Interbay in transition: From 'no man's land' to urban village

On any given day, the semi-industrial zone known as Interbay jolts to life.

Photo album: Portraits of Interbay

Trains clack by and cars whiz past jaywalkers while golfers thwack balls on a driving range, kids play soccer at city-owned ball fields and others tend the local P-patch.

But after Interbay's few shops, lumberyards and playfields close, everyone leaves.

Nobody lives here.

"Everybody is just passing through," said local pastor Ray Bartel.

At a time when many Seattle areas are fighting development, most Interbay property owners and nearby residents are begging for it. And the Freehold Group, a Seattle development firm, has been listening -- it wants to build housing, and retail and office space in the core of Interbay with the goal of creating a neighborhood where none exists.

"This is a rare opportunity to create a livable, walkable, green neighborhood literally from the ground up," said architect David Hewitt, who has worked with the Interbay Neighborhood Association, a community group formed three years ago to represent Interbay, Queen Anne and Magnolia with hopes of converting the "no man's land" between the two more established neighborhoods into an urban village.

Freehold's plan to do just that, however, has been delayed for years by the city.

"We have friends in Queen Anne and Magnolia who would love nothing more than to see this valley become a place they could walk to, as opposed to driving by," said Bartel, a longtime pastor at Interbay's growing Quest Church and co-chairman of the Interbay Neighborhood Association.

"The picture of people living here, going to shops, bookstores or bakeries, sitting at sidewalk cafes and restaurants, walking their dogs -- is wonderful."

But Freehold said current commercial and industrial zoning in Interbay prevents it from building affordable housing and other amenities on its property -- estimated at half the Interbay core north and south of West Dravus Street, including the empty monorail station site.

The key is rezoning. Three years ago, developers requested from the city a building heights upzone from between 40 and 45 feet to at least 60 feet or a maximum 120 feet.

They're still waiting.

In 2005, the City Council passed a city comprehensive plan amendment, sought by the neighborhood association a year earlier, greasing the skids for the urban village plan. The proposed zoning changes were sent to the city planners for environmental assessments, as required by state law.

"I've been pushing for this for three or four years -- a long time. ... It's been very frustrating," City Councilman Richard Conlin said.

The Freehold proposal, with its green design, walkability and work force housing, "is exactly the kind of development we're looking for," Conlin said.

The environmental review continues, but planners hope to have some answers for the City Council by the end of this month, said Alan Justad, spokesman for the Department of Planning and Development.

While developers acknowledge the zoning change would help maximize their investment, they also point out it fits city policies better than current zoning.

The city promotes urban-core density and green-building practices: taxpayers already have approved a housing levy to create more affordable housing; and Mayor Greg Nickels recently announced his incentive zoning plan, which allows greater development in return for public amenities, particularly affordable housing.

Interbay's location -- about three miles north of downtown and served by transit -- makes it a prime area for housing, many say.

Conlin also said he knows of no city industrial or commercial plans that would conflict with an upzone.

"Here we have neighborhood groups that are united; Magnolia Community Club, Queen Anne Community Club and others all support this. It virtually has universal support," Conlin said.

There are some concerns among neighbors and Interbay property owners, however, over proposed 85-foot and 120-foot heights, but most agree that Interbay as it is -- isn't much.

"Interbay right now is mostly drab and unpleasant," said Nancy Rogers, president of the Magnolia Community Club. "Anything they do is likely to be an improvement."

A residential area before World War II, Interbay is now an eclectic mix of businesses. No longer an industrial hub, it nonetheless retains an industrial character largely because of the railroad tracks, a state National Guard Armory, a pizza delivery shop, car dealerships, restaurant suppliers, storage units, warehouses and light industry. There are software offices and a fitness center, a golf driving-range, soccer stadium and ball fields. A 60,200-square foot Whole Foods store is under construction.

Development, some say, is inevitable.

One of the Freehold Group-owned lots stretches two-blocks and currently is occupied by shuttered homes, graffiti-strewn trucks and a rusted corrugated hut, bordered by barbed wire. Jeff Thompson, of Freehold, said once rezoned, it could be at least a 60-foot-tall office building, plus parking and street-front shops.

John Shepherd, co-owner of Red Mill Burgers on West Dravus Street -- whose mother grew up in Interbay -- views the plan as a "long-term positive."

"I have mixed feelings because I know construction -- big holes, traffic revisions -- will impact my business, my customers," Shepherd said. "There are uncertainties with any plan, but Freehold has been a pretty good neighbor -- they've spruced up buildings and been very responsive to the community."

Freehold's prime focus is a new neighborhood center at West Dravus Street between 15th Avenue West and 20th Avenue West. The plan calls for the creation of a new Local Improvement District, which would require local businesses and property owners to ante up to pay for such improvements as new crosswalks, sidewalks, traffic measures and landscaping.

"I do agree with Interbay becoming a neighborhood," said Steve Coffin, owner of Interbay Veterinary Care Center.

He's also Interbay core's only homeowner (he rents out his house). "To build something that is upstanding and attractive would be an improvement here."

But Coffin, echoing other Interbay business owners, said he was concerned about how much the improvement district could cost him. "I have employees and clients who depend on me. I'm not ready to retire."

The Magnolia Neighborhood Planning Council "is not 100 percent opposed to development at Interbay," said President Liz Campbell, but is concerned about traffic, congestion and other effects.

In past decades, Interbay was in what locals call a "period of blight." But many say the occasional violence, homeless encampments and illegal dumping have subsided more recently.

To build housing would be to go back to the neighborhood's roots, old-timers say, before World War II.

"You can't have a neighborhood without people living in the neighborhood," said Jessica Vets, a Queen Anne resident and executive director of the Interbay Neighborhood Association. "Interbay could be a very wonderful place, a 24-7 community with a mix of people and uses, if it was designed right."