apartments

Development, Nov. 14: A new condo, a new four-story building and more lot-splitting

Guest — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 23:20:45 +0000

Guest (not verified) Thu, 11/14/2013 - 3:20pm

If you haven't been to the new Seattle District 6 Facebook Page (which discusses the Ballard-area district for City Council elections), you'll see there's quite a debate brewing on the subject of affordable housing and whether more density will help stave off higher prices. What do you think? Join the group and give your thoughts.

As usual, this week has seen a few more applications and decisions on land use permits. Lot-splitting is the norm, but there are a couple of bigger projects this time around. First off, a new condo building ...

Applications

2018 NW 57th St

Construction is slated to begin in early 2014 on a new seven-story, 20-unit boutique condo building called Solo Lofts. This will be right next to the new Greenfire Campus and the Ballard Branch Library and, like its two neighbors, developers are aiming to make the building "super green," with a BuiltGreen 4-star rating. Ten parking spots will be supplied.

According to Redfin, who is marketing the new building, Solo Lofts units will range from 500 to 1,200 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows and polished concrete floors. The ceilings are more than nine feet for regular units and 18 feet for two penthouse units. A shared rooftop green space will offer sweeping views for all owners.

Pre-sales are slated for January, 2014, with prices starting in the mid $200,000s.

2216 NW 63rd St

An application is in to split this 5,000 sq. ft. lot into two parts. The new parcel sizes will by about 2,500 sq. ft. each. Currently it is a single family residence.

Decisions

1417 NW 54th St

A decision came in to allow a four-story, 46,500 sq. ft. structure for custom and craft work to be built (view the decision here). The project also includes about 950 sq. ft. of restaurant on the bottom and surface parking for 42 vehicles.

The lot is currently vacant. There used to be an office building, but it has since been demolished.

According to DPD's SEPA review, long-term impacts of the building will include: Increased surface water runoff due to greater site coverage by impervious surfaces; increased bulk and scale on the site; increased traffic in the area and increased demand for parking; increased demand for public services and utilities; loss of plant and animal habitat; and increased light and glare.

Basically, the impacts normally associated with a project of this type. According to DPD, compliance with applicable codes and ordinances will reduce or eliminate most adverse long-term impacts to the environment. Thus, the building was given a Determination of Non-Significance.

2242 NW 62nd St

The proposal to split one lot that was about 5,000 sq. ft. into two smaller lots -- 2,200 sq. ft. and 2,800 sq. ft. -- has been approved. This is currently a single-family residence.

1548 NW 63rd St

An application has been approved to subdivide one development site into three unit lots. This subdivision of property is only for the purpose of allowing sale or lease of the unit lots. Development standards will be applied to the original parcel and not to each of the new unit lots. Another permit is already in to put a duplex in on the site.

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Department of Planning and Development

New life on 24th Ave NW

Guest — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:38:30 +0000

Guest (not verified) Wed, 10/30/2013 - 10:38am

Construction on the corner of Market St and 24th, left, is just one sign that things are about to get a lot busier on what has otherwise been a “local’s street.”

Photo by Zachariah Bryan

With one fell swoop, in the timespan of a few years, 24th Ave NW has gotten a complete facelift. Ballard mainstays have fallen off one by one (or, maybe more accurately, two by two) and have been replaced by newer, fresher, more upscale places.

The Viking, open since 1950, closed for good on May 1. The Copper Gate, “Scandalnavian” since 1946, closed June 30. The old Ballard Library was demolished in August. The Stepping Stone, Aster Coffee Lounge and O’Shan Sushi all had a shift in ownership and took on new identities over the summer.

Aster turned into Toast Ballard, O’Shan turned into Kimchi House, The Steppping Stone turned into a newer Stepping Stone, the Copper Gate turned into Olaf’s. A new branch of the Sunset Hill Market will be moving into the development at the old Viking location along with a restaurant.

Then, if you go back a few years, there’s the much-lamented departure of Archie McPhee’s and Old Jacobsen’s Marine on Market St.

A few places are remaining unchanged. There’s the ever-delicious Café Besalu and Tall Grass Bakery combo. Java Bean Espresso and Scooter’s are staying put for now. And how can Ballard be a complete town without its own sports ‘n’ wings bar? In this case, there is WingMasters Sports Bar.

The site of The Viking Tavern, 2 and 1/2 Barbers and an old auto body shop at 64th and 24th is slated to become an apartment complex/Photo by Zachariah Bryan

If for some reason anyone was worried, there will be no shortage of people to flood the new (and old) businesses. At 24th and 64th, there will be a five-story, 25-unit apartment building. At the old Ballard library site will be a six-story, 107-unit apartment building. At 24th and Market, there will be a seven-story, 309-unit monstrosity, now under construction and looming over Market St Spirit Service.

On top of that, there’s the already completed “Ballard on the Park” apartments -- an eight-story, 268-unit building that was completed in 2010 -- and several other complexes already in place.

Add it all up and that’s -- uh -- a lot.

As one 24th Ave resident, who moved in before all the changes, told Ballard News-Tribune Columnist Peggy Sturdivant, “You buy a house and you have a dream. Then it’s not what you invested in. It’s shocking.”

Indeed, the street is transitioning, and walking down 24th Ave today provides a looking glass into the future.

The owners of Olaf's stand out in front of the sign that used to be where the old Copper Gate sign proclaimed "Scandalnavian since 1946."/Photo by Allyce Andrew

Here’s our prediction:

The new, hip Ballard will outgrow the confines the Ballard Ave and Market St core. It’ll be expanding upward and outward.

When the big apartment building projects are finished, a new tsunami of new age Ballardites will swarm the roads, more places will likely open, and 24th Ave may become just as walkable, just as popular (if not quite as historic) as Ballard Ave.

It could also likely act as a kind respite from the crowded, claustrophobic Ballard Ave. While the old mainstay bars and cafes have wilted away, the new places are trying to be just as neighborhood-focused in their own way. Olaf's and the new Stepping Stone owners are bringing a little dose of the Viking Tavern, emphasizing friendliness and openness. The new Toast Ballard, while attempting a more upscale atmosphere, maintains the same lounge-y feel of Aster.

The burgeoning strip of 24th hardly matches the hustle and bustle of Ballard Ave. It’s still a surprisingly long walk from Ballard Ave for outsiders who have eagle vision (as in narrowly focused). But as the neighborhood’s population and density grows -- and, believe us, it’s skyrocketing, far surpassing the original neighborhood plan’s prospects -- it won’t be long until this little slice of Ballard starts getting praised and fawned over by national magazines and newspapers, too.

So have a stroll, visit one of the new watering holes, grab a beer, eat some fancy toast. And watch a neighborhood transform within the snap of a finger.

Fancy toast has invaded 24th/Photo from Toast Ballard Facebook Page

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Development

Seattle news

Zachariah Bryan

Sunset Hill Green Market

aPodment debate comes to Ballard

Guest — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:08:09 +0000

Guest (not verified) Tue, 08/06/2013 - 9:08am

Microapartments proposed near Brown Bear Car Wash

It was only a matter of time until it hit Ballard. Micro-apartments -- aka, “aPodments” -- are on their way.

Already a superheated discussion on Capitol Hill, the now notorious aPodment debate may be brewing in Ballard.

Some view aPodments as a creative way to fill demand for affordable housing, as they squeeze a lot of people into little space and provide shared kitchens. Other residents have been concerned about parking, traffic and a different demographic being introduced.

On 15th Ave NW and NW 52nd St, by the Brown Bear Car Wash, a single-family residence is being knocked down to make way for the microapartment unit -- a 49-bedroom congregate residence with three shared kitchens. Each of the bedrooms range from 160 sq. ft. to 220 sq. ft. No parking will be provided.

The aPodments are being designed by the same architect firm -- ecco design inc. -- who did the Videre Capitol Hill Townhomes, a six-unit townhome project that houses 46 residents.

The developer did not respond to requests for comment.

One resident who lives nearby the proposed Ballard location, Heidi Hum, said she is concerned about the loopholes that developers are taking advantage of to go through the process without any required design review meetings.

Hum also notes that the street already has a high volume of traffic, with cars coming in from 15th and from the Brown Bear Carwash. As for herself, she is concerned about the effects on her house.

“Our home and the two homes next to it have only west-facing windows, and this structure will destroy our territorial view, eliminate privacy and natural light, and hinder the growth of our patio and deck gardens,” Hum said.

But without a meeting, she is unable to address these concerns.

Ethan Van Eck of the Central Ballard Residents Association said the group has concerns about the loopholes, but as of right now they are not taking any position against the specific project. they hope to have a speaker at their next couple of meetings to learn more.

At The Stranger, News Editor Dominic Holden has been advocating for aPodments, saying that they provide a real need where costs for normal apartments have sky rocketed.

He writes, “Affordable housing is virtually nonexistent. In the past five years, the monthly rental rates for studios have increased 15 percent and one-bedroom apartments have increased 21 percent, according to real-estate economist Matthew Gardner. The price of an average studio apartment in Seattle last month hit $991, and one-bedrooms soared to $1,230, according to the real-estate tracking firm Dupre + Scott. In this environment, microhousing is in high demand.”

The Ballard News-Tribune will keep tracking this issue as it develops.

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