6:44 PM: One year after a coalition of neighborhood groups, including five from West Seattle, challenged the Final Environmental Impact Statement for HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning, city Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil issued his ruling late today.

Short version: He says the city’s FEIS stands, with the exception of one section.

That’s Vancil’s decision, toward the end of the 38-page ruling:

The neighborhood groups had argued that the EIS was inadequate in a variety of ways, including contentions that it was “one size fits all” rather than addressing unique potential impacts on neighborhoods. They argued their case in hearings over a two-plus-month period this summer; documents and audio recordings are all linked on this page of the Hearing Examiner’s website.

HALA MHA would implement upzoning in urban villages, as well as on commercial/multifamily property throughout the city, in exchange for developer/builders either including a certain percentage of “affordable” units, or paying the city a fee to finance construction of such units elsewhere. The plan now needs City Council approval; the council has had months of hearings (including this one in June in West Seattle) but its vote has been awaiting the appeal decision. (You can use this interactive map to see how any specific property would or wouldn’t be affected.”

So what happens now?

The Hearing Examiner’s decision is the final word from the city but not necessarily the final say in the matter – the appellants could choose to pursue a court case. We’re awaiting their reaction to the ruling.

On the city’s side, Mayor Jenny Durkan has issued a statement calling the ruling “a step forward for more affordable housing in Seattle.”

We’ll be updating this story as the evening goes on.

7:26 PM: First appellant reaction is from the Junction Neighborhood Organization, which filed its own appeal as well as being a member of the citywide coalition:

“On behalf of our neighbors and friends along the West Seattle peninsula, we are deeply disappointed with this ruling,” said Carl Guess, a member of the Junction Neighborhood Organization’s land-use committee. “It’s a big setback for neighborhood-level planning, and represents a new low in the relationship between the City and its urban villages.”

Indeed, hearing examiner Ryan Vancil chided the City for its lack of neighborhood-level analysis even as he largely affirmed its final environmental impact statement.

“[T]he choice not to tell a more detailed story of the City’s neighborhoods contributed to why the City faced a very protracted appeal and hearing process from representatives in many of its neighborhoods,” he wrote.

JuNO made those details the centerpiece of its appeal, pointing to what it called deficiencies in everything from traffic-flow analysis to conflicts between the HALA/MHA legislation and the neighborhood plan of the West Seattle Junction Urban Village.

Guess said those deficiencies remain, despite today’s ruling.

“When we wake up Monday morning, the City will continue to tell us that it takes only eight and a half minutes to cross the West Seattle Bridge during peak traffic flows, which is absurd. It will tell us there is enough infrastructure to support development, when we showed that 90% Seattle’s sewer lines are at or above capacity. It will tell us there are no conflicts with our neighborhood plan when we cited those conflicts specifically and repeatedly.”

Guess said JuNO will study the examiner’s ruling more deeply, then meet with its neighborhood to talk through possible next steps.

“Our neighborhood has been incredibly supportive throughout this process and we can’t thank them enough,” he said.

As for next steps beyond that meeting, one possibility for JuNO is to lobby the City Council in the ritual horse trading expected to take place as the HALA/MHA legislation moves toward approval. Another is to join a nascent effort to create an organization representing neighborhood groups within City Council District 1, now represented by Lisa Herbold.

“The City has destroyed a lot of goodwill in this process, and voters have very long memories,” said Guess.

ADDED 11:25 PM: We also asked Deb Barker, president of the Morgan Community Association – which joined the SCALE appeal as well as filing its own – for comment. Her reply:

MoCA is proud to have joined with the communities of SCALE. We took a stand against the city that acted without properly taking into account the voice of its residents and the impacts of its plan. SCALE made a tremendous effort to identify MHA FEIS deficiencies, and we are saddened how easily that effort was dismissed. MoCA is committed to ensuring that affordable housing remains in our community. To that end, MoCA will be evaluating options to achieve that goal as well as those of SCALE.

The MoCA and JuNO appeal documents were part of this 2017 WSB report.

(Design packet provided for tonight’s meeting, downloaded from city website)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Eight months after getting thumbs-down on its first Early Design Guidance try, the 15-apartment Alki proposal for 3015 63rd SW (map) got thumbs-up tonight.

The proposal went through some major revisions before returning to the Southwest Design Review Board.

Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections‘ assigned planner Tami Garrett noted that since the project’s first turn at Early Design Guidance, the project team has said it will seek a contract rezone that would allow an extra floor plus incorporate Mandatory Housing Affordability. That will be considered in a separate process after this one.

Board members present: chair Don Caffrey along with Crystal Loya, John Cheng, and Scott Rosenstock.

ARCHITECT/PROJECT TEAM PRESENTATION: Oly Wise, representing the family that owns the site (see our original report here), opened by saying they’d learned a lot had changed since the project was initiated. They were pleased to learn about MHA and thought it would turn their project from good to great. He then made way for architect James Raptis.

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(WSB photo taken this afternoon, substituted for file photo originally published with this report)

As we reported here in August, another Alki house is set to be moved. This one is at 1254 Alki SW, part of the future ~40-condo project at 1250 Alki, next to the site where a house was removed and moved back in January. And now the date is set. A project spokesperson tells us the move is scheduled for one week from tonight, Friday night/Saturday morning (technically the window opens at 12:01 am Saturday, October 27th). Like the last one, this house will be trucked to nearby Don Armeni Boat Ramp and placed on a barge for the rest of the move.

From today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin:

(Rendering from final SW Design Review Board meeting on 4722 Fauntleroy project)

4722 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW: A week ago, we mentioned that construction was likely starting here soon since the Goodwill truck had to move. We’re still awaiting official comment from developers Legacy Partners, but in the meantime, today’s LUIB includes the land-use decision (PDF) for the larger of two buildings in this project – described as a “7-story, 239-unit apartment building (25 small efficiency dwelling units and 214 apartment units) with 16 Live-Work units and Retail Sales and Service. Parking for 230 vehicles proposed.” The approval opens a two-week window for appeals; the notice (PDF) explains that process.

5616 CALIFORNIA SW: We reported three weeks ago on the “early design community outreach” meeting for this 8-townhouse, 5-offstreet-parking-space project. Now it’s officially open for two weeks of public comment in Administrative Design Review – see the packet here; the notice with how-to-comment info is linked here.

8823 9TH SW: A land-use-permit application has been filed to build two 3-story buildings totaling 7 townhouses. This opens a two-week period for comments on the application; the official notice (PDF) explains how to comment.

(Design concept from packet for 7617 35th SW)

“Name that street corner.” If you can’t without referring to the address in the headline – then you’ve underscored the point made before tonight’s second Southwest Design Review Board meeting wrapped up.

Board chair Don Caffrey and members Scott Rosenstock, Matt Hutchins, and John Cheng decided unanimously to send the mixed-use proposal for 7617 35th SW – the Complete Auto Repair site (whose future has been in play for 5+ years) – back to the drawing board for a second try at Early Design Guidance. Here’s what preceded that decision:

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(The three ‘massing’ options for 3201 Avalon; project team’s preference, #3, at right, won the SWDRB’s favor too)

The once-and-future Golden Tee Apartments site, above the northwest side of the West Seattle Golf Course, was the first of two projects getting their first Southwest Design Review Board look tonight. After the review before a full gallery, the board voted to allow the project to move on from the Early Design Guidance phase of the project, which mostly looks at big-picture issues such as building size, shape, and placement on site.

It wasn’t a slam-dunk vote, though – the board almost deadlocked, but talked through concerns. Biggest one: “I want to know that they’re doing the right thing between the buildings,” said board chair Don Caffrey. He was referring to this 7-story project and the 5-story condominiums next door, where most of those commenting during the meeting said they live (that building is partly visible in the photo below):

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)

We first reported last December that redevelopment was proposed for the site, at 3201-3211 SW Avalon Way.

Present tonight from the board along with chair Caffrey were members John Cheng, Matt Hutchins, and Scott Rosenstock, along with the project’s assigned city planner Abby Weber. Here’s how the review unfolded:

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The second West Seattle project to have an early-stage meeting as part of the city’s new Early Design Community Outreach process is 5616 California SW, proposed for eight townhouses to replace a 93-year-old house. As was the case for the first West Seattle project in the process, 1772 Alki SW, the meeting for this one drew a single-digit turnout – three community members. Two representatives of Cone Architecture talked with the three attendees for an hour at the 4 pm Monday meeting in the community room at High Point Library. They said they had sent postcards to nearby residents, as required by the city, including a URL for an online survey about the project, but that had only drawn one response.

One of the attendees, Jim Guenther, suggested it might have been a bigger draw if the project team instead had planned an open house at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), which is next to the project site. (The architects said their firm has been talking with C & P about the project.) The talk was almost as much about the process as the project; one of the other attendees was Deb Barker, president of the Morgan Community Association and retired land-use planner, who suggested that 4 pm on a weekday was not a time many could work with.

The architects did show “massing” renderings for three possible ways the townhouses could be arranged on the site. They also explained that the project is strictly residential, though the site could have had a commercial component too, and that it has five parking spaces because that’s all that’s required given its proximity to “frequent transit” (RapidRide stops nearby). They also said the “exceptional tree” on the site is staying – “we have embraced and want to” protect it. Barker suggested that impervious surface be minimized on the site.

If you’re interested in the project but couldn’t get to the meeting or hadn’t heard about it, you’ll have another chance to comment when the design proposal becomes officially available for Administrative Design Review (no public meetings in that part of the process but the city will announce it in the Land Use Information Bulletin).

(LATE-NIGHT P.S.: Since we published this, a third West Seattle project has been added to the Early Outreach list – 5009 Fauntleroy Way SW, three rowhouse units and three single-family houses. No meeting date yet.)

Next Thursday (September 20th), the Southwest Design Review Board meets for its first look at two West Seattle projects. The design packets for both are now online:

(The three ‘massing’ options for 3201 Avalon)

3201 SW AVALON WAY: See the packet here. This is a 7-story, 150-apartment, 85-offstreet-parking-space project proposed to replace the Golden Tee (map; two buildings, 28 units, 30 spaces). NK Architects is designing the project. It’s first up on the SWDRB’s agenda at 6:30 pm Thursday.

(The three ‘massing’ options for 7617 35th)

7617 35TH SW: See the packet here. This is a 4-story, 42-unit, 28-offstreet-parking-space proposal for the Complete Auto Repair site [map]. LDG Architects is designing the project. It’s scheduled for the 8 pm spot on the agenda.

Both meetings are at the Senior Center/Sisson Building in The Junction (4217 SW Oregon); both include public-comment periods. Since both are for the Early Design Guidance phase of Design Review, they are focused on size/shape/site placement of the buildings (“massing”), and there will be at least one more meeting for each project.

(King County Assessor website photo)

Thanks to Scott for spotting this early-stage proposal in city files: We reported back in late July that the Junction 7-11 site (4800 Erskine Way) was for sale. No sale on record yet, but now there’s a redevelopment proposal, summarized on the city website as “a six-story apartment building with approximately 65 small efficiency dwelling units. No parking provided.” The site plan shows prolific Blueprint Capital, headquartered a few blocks north, as the prospective developer, with Cone Architecture designing the project. Again, this is an early-stage proposal, so there’s no formal application yet, and official comment periods are some ways out.

Two notes from today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin:

(King County Assessor website photos)

NEXT COMMENT PERIOD FOR 3084 AVALON MICROAPARTMENTS: The 7-story, 37-microapartment (“small efficiency dwelling unit”), no-offstreet-parking project at 3084 SW Avalon Way has gone through Administrative Design Review, and now, four months later, there’s a land-use-permit application. You have two weeks to comment – the “notice of application” linked here explains how.

TOWNHOUSES FOR 3852 BEACH DRIVE: That century-old house will be replaced with 3 townhouses and three offstreet-parking spaces under this proposal. Because it’s close to the shoreline, there’s a longer comment period, four weeks – the notice linked here explains how.

Two development-related notes:

(4508 California SW “preferred option” rendering by Caron Architecture)

4508 CALIFORNIA SW DOWNSIZED: One week from tonight, 4508 California SW goes to its first Southwest Design Review Board meeting. The packet is now available online, and we noticed a big change from when we originally reported on this project back in March: It’s proposed for a smaller footprint. The original early-stage filing described the site as stretching from the former West Seattle Cyclery storefront all the way to West Seattle Windermere; now it’s covering three current storefronts – ex-Cyclery, plus two restaurants, Lee’s and Kamei. As is standard in the Early Design Guidance stage of Design Review, the project packet proposes three possible “massing” configurations – they would each include more than 70 apartments plus 19 offstreet-parking spaces (city rules do not require any parking in this area) as well as ~11,000 square feet of retail (ground floor) and lodging. The SWDRB meeting next Thursday (6:30 pm August 2nd, Senior Center/Sisson Building, 4217 SW Oregon) will as usual include a public-comment period; if you can’t be there, you can send comments via e-mail to holly.godard@seattle.gov to get them to assigned city planner Holly Godard.

5011 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Comments open today and continue through August 8th on the streamlined design review for this six-townhouse, six-offstreet-parking-space project replacing a triplex. You can see the design packet here. The notice explains how to comment – this type of design review does NOT include a public meeting.