High Point

[moving2ws]

I am moving across country (from Virginia) to the West Seattle area. Since we are new to the area, we are considering renting for a year or two before buying. I haven’t seen a lot of options for 3+ bedrooms/$1750-$2K per month rent. I have 2 children so space is important. I noticed the High Point development. Can anyone weigh in on it so that I can get an insider’s view?

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[JoB]

moving2ws..

i would suggest a short term rental while you look for rental housing.

we made the move ourselves a couple of years ago and were amazed at the rental options we had overlooked by depending upon the internet and print resources for rental options.

it is a renter’s market right now.. especially in the price bracket you name as there are many houses that are being rented while their owners wait for the sales market to recover.

A week spent on the ground driving around neighborhoods and investigating some of those options can literally save you several thousand in rent while you investigate the housing market.

that said.. i like high point a lot.. but mostly because i am a bleeding heart liberal who likes the social concept and an environmentalist who likes the environmental concept and i shop at the public garden market stall in the summer.

there isn’t much yard space for kids or dogs there… so for me the idea turns out to be better than the reality.

in my humble opinion.. you could do better for your kids and your dollars in other areas of West Seattle.

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[KBear]

I don’t live there, but I’ve toured some of the homes in High Point and they’re REALLY nice. There are a lot of different sizes and configurations. The neighborhood is very pleasant to walk through, almost like a park. You wouldn’t have a lot of private yard for kids to play in, but there is a lot of common space. I would definitely consider it.

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[marc123]

I don’t ussually chime in on the forum threads and I’m sure many will take issue with my point of view and I’m not sure where you are coming from in Virgina, but I would not recommend this area. These are nice new homes in one of the less desirable areas of West Seattle. Higher crime and low income housing. I would recommend looking at housing that is West of 35th Ave SW and North of Barton. Good Luck.

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[Ken]

Highpoint is the neighborhood as well as the development/re-development.

Let’s get one thing out of the way. You are coming from VA. I am from NC and my daughter and several relatives are in VA.

Some things that are taken for granted in VA are not going to be the same in Highpoint or in much of West Seattle east of 35th.

There are probably six major language groups spoken in the neighborhood and more counting dialects. This is diversity that most native Virginians fear even if they feel they are liberal compared to their neighbors.

It may not apply to you. No one knows.

The neighborhood surrounding highpoint is 88% Democratic with a leavening of socialists, Bush worshipers and Bircher fortresses.

Highpoint itself is now made of of the 600 or so subsidized rental units and about 1100 or more market rate owners who bought their large houses on tiny lots at the top of the price curve.

Some are going to shortly be squeezed by the optimistic mortgages they signed 5 years ago. The developers that pulled out of the second half of the building plan will either recover from their financial difficulties or not.

The Seattle real-estate market will never suffer the price fluctuations of some areas since it is an hourglass shape and reasonable priced land is already far into the next county both north and south with horrible commutes. The cascades and the sound make up the waist of the hourglass. It is quite likely you can find a house with views of either or even both. The space needle and Mt Rainier are also possible.

The development itself is very nice. I am across the street from the NW quadrant and watched the old 40’s workers housing be torn down, regraded and built from the gravel layer up. The subsidized housing is so nice most newcomers cannot tell where the Seattle housing authority owned parcels meet the market rate developers housing.

There are numerous playgrounds, pocket parks and large parks on site and the surrounding area has very short walks to massive lighted play-fields, green spaces and even hiking, rock-climbing and golf.

The beach is 10 min away by car as is the city center (if you choose the right time to commute)

Local and express bus routes are close by. You are 15 min from the airport so visiting relatives will always call you to pick them up.

The development includes a public library branch, a health clinic and a pediatric dental clinic.

A stalled set-aside for commercial development is also awaiting the return of healthy developers and builders.

There are 24 hour security guard car patrols and the police and fire stations are about 4 min away.

The homeowners association is not as overbearing as some but there are nice older houses with large lots available in nearby areas that are not part of the re-development.

links:

http://www.thehighpoint.com/

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/centers/Highpt.htm

http://psnhc.org/index.php?page=Clinic_Detail&clinicID=11

http://www.spl.lib.wa.us/default.asp?pageID=branch_open&branchID=13

http://www.nhwa.org/high-point/

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/environment/camplong.htm

http://www.premiergc.com/west-seattle.php

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