Did You Get Your Tax Assessment in the Mail?

June 19, 2010 by 4 Comments

When I'm providing mortgage rate quotes for Seattle area home owners, I've been noticing that many of them are enjoying recently reduced property taxes due to the current housing climate.  So you can imagine my surprise to see that our tax assessed value (and therefore our tax bill) INCREASE for 2010.   Our neighbor confirmed that her taxes went up as well.   Neither of us have made any improvements to our homes.   So this is apparently based on "appreciation".   But without significant sales to support this increase, I'm wondering where King County is coming up with these numbers?

Local title company, The Talon Group, has an interesting article about property taxes

Homeowners have a right to appeal their property valuations withing 60 days of the mail date of the Official Property Value Notice. It would stand to reason that they would need to send some sort of notification out to homeowner if the assessor was revaluing property.

I'm wondering what other Beach Drive neighbors received from the King County tax assessor.  Please chime in–did your assessment go up or down or stay the same?

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes

Super Low Tides this Weekend

June 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In addition to our wonderful sunny weather, we will have very low tides this weekend.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

  • Low 11:25 am at -3.2
  • High 7:09 pm at 11.7

Sunday, June 13, 2010

  • Low 12:16 am at -7.8
  • High 4:51 am at 10.7
  • Low 12:09 pm at -3.5
  • High 7:48 pm at 12.0

As you're beach combing along Emma Schmitz, Charles Richey, and areas of Lincoln Park, remember these are designated marine preserves or Marine Protected Areas.   Nothing is to be removed from these coastal areas, including shells or sea critters.  Download MarineAreaRules (see page 19).

 MarinePreserve

Beach areas in front of homes are often private and have varying property lines from property to property.  Some homes may own the beach out to mean low tide.  There's no way for the public to know where private property begins or ends–just something to keep in mind. 

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Parks, Puget Sound

Satterlee House to Keep it’s Historic Lawn

June 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

West Seattle Blog reports that the Satterlee House, also known as the Painted Lady of Beach Drive, will not have new homes on the front lawn anytime soon.   The State Supreme Court has rejected builder and owner, William Conner's request to build three "mini-mansions" in front of the historic home.  You can read WSB's coverage of this fight that has gone on for over two years here.

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Historic Homes

That Restaurant at Beach Drive and Jacobsen: Quesnels

May 24, 2010 by 2 Comments

Quesnel’s Restaurant definately is piece of Beach Drive History.  Sadly we moved here after it’s existance…but we’re often asked about what happened to the restuarant and many have shared fond memories.

West Seattle Blog writes about this with the recent passing of Neal Shaffer, who ran the restaurant for many years along with the Shack Drive In.

What was a restaurant is now private residences at 4703 Beach Drive SW.

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The owne of these properties 4703 (the large beige triplex, former restaurant) and 4701, the smaller home has been doing a major remodel of the residence at 4701.

What are your memories of this restaurant?

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Historic Homes

Where the Water Begins: Free Workshop from the King Conservation District

April 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The King Conservation District is holding a series of free workshops for property owners along the marine shorelines and bluffs of King County.   Beach Drive has plenty of waterfront and bluff homes that have faced recent potential issues with mud slides. 

The workshop will provide an opportunity to learn about the ecological, geological and vegetation management issues associated with owning waterfront property.

Topics will include:

  • Understanding marine near-shore and riparian ecology
  • Recognizing geologic hazards
  • Using native vegetation to reduce erosion and to improve fish and wildlife habitat

Who should attend:

  • Beach property owners interested in a stable natural shoreline
  • Bluff property owners interested in reducing the potential for erosion and landslides
  • Any marine shoreline or bluff property owner interested in improving fish and wildlife habitat.

When and where:

All workshops are from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm (indoor session) and 12:30 – 3:30 pm (optional pre-order boxed lunch $12 and field trip).

Facilitators:

  • Kollin Higgins, King County DNRP WLRD
  • Peter Landry, City of Normand Park
  • Elliott Menashe, Greenbelt Consulting
  • Brandy Reed, Conservation District

To register or for more information contact Brandy Reed at 425-282-1924 or brandy.reed@kingcd.org

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Events, FREE, Puget Sound

UPDATED: Meeting regarding the Murray Pump Station at Lowman Beach

April 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Update April 23, 2010:  Read West Seattle Blog's coverage of the meeting here.   Be sure to read the comments which also contain a great deal of information.

Tonight at 7pm at the Morgan Community Association's quarterly meeting, the controversial discussion regarding Murray Pump Station continues.   West Seattle Blog has an update here. The meeting takes place in the basement of The Kenney at 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW, Seattle.

Some options to deal with the "combined sewer overflow" include:

  • digging up a majority of Lowman Beach Park
  • claiming some Beach Drive homes across from the park (via eminet domain)

Dr. Ron Sterling, author of West Seattle Sound Angels blog, states this is

"…the only meeting I am aware of that is scheduled to take place BEFORE King County submits it's plans for SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) approval in June 2010…. Be there if you care!"

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Current Affairs, Parks, Puget Sound, Safety

Update on Lowman Beach Park vs King County Waste Water

April 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

This just in by Ron Sterling:

Ron Sterling and his fellow Beach Drive neighbors are fighting King County to get the King County Wastewater Division (KCWTD) to stop its plans to build a 1 million gallon underground tank in, on, and around Lowman Beach Park. One of the three alternative proposals that KCWTD is trying to force onto the neighborhood even includes exercising eminent domain to purchase a block of treasured neighborhood homes for the purpose of building the tank and its significant above-ground "amenities." It is a travesty of bad decision-making, poor outreach to the community, and very poor design.

Please visit their blog www.SoundAngels.org and do what you can to get the word out to help them with their mission to get King County to do the right thing and save the neighborhood.

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Parks, Puget Sound

Beach Drive Slide

January 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Beach drive slide 
Below Atlas along the mud slide, Beach Drive is reduced to one lane.

Photo take with my mobile phone…please pardon the quality.

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes

The Drama Continues with the Satterlee House

December 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment

West Seattle Blog has the saga of the Satterlee house (located on Beach Drive) covered here.  

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Historic Homes

House Fire around 4200 Beach Drive

November 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment

I just learned about this via West Seattle Blog on Facebook.   A home at 4200 Beach Drive caught fire.  According to WSB,  "Beach Drive is blocked off from La Rustica to Me Kwa Mooks because of the callout" and Metro route 37 may be impacted.

Read more here from West Seattle Blog.

Update 8:00 a.m.:   By the time I reached the home, the fire was put out and the road was still blocked beginning at the north point of Mee Kwa Mooks.  Thankfully this is a home that was not yet occupied (home with angular roof).  

WSB reports that "one firefighter suffered an arm injury and had to go to the hospital".

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The brick red house below is the property that caught fire.   Neighbors report they smelled smoke around 5:00 a.m. this morning.

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Update 10:30 am:  via West Seattle Blog's Twitter that the fire has been ruled accidental with $250,000 in damages.

Filed Under: Beach Drive Homes, Current Affairs
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