Originally published Saturday, March 1, 1997

By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Roughly a dozen condo projects are in the pipeline representing an investment of about $156 million, according to consultant Michael Hamilton.

The boom is fueled by the Eastside's enriched high-tech economy, Kirkland's thriving downtown, and city rules that encourage multifamily housing downtown.

It also happens that Kirkland is blessed with a southwest exposure, a gift of nature enjoyed by Native Americans who once lived along the lake shore.

"A lot of this has popped up like mushrooms because the market has been so hot," explains City Manager Terry Ellis, who some residents say is trying to turn Kirkland into Sausilito, a trendy shoreline mecca just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

"He has no trouble getting developers to buy into that `vision,' " says Brian Swanson, an artist and president of the non-profit Kirkland Arts Center. "People are dismayed with the way things are going."

Traffic is especially aggravating, says Swanson, who lives west of Market Street, one of only two north-south routes through town: "You have to plan your life around rush hour."

Ellis, who came to Kirkland from Monterey, says he sees more right than wrong in the direction of downtown.

"What you are seeing is the fruition of about 30 years of planning, and on the whole the results are very nice," Ellis says. "It doesn't mean everything is exactly the way you want it, but it's a pretty good result."

Ellis says he's sensitive to growing concerns about the size and scale of some of the larger condo projects. He also wants it known that he is following the policies and plans laid out by the City Council.

Real estate agents say the new spate of condos is attracting single women of all ages and wealthy retirees who want to sell a family home on Mercer Island or Bellevue and move to a smaller place within walking distance of services and entertainment.

The fastest-selling units are below $300,000, but many are priced well above that. Several of the high-end projects such as Shumway near downtown are attracting buyers before the walls have even been framed.

Tom McCracken, general partner in TMC Development Corp., says 10 condos in his new Brezza complex have been "reserved" by interested buyers. The units are priced from $149,000 for a one-bedroom to $749,500 for a penthouse.

"You don't have the Kingdome or Seattle Center in Kirkland, but you do have a nice, small-town atmosphere and those other things are not far away," says McCracken, who lives in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood.

Continued:

• Transformation from hamlet to urban village is under way
• Area has enhanced its small-town appeal
• Blurring the lines between art and commerce
• Outside downtown, Kirkland wears many face
• Citizens are active in the community