Wedgewouldn't You Lighten Up?
Wedgwood, the northeast Seattle neighborhood where I grew up, is an idyllic paradox, a neighborhood with an unlocked-door, woodsy, small-town feel—but located within the city limits, mere minutes from manifold urban accessories. Right around the time I left for St. Louis in 2002, the neighborhood began to change ever so slightly, with a Starbucks and Top Pot moving in near the View Ridge border. But to the north, around the sleepy intersection of 35th Ave. NE and NE 85th St., time still stood still, with single family homes and small independent businesses dominating the landscape.
Now comes word that an 86-unit condo complex is going to be built on a parcel of land at 35th & 86th long occupied by the Jewish Community Center (where I worked in college as a day care and summer camp supervisor), which is moving down the road. Predictably, this has many Wedgwoodians (Wedgwooders? Wedgwoodites?) up in arms, complaining about the size of the structure and lamenting the fact that they didn't have a neighborhood plan in place to prevent such supposed monstrosities.
Having grown up in the 'hood, I understand and appreciate this sort of response. Wedgwood is a special place for those who've been cast under its spell, and this is the sort of change that threatens to introduce Seattle's slice of Mayberry to, well, the rest of Seattle. To this end, let me remind my fellow Wedgwoodians of a few things. For starters, every neighborhood is grappling with density issues, not just Wedgwood. Secondly, the structure that stands to be razed isn't really suitable for anything but the old supermarket it used to house (the JCC started looking to move almost as soon as they moved in) and, judging from how dead QFC (Matthew's Red Apple, R.I.P.) usually is, the neighborhood doesn't need another supermarket.
But lastly—and most importantly—for young adults like me who grew up in the neighborhood and don't make silly money (or have trust funds), purchasing a home in Wedgwood is utterly unrealistic. I'm okay with this reality and feel grateful simply to have been able to buy a small place within the city limits (West Seattle). But if more affordable housing options such as the condos in question became available, Wedgwood natives like me would strongly consider moving back into the 'hood.
Wedgwood didn't become what it is because of wealthy people, but as it stands, only affluent people can afford to move into Wedgwood. If the neighborhood wants to accomplish the dual objectives of diversifying socioeconomically while effectively inviting some of its native sons and daughters to replant roots there, it should give the 86th Street project a pass — and then set to planning a future that's long been taken for granted.
13 comment(s)
Don Ward says:
The neighbors\' response is typical of folks who move here, drive up the property values, chase off the locals and then try to jam the door shut behind them. Yeah, yeah, the natives tried to bar the door first but Lesser Seattle is as dead as the Twin Teepees.
Posted On: Tuesday, Sep. 11 2007 @ 3:20PM
Mark Fefer says:
As a Broiler regular, I love the desolate emptiness up there late at night. And I can understand people living next door to this condo not wanting to be thrown into the shade. But come on, let the neighborhood evolve for crying out loud. We can\'t all afford a rambler with a big lawn. If this were going up anywhere else but an affluent neighborhood where people know how to make their voice heard in the press, this never even would have made the P-I.
Posted On: Tuesday, Sep. 11 2007 @ 4:06PM
J.R. says:
The key facts in the linked story are that this lot has had the same zoning for the last 20 years and that Wedgwood never bothered to create a neighborhood plan. It\'s a little late to demand a zoning change, folks.
Posted On: Tuesday, Sep. 11 2007 @ 4:24PM
suzanne says:
If the condos that are going up in Wedge are going to affordable then by all means bring them in. But, most likely they will be unaffordable boxes starting at 350,000. A lot of the condo/townhome development community here is Seattle likes to sneak in and build their monstrosties claiming that they will provide affordable housing to those who cannot afford to buy a house. That is where the lies begin and the communities get shafted. Look at the condos/townhomes that were build on Sandpoint Way in Larualherst not far from CHRMC. They went for 700,000 and up. The THs built in the U District last year started off at 300,000 and up. Still very unaffordable and greedy. You are getting half a house for double the price. So citizens of such communities as Wedgewood, be careful. Make sure that all the headaches you are getting with this multi housing will also offer affordability and diversity.
We need to stop building townhomes/condos and start building apartments, because is this market nobody wins. Not the renters who have to fight over rental housing and not the buyers who have to settle for half a house at unbelivable prices, while forking over 30-70 percent of their income every month, not to mention condo/TH dues.
Stop the Greed, feed the Need.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 6:06AM
J.R. says:
The houses in Wedgwood are unaffordable boxes starting at $450,000.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 2:13PM
seattle67 says:
Just FYI, the developer said at a public design review board that the condo units will be priced at $475 a sq. ft.. Units will range from 580-1240 sq feet so that amounts to $275,500 - $589,000 at a minimum. So, don\'t know whether you consider this affordable or not.
I also want to clarify that our group isn\'t against redeveloping the property at all, the current building is pretty pathetic. We just want it to be at least a floor lower and with more setbacks. I\'d like to see more cool things in Wedgwood too and we\'ve asked the developer that they put in some interesting businesses here, not just some lame sun-tanning business.
City zoning is not as cut and dry as you may think, there are a number of considerations (ie bulk, respect for adjacent sites, etc...) that the city mandates be considered in approving the final plan of any project. These considerations generally do reduce the scope and scale of most properties that are built. And Wedgwood is just one of many neighborhoods with out of date zoning, and since we\'re not our own incorporated town, we do rely on the city of Seattle for that work.
As far as the media attention we gained, we started our efforts from square one and have had to earn every bit of press and consideration we\'ve gotten. We\'re lucky because we just happen to have the experience working with local planning, the press, and marketing issues. Going through this entire process though I can imagine it must be almost impossible for those without experience and/or money to even get their opinions heard.
Oh yeah, and just to clarify one point about this issue, if we had tons of money on our side, this kind of project wouldn\'t have even made it past square one. That\'s the true definition of wealth and power in this area.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 2:25PM
Eric says:
this is not affordable housing for the neighborhood. Prices will start at $300,000+ (for 600 sq. feet, not exactly family friendly) and the 4th floor in question is most likely being designed for million dollar penthouses with Cascade Views.
asking the city to reduce the size the project by 20% to prevent other homes to be cast into shadow seems reasonable to me.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 4:37PM
J.R. says:
Why don\'t 100 Wedgwoodians put in $20,000 each and buy that top story from the developer. For $2 million, I\'m sure he\'d agree not to build it. Or maybe the argument is that only single-family homeowners have property rights.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 5:30PM
Sunlover says:
People are trying to make this a black and white issue -- neighbors versus change. It\'s not. It\'s about what the future looks like for all of us. Wedgwood needs to evolve and can do it a positive way. Not one person on the planet would say that the JCC building should stay. It\'s a eyesore on a large parking lot. Improving the retail also goes without saying.
However, we can all be more creative about how density blends into the neigbhorhood. I live right next to the project and support mixed use on the site. All we want is a somewhat smaller building!
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 8:50PM
Sunlover says:
Plus, I would welcome more diversity and more younger (than me) people in the \'hood. We are only arguing about a few units (about one floor of condos -- not build it or not.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 9:32PM
The Prophet says:
Consider the wider context: Seattle\'s current administration treats its neighbhoods with something bordering on contempt. Neighborhoods are things to be \"infilled,\" driven through or otherwise paved.
Laugh and point now, but your neighborhood\'s next.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007 @ 11:09PM
Don Ward says:
It looks like the Growth Management Act hits home in Seattle and I can\'t say I have much sympathy. Bemoaning the effects of the GMA isn\'t just for us poor hicks in the hinterlands anymore.
Posted On: Thursday, Sep. 13 2007 @ 1:18AM
Kaleavala Klub Sandwich says:
Seattle just needs to accept that higher density is inevitable. I like certain hoods too (anything within a mile of UW), but overall - when one flies over Seattle touching down on Sea-Tac\'s fresh tarmac, the city is overwhelmingly LOW DENSITY (due to a glut of current/grandfathered SF5000). If you want to be big time, you have to step up. New York, Boston, Chicago, SF, SEATTLE. If this is truly an international (Goodwill Games) city - one has to accept that fact - and yes, I doubt many here know what Lesser Seattle is (was). RIP Emmett.
Greed is good - suck it up and build it morons. Market is going to tank anyway (2008-09). For those in it for the long term (I don\'t mean Long Term Capital), no worries. GMA is on your side!
Posted On: Thursday, Sep. 13 2007 @ 1:09PM