Note: This post is intended to be factual and as unbiased as possible. An opinion post and call to action has also been prepared by Per Johnson, the current president of the Wedgwood Community Council. Also, for a pretty comprehensive history of the Wedgwood Center redevelopment project and the engagement that Security Properties (the proposed developer) has had with our community (including videos), please refer to our Wedgwood Center Dashboard.
This past Monday evening, Security Properties presented their updated and revised plans (LINK, 38MB PDF) to the Northeast Design Review Board, an all volunteer board of well-meaning residents in Northeast Seattle. This was the 2nd presentation that Security Properties made to the design review board, although 2 members were new from the original presentation in March 2024. Unfortunately, the outcome of the design review board did not go the way Security Properties was hoping. As one member of the Security Properties team told me immediately after the design review board meeting, “this kills grocery.”
The purpose of the design review board meetings is to have a public process where projects of a certain size and type can be reviewed by an impartial, third-party design and community members for compliance with the City’s design review guidelines and zoning requirements. These meetings are facilitated by the City and the city planner is there to support the design review board.
In March 2024, the board was presented 3 massing studies (think building block-type site plan concepts as shown in the image below). Concept C, Security Properties preferred concept, was unanimously supported by the board and advanced for further study (see images below). This Concept C featured 2 buildings on the Wedgwood Center property connected by an elevated residential bridge at the mid-block. An anchor grocer would be on the north building and retail would be on the south building with residential on the 5 stories above (total 6 stories). Access into the site under this Concept C is from 35th Ave NE via a curbcut (driveway) aligned with NE 84th Street for retail visitors, which would enter the site and drive through a 20 stall surface parking lot under the residential bridge to structured (below ground) parking under a proposed grocery. Residential users were to enter into the site via a curbcut (driveway) on NE 82nd Street. A dedicated freight access was on NE 85th Street, where it has been historically at the site.
The specifics of this particular board meeting this past Monday was for Security Properties to present modifications to the preferred site plan (Concept C), as revised, and request 5 departures from the code. The revised site plan and programming of the site is below. 
The board is supposed to review the site plan for consistency with the design guidelines and code and provide a recommendation to the City on whether to approve the requested departures.
The 5 departures requested were as follows:
- Additional 10’ in Building
- Surface Parking abutting Principal Pedestrian Street
- Vehicular Access from Front and Side Street Lot Line
- Curbcut off of a Principal Pedestrian Street
- Small Commercial Uses
While 2 of the departures were approved (#1 and #5), the 3 departures associated with vehicular access and parking (#2, #3, and #4) were not. The board’s vote on these 3 departures was split. For context, 35th Ave NE is identified as a Principal Pedestrian Street, so a curbcut is not allowed under the code off of 35th Ave NE without a departure despite 3 curbcuts onto 35th Ave NE being present. Further, surface parking abutting a Principal Pedestrian Street is not allowed, even if it’s a reduced 13-stall parking area replacing the exisitng surface parking lot that encompasses most of the site currently.
Two of the 5 board members voted to approve these departures. These board members were on the board in March and were present for the March 2024 meeting. Of the 3 board members who did not approve these departures, 2 were new and were not present in March.
Security Properties has been consistent since we began meeting with them that grocery on this site requires access off 35th Ave NE and a small surface parking area. While we have not been apart of any conversations with grocers or potential leases, Security Properties has developed many mixed-use projects in Seattle with anchor grocers. If it’s got apartments above a grocery store, chances are they developed it. According to Security Properties, they were going back and forth on the letter of intent with the grocer, “so this is a huge blow.”
Following the board’s recommendation, the City has advanced Security Properties to the Master Use Permit (MUP) phase where they have 90 days to submit their MUP application. There is no more opportunity to engage the design review board. Their recommendation is final. The City may choose to approve a site plan that differs from the board’s recommendation, although the city planner has been clear that she does not approve of the curbcut off 35th Ave NE and the surface parking.
The Wedgwood Community Council has listened to the community throughout this process and understands the multiple concerns that neighbors have with the project as it is planned. Nevertheless, we have been consistent in our support for the project as Security Properties has proposed as we believe the site plan mitigates impacts to the immediate and nearby residents the greatest while also delivering an anchor grocer back to Wedgwood and providing improved pedestrian and streetscape environment to 35th Ave NE. We have significant issues with the board’s decision (although we believe the volunteer board members themselves had the best interest of our community at heart). An forthcoming opinion piece will be posted in the very near future with more observations and a call to action.
Thank you for your all of your hard work.
The grocery store would presumably draw additional retail traffic, increasing business for the other commercial spaces. I worry that no grocery store would mean more automobile trips >away< from the property to shop elsewhere. That would be a huge blow to the neighborhood.
Does anyone know of research regarding this? (The importance of "anchor" grocery stores in these developments)
NIMBY’s win again, this sucks.
Never under estimate the City of Seattle’s ability to crush a good thing for our neighborhood. Public transportation is just not very good in Wedgwood. There are some pedestrian walkers and limited number of bicyclists, but it’s predominately car necessary and 35th is a major transportation artery. Single family homes are the primary makeup and cars are just a fact of life. The return of a grocery store would reduce trips in an out of the neighborhood by its residents to obtain food. It would also encourage more pedestrian traffic from nearby homes and apartments. Going from three curb cuts (current) to zero curb cuts (city planner) along 35th ave is utterly ignorant. Returning a grocery to 85th should be a top priority. As a long-time resident of Wedgwood (born in 1970 and raised here), as an owner of multiple residential Wedgwood properties that provide affordable housing, and someone who has family members ranging from 19 to 86 years old residing in Wedgwood, I encourage the community board to reconsider its recommendation and encourage the City of Seattle to approve all five requests and help return a grocery and retail shops to this property along 35th Ave NE.
Thanks for the comment! But the design review board cannot reevaluate their recommendation. But, the city (SDCI) can choose to make a different decision. It is important for them to o know our community’s preference. Please see the companion opinion post for a call to action and contacts you might consider reaching out to.
Wedgewood neighborhoods need a grocery in this new development project. In the past, we lost Matthew’s Thriftway, and now QFC from this site. We need to get back to the plan for a grocery.
Wedgewood neighborhoods need a grocery in this new development project. In the past, we lost Matthew’s Thriftway, and now QFC from this site. We need to get back to the plan for a grocery.
There had been a grocery store at 85th and 35th for many years. That should be sufficient precedent for having one there again. And the existing businesses in that location need to stay there. Call the whole shopping area Wedgwood Center, and tell the present Wedgwood Center developers to find another neighborhood business center to destroy. The abandoned Wedgwood Mart eyesore on 65th & 35th would be a good start. And I doubt that the RiteAid at 85th & 35th will be there much longer. They can only put up with so much shoplifting and so many boarded up windows for a limited time, until upper management decides that it just isn’t worth it.
(although we believe the volunteer board members themselves had the best interest of our community at heart)
Not sure I agree.
Wedgwood needs a grocer and a daycare facility. I fully support Security Properties Recommendations and the 5 departures.
In Per Johnson’s explanation he says: “For context, 35th Ave NE is identified as a Principal Pedestrian Street, so a curbcut is not allowed under the code off of 35th Ave NE without a departure despite 3 curbcuts onto 35th Ave NE being present. Further, surface parking abutting a Principal Pedestrian Street is not allowed, even if it’s a reduced 13-stall parking area replacing the exisitng surface parking lot that encompasses most of the site currently.” It seems reasonable to ask how and when 35th Ave. NE was designated a principal pedestrian street and what that designation means. We all know it is a major arterial from Lake City Way to Sandpoint Way. Traffic enters and exits businesses from 35th Ave NE along its entire length. Moreover there already exists 3 curb cuts along the block in question. If one doesn’t enter Wedgwood Center from 35th, how would you enter? From a neighborhood street? I don’t believe many people would want that? Perhaps Per could give us the rationale of the Review Board for rejecting those departure requests because it doesn’t appear to be a logical response considering the strong desire for a grocery store to be a key part of that complex.
More important to me, as a resident of NE Seattle for 80 years and a resident and a Wedgwood resident for 30+ years is the size of this development. 6 stories!!! There is nowhere in Wedgwood with this size of a building and the impact on 35th NE, let alone all of the side streets is serious.
Has no one challenged the height and number of apartments that this development means?
Does anyone remember the newer apartments just north of this on NE 86th that had been the Jewish center? It proposed a 6 story building but the development company agreed to reduce the height to fewer levels in response to the community council at that time.
Hi Beda, the Jasper Apartments north of 86th were built to their maximum height. The developer did not agree to reduce their height. As you may recall, some in the community (it was not the Wedgwood Community Council) resisted the project and were successful at holding up the project long enough for the Great Recession to hit. The concessions the community got were some specific retail types would not be included in the building. However, following the Great Recessation, the project then sat with the vacant JCC site for 2+ more years until the economic conditions and building requirements changed enough for the former developer to find a seller for the project. The new developer (Wood Partners) eventually built just as the original developer had intended minus an additional floor of parking that was no longer needed following the city’s revised parking requirements. The design also eliminated all retail from the building and instead build “live-work” units only – which now are spaces for important businesses in our community but are not retail/desinations that activate our pedestrian environment.
The zoning along 35th Ave NE has changed since 2009 when the Jasper was built. It now allows for the 5 stories + 1 additoinal story as the project proposes with the voluntary setbacks to preserve a significant tree on-site. No developer is going to voluntarily agree to reduce their building height. I understand your perspective and there are others in the community who do not support the building height. But, that’s not really something we can ask them realistically to reduce.
There could have been a grocery in the existing old qfc. The landlords had a grocery interested in the space 4 years ago – but decided to sell the building instead. It feels irresponsible to use intense language such as “kills” to invoke fear into the community. I’m not saying this isn’t a good way to get a grocery, just that it isn’t the only. Feels weird to have an organization that is supposed to be for all sides of the community be completely biased and honestly very pushy.
Hi Janet. We are using the words that the developer shared with us. Sorry if you think its over the top.
Your claim that a grocer was lined up 4 years ago is not true, though. I’m not sure who shared that with you, but we have had a great relationship with the current owner (the property has not been sold yet). It’s true, as we understand it, that they contemplated rebuilding the former QFC space, but it quickly made no sense.