I live on Vashon island and work downtown in a hotel. I have been commuting going on 20 years now. Over that time I have often contemplated selling my home and moving to the West Seattle area just to be closer to work and to cut down my commute time and save ferry costs but over the last few years the run away development of Multi storied town homes and apartment houses have in my estimation blighted the West Seattle area and especially on the Fauntleroy strip. I realize that this city needs more housing for its residents and newcomers but is it really necessary to tear everything down in the name of progress? Cant you leave a few pieces of our past so that current residents as well as new comers can see and feel a sense of our communities history and our sense of belonging? Ever since the city building and planning commission rezoned these areas the Developers have been in a building frenzy with no end in sight. One house after another is being demolished to make way for one more density increasing projects. The winners here are clear, the city gets a lot of revenue from the developers and more housing like it wants and needs and the developers have free reign to build one after another, built with little to no green space, no yards, little to no parking and pushing the buildings footprints right to the sidewalk then with a fat profit they move on to their next project. Its the residents who are left to live with and deal with the lasting effects as well as the sense of loss to the community. More often these units are boxy, unimaginative and leave much to be desired architecturally. The city and developers say that these projects lure in people who wont need a car and therefore no parking is included with many of these projects. I say that is BS for anyone who can afford a $700.000 condo or pay &2,000 a month and up for a small apartment I assure you that they own a car. Drive by these projects at night when their occupants are home asleep like I do on my way home and you will notice that there is no parking spots open anywhere!

Up till now I haven’t really been affected that is until one of my favorite old homes on Fauntleroy was targeted. I drove by this house for many years not even noticing it for it is well hidden from the street by large old trees. No doubt planted around the same time that the house was built. I knew that someday it would fall prey to a developer and that time has now come. When I drove past it a week or so ago I noticed that it was all boarded up and now sits empty. My heart sank knowing what is going to happen to this lovely old ranch style home. I did some research online and found that it was sold to a developer who has plans to demolish it to make room for 3 row houses. After more research I found that it was built in 1909, its over a century old and although its previous owners neglected it over the years it still looks to be in sound condition. It would take a lot of time, effort and money to restore it to its former glory. Had they kept it up it might have fetched a decent price and been purchased by someone who saw its historical value and it would be assured to stand for many more years to come but Unfortunatley in its condition the land it sits on is much more valuable, especially ,after the city opened up the floodgates for the developers by rezoning. As far as I know this home wasn’t even listed for sale on the market. No doubt the developers were drooling over this house for awhile and they finally offered the right amount of money to the owners. With that sale they signed this old houses death warrant. On both sides of it there are new townhomes. It stands out even more now for even in its neglected state it has so much more character and charm compared to the cheaply built, quickly erected, unimaginative and soulless projects that now surround it. I would have loved to buy a home like this before the building boom and when a developer offered me money for my home I would have told them to F off! When is enough enough? when all of our links to history are demolished? what sense of history do we have it we have nothing around to remind us of our past. I resent the fact that this house will soon be only a memory. The owner has the right to do what they see fit with it however I blame the city for not putting enough restrictions on the developers. We will lose many more historical homes and buildings because of this. Greedy homeowners will accept huge amounts of money for their property from opportunistic developers and there is no end in sight. I may not own this house, nor am I a direct neighbor but I appreciate it vey much. It was built 3 years before the Titanic sank for crying out loud. It saw horses and buggies going down Fauntleroy when it was new. The things it has seen over the years, the families it sheltered, in good times and in bad and soon it will be here no longer. Over 100 years standing and it will fall due to money, greed and the cities zoning change. I guess that I place a lot of value on the past. It was a different era, a simpler time and that house reflects that in its style and architecture and its durability. Not just another box but hand built, one of a kind built to last until now that is. I for one will feel a great sense of loss when it is gone. I see it like knocking over a grandmother, smashing her to pieces and hauling her remains to the dump and then building an ugly square box of a home on her grave. I doubt any of these cheaply built eyesores will be around in a hundred years like this house has stood. If you are interested in seeing it I suggest that you do so before its gone. Its at 5447 Fauntleroy Ave SW across from the school and park. Its a classic ranch design 1,500 square feet 2 story 3 bedrooms 1 bath. Nice front and back yard. something that is now a thing of the past on Fauntleroy that is.

I will stay on Vashon island because even though its a farther commute and it is quite costly at least I don’t have to worry about this kind of development around my home. Some may like these new structures, young folks who work alot and don’t want a yard to keep up but many folks, me included will stay away from these neighborhoods because the development has run out of control and they will choose to live somewhere that’s not so oppressive. So once this house is leveled I wont look over there anymore when I drive by for all that will be in its place will be another ugly box with no character. Such a shame. I personally will mourn its loss. Some look at it as old and run down and in need of demolishon but many like me still love and cherish this type of home, its a shame that the city planners and developers don’t.