FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 | Vol. 99, No. 38 Westside Seattle Your neighborhood weekly serving Ballard, Burien/Highline, SeaTac, Des Moines, Normandy Park, West Seattle and White Center A TALE OF SEE » P. 5 TWO TENT CITIES Kimberly Robinson See our listings on page 14 4700 42nd S.W. • 206-932-4500 • BHHSNWRealEstate.com © 2017 HSF Aliates LLC. 2 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 WESTSIDE SEATTLE Amazon, welcome to White Center! FRIDAY, SEPT. 22, 2017 | Vol. 99, No. 38 White Center, where we grew up, was pret- ty much a white-bread, blue-collar town that WSCONTRIBUTORS served as a nearby residential area for Boeing LINDSAY PEYTON workers during the Second World War. Now, News Editor it is so much different. Many of the business Lindsay is a veteran journalist signs are in a language most white people who came to us from the Houston Chronicle where she cannot read. But there are some wonder- covered education and arts ful new places to dine, shop and buy exotic beats. She lives in West Seattle. things available only relatively recently. She is a nice person and brings a Texas attitude to her work. Ballard News-Tribune, Highline Times, West Seattle Herald, And there is Full Tilt Ice Cream on 16th Des Moines News, SeaTac News, White Center News S.W. If you want a scoop of their Honey Fig PATRICK ROBINSON ice cream, don’t go there. You have to go to Director of New Media Jerry Robinson Publisher Emeritus — the Space Needle to get it. At the store, you Patrick grew up in the 1951 - 2014 have to buy a pint. publishing business and has helped develop our websites. T. C. Robinson Co-Publisher/ And speaking of the Space Needle, it is He is a journalist, prize-win- KEN ROBINSON only minutes away from White Center (even ning photographer and West General Manager Seattle resident. And he is [email protected] though you will bypass it if you get into one of the brothers. Gregoire’s Tunnel). Kenneth Robinson Co-Publisher/ on’t laugh. White Center would be a Burien has some advantages, too. You can TIM CLINTON Managing Editor Sports Editor Dgreat location for the new Amazon HQ. get to the airport in a couple of minutes. And 425.238.4616 Why is everybody looking outside of the state Seattle in about 10 minutes. There is good Tim Clinton has been to more baseball, football, track, [email protected] for a new site? If Amazon wanted to get the bus service so Amazon workers would not golf, tennis, swimming and best of location and talent pool, they already need a car. basketball games than all the Lindsay Peyton News Editor players he has reported on in [email protected] have it right here. There is a growing list of good restaurants his 35 years as Sports Editor. If White Center was chosen, it is a no-brain- in Burien and more are sure to come if Tim knows sports. Patrick Robinson Director of New Media er for transportation already in place. Amazon makes this community their home- [email protected] Same with Burien, which might be an away-from-home. GWEN DAVIS Reporter/Photographer Tim Clinton Sports Editor even better choice. The site where the Burien I don’t know if Jeff Bezos is a subscriber to Gwen Davis likes reporting on [email protected] Community Center is now is big enough. It Westside Seattle. He probably is. I hope he local government. She is a vet- used to be an elementary school. and his minions give the area a real good look. eran reporter and photographer. Gwen Davis Reporter/Photographer She is tough, accurate and fair. In both cases, they are adjacent to trans- When Boeing moved all the big shots to [email protected] portation corridors, the airport and other Chicago, it left some here with an empty feel- Amanda Knox Contributing amenities. ing. And I can only guess that some of those Writer/Photographer If Amazon did decide to stay local, it same big shots swallowed hard when they JEAN GODDEN [email protected] would be a building boon to either area and knew they had to move away from such a Columnist the region. beautiful place like Seattle. Jean Godden is a veteran Scott Anthony Columnist Seattle PI and Seattle Times [email protected] For White Center, which is becoming a Jeff, think it over. You know you love it newspaperwoman and city new international district (in spite of its odd here. And we need the economic stimulus councilwoman. Her column Peggy Sturdivant Columnist will give us an insider’s view name), we would see this area grow in its rep- your company would provide. of city politics. [email protected] resentation of ethnic types and underscore We want to put up a big sign that says Jean Godden Columnist the true meaning of “melting pot.” “Welcome Home Again.” [email protected] Dave Kellogg Circulation Manager 206.370.1475 The NEW [email protected] Dalinda Lee Legals Coordinator Eagle 206.376.5952 Rewards / Benefits [email protected] Dona Ozier Sales Director $hopping Travel 206.387.3873 Rewards Discounts Checking [email protected] Rewards and Benefits! Dick Sherman Advertising Sales Cell Phone ID Health 206.356.7288 Protection Protect® Savings [email protected] With the NEW and improved Eagle Checking from Skagit Bank, you get enhanced checking features Niche Network Production More at SkagitBank.com [email protected] with tons of added benefits like $hopping Rewards,™ travel discounts, health care discounts, cell phone Calendar [email protected] protection, and warranty protection on Obituaries [email protected] qualified purchases. 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Box 66769, Seattle, WA 98166 WESTSIDE SEATTLE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 3 WESTSEATTLEHERALD SERVING WEST SEATTLE & WHITE CENTER SINCE 1923 Housing in Seattle 101: overview and stats By Gwen Davis Origins of Housing Scramble This is the first in a series of stories But why is there a housing crunch to be- on housing. It’s an overview of the issues gin with? to provide a background for the sub- “It’s pretty much a basic supply and de- ject which is multifaceted, complex and mand issue,” said Ray Hillstrom, broker changing rapidly. at Berkshire Hathaway. “Seattle is a very Housing in Seattle is a spicy topic. With desirable place. People are moving in for the city’s housing affordability project be- a range of issues, such as employment op- ing installed, residents of all stripes are portunities.” chiming in their thoughts on how to in- And unfortunately, those who are low or crease housing quantity and affordability mid income earners are continually being to accommodate the tens of thousands of pushed out of the city. people who will move to Seattle within the Richards agrees. next decade—along with the many Seat- “The price increases is the proliferation tleites who need a place to live now. of new perspective residents into the mar- Renting in Seattle—go get ’em ketplace,” Richards said. “Out-of-state resi- Renters make up over 50 percent of resi- dents are being driven to the marketplace dents in Seattle, according to the city. How- because of companies like Amazon and ever, while housing availability is a squeeze, Google.” those renters should have every reason But not all those who seek housing are to be optimistic. Stan Philip Richards, mar- tech geeks, of course. keting director at NWCREI/Northwest Richards said he also rents to people on Apartments, said that while finding hous- the lower end of the income scale. ing in Seattle is a challenge, people should Seattle and King County’s Patrick Robinson not be discouraged as long as they’re will- Homelessness Epidemic As the City of Seattle grows, the question of housing becomes central to the quality of life here from the cost, to the location, ing to be realistic. Homelessness is a confounding issue in to the kind of housing or in the case of homelessness how to even live. “Do your due diligence,” he said. “Too Seattle, with experts calling it an epidem- many people say something like: ‘I want to ic. Recently it was reported that the Port million to support homeless families. lard is $624,100. The median list price per live in Capitol Hill and I want a washer and of Seattle is leasing their land at 1601 15th Today’s Housing Landscape square foot in Ballard is $515. dryer for $1,500.’ That’s obviously not going Ave. W. to the City of Seattle so that Tent But aside from future plans, how much West Seattle: The median home value in to happen.” City 5 and SHARE’s Interbay Encamp- does housing cost these days? Read the West Seattle is $749,900. The median list Richards said that prospective renters ment can move there. stats we’ve gathered below: price per square foot in West Seattle is $461. need to be willing to make pragmatic sac- The new homeless encampment will pro- REMINDER: You have warranted to Robinson Communications Inc.