Fremont View Apartments Project – Offender #2
Fremont View Project #3035494-LU Overview
Fremont View Apartments currently comprises two multi-story apartment buildings built in the 1960’s. The addresses are 519 and 525 Bowdoin Pl N, they include 15 units and have approximately 16 parking spaces.
Bowdoin Pl is an extension of Evanston Ave N; there is no vehicle outlet for either street, meaning every vehicle must return the way it came in on the narrow single lane streets. Currently the vehicle travel, street blockage, and overflow parking are manageable, but at capacity; and residential services dependent on vehicle access are on the rise.
Fremont View is proposing an addition to the 519 building comprised of 8 stories, 28 apartment units and a pedestrian only entrance facing onto the busy arterial N 39th St below. They are hoping for a load zone across 39th St and a crosswalk at the intersection of Evanston Ave, an additional load zone down the block and around the corner on Dayton Ave, and an address change for the addition with a 39th St address.
These are helpful access solutions to alleviate some of the vehicle congestion if they are proven to be put to use and if they achieve all of these Seattle Dept of Transportation (SDOT) modifications. All solid waste pickup will remain via Evanston Ave and Bowdoin Pl. With an increase in apartment capacity comes more vehicle congestion and more apartment turnover — move in and move out. Inaccessible for moving vans, the neighbors above have become accustomed to having their driveways blocked for prolonged periods of time while movers shuttle loads by hand from the end of Evanston down Bowdoin and through the parking lot to the building entrances. The city has not required a traffic study for this additional capacity.
There are approximately 54 dwellings being served by Evanston Ave and the alley west of Fremont Ave with no outlet below N 41st street. The Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) recommends (dead-ends) have no more than 20 dwellings in this distance served by a two-lane street with a 40’ radius turnaround at the end, for fully functional access and safety. We have a single lane street with no functional turnaround.
Considering this extremely abrupt edge condition transitioning from L3 zoning to single family, with no space between, Friends of Upper Fremont believes this warrants special consideration. Limited vehicle access and steep topography aside, a building of this size should be required a functional vehicle access and load zone on the arterial that it fronts.
It is our goal to work with the developers and the city to arrive at a fully functional solution to both enhance the community/ livability and provide the needed density. As a good example, at the east end of the same block on the same side of the street are the Bowdoin Pl condominiums; built in 1995, they total 26 units and have full access from Fremont Ave and N 39th St, with two parking garages on the ground floor. Same access challenges, same extreme topography. It can be done!
Visual of Project Location
Shown below is an outline of the proposed 8-story building superimposed over the existing Fremont View apartments and adjacent slope.
Photo Gallery of Street Blockage Ridiculousness
These photos give a preview of the type of street blockage that we can expect to become a regular occurrence if the developer is allowed to route vehicular traffic to his 8-story building through a single lane residential street rather than the major arterial at the front door of the proposed project site!
