Squatters are moving in and out of the boarded-up buildings on the Compass Center's property, creating a safety hazard, and the company is hoping to demolish them.
The Compass Center, a low-income housing provider, wants to demolish a vacant building that sits on their property in Ballard but is running into resistance from the city.
Compass Center Executive Director Rick Friedhoff said the building, at 1753 N.W. 56th St., is not safe. Transients have been moving in and out of the property despite the Compass Center boarding the building up with the help of the Seattle Police Department, he said.
“The inside of the building is just totally trashed,” he said.
Friedhoff said the building is a serious fire hazard because cooking devices, cigarettes and other flammable items are being used inside with no easy way to escape for people in the building.
The city’s land use code states that the owner of a residential property can not demolish it until a permit has been approved for redevelopment on the site.
Friedhoff said he is wary of getting a master use permit for the site before he as all the financing in line for the project.
Bryan Stevens, a Department of Planning and Development spokesperson, said the other option for Friedhoff is to file an abatement application.
Once that happens, and city inspector would look at the building and determine if the cost of making it habitable would be more than half of its replacement value, he said. If so, Friedhoff would be allowed to demolish the building.
Stevens said the department’s inspectors have worked with representatives for the Compass property, but no abatement application has been received.
Friedhoff said he planned to file an application in the coming week.
Construction on the project, likely six-story, low-income housing for 60 to 75 single adults, will not begin until fall 2010, but Friedhoff said he does not want to leave it a vacant lot if the building is allowed to be torn down.
He said he would like to have a temporary community garden or grassy space on the site and will be working with Sustainable Ballard on the idea.
The Compass Center, which operates 16 sites in King County, purchased the property from the Low Income Housing Institute in February 2008.
