Seattle Press on Line - Safeway Riles Ballard

Safeway Riles Ballard

Jan 24, 2001 -- Safeway, one of the 800-pound gorillas of Seattle business, is not making any friends in Ballard these days.

A new park is planned for the old Safeway property at 22nd Avenue Northwest and Northwest 57th Street. But a few months after the city put a $3 million-plus offer on the table, Safeway's asking price doubled to over $6 million.

When the grocery giant built a new mega-store at 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street, community groups wanted the building pulled out to the sidewalk, with parking behind, on the theory that 15th already looks too much like a strip of used-car lots. But Safeway ignored the community feeling and put their parking lot right out in front.

Excerpt from the 1993 Property Use and Development Agreement.

Cutting Down Trees on Crown Hill

On Crown Hill, Safeway recently announced plans to install a discount gas station on a piece of property they bought next to their store at Northwest 85th Street and 15th Avenue Northwest.

Neighbors, some of whom have seen the endless lines at Costco's gas stations up in the suburbs, don't want their residential streets further inundated by Safeway customers in cars.

Several Crown Hill residents, including Kyle Kovalik, Andrea Faste and Marianne Scholl, were appalled at the Safeway scheme, and they charged down to the Seattle Department of Design, Construction and Land Use (DCLU).

Safeway started out by chopping down several trees on the property, violating terms of the 1993 Property Use and Development Agreement requiring that the store keep a tree buffer at the south end of the parking lot, Kovalik explained. He lives in a tidy brick bungalow at 83rd Street and Mary Avenue--right across the street from the proposed gas station.

Another neighbor, Gordy Pearcy, rushed over when the tree felling started and informed the contractors that the trees were off limits. A few of the 40-foot-tall alder trees are still standing.

Site map showing treed area (top of map is south).

Misleading The DCLU

Safeway had submitted plans in its permit application depicting the site as a vacant lot. In fact there was a house and a commercial building on it that Safeway tore down.

"When we showed DCLU that Safeway had left out a few major items, they rejected the plan," said Kovalik. A revised plan was also rejected, so at the moment, Safeway doesn't have the permits to start construction. At press time, Safeway had not returned phone calls about the status of the project.

Safeway's plans show all traffic in and out of the 24-hour gas station as using the existing Safeway parking lot entrances on 15th Avenue and on Mary Avenue. Kovalik says this will undoubtedly put heavy traffic and lines of idling motorists right in the middle of a residential area.

State Farm Insurance recently called the intersection at Northwest 85th Street and 15th Avenue Northwest the most dangerous in the entire state, according to an analysis of accident claims. "This is not a good place to build a high-volume discount gas station," said Kovalik.

New City Park Doubles in Price

The new park on Safeway's old downtown Ballard property is a high priority for the city, according to Dick Lilly, a spokesman for Mayor Paul Schell. "The mayor is determined to obtain the site," Lilly said.

The new park would be kitty-corner from the new Ballard branch of Seattle Public Library, which hopes to work out a creative co-location solution with U.S. Bank on the property at 22nd Avenue Northwest and Northwest 56th Street.

The city originally offered $3 million for the property, Lilly said, "But Safeway did not respond. Ever. Now they claim to have a $6 million offer from a developer."

The City Council moved on January 8 to acquire the land through condemnation and ultimately a jury could determine the "fair market value" the city will have to pay for the property. Both sides have reason to fear a jury decision on the price the land, however, and there's a strong incentive to settle before trial.

At least one Ballard area developer (who did not want to be named) thinks Safeway's price is too high. "$4 to $4.8 million is probably closer to what the market is right now in central Ballard," he said.

There's no doubt the price of the property has gone up since we started the planning process," said Ballard District Council leader Stephen Lundgren. "Just by announcing the planned improvements, we've made it more marketable, more attractive to developers. We were a neglected backwater, now we're a hot development prospect. We made it that way. Still, I don't see why Safeway wants to alienate the community they're going to live in and sell to."

Reader Comments

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R. Bostock	Dec 05, 2003	Ballard	Insurance
Although this appears to be an old article, it is the only update I could find. I am a neighbor living on 83rd street and also agree that a gas station at this location would be very disruptive. We already have the monorail coming our way and if the gas station moves in we will see a substantial increase in traffic. 83rd Street already is used as a shortcut between 80th & 85th with cars speeding through the intesections between 9th and Mary. Even if this plan does not move forward, there is a great need for traffic circles on those intesection that do not have them, such as 9th & 83rd and 10th & 83rd. Safeway should put more thought and consideration into the neighborhood that shops at their store.


bob gilman	Jan 24, 2005	seattle
I'm with randy on this. He's a block from me. We need more traffic calming in the neighborhood as it is. This station will also cause light and noise pollution into the sourrounding neighborhood creating blight in an area of very nice homes.


David G	Apr 03, 2005	Ballard	Professor
A gas station at 15th Avenue and 83rd Street is simply a terrible idea. There already are numerous accidents each year at that corner, and additional, heavy traffic associated with a gas station will exacerbate the problem. Besides, it's just the wrong neighborhood for a discount gas station and would be a step backward for the area, as noted by the Whittier Heights Community Council and the 15th Avenue NW Association, representing the area's citizens.