SEATTLE — There's a block of Northwest 57th Street in Ballard that's increasingly rare in Seattle.
All the homes are the same style: Brick Tudors, mostly from the 1930s.
"The neighborhood's very cohesive, everyone knows each other, and I think some of that is the style of the homes," said Pam Gaertner, who has lived on the block since 1990.
She and her neighbors are nervous about plans for a house on the end of the block to be demolished and replaced.
"We're apprehensive about what it might do to the character of the neighborhood," Gaertner said.
As new homes appear around Seattle on subdivided lots, city councilmember Tom Rasmussen says they often don't fit in.
"Some of these buildings, the newer ones, stick out like sore thumbs, they're put in by developers who don't care and don't respond to neighborhood concerns," said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen wants property owners to be able to vote in conservation districts based on the unique architecture of their neighborhoods.
New construction, and renovations visible from the street, would have to conform to certain styles, and get approval of a board.
"There's no intention to stop growth, it's just to have a say over how the growth will occur within neighborhoods," Rasmussen said.
Roger Valdez of Smart Growth Seattle calls the proposal "disastrous."
"It's really encouraging the worst protectionism around existing neighborhoods from welcoming new people in," said Valdez.
Valdez predicts conservation districts would raise property values and the cost of housing.
Rasmussen said he wants to hear from people about the concept before drafting formal legislation.
The first public meeting was scheduled for Monday, March 23 at South Seattle College's Georgetown campus.
The next meetings are Tuesday, April 7 at High Point Community Center in West Seattle and Wednesday, April 8 at Phinney Neighborhood Center.
KIRO
