In just three years and three months, Ballard has skyrocketed 174 percent of its 20-year housing growth target — the most of any of Seattle’s 38 urban villages, reports the Seattle Times. In 2004, planners set a target of 1,000 new housing units in Ballard by 2024. Today, there are 1,739 new units — 287 finished and 1,452 permitted but unfinished units, many nearly ready for occupancy. “The demand for services is not going down and we don’t seem to have the structure in place to respond,” said Catherine Weatbrook, who works on the Ballard District Council. “Growth is going to happen. We can plan for it — or we can have chaos.” Meanwhile, Fremont has reached 62 percent of its 20-year target with 312 new units, and Phinney-Greenwood is at 44 percent with 175 new units. You can look up other Seattle neighborhoods on this Google map.
My Ballard
A news blog for Seattle's Ballard neighborhood and beyond
Ballard housing growth off the charts
June 18th, 2008 · 20 Comments
Tags: Ballard · Fremont · Phinney Ridge-Greenwood
20 responses so far ↓
1 Peter // Jun 18, 2008 at 8:07 am
The condo developers in Ballard have waaaayyyy over-played their hand on this. 1500 new units? Who’s going to buy them? People like Ballard, but they don’t like it that much. I mean, NoMa is still struggling to off-load it’s last 7 units, what makes anyone think we need 1500 more just sitting on the market?
My prediction - rent is going to be pretty cheap around here this time next year.
2 Jeri // Jun 18, 2008 at 10:43 am
So basically the Times is confirming what we already know - they’re building too many condos too fast in Ballard.
3 philk // Jun 18, 2008 at 11:32 am
What’s can be and is being done to lead to a smoother transition to including this unexpectedly premature addition of so many new and upcoming neighbors?
4 Kara // Jun 18, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I knew in the three years I have lived here things were happening too fast!
5 Suthii // Jun 18, 2008 at 12:45 pm
“What’s can be and is being done to lead to a smoother transition to including this unexpectedly premature addition of so many new and upcoming neighbors?”
How about just being nice to them?
6 Phins // Jun 18, 2008 at 12:57 pm
“My prediction - rent is going to be pretty cheap around here this time next year.”
**What is wrong with short term cheap rent? I am sure there are hundreds of people who would desire to live in Ballard but can’t afford it. I think it is a good thing. Supply/Demand metrics always work themselves out over time.
7 GB // Jun 18, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Until people can honestly afford to own in Ballard - not to mention qualify for financing - then, the demand for rental units will continue to be high.
8 Duncan // Jun 18, 2008 at 1:59 pm
It’s hard to be nice to newcomers when they a.) crowd up my favorite bars and make it impossible to find a seat, and b.) support East Coast or California football, baseball, & basketball teams.
9 Sheila // Jun 18, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Complaining about the Californians moving to Seattle is so 1992…
10 Duncan // Jun 18, 2008 at 3:15 pm
As long as they keep coming and trying to make Seattle the next San Francisco, I’ll keep complaining.
11 biff // Jun 18, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Wow Peter. Base an entire econ forecast off of 7 over priced units at an ugly building. Only 11% of Seattle is zoned for residential use. Now of that 11% how much is in an area of Seattle you would actually want to live? Rainier? W Seattle? Belltown? Pioneer Square?
12 Jennie // Jun 18, 2008 at 4:22 pm
“Seattle’s 38 urban villages”? Remember when we used to just call them neighborhoods?
13 Keith // Jun 18, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Holy cow people, the world is constantly changing - so is Ballard! Accept it and figure out how to make a positive contribution, offer criticism with ideas, but don’t bitch because our negihborhood is changing. Change is inevitable.
As one of the so-called “yuppie town home owners” that people from Ballard apparently love to disparage, get a grip on reality! Not everyone is a freakin yuppie! Most of us “young dot-com people” are working our asses off to afford anything in this city.
14 Suthii // Jun 19, 2008 at 6:19 pm
As one of the so-called “yuppie town home owners”
Keith, don’t worry there’s a lot us in Ballard. Apparently all you need to get the label around here are all your teeth, a job and an affinity for cafe lattes.
15 Phins // Jun 19, 2008 at 9:40 pm
“The condo developers in Ballard have waaaayyyy over-played their hand on this. 1500 new units? Who’s going to buy them?”
**Every single condo/apartment/townhome that is currently being built in Seattle will (eventually) be rented out or sold. I guarantee it. May take a couple of years in some cases, but they all will be occupied. The world is adding people geometrically, Seattle is a desirable place to live. Ballard is a cool neighborhood.
16 Keith // Jun 19, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Speaking of lattes, Java Bean over on 24th has some really good coffee and they sell Mighty-O vegan doughnuts on the weekends!
17 Phins // Jun 20, 2008 at 8:09 am
I concur, Java Bean has fantastic coffee drinks. The new Cafe Fiore on 54th and Leary does as well. Two best spots in Ballard in my opinion.
18 Peter // Jun 20, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Bill -
Sorry, I forgot that this is the internet and anyone who fails to provide an over-abundance of proof and stats is a liar/idiot.
Of course I am not basing my assumptions just on NoMa alone, but rather on the over-all glut of condo housing in the entire city. I’m afraid that I can only link out to a single source per post on the comments section, otherwise it marks my effort as spam. But hey, that’s 2 more than you’ve provided so I must be winning right?
Regardless, Phins is correct. I have no doubt that eventually all of the housing in Ballard will fill up and then there will be even more demand. People continue to breed no matter how destructive that behavior is to our communities, cities, country and planet. The fact that humans are hell-bent on self-destruction doesn’t make it any less depressing.
19 Suthii // Jun 20, 2008 at 2:50 pm
“The fact that humans are hell-bent on self-destruction doesn’t make it any less depressing.”
Smile Peter, it’s a sunny day! You can only bukowski yourself so long.
20 Sheila // Jun 27, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Duncan, funny that you would say that the Californians are trying to turn Seattle into SF. I don’t get your line of reasoning. As if we got together and hatched this evil plan.
I left LA because it’s a pit and Seattle is nice, safe and pretty. I’m not trying to turn Seattle into anything, least of all SF, LA or San Diego (which I love, BTW).
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