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Thursday, June 1, 2006

Coming Attraction

Posted by on June 1 at 11:50 AM

Later today I’ll be posting the first edition of a weekly Slog column that we’re calling Coming Down/Going Up. The idea is to give readers a picture of new building developments in a Seattle neighborhood, along with any details I can get from its developers and any conflict from the neighbors. I’ll be going out to shoot pictures of the building to be demolished, or the hole where a new one will rise. And I’ll post those photos alongside artists’ renderings of the completed structure — at least to the extent that those renderings are available.

We’ll start with First Hill, which is in the midst of a condo boom. In the meantime, feel free to make your case for the neighborhood or project that you think should be the focus of next week’s column. And in the future, keep an eye out for Proposed Land Use Action signs that pique your curiosity.

Naturally, everything is open to criticism — with the exception of my skills as a photographer.


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Very curious about the development that is planned for the block up on Admiral in West Seattle across from the Metropolitan Market - I believe it's going to be the standard condos above street-level buisness, rumors include a Trader Joe's going in.

But what about my dry cleaner and the car detailer? What about TNT's Place?

Thanks for this. I look forward to seeing a record of the buildings being torn down to make room for more ugly condos for people who will drive everywhere no matter what.

Forgot to add - if you can find out what's up with the development on 14th and Union, where Four Angels used to be, that would be fab. They knocked down one house already, but now the site is for sale, with all the building permits in place. I'm curious why it's being sold mid-project, and what they're asking.

Speaking of west seattle, we've got a community center development w/ housing going up on 35th Ave SW at SW Morgan: They emptied out and are revamping an apartment complex where a lot of lowlifes resided (cops used to visit once a week to take somebody to jail.) They're also razing a small church on the corner. I'll be interesting to see what sort of crowd the center and the housing attracts.

well in my area of first hill, parking lots and empty lots are being replaced with condos, apts, and senior housing.

I'm looking forward to these changes greatly.

maybe 8th ave will be a little nicer.

This is a very good idea for a column, and exactly the sort of the thing where the Stranger is well positioned to add an interesting perspective.

How come you never do it about Fremont and our Condo and Townhouse boom?

Try getting out of the house once in a while, ok?

wallingford has been hit by an influx of same-looking town homes & condos in the last two years (45th & bagley, 46th & densmore, 47th & interlake, 45th & stone, etc.). come on down and check out the ugly.

I want to give a big shout out for the Cabrini First Hill Apartments that went up at Madison and Boren. That was an eyesore of a empty lot for many years, and now it's a really well designed complex of apartments for low-income senior citizens. We need a lot more of that kind of development in this town.

What I want to know is if the people redeveloping the Greenlake Albertsons site are going to follow through on their stated goal of getting a grocer as an anchor tennant. I have felt the absence of not having that store a few block away.

May I stay on the low-income housing path?

One up-and-coming project in Ballard is the destruction of a crumbling sixplex at 1735 NW 56 Street, one block north of NW Market Street, which is going to be replaced with a 35-unit rental project. The building site is zoned for mixed use with ground floor commercial space, and the Ballard Food Bank is planning to move their operations to the first floor of the building, giving residents unprecedented access to the food, clothing and medical referral services provided by the food bank.

The ugly green house and cinderblock garage are still standing, but not for much longer. It's a good photo-op for an enterprising development writer.

Seattle is truly on the cutting-edge of well designed affordable housing, and any articles on development in this town should really give some kudos to the amazing efforts of non-profit developers like Capital Hill Housing, Plymouth Housing Group and the Low Income Housing Institute.

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