Ballard continues to attract high-density developments, and the latest proposal is for 150 “small efficiency dwelling units” in a new apartment along 15th Ave. at 51st St.
The development is slated for the site currently leased by Mac’s Upholstery, a small business operating in Ballard for the last 48 years. But Mac’s has a backup plan: the store will move a few blocks away to 46th St., right next door to Mac’s Canvas Shop, the company’s marine operation.
“I just bought [that property] a year and half ago,” owner Tony Mazzarella told My Ballard. “I got really lucky.”
Tony says the 15th Ave. store will remain open until 2021, and that should give him enough time to build the new store and move down to the 46th St. property. He said the 15th Ave. lot was too expensive to buy.
As for the new development, the proposal says it will not offer vehicular parking because it’s in a “parking flexibility area” — in part due to its proximity to mass transit — but will provide parking for bicycles “as required.”
“Where are people that work in Ballard supposed to park?” Tony asked, explaining that people from nearby apartments are trying to park in his parking lot. He said the surge in Ballard’s development over the last few years is “dominating small businesses.”
The proposal is still in its early phases, but given the zoning for the area, “a six- or seven-story building is likely,” reports the Daily Journal of Commerce.
We’ll keep you updated…