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Former Glacier site will likely benefit from county’s new parks foundation
New Listing
By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
Certified Residential Specialist
206/954-9959 JR@vashon.com
Glorious westside waterfront w/stunning views of Colvos Passage, 60’ of wft, bulkhead & stairs to beach. Open floor plan, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, 2720 sqft. #472759 $725,000
Dick & Linda New Listing
Low-Bank Waterfront
Bianchi
206/714-3544 206/947-1763
on 75 ft of frontage. Gorgeous Mt. Rainier & Sound views. Chef’s kitchen, master suite. dbianchi@windermere.com lbianchi@windermere.com Watch the whales or just relax & enjoy the view. #newlist $829,000 Kathleen Rindge
Broker 206/250-9050 krindge@windermere.com
Beautiful waterfront home
New Listing
104’ wft on Inner Qmaster Harbor. 3 bdrms, 2.75
Ba home with sauna, new furnace & siding, newer septic, attached guest house. Fabulous views across Harbor. #472518 $599,000
Denise Katz
View Estate Main House: 3 bd, 3 bth, 3440 sf Guest House: 1 bd, 1 bth, 860 sf
and additional guest house on 3.19 acres with breathtaking panoramic views of dkatz@windermere.com Puget Sound, Mt Rainier and city lights. #463949 $749,000
Managing Broker 206/390-9149
de
Stately
Northwest
Home
Beth Groen
Designated Broker Rare, no-bank westside waterfront Solid, 206/463-9148 x206 4 bedrm farmhouse with fir floors, decks, stream, overlooks bethd@windermere.com gulls, dune grasses & Colvos Passage. #465105 $760,000
The Maury Island open space formerly owned by Glacier Northwest will likely see funds for restoration and improvement from a new county parks foundation, King County announced last week. On April 9, King County Parks announced it has established a new foundation with a $75,000 initial gift from a Seattle wealth management firm. The parks agency, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, hopes to grow the foundation to $7.5 million over the next decade, largely with gifts from the private sector. The county has already identified the 250-acre Maury Island site it purchased from Glacier Northwest in 2010 as one of seven priority projects it hopes to funnel foundation money into in the coming years. The property, which the county has designated as a natural area, contains large madrone stands, sweeping views of the water and one of the largest undeveloped shorelines in all of Puget Sound. King County Parks spokesman Doug Williams said it was too soon to tell when the site would see foundation funding — or even if it definitely will — as officials are just in the beginning stages of fundraising. Other priority projects identified by teh agency include enhancing Tanner Landing Park near Mount Si in North Bend, investing in and preserving new open space and creating a 16-mile bike and pedestrian trail connect-
ing Lake Washington and Puget Sound. “There isn’t a large pot of money yet, and there certainly is no plan in place yet for how to expend the funds,� Williams said. A committee tasked with looking at King County Parks’ future in 2002 recommended that the agency establish a foundation to ensure long-term financial stability and to invest in large-scale projects as the region continues to grow. The foundation came to fruition this year with a $75,000 seed donation from Laird Norton Wealth Management, a business founded in 1967 by descendants of early Seattle business partners William Harris Laird and his cousins, Matthew G. Norton and James Laird Norton. The county’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks is currently working with the state Department of Ecology to develop a cleanup plan for the Maury Island site, which is tainted with arsenic and lead from the historic Tacoma Smelter Plume. The county is also finalizing plans to eventually install some limited amenities, such as picnic tables and a parking lot, at the site. Officials have also suggested the former mining site, which is full of Scotch broom and blackberry, would benefit from environmental restoration similar to work currently taking place at the nearby Maury Island Aquatic Park. “There’s so much work to be done at the Maury Island site and on so many different levels,� Williams said.
Real Estate Quarterly
by Sophia Stendahl
Spring is here, and our real estate market is coming alive. Compared to last year, we have 13% more listings, which would ease the pressure of our listing shortage, but there are 71% more homes under contract to sell. In a snapshot, many homes are getting offers their first day on the market. In fact, some homes are getting multiple offers. If you are buying or selling, talk to your real estate advisor about how to approach this fast paced market smartly and successfully. Across the water, Seattle is experiencing a surge in home prices amidst a buying frenzy. Between different neighborhoods, analysts see home values up between 4% & 17%. Seattle is often a few steps ahead of us—stay tuned to their market for a suggestion of what our market could look like in the future. In the first quarter, 11 homes sold under $400,000. The middle market is showing signs of life with 9 closed sales between $400,000 & $700,000. At $700,000 and above, we’ve had one closed sale. However, our high-end market has recently turned a corner with two sales over $1,000,000 currently pending inspection. Last year we had one million dollar sale, so this is a welcomed change for high-end sellers. For a complete quarterly visit www.sophiastendahl.com
Sophia Stendahl N Nancy DDavidson id 206/ 406-2952
R Ed Rose Edgecombe b 206/ 930-3670
P l Helsby Paul Hlb 463-9148x215
J li Hempton Julie H t 360-460-8080 Windermere Vashon
206-992-4636 sophias@windermere.com Windermere Vashon