Madison Park Times Real Estate - May 2019

MAY 2019

Madison Park Times

Serving East-Central Seattle since 1983

Real Estate

MADISON PARK - WASHINGTON PARK - MADISON VALLEY - DENNY-BLAINE - MADRONA - LESCHI www .M adison P ark T imes . com

Save Madison Valley continues opposition to The Madison Land-use petition challenges hearing examiner decision, seeks new design review process

By Brandon Macz

Madison Park Times editor

Save Madison Valley has filed a land-use petition in King County Superior Court, the neighborhood group’s latest attempt to scale back plans for The Madison mixed-use development.

The Seattle Hearing Examiner’s Office in February partially sided with the Department of Construction and Inspections director’s decision to allow construction of the six-story mixeduse development that will have a PCC Market as its ground-floor anchor tenant. It will replace the City People’s Garden Center at 2925 E. Madison

Image courtey of Studio Meng Strazzara Save Madison Valley filed a land-use petition challenging decisions in favor of designs for The Madison mixed-use development.

St., adding 82 housing units in Madison Valley.

Plans took four meetings to pass the East Design Review Board in 2017, and ended up adding increased setbacks on East Madison Street, facade changes on East Dewey Place and the addition of townhouses on the residential street to the project.

The land-use petition filed against developer Velmeir Properties and the City of Seattle asserts Deputy Hearing Examiner Barbara Ehrlichman erred in her Feb. 26 findings and decision, which followed a seven-day appeal hearing that started in December and  MADISON, Page 6

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Photo by Brandon Macz The Central supporters strategize how to compel the mayor to allow transfer of the city-owned property to the Central Area Senior Center.

Senior center supporters back property transfer request; Sawant critical of city’s delay

By Brandon Macz

Madison Park Times editor

The Central Area Senior Center continues pushing for the city to let it take ownership of the property the nonprofit has been operating in for more than 50 years. Now, it has Kshama Sawant’s support, the Seattle city councilmember amplifying the message in city hall.

CASC spent around $180,000 developing business, communications, marketing, operations and other plans to satisfy conditions set by former mayor Ed Murray in order to acquire The Central property.

It’s been executive director Dian Ferguson’s focus since she started the position five years ago.

The nonprofit still expected the transfer to be in last year’s budget, but Mayor Jenny Durkan didn’t include it. The Seattle City Council ended up passing a green sheet calling for The Central, as well as the Byrd Barr Place and Greenwood Senior Center properties to be transferred to the nonprofits operating in them. Negotiations were supposed to be well underway by March 31.

Ferguson was joined by John Perkins, a consultant working with CASC to get the property transfer completed, to fill in the community during a meeting at The Central on April 15.

Ferguson said CASC reached out to the mayor’s office in March, after a lack of communication. A mutually offsetting benefit (MOB) interdepartmental team had been formed last September to negotiate with the nonprofits and assess their financial and operational readiness to assume ownership of the properties.

The team set a March 13 meeting with CASC and representatives from Byrd Barr Place and Greenwood Senior Center. One day before the meeting, Ferguson said, CASC received the MOB Eligibility and Evaluations Criteria.

The Seattle Finance and Administrative Services department determined in 2013 that CASC could assume ownership of the property, as did a 2017 Soul Light report submitted to FAS. The building at 500 30th Ave. S. was constructed in 1959 to serve as the Christian Science Church. A group started providing senior programs and activities there in 1968, prior to

the City of Seattle acquiring the property to serve as a senior center in 1975, Ferguson said.

The purchase was mostly funded with $185,000 from the state through Referendum 29, passed in 1972. The measure authorized the state to issue $25 million in general obligation bonds to acquire and build health and social service facilities.

The Central notes in its response to the MOB interdepartmental team that no Referendum 29 funding would need to be returned, as the building would continue serving as a senior center, just as it was prior to the city purchasing the property. The senior center cites Washington code related to transfers of real property and facilities to nonprofit corporations (RCW 43.83.410).

Ferguson said she has no intention of responding to the “busy work and nonsense” being asked of CASC in the MOB Eligibility and Evaluations Criteria, which public records show was generated as far back as December but only provided to the nonprofit in March.

Those public records, obtained by the Madison Park Times and provided to CASC for comment, show a restrictive covenant agreement drafted for the Phinney Neighborhood Association, which operates the Greenwood Senior Center, committing it to continuing to provide social services to the public. Under the covenant agreement, any development or redevelopment would have to include affordable housing, and all maintenance and property insurance would be the responsibility of PNA. The records also show that, prior to sending CASC its eligibility and evaluations criteria, the MOB team already provided the mayor with recommendations for either selling, leasing or holding the building, plus potential covenants, including conditions on future development, all of which were redacted, as were recommendations for other city-owned properties being considered for transfer.

The latest MOB response to Ferguson was an April 22 letter sent by Andrés Mantilla, director of the Department of Neighborhoods, the lead agency for the mayor’s interdepartmental team.

Mantilla writes that the mayor and her staff have a responsibility to ensure city-owned properties are serving the greatest public benefit, and that transfers of such properties will include the consideration of affordable housing.

“We already know that there’s no low-income housing that’s going to be built on this property,” Ferguson said during the April 15 com CENTRAL, Page 3

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MAY 2019

 CENTRAL, from Page 2 munity meeting.

Developing affordable housing at The Central site has already been determined to be unfeasible.

“WHEREAS, on October 7, 2016, OH [Office of Housing] determined that mitigating the steep slope on the east side of the property at 500 30th Avenue South (Central Area Senior Center) would make redeveloping the site with affordable housing financially unfeasible,” according to the resolution adopted by the city council last November, “and the benefits of having Central Area Senior Center (CASC) continue to serve African-American seniors in the community far outweigh the benefits of redeveloping the site for affordable housing.”

But Mantilla’s letter insists that it is in the public interest that any planned redevelopment of city-owned property include consideration of affordable housing.

“Therefore, we expect to require a durable covenant allowing the City to participate in any major redevelopment so that the redevelopment can include affordable housing,” Mantilla writes.

Beyond that steep slope on the east side of the property are picturesque views of Lake Washington and Mount Rainier, which Central Area residents — no strangers to displacement — worry could be The Central’s undoing.

“It is not a million-dollar view, it is a $10 million view,” said Sawant during a news conference she called on April 23.

A rally of seniors sat on the steps in

Photo by Brandon Macz Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant speaks in support of the city transferring the Central Area Senior Center to its nonprofit operator at city hall on Tuesday, April 23.

city hall leading to council chambers during the conference, holding Defend The Central and Defend Byrd Barr signs. The Central even provided transportation from the senior center to city hall, where a number of community members then provided public comment during the Human Services, Equitable Development and Renter Rights Committee chaired by Sawant.

Sawant criticized Durkan for running her mayoral campaign with backing from developer Vulcan and Amazon, and said the city is dominated by for-profit developers.

Kamaria Hightower, Durkan’s deputy communications director, reached out to MPT in an email on April 23 to state that the city can’t just give these properties to private organizations, and that Sawant had previously responded positively to the MOB process.

Sawant did issue a letter to Durkan on April 3 supporting the transfer of The Central, Byrd Barr Place and the Greenwood Senior Center to their nonprofit operators.

“I appreciate the positive recent development, particularly last month’s release of a first draft of the Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria for these property transfers,” a portion of the letter reads. “I understand that you intend to finalize those criteria by May 1.”

Sawant also urged moving forward with the transfers without further delay, but Mantilla’s letter to Ferguson outlines an assessment process that goes beyond the reporting the MOB team is asking in its evaluation criteria.

Should the city decide to move forward with transfers, Mantilla writes the city is required to conduct environmental impact statements (EIS) or a

Determinations of Non-Significance (DNS) in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The SEPA process is typically only required when a property is slated for redevelopment or a change in use, but The Central would continue operating as a senior center, Ferguson said. The nonprofit does want to add an additional floor above the dining hall in order to expand its programming.

A purchase and sale agreement and other transfer documents would then be sent to the city council for review and approval.

“As the City has never transferred a Mutually Offsetting Benefit property at no or little cost to a tenant, the timeframe that we might use to estimate this process is based on prior property sales where the purchaser has paid market or a portion of the market value for the property,” Mantilla writes. “In these cases, the transfer has taken a year or more to complete.”

Sawant said during the April 23 news conference, and wrote in her April 3 letter to the mayor, that Byrd Barr Place could lose a $1.45 million state grant if ownership or a long-term lease is not obtained by June.

“The mayor has missed the deadline, and community members are urging urgent action,” said Sumeet Pamma, operations assistant at Byrd Barr Place, calling for a quick transfer of both Central Area properties.

Sawant said during the April 13 community meeting that the resolution approved by the city council last year committing to the property transfers is nonbinding, so the mayor missing the March 31 deadline is not illegal.

“What it does show is she doesn’t care what the community thinks, that’s for sure,” the councilmember said.

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Coast Silktassel’s monochromatic dazzle Steve Lorton Tree Talk

H

ear the word “spectacular” uttered in a garden, and you can expect your head to be turned to something that is wonderfully colorful.

But every rule has its exception.

The Northwest native Garrya elliptica is one of them. Commonly known as Coast Silktassel, one look at it at this time of year and chances are you’ll

mutter “spectacular” as you take in its monochromatic splendor.

A robust shrub, reaching 10 to 20 feet tall, with an equal width, this plant can be easily trained as a small garden tree. The evergreen foliage is dense, dark green, leathery and somewhat crinkled. Elliptical in shape, the leaves reach about 2 1/2 inches in length. Both male and female members of this species are worth having.

In late winter to early spring, multiple clusters of flower tassels emerge in yellowish gray-green, dangling down as much as eight inches on the male of the species. These unusual flowers hang on well into summer. The effect is one of falling water.

The flowers of the female plant are shorter, rarely more than 3 1/2 inches, but turn into handsome fruit clusters that hang on all summer, unless the

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birds discover them.

Seattle’s legendary plantsman, Arthur Lee Jacobson, often leads tours of the Washington Park Arboretum for youngsters. Ever the merrymaker, Jacobson has a favorite gag. As he tells it: “Squishing some berries in one’s fingers results in a striking blood-like juice squirting. When leading tours that involve children, I demonstrate this by pretending, ‘Oops, I cut my hand!’ Then I lick off the blood, which is sweet-tasting. Then I tell the kids, ‘If you do this, your mom will freak out.’”

Jacobson goes on to suggest that most local cultivated Garrya specimens (ellipitica and hybrids) are male, because the floral catkins are prettier than the female. He suggests it is ideal to grow both sexes in TREE, Page 11

Pacific Northwest Historians Guild presents Madison Park history walk

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Photo by Brandon Macz A May 18 Madison Park history walk will start and finish at Washington Pioneer Hall.

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The Pacific Northwest Historians Guild will present a history walk in Madison Park on Saturday, May 18, guided by the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild.

Historians and authors Junius Rochester and Jane Powell Thomas, author of “Madison Park Remembered,”

will lead the 2.5-mile walk, which starts 10 a.m. May 18 at Pioneer Hall, 1642 43rd Ave. E. Look for tickets at wapioneers.com.

“The walk will begin and end at historic 1910 Pioneer Hall (on the National Register of Historic Places) where Junius will tell the story of the oldest history organization in WA state, McGilvra and connection to Lincoln, Denny’s involvement, and more,”

according to a news release.

“Highlights of the Madison Park walk around one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods include: Seattle’s first baseball field, McGilvra’s 1890 Music Palace, 1888 ferry dock at the end of Madison Boulevard, Beaver lodge, 1913 McGilvra school, 1910 Hyde House (former Russian consulate), McGilvra’s 1867 Laurel Shade property, and 1905 Seattle Tennis Club.”

PSE upgrading natural gas main in Central District Puget Sound Energy expects to begin replacing a Central District natural gas main from 1981 with corrosion-resistant plastic pipe this spring.

The project will be broken down into three phases to handle 22,000 feet of pipeline, the common two-inch DuPont pipe material to be replaced with new piping from 4-6 inches in diameter. The added capacity will help prevent potential outages during big draws on natural gas, said PSE project manager John Guay, such as during lengthy cold snaps. It will also increase capacity as new residential construction comes online along Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The first phase of work will focus on 29th Avenue, between East Union and Marion streets, as well as a portion of East Spring Street between MLK Jr. Way and 30th Avenue.

The second phase is planned on 30th and 31st avenues, from East Union to East Marion streets, as well as East Spring and Marion between the avenues.

The third phase, expected to start in late summer, will stretch from 27th Avenue to 30th Avenue along East Columbia Street and include a portion of 29th Avenue.

Crews will trench portions of the streets to replace the service lines, and no road closures are planned, Guay said, though there will be traffic control flaggers and parking loss.

Once the work is completed, the sections of road will be temporarily patched over and later restored under SDOT requirements.

Work will occur 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondayFriday.

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MAY 2019

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Elementary School

Upcoming Event

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2019

Madison Park Home & Garden Tour

Benefiting: McGilvra Elem.entary School 1617 38th Avenue East, Seattle, WA 98112

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Photo by Brandon Macz The Central is proposed to include 82 housing units and a PCC Market, which requires the removal of a tree canopy stretching down a hillside from East Madison Street to East Dewey Place.

 MADISON, from Page 1

Anne Willoughby Nelson 206.660.3055 annewnelson.com Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. 2033 6th Avenue, Suite 700 Seattle, WA 98121 | 206.330.0314

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concluded in February.

Save Madison Valley is challenging the project’s height, bulk and scale, which the group claims will have adverse impacts on the neighborhood. It also means the loss of the tree canopy on the development property.

“The East Madison Street Proposal will completely and utterly change the character and aesthetics of the neighborhood,” the petition states. “It is an understatement to say that the aesthetic, height/bulk/scale, traffic and other impacts will be significant and adverse to the neighborhood. “…The Proposal does not respond in a complimentary or supportive way to the built features of the Madison Valley neighborhood.

Instead, it looms over the neighborhood like a fortress on a hill.”

The deputy hearing examiner found that Save Madison Valley failed to meet its burden of showing the project did not comply with applicable design review guidelines. She noted multiple modifications were made to the project as requested by the EDRB that addressed height, bulk and scale.

“The Hearing Examiner erred as a matter of law when she concluded that the appellant, Save Madison Valley, bore the burden of proving that the Director’s Decision, the approval of design review, and the determination of non-significance (DNS) were ‘clearly erroneous,’” the petition states. “The scope of review for issues presented in a Hearing Examiner appeal is de novo review, not clearly erroneous review.”

Save Madison Valley argues the design review process violated State Environmental Policy Act requirements because the East Design Review Board’s decision was not informed

by SEPA review; it was not completed prior to EDRB approval in September 2017. This also limited alternative design choices during the review process, the petition states.

The group argues the hearing examiner incorrectly interpreted the review board’s direction for a year-round landscape buffer of evergreen trees at the Dewey frontage, and that is not what is in the design.

Ehrlichman did find the DNS was erroneous in its threshold determination related to drainage, and that decision was reversed and remanded to SDCI for further action. The drainage report was determined to be outdated.

The deputy hearing examiner also denied a motion for reconsideration by SDCI regarding

mitigating shade on the Mad P-Patch adjacent to the property. The department argued an agreement between SDOT and the Department of Neighborhoods makes it clear P-Patch community gardens “are not permanently dedicated park or open space uses.”

The deputy hearing examiner found that there is no sensitive habitat within the development site, “such as a wetland or stream,” and “the isolated habitat on the site is not part of a habitat corridor, and there are no uncommon or exceptional species using the site.”

SMV argued in its appeal that there are at least 39 trees on the site that are significant by city standards.

“The evidence demonstrated that there would be significant adverse aesthetic impacts due to the loss of the mature tree canopy onsite,” the April 10 petition states. “The Examiner’s basis for denying petitioner’s challenge to the DNS relevant to this particular issue was that the applicant had made reasonable attempts to save the trees, but could not save them because the hillside was constructed of fill and the trees would not survive the development of the property. That is not a credible basis for concluding that the aesthetic impacts of removing the trees will not be significant.

Whether or not the trees could be saved is irrelevant to the issue of whether ultimately removing all of the trees will have a significant adverse aesthetic impact to the neighborhood.”

Engineers have estimated the residences and PCC Market will generate 1,230 daily vehicle trips, with 244 new p.m. peak hour trips and 51 a.m. peak hour trips. The Madison will have 140 parking stalls, 70 accessible for residents from East Dewey Place and 70 for retail customers on East Madison, which is also where delivery trucks will back into a loading bay with the assistance of traffic flaggers for the life of the project.

SMV argues the hearing examiner erred in her conclusion the SDCI director had mitigated traffic impacts in its decision.

The group wants all decisions in question regarding the project’s approval to be reversed and for a new, “proper design review” to be completed that is informed by the SEPA review.

Save Madison Valley has for years provided regular updates on its fight against the proposed project at savemadisonvalley.org.

A hearing is tentatively set for Friday, May 31, at which point all jurisdictional or other preliminary motions will be heard. The City of Seattle had not responded to the land-use petition as of press time, but this article will be updated at madisonparktimes.com when it does.

Pacific Publishing Company – Queen Anne & Magnolia News • Madison Park Times • City Living Seattle

MAY 2019

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Council to begin Fort Lawton Redevelopment review Public hearing for affordable housing, parks plan on May 21; full council to vote on June 10

By Brandon Macz

Madison Park Times editor

Seattle City Council’s Housing, Health, Energy, and Workers’ Rights Committee received an overview of the process moving forward with three pieces of legislation that need to pass to redevelop the former Fort Lawton Army base in Magnolia during its April 18 meeting.

The plan calls for Catholic Housing Services to create 85 supportive housing units for homeless seniors and veterans at or below 31 percent of area median income in partnership with the United Indians of All Tribes, and 100 affordable rental units. One unit will be set aside for a site manager.

The 100 units will be a mix of one-, two- and threebedroom apartments for households earning up to 60 percent of median income.

Habitat for Humanity will create 52 units of affordable-ownership housing in the form of threebedroom townhomes and six-unit rowhouses constructed with sweat equity. These units will be available to households with incomes up to 80 percent AMI. To keep these homes affordable, they will not be available for resale for at least 50 years, according to the redevelopment plan. Habitat for Humanity will retain ownership of the land, and lease it to homeowners through a 99-year community land trust that is inheritable and renewable. A homeowners association will need to be formed in the future.

The property will need to be rezoned from a singlefamily zone, and is proposed to change to low-rise 2, which local architect David Moehring said is greater than what was previously proposed and would allow for taller heights. He shared this information with the

Photo by Brandon Macz The Seattle City Council’s housing committee will begin the review process for the Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan on Thursday, May 2.

Magnolia Community Council at its April 16 meeting, and the MCC is now reconsidering its previous letter of support for the project.

The redevelopment plan calls for 206 parking spaces for residents and another 60 spaces for parks and playfields visitors. Seattle Public Schools will use six acres to create two multipurpose athletic fields. If SPS decides later not to create the fields, that portion of the property would be transferred to Seattle Parks and Recreation.

The Office of Housing provided the plan for public comment at a March 4 community meeting in Magnolia, and last Thursday’s committee meeting was the first step in approving the legislation needed to carry it out. Once the plan is approved, the federal

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government will be asked to grant the City of Seattle the property through zero-cost public benefit conveyances.

A Central Staff memo outlines the housing committee’s schedule for reviewing the plan and legislation, with a full briefing expected on May 2.

Issues and options related to the plan will be discussed on May 16, and a public hearing is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 21. Housing committee chair Teresa Mosqueda said childcare will be provided.

The plan and related legislation are slated to be voted out of committee on June 6 and go before the full council for approval on June 10.  LAWTON, Page 9

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MAY 2019

9

Spring real estate market strong, but questions on the horizon Homes Closed in Madison Park, Madison Valley, Washington Park, Denny Blaine, Broadmoor, Leschi and Madrona from March 15 - April 15

Chris Sudore Property Views

T

he spring real estate market in Seattle is traditionally the strongest of the year, and we’re in the middle of it right now.

Past data tells us that the period from mid-March to June is when we record the highest sales of that given year.

This year is right on that trend.

We’re in a seller’s market, and homes in good condition under $1 million are moving quickly. Homes priced above $2 million are sitting longer on market, especially if they’re not truly turnkey.

But there’s still some uncertainty as to what the rest of the year will bring.

We’re in great shape now This spring, Seattle is averaging about two to three months of home inventory. In some neighborhoods, like Madison Park, it’s approximately two months. Real estate industry analysts define a neutral market as four to six months of inventory. So the data tells us we’re still in a robust seller’s market.

While we’re strong now, let’s not forget what happened last year. After that huge boom in the spring, the real estate market went completely wonky in August. It was as if someone turned off the light switch. Sales dried up, and everyone panicked.

I attribute that sag, in part, to extreme buyer fatigue. Buyers got beaten down by the pace, the prices and too many failed bids. The other factor is that sellers were still pricing for the

Address

Bedrooms Bathrooms

Sq. Foot

Built

DOM

Asking Price

Sold Price

Asking/Sold Price

2901 S Jackson St #404

1

1

662

2004

1

$345,000

$350,000

101.00%

2626 E Madison St #1

2

1

655

1985

114

$409,900

$402,500

98.00%

2901 S Jackson St #301

2

1

912

2004

83

$470,000

$470,000

100.00%

2501 Canterbury Lane E #221

2

1

891

1967

7

$530,000

$540,000

101.00%

1615 43rd Ave E #102

2

1.5

900

1984

29

$649,950

$635,000

97.60%

402 31st Ave E

2

1

1180

1909

6

$659,000

$722,500

109.60%

140 21st Ave E #B

2

2.5

1145

2006

15

$729,000

$729,000

100.00%

327 Martin Luther King Jr Way

3

2.5

1360

1965

158

$729,000

$729,000

100.00%

2427 E Denny Wy

2

1.75

1180

2008

5

$799,950

$800,000

100.63%

1110 32nd Ave E

2

1

1740

1903

6

$819,000

$800,000

97.68%

1718 Madrona Dr

4

2

1460

1910

10

$650,000

$815,000

125.00%

3112 E Union St

2

1.25

2580

1996

9

$849,950

$849,000

99.00%

2320 43rd Ave E #202-A

2

1.75

1045

1968

3

$850,000

$860,000

101.00%

205 27th Ave E #C

3

3

1800

2008

2

$850,000

$865,000

101.00%

2606 E John St

3

2

1655

2011

21

$890,000

$870,000

97.75%

347 29th Ave

5

3.5

1820

1926

13

$1,088,888

$1,033,000

94.86%

710 29th Ave

5

3.5

3570

1994

11

$1,295,000

$1,295,000

100.00%

1814 Martin Luther King Jr Wy

4

3.5

3117

2019

7

$1,499,000

$1,500,000

100.06%

2317 42nd Ave E

4

3.25

2912

1928

7

$1,569,000

$1,760,250

112.00%

2135 Broadmoor Dr E

4

4

4580

1949

114

$2,749,000

$2,675,000

97.00%

417 Erie Ave

4

4

4263

2006

42

$2,900,000

$2,716,350

93.67%

265 Maiden Lane E

6

3.75

6330

1928

18

$4,850,000

$4,875,000

100.05%

spring as if the arrow was still pointing up — and it made for a long and frustrating fall and winter. It takes about six months for consumers to realize the new normal.

The good news is the new normal is positive — our local economy and job growth is the biggest reason.

Learning the lessons It would be foolish not to consider what happened last year and futureproof your own chances, whether you’re buying, selling, or considering selling. Because activity is high, we could again see the market take a toll on buyers, causing them to sit out for a while later in the year.

If you’re considering selling your home, now is the time to list it to get the most traffic, the best price, and the best terms for you.

I can’t stress enough the importance of finding an experienced broker to put you in a position for success, wherever you are in the market. Many new brokers flooded into the market over the past years, because there was so much business out there. But few of them have the skills, seasoning and connections to get you your best price and terms, whether you’re a buyer or a seller. Look for someone with a history of success, in good markets and bad.

A good negotiator can make or break your chances. If you’re a buyer, you want someone who knows what

My home, office, team — my focus is here in this neighborhood. If you’ld like to set a time to talk through any of these matters involving buying or selling your home, my door is always open.

Chris Sudore is managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain | Global Luxury and a Madison Park rsident. Reach him at Chris@KingCountyEstates.com.

The Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan includes more than 200 affordable housing rental and ownership units, plus 60 percent of the site will be dedicated to parks and playfield space.

 LAWTON, from Page 7 Work to get to this point in redevelopment of the former Army base has taken 14 years, said Emily Alvarado, manager of policy and equitable development for Seattle’s Office of Housing.

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission offered up the former 70th Regional Support Command headquarters to the city in 2005. The City of Seattle became the 34-acre site’s Local Redevelopment Authority in 2006.

Magnolia resident Elizabeth Campbell and her Discovery Park Community Alliance group successfully challenged the original plan for a mixed-income housing redevelopment.

The Great Recession also put plans on hold for nearly a decade, and in December 2017 the city announced a preferred alternative.

Campbell, who is now running for city council, filed an appeal of the final environmental impact statement for the project, which was affirmed by the Seattle Hearing Examiner last November.

Alvarado said the federal government had grown “antsy” about Fort Lawton’s redevelopment potential by 2017, at which point the city entered a lease agreement with the Army. Under the agreement, the city accepted a Jan. 1, 2020 deadline to have a redevelopment plan approved and submitted to the U.S.

contingencies to add or drop on an offer, and be able to leverage all that with the seller’s broker to get your best prices and terms.

Negotiating is extremely important to the seller too. In today’s market, properties will see days on market.

Instead of several offers you may only see one. If that’s the case, you’ll want to make certain you handle that buyer correctly. Most likely, you’ll have to negotiate the price and terms of the offer. Who you have at the helm of the listing will define your net proceeds once the transaction closes. Having an experienced broker capable of helping you price your home right for the market when you enter is paramount. If you try pricing six months ago or last year and not in the now, the outcome will not favor you.

If the home you want to sell is in that over-$2 million segment, the data says you will likely see 60 to 90 days of market time. Get the experienced broker, but also make sure your home is in the best possible condition to realize your best price in the shortest amount of time.

We can’t know what the next six months will bring, but you can take the right steps to make sure you’re in the best position to buy or sell in the now.

Image courtesy of BDS Planning & Urban Design

Housing and Urban Development office.

Alvarado noted 60 percent of the site is planned for parks and open space, while the rest will be for affordable housing, which the neighborhood is lacking.

A February 2019 market study prepared for Habitat for Humanity by the Greenfield Institute found median incomes in Magnolia “are significantly higher than those of the city of Seattle.”

“Magnolia’s population is made up of larger household sizes and slower population growth which can be credited to the established and wealthy nature of

the neighborhood,” the report states.

The median home price in Seattle was $699,000 in July 2018, and $926,100 in Magnolia, according to the report.

“There are a total of six income and rent-restricted buildings in Magnolia, containing a total of 89 affordable housing units,” the report states. “This is approximately 0.75% of total housing stock in Magnolia. Put another way, despite being home to 3.6% of Seattleites, Magnolia contains only 0.31% of Seattle’s affordable housing stock.”

10

MAY 2019

Home and Garden YOUR LOCAL EXPERTS

Is My Frozen Shrub Dead? Get More Bang for Your Buck pumping H2O like crazy trying to keep up with the heat demand in August, some portions can collapse, and you will see die-back.

(The non-scientific explanation is my own and may be a little, well, anthropomorphic.)

Many evergreen shrubs, such as escallonia, that suffer freeze damage, will die from the tip back. These shrubs respond well to radical size reduction which in this case means big ugly cuts to the point of green wood.

The plants will “break bud” just below your cuts and many new green-leafed shoots will rather quickly grow out to hide the cuts and provide you with a “new” plant by the end of the growing season. In the case of choisya, branches will split, break or splay flat to the ground due to snow loading. Get your loppers out and whack everything back to 4” to 6” off the ground. Yes, it’s really Okay. I promise. I have done this thing many times.

As soon as the growing season begins, the majority of cut plants will spring into action. As the renovated shrubs grow up, it is advisable to pinch them back every so often, to encourage branching and thicken them up. “Pinching” means a very light heading, just nipping the end bud of each branch with your fingernails or hand-pruners.

Courtesy of PlantAmnesty.

BY CASS TURNBULL After an extraordinarily cold winter in Western Washington, many garden owners will want to know what to do about the damage to many of our not-completelyhardy shrubs. With many of our broadleaf evergreens, it’s common for their leaves to turn brown or black and eventually fall off. The plants themselves are probably still alive. To check, use a hand-pruner blade to peel back a little bit of the “skin” to see if the cambium layer just beneath is alive (green) and not dead (brown). If alive, it’ll probably flush out with a new set of leaves. So, don’t panic if your shrub looks dead. Wait and see. How long? By June you will have an answer. By then, those that can put on a new set of leaves will have done so. If you can’t stand the sight of the stricken brown shrub until June, try running your hands along the branches to knock the brown leaves off. Then, the plant might seem to be deciduous, not dead. By the end of August, the final report will be in. Freezing weather sometimes does internal damage that doesn’t show up until after the stress of the summer “drought”. A shrub may look okay through June and July, but then, while it is

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With These Spring Home Improvements

(StatePoint) The warmer weather means it’s time to start thinking about home improvement projects. Whether you’re getting your home in tip-top shape for your own enjoyment, or getting it ready to put on the market, not all home improvement projects are created equal when it comes to return on investment (ROI). Here are top areas on which to focus:

Interiors

The kitchen is the heart of the home and it’s one of the best areas to renovate in terms of ROI, according to Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report, which puts the price tag of the average minor kitchen remodel at $22,507, with 80.5 percent of the cost recouped upon resale.

To give the kitchen an updated appearance, replace the flooring, countertops, sink and faucet. A fresh coat of paint in a trendy shade, such as Living Coral, Pantone’s Color of the Year, can add a vibrant pop of color to energize any kitchen. Not looking to go that bold? Consider an accent wall, or stick to a classic palate of gray and white in terms of cabinets and countertops. White on white is also a popular new style for kitchens and bathrooms.

Other features home buyers are paying close attention to are laundry rooms and such energy-saving elements as Energy Star appliances and windows, according to the survey “What Home Buyers Want in 2019” by the National Association of Home Builders.

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Curb Appeal

The popularity of outdoor projects remains strong and it’s for a good reason. According to the Cost vs. Value Report, the biggest bang for your buck in 2019 will come from replacing a garage door. The report says the average price is $3,611, and 97.5 percent of it is recouped when the house is sold.

Other outdoor projects with high ROI include adding manufactured stone veneer to the exterior (94.9 percent), adding a wood deck (75.6 percent) and replacing siding (75.6 percent). Looking for a simpler way to make an impact? Sprucing up the landscape by planting flowers or bushes or even just clearing the yard of debris will make a big statement.

No matter what updates you end up making, it’s always a good idea to notify your insurance agent. “Certain upgrades may change the value of a house, so homeowners need to make sure they’re properly covered,” says Bob Buckel, vice president of product management, Erie Insurance. “There are a few things to look for. Ask your agent about guaranteed replacement cost policies that can cover the cost to rebuild a home in today’s dollars following a covered loss.”

Some upgrades may also make you eligible for discounts, Buckel adds, especially if they make the home more secure. “For example, Erie Insurance offers certain safety discounts such as for installing smoke alarms or an automatic sprinkler system.”

Now you have a checklist of DIY projects to focus on this spring. But before you start, take a moment to assess which ones are worth your time and money.

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MAY 2019

11

Seattle landmarks board seeks real estate professional The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board is seeking a new member to fill its real estate position. The board make landmark designation recommendations and reviews landmark properties when alterations are requested.

Board meetings are held at 3:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month, and the commitment is roughly 10 hours per month. The open position is for a three-year term.

Those interested in being considered are asked to send a resume and letter of interest to board coordinator Erin Doherty

by Monday, May 27, at Erin.Doherty@seattle.gov.

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Photo by Mary Henry Tree Talk columnist Steve Lorton says the Garrya elliptical is a monochromatic beauty.

 TREE, from Page 4 order to get the berries. Yet another example of the fruits of true love.

I grow my plant in full sun, in our naturally rich acidic soil and give it little, if any, summer water. If I prune the plant, I do it when the catkins are at their peak, so as to enjoy the flowers in vases indoors.

I’ve grown mine as a shrub, but if you want it up as a small-scale tree for your Madison Park garden, select one or three main stems and, as the plant grows taller, prune off shoots that emerge along

the trunks, encouraging the plant to stretch up.

A light application of a complete fertilizer in early spring, again late in the season and in early summer, will ensure strong growth and an abundance of blossoms.

Paired to grow up and behind lower-growing shrubs that have colorful flowers, this dark green mass, with its cascading tassels, makes for a very dramatic combination.

When Shakespeare said, “All that glistens is not gold,” he might have said it differently had he been looking at a Garrya elliptical in full bloom when the muse struck. All that’s dazzling is not colorful.

Here’s a plant that proves it.

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12

MAY 2019