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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

U-Save Oil, Not the Neighborhood

posted by on November 21 at 15:30 PM

62-year-old Don Erickson stands to make a tidy profit by selling his small house on Crown Hill. Developers to the north and south have made offers to buy the property, zoned for commercial development, but he’s holding out for a higher bid. However, owners of Seattle’s iconic U-Save Oil, now under the 76 Station franchise, seem to have made other plans for the land on Holman Rd NW, between 13th Ave NW and 14th Ave NW.

Mark Wolf, who inherited the U-Save and three surrounding buildings when his father passed away earlier this year, announced intentions last week to raze all the buildings in the parcel. Neighbors and employees on the block were blindsided by the news, which came in yellow Land Use Action signs, stuck in the parking strip. The signs indicate plans to replace the existing structures with a four-story mixed-use development, comprising 100 residential units, six “live-work” units, and 110 underground parking spaces.

The shaded stuff is headed for the heavens. Erickson’s house is the top unshaded property on the right side

dpd_u-save_map.jpg

This is a how it looks to a satellite:

above_u-save.jpg

“I had to call after they put the signs up. It’s kind of a bummer,” says one of the employees on the block who asked not to be named. “My livelihood rests on this place as long as I can stay here.”

Erickson, a retired diesel mechanic, says he’d heard rumors that the existing building may be demolished months ago, but he thought, “I’ve known these people all my life—I don’t think they’d do that. Then the father passes away and the kid just sells it.”

Erickson said he plans to attend an early design guidance meeting at 6:30 p.m. on December 10th in Ballard High School. There, Wolf and the designers, Driscoll Architects, may confirm rumors that development could begin by next year.

In fact, that meeting may be the only way to hear any detail of Wolf’s plan. When I called to him this morning to inquire about his goals for the project, he was irritated I was asking—refusing to discuss the development and protesting his name being printed. Well, this isn’t exactly in print, Mark. And you are listed as the official contact. More after the jump.

u-save_oil.jpg

But despite grumblings from neighbors, the U-Save Oil family isn’t without loyalists. Customers have been fueling there for decades. And Paige Lillard, a 51-year-old employee wearing an “I just work here” button, has been with U-Save for 8 years.

“They treat us wonderfully,” Lillard says. “I’m lucky to be here with the Wolfs. It’s the best job I’ve had in years.” And the move to develop this property – even though she thinks most development is fueled by greed – is different. She cites the discount fueling station being installed at Safeway down on 85th. “Gas stations aren’t making money like they used to,” she says.

But homeowners cashing in are making more than ever. “I like the location, and I’d be sad to move, really,” says Erickson. “But I’m not going to sit on the property too long; then you lose,” Erickson says. The mixed-use development’s property line is feet from the side of the house. “I’ll have the 3rd and 4th floors looking right down in my house. I wouldn’t like that at all.”

don_erickson_house.jpg

Erickson's house is the gray one on the left.

I really want to cheer for this property to be developed—it would replace an ugly, underused chunk of the city with 100 fairly affordable residential units. But I’m having a hard time getting behind it. The owner is being secretive about plans, so I’m skeptical about his willingness to cooperate with the design review board. Driscoll Architects has proposed some flimsy blights in the past. And the neighborhood blue-collar businesses that have been there for decades would be replaced by the chain stores creeping up Holman Road NW. I hate the idea of another flimsy piece of shit with a Quizno’s downstairs.

RSS icon Comments

1

This would have made a great monorail station.

Posted by Will in Seattle | November 21, 2007 3:55 PM
2

The nerve of this guy, to sell his money hole. And then he doesn't want to chat about it with the local anti-development alternative weekly! What a dick!

What does he think this is, a free country?

Posted by Big Sven | November 21, 2007 3:58 PM
3

PML! I can't believe someone just called the Stranger the local ANTI-development alt weekly! hahahaha.

Posted by genevieve | November 21, 2007 5:15 PM
4

Is that in the imfamouse "Burner Triangle" where your brother and his posse of bad-ass racist artists run over black people and their boom-boom noise boxes in their "Art Cars"?

Posted by Oh, The Memories. | November 21, 2007 5:57 PM
5

um, didn't Slog just say antidensity = antigren??

The guy who bought next door to commercial/higher zoning -- should be happy he paid less and should expect that one day the higher zoned lot will be developed. The neigbors are always against development and typically they fail to realize that they might liike having more bars, restaurants, coffee shops and other retail within walking distance. Their walk score will go up! Thy won't have to drive for so many trips. And in fact the new investment down the street tends to raise their proepty values.

And if they don't like it they can sell and move (perhaps out to a nice sprawly suburbia near gas stations). People in single family zones really have no basis to object that the higher zoned lots, er, actually fill out their higher zoning.

What those 100 new housing units should be sprawled out on the Samamish plateau instead???

Posted by unPC | November 21, 2007 6:01 PM
6

I hate to be a bitch, especially on an eve likes Thanksgiving's Eve, but this reads like a college essay. Perhaps from a freshman comp course on "Writing the City." More interesting next time, please.

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7

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8

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