Two development notes:

4401 42ND SW APPROVAL: The city has given a key approval to the 5-story apartment building planned to replace the former Ginomai arts-studios building at 42nd/Genesee. It’s expected to include 72 “small efficiency dwelling units” – microapartments – and 5 live-work units, with 36 offstreet parking places. We first reported on the proposal in May of last year. The decision means appeals can be filed until October 5th; this notice explains how.

9038 21ST SW: South Delridge’s development boom continues. City files show an early-stage proposal for a 3-story (plus basement) building with 21 apartments, replacing a house on what’s now a Lowrise 1-zoned lot. The preliminary site plan shows Atelier Drome as the architecture firm.

(WSB photo)

Those old houses in the 2800 block of SW Yancy are about to be demolished so construction can start on Yancy Street Permanent Supportive Housing. We first told you about West Seattle nonprofit Transitional Resources‘ plan almost two and a half years ago. Now the project near TR’s headquarters and other buildings is ready to start.

(Rendering by SMR Architects)

As summarized by TR:

The project will provide 44 independent studio units on three levels for adults living with mental illness who are either coming from homelessness or institutional settings.

Transitional Resources will provide 24/7 staffing to enable residents to live independently in a supportive community. The site is within a block of TR’s main offices and other housing developments, where residents can access additional mental health and other supportive services. Onsite amenities include a secure access, a community room and outdoor recreation areas, a common laundry, covered bike parking, and an office for onsite supportive services.

Public and private sources are covering the project’s $16 million cost. The project team includes SMR Architects and Buchanan General Contracting. Construction is expected to take about a year, TR tells us; demolition will start as soon as their street-use permits are approved..

(Rendering by SMR Architects)

That’s the final rendering for Yancy Street, the supportive-housing complex that West Seattle nonprofit Transitional Resources plans to build on the project’s namesake street, with 44 studio apartments for people living with behavioral-health challenges. It just got key city approvals, as announced in Monday’s Land Use Information Bulletin. We first reported on the project in February 2018; it’s replacing houses at 2811, 2821, and 2827 SW Yancy that TR has long used as shared housing. (Our past coverage also includes a design-feedback open house last year, plus news of partial city funding.) You can read the full decision here; its publication opens a 2-week appeal period, explained here. TR CEO Darcell Slovek-Walker tells WSB, “We anticipate that demolition/construction will start end of June/early July.” Her nonprofit, headquartered nearby, already provides housing for more than 80 people.

Three feedback opportunities involving planned development:

6320 & 6326 41ST SW: An Early Community Outreach for Design Review site tour is planned by the project team for these Morgan Junction sites with 15 townhouses proposed as first mentioned here back in June. Just show up at 11 am September 20th. (Flyers are here and here [PDF].)

2000 & 2050 SW ORCHARD: The application is in for two rowhouse-style townhouse buildings totaling 18 units on this greenbelt site east of Delridge. You have until September 23rd to comment; this notice (PDF) explains how.

2622 & 2624 SW GENESEE: The application is also in for these projects totaling 3 townhouses and 3 single-family homes in North Delridge. The comment deadline is also September 23rd; this notice (PDF) explains how.

It’s a topic everyone’s got an opinion about – development, particularly housing. What should (or shouldn’t) we be building more of in Seattle? And longer-term – should zoning change to allow more, denser housing in more places? Here’s your chance to sound off in an official city survey. We found the Housing Choices Survey tucked into the middle of the Department of Neighborhoods’ newest newsletter. A related Office of Planning and Community Development webpage explains what it’s about:

Housing Choices is an initiative to create more market-rate housing options, in more places, for more people. Our Housing Choices Background Report provides information about the private housing market in order to start a conversation about this topic. We are now reaching out to hear your perspectives about housing choices, better understand the issues and opportunities, and explore potential responses. Your input, along with additional data and analysis, will inform future recommendations for addressing key issues.

Our Housing Choices survey will help inform near-term actions as well as longer-term recommendations that we hope to present in early 2020.

You can answer the survey’s questions (note that some are optional) by going here.

Should the West Seattle Junction Hub Urban Village boundary be extended to include Providence Mount St. Vincent (4831 35th SW)?

Tomorrow when the Seattle City Council’s Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee considers a stack of proposed amendments to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, that proposal will be among them.

(Text here in PDF.) The 9:30 am Wednesday committee meeting at City Hall includes a public hearing. This is only midway through a long process of deciding whether the proposed amendment will be approved, but it’s of interest (thanks to Diane for the tip!) because in the document explaining the proposal, it’s explained as a potential precursor to redevelopment on the site:

The requested changes would provide Providence Mount St. Vincent greater height (50’ versus 40’) and a greater FAR (2.3 versus 1.8), while keeping the current zoning designation of LR3(M). These increases would be beneficial to expanding the existing and potential future uses, which include assisted living apartments, P.A.C.E, children day care, physical and occupational therapy services, a chapel, and the Sisters of Providence retirement home.

Here’s the full document:

It also says that The Mount’s planning is in the early stages and they expect to have community meetings about their plans before year’s end. We have a message out to The Mount’s leadership in hopes of finding out a bit more about what they’re hoping to build.

Meantime, back to tomorrow morning’s council-committee agenda. Other possible Comprehensive Plan amendments proposed, of West Seattle interest:

*An amendment to change the zoning of 2938-2944 Alki Avenue SW from single family to multifamily (text here in PDF)

*An amendment to change the zoning of 4501-4509 SW Admiral Way from Lowrise 1 to Lowrise 3 (text here in PDF)

Neither of those is recommended for advancing (“docketing”). Tomorrow’s meeting also includes a briefing on the city permit backlog and suggestions of ways to ease it, such as simplifying the city code, described as now up to 867 pages.

… it’s not too late to comment, since nonprofit Transitional Resources‘ project is still in the “early design” phase. A few notes from our visit toward the end of last night’s community-feedback open house:

That’s the “preferred” configuration presented by design firm SMR Architects – they’re hoping that a three-section shape will help the 44-apartment complex fit in a little better with the townhouses that have been built in the neighborhood. They’ll be oriented toward interior courtyards, like many of TR’s other units nearby, for more of a “community” feeling. Also like the other properties, this will be “supportive housing,” as described by TR, “providing studio apartments for people with behavioral-health needs who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.” If all goes well with the permit process, TR CEO Darcell Slovek-Walker told us at the open house, they hope to start construction in about a year. The building will replace three houses where TR has tenants, and Slovek-Walker says it’s expected that those tenants would move to units in the new complex when it’s done.

The project will go through the city’s Administrative Design Review process, which means no further community meetings are expected, but if you have comments and/or questions, you can contact Slovek-Walker at darcellw@transitionalresources.org. (We’ve been tracking this project since it first appeared in city files more than a year ago.)

As reported here multiple times last year, West Seattle-based Transitional Resources plans a new supportive-housing apartment complex in the 2800 block of SW Yancy. The next step: A community open house as part of the city Early Design Outreach program. Here’s the announcement from TR:

Transitional Resources (TR) has been delivering behavioral health services here in West Seattle since 1976. With our main office, small residential treatment facility, and two apartment developments located on SW Avalon Way, we have been a part of the local neighborhood for many years. TR is a licensed provider of behavioral health care services and supportive housing, offering a continuum of behavioral health treatment, housing, and vocational services to those who are most in need in our community. We are intentional in our small scale and high staff-to-client ratios. As a result, TR produces some of the best outcomes in King County.

Over the past year, we have been keeping the community apprised of our plans to redevelop three shared houses at 2811, 2821 and 2827/2829 SW Yancy St into small apartment buildings, providing studio apartments for people with behavioral-health needs who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. We are pleased to report that we have secured the necessary funding from the City of Seattle, King County, the State of Washington, Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, and are now proceeding with the next stage of design for the project.

As part of the City’s design review process, we are inviting interested stakeholders to an open house, where attendees can provide input to the design team from SMR Architects. Please join us:

Wednesday, June 5th from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Avalon Place Community Room
2988 SW Avalon Way

All are welcome. No RSVP is necessary.

The Yancy Street project will be similar to our other permanent supportive-housing buildings on Avalon Way. Each of the 44 residents will have their own studio apartment facing an interior courtyard that includes a community living room and laundry room. Staff will be on site to offer support for the residents 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Additional support will be available at our drop-in center and behavioral health program offices ½ block away on Avalon Way.

We look forward to sharing more about our organization at our open house next week. We will continue to post project updates on our website at www.transitionalresources.org. I also invite you to contact me directly by phone at 206-883-2026 or via email at darcellw@transitionalresources.org.

(King County Assessor’s Office photo of 4401 42nd SW)

ORIGINAL REPORT, THURSDAY: An early-stage proposal is in city files for what would be the third apartment building on the west side of one block of 42nd SW in The Junction, between Genesee and Oregon. A site plan and pre-application documents are in the system for 4401 42nd SW, the West Seattle Christian Church-owned ex-school building that has in past years had a variety of community uses including artists’ studios and the West Seattle Helpline‘s clothing bank Clothesline.

Proposed for the site, which was upzoned to 55′ by HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability, is a five-story building with 72 microapartments (Small Efficiency Dwelling Units) and five live-works, plus underground and surface parking. The documents filed online say parking would total 36 car spaces and 80 bicycle spaces. The church-owned house to the south is not part of this project; we reported last December that townhouses and live-work units are planned there (4411 42nd SW).

ADDED FRIDAY: WSCC pastor Worth Wheeler has responded to our question about the Clothesline’s future: “We have been working closely with West Seattle Helpline for a few months now on providing a seamless transition for their Clothesline operation to another building on our campus. The church is looking forward to a continuing partnership with the Helpline that provides ample space for their needs and keeps their vital work right here in the Junction, close to the transportation hub that is indispensable for so many of their clients. West Seattle Helpline will likely make an announcement in the coming weeks and months about this transition.” Helpline executive director Erin Dury Moore confirmed that, adding, “We look forward to continuing our partnership with West Seattle Christian Church, and their dedication to our Clothesline.”

(Rendering by Hybrid Architecture)

Four months after the mostly-microapartments proposal resurfaced for 5952 California SW [map], it’s received key city approvals. The project description is the same as last December, when it went into a second round of Design Review, 2+ years after the first – “29 small efficiency dwelling units and 6 apartment units (35 units total). Parking for 5 vehicles proposed.” Today’s publication of the notice for this opens a two-week appeal period; the notice explains (PDF) how to file one. Meantime, the property was re-listed for sale a week and a half ago (PDF), with the notation “back on market,” asking price $1.8 million, a bit less than its August 2017 listing.

New in city files: An early-stage proposal for an apartment building at the southwest end of Harbor Avenue SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge. The documents in city files say what’s being considered is a five-story, 75-apartment building that would have 38 offstreet parking spaces in a garage accessed off Harbor. The parcels are listed in documents as having the street numbers 3405, 3411, and 3417 Harbor; the latter, the address at which documents are filed, currently holds a small commercial building. The site’s current zoning is for 40 feet in height but under the HALA MHA upzoning that’s about to take effect, 55 feet will be allowed. The area is a mix of commercial and residential, across the street from Emerald City Pet Rescue and ActivSpace, with houses to the west and condos to the north.

Three more West Seattle projects have informal community meetings coming up as part of the city’s semi-new Early Community Outreach for Design Review process. All three of these projects are going through Administrative Design Review, which means no other meetings involved beyond these casual drop-in opportunities:

8415 DELRIDGE WAY: This 14-townhouse plan has a community meeting set for 4:30-5:30 pm next Monday (April 8th) at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW). There’s also a basic webpage set up for it, offering other ways to provide early feedback on the design, including this survey.

1606 CALIFORNIA SW: 12:45 pm Saturday, April 13th, is when you’ll be able to drop by the West Seattle (Admiral) Library for information on this 8-unit rowhouse project planned to replace a house and fourplex at 1600-1606 California SW. Here’s a webpage for the project, also with a link to a survey you can answer.

4800 ERSKINE WAY: The microapartment project planned to replace the Junction 7-11 will be discussed 5-6 pm April 15th at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon), according to this poster:

Thanks to the reader who spotted it and sent the photo – since there’s no online mention yet in the city system. We have reported on the project before. The poster says construction is not expected before 2023 and notes that commercial space is planned as well as 65 microapartments, with no offstreet parking.

Two West Seattle projects that are going through Administrative Design Review – seeking your comments, but without board meetings – now have design packets available for viewing:

3084 SW AVALON WAY: This 35-microapartment, no-offstreet-parking project is going through a second round of the final (“recommendation”) phase of Administrative Design Review. Here’s the packet.

It notes that the design has been changed somewhat to respond to the townhouse project to the north, which the same design firm, Cone Architecture, is handling, as well as to a variety of critiques offered by city staff in previous phases. Some of those are focused on the transition between the project and the neighborhood behind it. If you have comments, email the assigned city planner at joseph.hurley@seattle.gov.

2000-2050 SW ORCHARD: This 18-townhouse, 18-offstreet-parking-space project is in the Early Design Guidance phase of Design Review. Rowhouse-style buildings are the “preferred alternative” of the size/shape options proposed by B9 Architects:

Here’s the packet for half of the site. The official review notice hasn’t been published yet so this is basically a preview. You can email comments to the assigned planner at sean.conrad@seattle.gov.