Now the Cherry Street development makes me want to scream, Not only is it screamingly ugly and totally out of the context on Cherry, it is taking out a historic building that should be preserved. But, as far as use, with the apartment buildings and restaurants, small businesses make a ton of sense.

The cost/sf is such that either Lakewood/developer must subsidize artist residences (why aren’t they subsidizing more needy first?) or you only get high-end artists in these units. Hardly a situation to expand the number of these units to have art re-prosper in our society. That said, I like the ones in Sumner and think that small craftsmen can make these work.

I hope the prices on these are reasonable enough to encourage taking a chance. If they sell and people find them valuable, it would be great to have more of these spaces available throughout the city.

I posting to you blog in order to correct misinformation you have published concerning the East Union Street “Live Above Work” development at 2425 E Union Street. First of all, these are not “live/work” units. They are “live above work” units. This is more than a symantic distinction. The important distinction is that the street-level storefront commercial space is completely separate from the townhouse-style residence above it. The NC2 zoning requires that the commercial space be used for one of the commercial uses allowed in that zone (which are quite varied).

East Union Street “Live Above Work” is unique in the City inasmuch as it has been shortplatted into 5 lots. Each “live above work” unit, which consists of one 3BR/2B residence above a store-front commercial space above its own underground garage space, is situated on its own lot, allowing each unit to be sold in fee simple title. It is not a condominium. It’s really a series of common-wall mixed use buildings, each on its own lot.

East Union Street “Live Above Work” was designed for folks who want a “stairway commute to work.” I myself have enjoyed a stairway commute to work for 25 years and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Reducing commuter impacts is also good public policy, which is why Seattle DPD granted a number of design departures to facilitate the permitting of this “live above work” project. “Live above work” is a common European model but this project is the first of its kind to be permitted in Seattle.

The parking was required for the residential component, not the commercial (you had it backwards). No parking for the commercial spaces was required because the site is located within a Pedestrian Overlay zone, which stretches along both sides of E Union Street from 20th Ave to 25th.

The project was designed with purchase by owner-occupants in mind: Anyone from attorneys to dog groomers to corner coffee shop proprietor, as we like to say. However, the purchasers of the units could also treat the commercial space as income property, leasing the space to anyone who would like to set up shop in space with great street appeal in the burgeoning Central District and along a well travelled commute route from Madrona to Downtown.

Finally, the design of the commercial spaces is not at all conducive to apartment conversion. Each commercial space has an exposure only to the public sidewalk, where monumental sized windows puncutate the exterior wall. The spaces are truly designed as store-front commercial spaces connected to the neighborhood pedestrian environment. We believe that there is an unmet demand for the “live above work” lifestyle in Seattle. We will soon find out, as they will shortly be brought onto the market!

Sincerely,
Randall Spaan
project designer and developer

P.S. Thank you very much for the free publicity!