(Google Maps’ Street View image of site)

Two years after a development proposal at 7617 35th SW stalled in Design Review, with the property put back up for sale, a new, bigger proposal has just appeared in city files. This time, the proposed redevelopment site spans 35th frontage from Ida to Holden – 3507 SW Ida, 7603 and 7617 35th SW, per the early-stage site plan. That includes the former Howden-Kennedy Funeral Home building as well as the Complete Auto Repair site. The proposal is for a five-story apartment building with underground parking, which would have an entry off SW Holden; the city website shows 124 apartments are proposed, with 60 vehicle-parking spaces and 140 bicycle-parking spaces. The city site also lists LDG Architects as working on the project; they were also architects of record for the previous proposal, which had envisioned up to 50 apartments. Property records show the owner of the Complete Auto Repair site bought the other two parcels last October for $1.4 million total. Since this is an early-stage proposal, it’s not at the public-comment stage yet, but we’ll be watching for that. (Thanks to John for the tip.)

Thanks for the tips! The long-stalled development site adjacent to Ephesus, with the same property owner, is up for sale. Listing price: $1.7 million, including the plans for the three-story mixed-use building that was in progress, and the foundation and underground garage that have already been poured. The site held a small commercial building – before demolition in 2012; its businesses included a quirky retail shop called Cavvy’s, and Rick’s Barber Shop (which in the ensuing years has had to move again because of redevelopment). Work started in 2016, but didn’t get beyond the concrete and a bit of framing. Our archives show the site described with addresses including 5247 and 5251 California; the previous permits were granted for 5247, but the real-estate listing identifies the site as 5249.

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)

Three months ago, we reported on an early-stage proposal for the former CDE Software site at 4515 44th SW [map] in The Junction. Now, West Seattle-headquartered developer Blueprint Capital is in the “early community outreach” process for the project. Blueprint’s Jade Aramaki sent the announcement:

The new development will include a new five-story apartment building containing small efficiency dwelling units and 1 bedrooms, no parking proposed.

I’m reaching out because I want to hear from you, the community, about this project. You can engage with this process a couple of ways. First, you can fill out the survey located here. The comment period will be open until July 20th. Second, you can email me directly (jade@blueprintcap.com) with any questions you may have; I’d be happy to have a dialogue with you. Third, if you live in close proximity you will receive a postcard with ways to engage. I have attached a digital copy of this information, feel free to post this on blogs, print out on bulletins, etc. Note that any information you share could be made public, so please refrain from sharing personal or sensitive information.

Due to the nature of our current environment with the stay-home order in place there will be no in-person outreach or public meeting. Therefore your input is even more important and appreciated.

A document in the project’s online file says 37 units are planned. According to Blueprint’s flyer, construction is still at least two years away.

(Rendering by Steve Fischer Architects)

Land-use approval has been granted for 32 townhouses planned along Harbor Avenue SW. Rather than one project, the townhouses – though next to each other – are in the system as four separate projects: Seven units at 3252 30th SW, nine units at 3315 Harbor SW, eight units at 3303 Harbor SW, and eight units at 3257 Harbor SW. The approval notices – linked to each of those individual addresses – open a two-week period in which appeals can be filed, deadline July 13th. The townhouses passed Design Review last September; here’s our report on the final meeting.

(WSB file photo, 3417 Harbor SW project site)

The next phase of public comment is beginning for the last project seen by the Southwest Design Review Board before in-person meetings were suspended in March (WSB coverage here). It’s 3417 Harbor SW (map), currently described as a “5-story, 115-unit apartment building (with offstreet parking) for 68 vehicles,” on a site that currently holds a house that’s been serving as a commercial office. The project’s land-use application has been formally submitted, so that opens a 2-week comment period (through June 8th); the notice explains how to comment. The project also still has to go through the second phase of Design Review – no timeline for that yet; we’ve been tracking the proposal for more than a year.

Thanks to Stewart L. for the photo and tip. It was demolition time today for the houses at 1778 and 1780 Alki Avenue SW [map], 82 and 110 years old, respectively. They’re making way for a 3-story, 6-townhouse project with 9 offstreet-parking spaces. It’s been in the works since August 2018; the site changed hands this past February, for $2.3 million.

(Image courtesy Google Maps/Street View)

A new early-stage redevelopment proposal for Alki will replace the last pocket of beach bungalows at the tip of Duwamish Head with one building containing 50 to 65 units. The project address is 1116 Alki SW [map]; the site also includes five lots to the west, according to the site plan filed last week. Another document in the online file says the building would be six stories with one partly underground level of parking, which would include 77 to 103 spaces (as per the Alki Parking Overlay, which requires 1 1/2 spaces per unit). Property records show the three westernmost parcels were sold together in 2014 for $3.6 million; the three easternmost parcels were sold in 2017 transactions that totaled more than $4.5 million. Four of the six houses to be demolished are more than a century old. This is an early-stage proposal, so no public-comment opportunities/reviews are set yet.

(Rendering from November 2019 Design Review packet, by Caron Architecture)

Today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin includes word of a final land-use approval for 4508 California SW, a mixed-use project described as “a 7-story building with 38 apartment units, 20 small efficiency dwelling units, lodging and retail,” with 14 offstreet parking spaces. Much has changed since we covered the project’s final Design Review meeting six months ago – a pandemic and a closed, possibly unfixable bridge. So before publishing word of the approval (here’s the decision), we called the site’s owner/developer, longtime West Seattle entrepreneur Leon Capelouto, to ask if the project is still on. He noted that “the process” started a relatively long time ago (we first reported on it in March 2018) and they’re certainly going to go ahead and get the permits, but it could be “a long time” before construction. So – provided they survive the COVID-19 economic trouble – the three restaurants in the project’s future space (Lee’s Asian, Kamei, Naked Crepe) won’t be moving any time soon. Meantime, as part of the official process, today’s notice triggers a two-week appeal period (the notice explains how).

(WSB photo)

Thanks to Karl for the tip: Demolition is wrapping up at 5616 California SW, on the south side of C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor). We first reported in July 2018 that townhouses were proposed for the site, replacing a nearly century-old house. Recently finalized permit documents show the plan is still for eight townhouses with five off-street parking spaces (none required as the site’s on the RapidRide C Line).

From today’s Land Use Information Bulletin, a proposal for seven townhouses on two adjacent Fauntleroy Way parcels has reached the official comment stage. We first reported almost a year ago on the proposal for 5051-5053 Fauntleroy Way SW, which is now listed as two separate projects: four units at 5051, three at 5053, with one offstreet-parking space for each unit. You have two weeks to comment; the notices (here’s the one for 5051; here’s the one for 5053) explain how to do that.

Though most construction is on hold, new plans/proposals are still being filed in the city system, so we’ve been keeping watch for anything of note, and found this:

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)

The former CDE Software site at 4515 44th SW [map] has an early-stage proposal for an apartment building: 5 stories, 50 units, no off-street parking, per the site plan (PDF). The site is zoned for development up to 55 feet high (upzoned by HALA Mandatory Housina Affordability, previously 40′). The existing building is to be demolished. The website for CDE, which makes bowling software, shows it now has offices in Tukwila. The Junction site had a redevelopment proposal in 2008, but that was eventually dropped.

(First-stage design packet for project)

The Southwest Design Review Board got its first look tonight at the ~126-unit apartment building proposed for 3417 Harbor Avenue SW.

They decided to approve advancing the project out of the first phase – Early Design Guidance.

Two community members showed up, in addition to four board members (chair Crystal Loya was absent so vice chair Matt Hutchins led the meeting), city planner Crystal Torres, and six members of the project team.

Here’s how the meeting unfolded:

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Another redevelopment project in the HALA-upzoned area of Morgan Junction has an Early Design Outreach event coming up. This one is for, and at, 6357 41st SW, where five rowhouse-style townhouses with at least 3 parking spaces are planned to replace a century-old house (King Co. Assessor photo above) at 41st/Morgan. The project team, including MAS Architecture, will host two site tours at 4 pm and 5:30 pm next Tuesday (March 10th). The project is in the Streamlined Design Review process, so this is the only public opportunity for Q&A, though written comments will be accepted once the design proposal’s out. The architects have a project webpage set up here.

That’s the design packet (PDF) by JW Architects now posted for the mixed-use project planned at 9037 35th SW [map]. It’s going through Administrative Design Review, so no public meeting, but it is open for public comment.The project is described in the packet as:

The project team is proposing to demolish an existing single family residence, in order
to construct (1) 13,919 sf apartment building with (25) SEDU units and 839.24 sf of commercial space on the ground level. Vehicle Parking provided in on-grade garage, with bike parking provided in centrally located secure bike room.

Height: 55’
Parking: (6) Vehicle Stalls
(25) Bike Stalls – Long Term
(2) Bike Stalls – Short Term

SEDU means Small Efficiency Dwelling Unit, the city’s term for microapartment. Wayne Farrens is the assigned city planner, so if you have feedback, send it to wayne.farrens@seattle.gov. We noted the project’s previous phase of Design Review in June 2018; HALA MHA has upzoned the site from 40′ to 55′ in the meantime.