we found a draft version for our story), but now it’s available and you can see it here. The online review meeting is at 5 pm Thursday (February 6); the links for participating/viewing are on this page. As we noted last month, this will be the first time the city has convened the Southwest Design Review Board since December 2023. The project passed the first phase of Design Review in November 2021. P.S. If you’re wondering how close this is to the future light-rail station, that’s shown on a map in the packet.
As we’ve reported previously, the rezoning plan that’s gone to the City Council as part of the comprehensive plan (aka One Seattle Plan) review includes a new designation for parts of the city, Neighborhood Centers. Some community groups have voiced opposition to them; a new group called West Seattle Urbanism has launched a petition drive to urge the council to support them. Here’s the announcement we received from Scott Berkley:
West Seattle Urbanism is circulating a petition in support of the proposed neighborhood centers in West Seattle that are part of the One Seattle comp plan. We already have 200 signatures and we’d love to double that! West Seattle has long been known as a neighborhood for raising families, but the rising unaffordability of housing threatens that. By allowing the continued natural growth of small neighborhood centers like High Point and Alki, we can allow more affordable housing options, as well as create walkable neighborhoods that support small local businesses. We encourage anyone who wants to see a thriving West Seattle for decades to come to sign the petition and join our call for continued thoughtful growth and opportunity!
actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-the-west-seattle-neighborhood-centers
West Seattle Urbanism is a newly formed group that cares about the affordability, walkability, bikeability, transit-access, and overall livability of West Seattle and our greater region. We meet on Wednesday nights.
The group’s next meeting is at 6 pm this Wednesday (January 29) at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW). Meantime, the City Council’s next Comp Plan review meeting is Wednesday (here’s the agenda) and it’s holding a public hearing on February 5 (here’s that agenda, which explains how to participate).
Thanks for the tips. Above is the alley-side view of demolition that’s under way at the long-idle development site adjacent to past-and-future Ephesus Restaurant. What’s being demolished is the foundation constructed almost eight years ago for a never-built mixed-use building. We reported two months ago that the site’s current owners received a key approval for a subsequent proposal for the property, a nine-unit project of townhouses and live-work units, but first they have to clear the remnants of the previous plan. The nine-unit project has been on the drawing board for three years. The site has changed hands twice in the past 2 1/2 years, sold for $1.6 million in August 2022 and then for $2 million two months ago; Ephesus’s proprietor owned the site before that and had pursued the mixed-use-building plan in the early 2010s.
(Rendering by Studio 19 Architects)
Five years have passed since we first told you about an apartment building planned for 3010 SW Avalon Way [map]. Three years ago, the proposal passed the first stage of Design Review. Now it’s set for a second and potentially final review, at what will be the Southwest Design Review Board‘s first meeting in more than a year (they last had a project to review in 2023 – much Design Review is now done by city staff, without public meetings). The 3010 Avalon project is currently described as eight stories, 86 units, 84 bike-parking stalls – that’s from the latest design proposal, which the city’s meeting page says is “not available” but which we found buried in the online files – see it here. The meeting is set for 5 pm February 6th, online; commenting and attendance info will be here at least a week in advance.
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