The empty lot at Woodlawn and Latona
Have you been wondering about the vacant lot at Woodlawn Ave NE and Latona Ave NE?
The lot, which once housed Scott’s Trophies, Yasuko’s Teriyaki, and Cafe Maree, has stood empty for more than a year.
We received an update on the status of this property at Wednesday’s Green Lake Community Council meeting, where we heard from Stan Gregory, Marketing Coordinator at The Hearthstone.
The Hearthstone, a continuing care retirement community, has occupied a building on the east side of Green Lake (6720 E Green Lake Way N) since 1966.
Plans are in the works to build a second building at the Woodlawn and Latona lot, one block from The Hearthstone’s current location. A sketch of the building-to-be, called Village Cove, can be seen in the property’s marketing materials [pdf]. The residence will contain “luxury one- and two- bedroom apartments,” a library, medical clinic, wellness center, dental clinic, fine dining facilities, business center, and – this will come as a relief to the area’s residents – underground parking.
However, the project is stalled. Gregory reported that The Hearthstone is unable to determine when they will begin construction, as they are “waiting for a better banking environment.” He predicts that they will better be able to gauge Village Cove’s project time line in three months.
Gregory also indicated that Village Cove will expand beyond the empty lot at Woodlawn and Latona to the property east of the lot, which currently houses Plastic Sales & Service (6870 Woodlawn Ave NE). During this phase of construction, the Plastic Sales & Service building will be torn down. The Hearthstone is currently still negotiating who will be responsible for the required environmental cleanup. Construction will not begin until an agreement can be reached.
The Plastic Sales & Service building
In addition to the Village Cove project, The Hearthstone has been expanding its services in other ways. Currently, the facility offers three levels of care: Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Skilled Nursing. A new service level will soon be added: Memory Care.
Construction of fourteen new on-site Memory Care apartments began on February 1st and is scheduled for completion in mid-April. These apartments will be made available to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Gregory invited The Hearthstone’s Green Lake neighbors to visit the new wing at an open house which will be held during the first week of May (the exact date is to be determined).
In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on developments at Woodlawn and Latona and we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.
Yes . . . and whatever goes on that immense lot could have a big impact:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6870+Woodlawn+Ave…
One has to ask what the impact of something that size re:traffic would be on the nearby arterials. That main intersection at NE 71st Street and East Green Lake Drive N. – which has been ground zero for development at the lake – is now a congested mess as the lake becomes the go-to spot on nice days. There are extended backups here and at other primary intersections around the lake (one a third of a mile long at the Wallingford Ave N./East Green Lake Drive N. intersection just recently) where none use to exist. This creates a dangerous brew of pedestrians and autos AND exhaust. The latter exists in a corridor all along these busy roads. The safety/health/environmental impact of these issues require greater scrutiny than the city presently gives them.
I'm all for reducing traffic – or at least complaining about it :-) – but of all the communities that add congestion to the area, the Hearthstone is the least of our worries. A lot of those seniors don't drive and they certainly don't drive as much as the average younger home/condo owners and apartment dwellers. And I assume the folks in “Memory Care” won't have keys to cars. Right?
The current Hearthstone is in the lower left of this photo, the proposed development is in the upper right:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6870+Woodlawn+Ave…
It is twice the size. An impact study of the new SHOULD try to understand not just vehicular traffic that is pushed out, but vehicular traffic that is drawn in. Presumably there will be some of that. There should also be a very clear understanding of the pedestrian impact, especially down to the lake, of something this size. That traffic would most likely pass right through the intersection of NE 71st St and East Green Lake Dr. N. – an intersection that already experiences significant backups as people and autos compete for the space. Presumably, once the condos and retail stores that surround this area are filled, this will only worsen.
The point is, regardless of what goes into the ground, we should try to have as clear an understanding as possible what the impact will be. Historically, the city has often fallen short in this regard.
I'm all for reducing traffic – or at least complaining about it :-) – but of all the communities that add congestion to the area, the Hearthstone is the least of our worries. A lot of those seniors don't drive and they certainly don't drive as much as the average younger home/condo owners and apartment dwellers. And I assume the folks in “Memory Care” won't have keys to cars. Right?
The current Hearthstone is in the lower left of this photo, the proposed development is in the upper right:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6870+Woodlawn+Ave…
It is twice the size. An impact study of the new SHOULD try to understand not just vehicular traffic that is pushed out, but vehicular traffic that is drawn in. Presumably there will be some of that. There should also be a very clear understanding of the pedestrian impact, especially down to the lake, of something this size. That traffic would most likely pass right through the intersection of NE 71st St and East Green Lake Dr. N. – an intersection that already experiences significant backups as people and autos compete for the space. Presumably, once the condos and retail stores that surround this area are filled, this will only worsen.
The point is, regardless of what goes into the ground, we should try to have as clear an understanding as possible what the impact will be. Historically, the city has often fallen short in this regard.
[...] we reported in March, The Hearthstone plans to build a four-story building on the site. A sketch of the [...]