UPDATED: INTERVIEW WITH DEVELOPER — Building housing Ed’s Kort Haus and Stumbling Goat sold, to be replaced by 60-unit apartment building with commercial at ground level

by | Jul 17, 2015

Update: We interviewed one of the developers on July 20. Please see the second half of this post for that.
Earlier: The building currently housing Ed’s Kort Haus and Stumbling Goat Bistro was sold to Phinney Flats LLC on June 23 for $1.8 million. A Seattle Department of Planning and Development permit shows the building will be replaced by a four-story, 26,000-square-foot, multi-use building with 60 units of housing and no parking.
With the ground floor dedicated to commercial use, that means the 60 residential units in the remaining 19,500 square feet would average 325 square feet. (Note: We have a message in to the project’s architect for more information.)
The project requires an environmental review as well as Early Design Guidance, which will allow the public a chance to comment on the design.
According to King County Assessor records, the current 4,000-square-foot building was built in 1927.
I spoke with Ed Warrington, owner of Ed’s Kort Haus for 34 years, and he said it will be several years before he and the Stumbling Goat have to move out. He said the building’s new owners want both businesses to come back to the new building, and are working on an offer to that effect.
“We’re not going anywhere yet,” Warrington said. “And in the future they want us to be here.”
Update July 20:
Today I spoke with Kelten Johnson, one of the owners of Phinney Flats LCC. He said he and his development partners have built several of what he calls “workforce housing” developments in the city, including Capitol Hill, Wallingford, Eastlake, and two new micro-housing buildings in Greenwood.
Footprint Greenwood is at 143 NW 85th St., across from Fred Meyer. It opened last December. Each of the 35 units has its own bath and a kitchenette, with access to common kitchens and laundry room. The average rent is about $700.
Footprint Phinney, at 8727 Phinney Ave. N., north and east of the Greenwood Safeway, has 79 units, each with their own bath and kitchenette, and access to common kitchens and laundry room. The average rent is about $700. Johnson said renters began moving in just last week.
Phinney Flats’ units will be larger than Footprint Phinney and Footprint Greenwood. Phinney Flats will be studio apartments of around 350 square feet, with full kitchens and bathrooms.
I asked Johnson about Phinney Flats not being required to have parking, since that’s the hot-button topic surrounding this kind of development in Seattle.
“It’s not required, so it keeps costs lower for us,” he said, in turn keeping rents lower for residents. “Our car ownership (in our other buildings) is about 20 percent, so it’s pretty low.”
The same architect who designed Footprint Greenwood, Jay Janette of Skidmore Janette, will design Phinney Flats.
“We want something that’s going to fit into the neighborhood and something that will last,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to build workforce housing, and we’re really excited to have the Stumbling Goat and Kort Haus come back into new spaces for them. Both groups are really excited to be part of the new project, so they can help in the design-build process.”

Recent Posts

Early bird discount for Illumination Learning Studio summer camps active through this Sunday

Early bird discount for Illumination Learning Studio summer camps active through this Sunday

New offered: yoga for people living with mobility challenges and disability

New class offered: yoga for people living with mobility challenges and disability

New Phinney Station project offering community small business bonds for purchase

New Phinney Station project offering community small business bonds for purchase