Five cyclists have filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle because of injuries and crashes along the unfinished stretch of the Burke Gilman trail coined the “Missing Link,” according […]
Month: February 2010
Cheese recalled from vendor at Farmers Market
Robby emailed us that Estrella Family Creamery, “A very popular vendor at the Ballard Farmers Market,” is recalling one of its soft cheeses. According to this release by the FDA, […]
Police Chief Search Committee hears concerns
About two-dozen people turned out for the first of three public meetings devoted to finding Seattle’s next police chief. It took place at the Northgate Community Center on Feb. 10. Not unexpectedly, crime was on the minds of some who spoke.
Tunny Vann, a UW student, cited an event that happened the day before, during which a SWAT team showed up a few blocks north of campus. Vann, chair of a campus committee on student safety, said he learned of it after the fact by friends who questioned why they didn’t receive an alert from the campus police department.
“I called UWPD, [they] transferred me to SPD – SPD transferred me to UWPD,” Vann said. Eventually he spoke with a dispatcher, who told him things were under control. “I feel like there’s a lot of miscommunication going on,” he said.
Jens Gundlach, a professor of physics at the University of Washington, said that his house was burglarized about a month ago and many items were stolen. “We called the police of course and they were very responsive,” Gundlach said, adding that the officers were very friendly, “but that’s where it ended.” Despite leaving repeated phone messages, he has been unable to follow up with police.
Possible ‘double dip’ in home values?
And now in more (not so) good news on the economic front, Zillow is suggesting that there may be a looming “double-dip” in home values.
At least from Seattle’s perspective, we’re not listed as one of most likely candidates for another drop in value, but data from Zillow’s Home Value Index indicates if you bought anytime in the last few years, your home is probably worth less than when you bought it.
Here’s a chart showing the change in values over the last five years.
According to Zillow, here are some toplevel findings:
- Decreasing Home Values: Home values changed -5.8% to a Zillow Home Value Index of $300,400. Values also fell in the short-term, changing -0.5% from November to December. The Zillow Home Value Index measures the value of all homes, not just those that sold in a particular period.
- Homes with Negative equity: 22 percent of all owners of single-family homes with mortgages were underwater at the end of Q4.
- Foreclosure re-sales: 19.5 percent of all sales in December were foreclosure re-sales (REO sales). Nationally, foreclosure re-sales made up 20.3 percent of all sales.
- Homes sold for a loss: 18.5% of all homes sold in December sold for a loss.
I’m not a real estate analyst, so I’ll point to the SeattlePI for more information.
Ballardites ask Google to test broadband here
Google has introduced a new project to bring super fast internet to select communities and some Ballardites want it here. KingPenguin first posted the notice in the forum. Charlie emailed […]
Boys & Girls Club expansion moving forward
Plans are moving forward to expand the Ballard Boys and Girls Club. Today, the Land Use Information Bulletin was released from the Department of Planning and Development for the project. […]
Pool and Community Centers closed on Friday
Friday is a furlough day for the Ballard Pool, Ballard Community Center and Loyal Heights Community Center, meaning all three locations will be closed. The Ballard Neighborhood Service Center will […]
Lots of business moves in Ballard
While some shops are preparing to close in Ballard, others are getting ready to open – or have already opened. Pho Big Bowl (2248 NW Market) has replaced Olsen’s Scandinavian […]
Park boulevard proposed for stretch of 14th Ave.
East Ballard residents who have been working for years to revitalize 14th Ave. NW presented a new sketch of a proposed park boulevard to members of the Ballard District Council […]
Spring has sprung in Ballard
As the east coast is getting walloped by a winter storm, we’ve been enjoying spring-like weather here in Ballard. Robby emailed us, “I was walking today in Ballard, and I […]
Proposed low-income housing draws mixed reviews
Housing the homeless is a good idea, right? But what happens when the housing is next door to you?
On Monday night at Ballard High School, the Seattle Department of Planning and Development convened a design review board that consisted of architects from the Weinstein AIU architectural firm. The purpose of the public meeting was to discuss design options (.pdf) for newly approved low-income housing in downtown Ballard.
The housing is being developed by the Compass Center, a longtime fixture in downtown Seattle. It will be 57,000 square feet, seven stories high and house 80 residents. The building site is on Northwest 56th Street between 17th and 20th Avenues Northwest.
The Compass Center Ballard will be a new housing facility that will provide housing for homeless and low-income men and women who have issues that range from mental health to drug and alcohol dependency, according to its website.
Rumi Takahashi, the project’s lead architect, said although the project is in its early design stages, it will move forward and the Compass Center has already purchased the land. “They have now recently secured funding for the project, so financially we’re a go,” Takahashi said. She added that the money comes from a combination of public sources: the state, the county and the city.
Although the meeting was supposed to be about design options, local residents seemed more concerned with how the residents of the Compass Center were going to interact with the community.
Captain Phil of ‘Deadliest Catch’ dies at 53
Captain Phil Harris of the Discovery Channel TV show Deadliest Catch died last night, reports the cable channel. “Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the […]
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