Builder: My townhomes are what mayor ordered
SEATTLE - Build green and build bigger. That was the message from Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels last week when he called for a design review of new townhomes.
Now a builder has come forward to say he already has what the mayor wants.
His name is Graham Black. And he calls his townhome project an "urban canyon," with a focus on green:
- Brick pathways are reclaimed from another project his company is doing at 19th and Yesler.
- The siding is reclaimed from decommissioned barracks at Fort Lewis.
- All eight units are powered with solar panels and supported by a water recycling system. Shower and tub water all drains into a tank and then pumps up water for the toilets.
The townhomes are designed to promote a community feel as well. For example, a pea patch garden is there and accessible to all residents.
The design represents just what Mayor Nickels wants.
In calling for a design review of all new townhomes last week, Nickels said he wanted wider driveways, more windows and an overhaul of zoning laws, to encourage density.
Black's townhomes aren't cheap - selling for around $700,000 and up. The grey-water system alone adds $4,000 to the cost.
Renee Alsept sold her Leschi home for an $880,000 unit here.
"We sold our old house for $630 (thousand), so this was a significant difference," she says.
And some longtime residents who live near the new townhomes say the expensive new dwellings aren't necessarily a good thing.
"It's pushing the old people out, the poor people out, affordable houses out," says neighbor Jody Olvera, who can remember when three homes sat in the space now occupied by eight townhomes.
Black knows his townhomes aren't affordable for everybody - but says the mayor's changes won't just mean more money.
"Any sort of proposal like that just pushes the development community into being more creative, and being more resourceful in finding places for people to live," he says.
He says the green features also added about eight months to his construction schedule.
But he says the design review process allowed him to build a bigger structure - which in turn will lead to better sales.
Now a builder has come forward to say he already has what the mayor wants.
His name is Graham Black. And he calls his townhome project an "urban canyon," with a focus on green:
- Brick pathways are reclaimed from another project his company is doing at 19th and Yesler.
- The siding is reclaimed from decommissioned barracks at Fort Lewis.
- All eight units are powered with solar panels and supported by a water recycling system. Shower and tub water all drains into a tank and then pumps up water for the toilets.
The townhomes are designed to promote a community feel as well. For example, a pea patch garden is there and accessible to all residents.
The design represents just what Mayor Nickels wants.
In calling for a design review of all new townhomes last week, Nickels said he wanted wider driveways, more windows and an overhaul of zoning laws, to encourage density.
Black's townhomes aren't cheap - selling for around $700,000 and up. The grey-water system alone adds $4,000 to the cost.
Renee Alsept sold her Leschi home for an $880,000 unit here.
"We sold our old house for $630 (thousand), so this was a significant difference," she says.
And some longtime residents who live near the new townhomes say the expensive new dwellings aren't necessarily a good thing.
"It's pushing the old people out, the poor people out, affordable houses out," says neighbor Jody Olvera, who can remember when three homes sat in the space now occupied by eight townhomes.
Black knows his townhomes aren't affordable for everybody - but says the mayor's changes won't just mean more money.
"Any sort of proposal like that just pushes the development community into being more creative, and being more resourceful in finding places for people to live," he says.
He says the green features also added about eight months to his construction schedule.
But he says the design review process allowed him to build a bigger structure - which in turn will lead to better sales.