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Should the Pike/Pine parking lot between 10th and 11th be a landmark?

Why is this parking lot depressed? Click here

Why is this parking lot depressed? Click here

A future neighbor of the Hot House

A future neighbor of the Hot House

You’ll need to act quickly to save one of the last (kinda) surface parking lots in Pike/Pine.

The paperwork has been filed to “demolish” the lot on the Tetris-shaped parcel of land destined to squeeze in the Modera project just south of Pike, a sixth new building planned or under construction in three blocks of 11th Ave. Barring some sort of last minute activist intervention, the pay lot between 10th and 11th Avenues will be destroyed to make way for the six-story, 135-unit mixed-use development.

Wednesday, activists, neighbors and concerned citizens will have their opportunity to speak up in person on the potential to protect the White Motor Company building at 11th and Pine as an official Seattle landmark. You can also send your thoughts via email but need to get them in ASAP if you want your remarks to be part of the record.

There will be no such hearing for the parking lot behind the Winston Apartments — home to residential tenants above, longtime lesbian bar the Wildrose, the Hot House spa, and, soon, a Castle Megastore below. The below-present-day-grade lot is a goner. Maybe you’ll want to fire up your old auto row-era jalopy for one final chance to pay $18 per hour to park under the stars of Pike/Pine. (Beats parking at the Broadway/Pike gas station, though…)

But do not despair, lover of the automobile. Like so much change on Capitol Hill, the demolition of the parking lot clears the way for new things. Included in the proposal for Mill Creek Residential’s Modera along with its 6,000 square feet of retail space is a massive underground parking lot with room for more than 120 motor vehicles and 40 or so bikes.

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ChuDlife
ChuDlife
9 years ago

Can we nominate the chain-link fencing along the sidewalk for historical preservation? All of this “modern” development and sky rockting prices is causing displacement by gentrification of working class fencing materials that have predominated in the area for decades.

BarryB
BarryB
9 years ago
Reply to  ChuDlife

LOL.

Reality Broker
Reality Broker
9 years ago

Queue whining by non-Cap Hill residents about lost surface parking. The asphalt is obviously more important than ~200 new people getting homes in our neighborhood, and our city getting an improved tax base.

タイラーkun
タイラーkun
9 years ago
Reply to  Reality Broker

Actually, my observations from commentators of this blog is that longtime residents of Capitol Hill are the most staunch parking supporters. They’re of a car centric generation and are quite constipated in evolving away from an auto first mentality. Remember, it’s THEIR neighborhood. Commenter Calhoun comes to mind. Hi, Calhoun! Happy holidays!

calhoun
9 years ago
Reply to  Reality Broker

No whining here, especially since parking is included in the new building…..seems especially appropriate in an area where parking is in such high demand. I’m sure it will get a lot of use by non-residents of the building.

ADH
ADH
9 years ago

So snarky. No the parking lot should be a 10 story building with affordable housing. The Winston Apartments and the other building in the picture, however, should be granted landmark protections. The recently acquired Winston Apartment Building, which is home to The Wildrose, is in grave danger of being razed unless the community is proactive in saving it. The other building was acquired by Liz Dunn, so I assume it will be protected and restored.

dreeves
dreeves
9 years ago

That parking lot is a den of badness – shady dealings and renegade 3am fireworks shows. I’ll be happy to see it go.

zeebleoop
9 years ago

$18/hour? really? last time i was there (granted it was about a year ago) it was $5 for 0-2 hours.

LeonK
LeonK
9 years ago

No, it should be capped, so it could be turned into an underground parking lot, with a small park/open space on top.