Early Design Guidance meeting Monday for new residential building

Geeky Swedes Ballard

The Design Review Board will meet with planners on Monday for a new development at 5343 Tallman Ave NW for an Early Design Guidance meeting.

Plans call for a seven-story structure with 240 residential units and 7,500 square feet of commercial space at ground level and parking for 288 vehicles. According to the presentation (.pdf), “One of the great attributes of Ballard is its “walkabililty”. Our project sits near the center of a long block on a diagonal to the traditional city grid. It is flanked on two sides by large developments that create extended walls, blocking east/ west walkways. By creating a mid-block connection and interesting pedestrian facades, the project looks to enhance the walkabilty of this section of Ballard.”

The public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Ballard High School library (1418 NW 65th St.)

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

21 thoughts to “Early Design Guidance meeting Monday for new residential building”

  1. “walkability”

    then what’s with all the parking spots? for 240 units, probably 20 or 30 parking spots should be fine.

  2. For day to day life, yes, ballard is very walkable, and it’s easy to get by without driving. But when it’s time to take a hike in the Cascades or visit family outside city limits, most of us still like to have a car.

  3. For day to day life, yes, ballard is very walkable, and it’s easy to get by without driving. But when it’s time to take a hike in the Cascades or visit family outside city limits, most of us still like to have a car.

  5. Actually they do. I live next to an apartment building with underground parking. Some of the residents park on street because they don’t want to park in a cramped garage and wait for the automatic door to roll up.

  6. Is this the Tallman Medical Center building? I think it probably needs to come down, but it’s been around for so long I figured it would be around for much longer.

  12. I think it’s more likely that they park on the street because they’ve got 2 cars for an apartment with only 1 parking space in the underground garage.

  14. Walker is right. Only in Seattle would a project announcement extol the walkability of its surroundings and boast of it’s gigantic parking garage in the same breath, with absolutely no sense of irony.

  15. Walker is right. Only in Seattle would a project announcement extol the walkability of its surroundings and boast of it’s gigantic parking garage in the same breath, with absolutely no sense of irony.

  18. I kind of think this is a strange place for another giant residential development. I have no idea what the zoning is – probably NC of some sort, but it seems like with all the other residential popping up in the vicinity, maybe we might need some office space? I wonder if anyone has thought to build a 4 or 5 story office building? It seems to go along with the whole urban village concept of living and working in the same neighborhood. Surely not everyone around here is a doctor, a restauranteur or a retailer.

  20. The city still insists on a certain number of parking spots for a building like this. The financers would be hesitant to put money in to a building like this if it didn’t have parking either.

  21. Despite the requirements for parking that are inherent in any development, underground parking actually encourages walkability. I know that it seems counterintuitive, but if you don’t have to worry about moving your car you’re able to just leave it parked and walk your local errands. If you have to park on the street and can’t leave it in the same spot for 72 hours or less, then you have to move it, and if you have to move it you might as well drive it for your errands.

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