Surrounded By Water: A Mercer Island Blog

Today’s house porn comes courtesy of the Contemporist, which found a beautiful Miller-Hull designed house for sale. I haven’t copied the picture, but here’s the real estate agent’s listing, and here it is on Redfin if you want to see it on the map: 5340 Butterworth Rd.

This house won several awards, but Seattle Bubble readers called it fugly.

Turns out Miller-Hull has been active around here. They’ve done another Mercer Island house:

and this one should look familiar, it’s the Mercer Island Community Center:

They’ve got some other beautiful projects around the Puget Sound area, like the South Lake Union Discovery Center and Olympic College in Paulsbo. I covet the Novotny Cabin in the San Juans:

Photo credit for all the photos above from the Miller-Hull website.

To me these designs are graceful and clean. But as mentioned above, others found them fugly. Other thoughts?

All over the Island, these flyers have gone up over the last couple of weeks:

Flyer for Tent City, Mercer Island

On Thursday night, our potential new neighbors found 170 people at the United Methodist Church to discuss their arrival, 25 of whom filed a lawsuit the next day.

On the flyer above, the first link redirects to the second, which makes me think that merceris.com isn’t a local organization but a local-sounding name for tentcitysolutions.com. The headlines on that site call out the fears a lot of residents have about Tent City: “Crime follows Tent City to yet another community.”

Whatever your personal thoughts on Tent City, get ready for some controversy. I predict this isn’t going to go quietly, on either side.

Maybe I’m being presumptuous, calling the Roanoke (The “Roey” to its friends or long-time Island residents) your favorite bar. But you’ve got to love it. Its best features include:

• Just off the bike trail and I-90
• A welcoming pub room and lawn seating
• Good beer that distracts from the passable pub food
• Formerly a brothel right off the ferry landing

I think I’m close to getting my Wed morning bike friends to stop there for a drink after our ride, and I don’t even know if it’s open that early.

Convince your East Side and Seattle friends to meet there, it’s more convenient for you. Or just turn up on a summer afternoon because that’s what summer afternoons are for.

I was at the Roanoke at happy hour a few weeks ago. While I’m here, I thought, let me satisfy my curiosity about what really goes on at the Roanoke. The plaque outside told me the place was built in 1914:

But I wanted to know more. I asked three of the staff about the place, all of whom referred me to Maggie. After a bit of loitering I was finally able to find Maggie herself.

• Who comes here? I asked. “It’s a really local crowd. 70% are people we see 3, 4 times a week. Lots of bikers: both motorcycles and cyclists.”
• I asked if there were any bar fights. She laughed and said no. I pushed a little, hoping for great story,  but she stuck to her answer- I guess Mercer Island isn’t a big bar fight town.
• Thursdays and Fridays, from about happy hour through dinner, are the busiest times. It seemed so to me- happy hour was busier than I’d ever seen it in the evening or weekend.

That’s it- the back story of the Roanoke Inn, straight from Maggie, who’s worked there for seven years. If you have special memories of the place, feel free to contribute them. And now you know: If you want to make Mercer Island history, you can start a fight at the Roanoke. But I suggest you just have a beer.

Last night, along with about 50 people including parents with little kids, my husband and I got kicked out of Luther Burbank Park to prevent us all from watching the fireworks.

Let me back up. Last night was the 4th of July. My husband and I, two friends, and the visiting parents of one of our friends went down to Luther Burbank Park because I had surmised you can see the Bellevue fireworks from there. You can, but you’re not allowed.

We had walked to the tip of the park when the two cops arrived. They told us the park closes at 10 (that’s when the fireworks start) and we have to be back at the parking lot by then. We weren’t allowed to stay on this nice grassy area right on the water. As you can imagine, several people told the cops that was ridiculous. One of the cops said, “It’s not us, it’s what the City Council wants.” Someone responded they had called the police that day to find out if the park would be open, and the police dept. said it would.

We walked back to the car along with a nice couple and their baby in a stroller. We watched from the parking lot until someone found a hill that had a better view.

So I have a question for the City Council: Why would taxpayers and their families be prevented from watching fireworks in a public park?

“Every other town around here supports the Fourth of July, and puts on a big display. Mercer Island can’t even let us watch fireworks in our own parks,” my husband said. “Why do they spend all this time and money kicking people out instead of supporting it?” Fourth of July is a event that brings families in a community together, and Mercer Island squashed it.

But lighting off fireworks is legal. Somebody was setting off fireworks in the parking lot of the Mercer Island Community Center, with cars and people all around, and the cops didn’t care. But we can’t sit in a public park and watch fireworks over the lake.

Back when I lived in Capitol Hill, thousands of people would come down to Melrose Street to watch the fireworks over Lake Union. There were never any problems. The Mercer Island violent crime rate is one of the lowest of any place around, so why would the City Council think we can’t peacefully watch fireworks in our own town?

Next year, City Council members, we want to be able to watch fireworks in our own community.

First, little flags appeared lining Island Crest Way today- how nice!

Thanks to the patriotic, unemployed people who must have set up these flags.

Now, the fireworks. By this post’s title I don’t mean to imply that those who stay on the Island for fireworks are lazy. There are lots of reasons you may not want to go far: you have small children, you’re wary of explosives in large crowds; or, like us, you’re lazy.

Our best bet seems to be Bellevue’s fireworks in Downtown Park, right across the short part of the lake. Luther Burbank Park’s probably your best bet. On South Island, you might be able to see the show at Coulon Park in Renton. You may be able to see them from Clark Beach Park, but I’m not sure. If you’ve got a killer view to the North, you may even be able to see over Medina to Kirkland’s Marina Park. There’s a list of local fireworks locations in Redfin’s Seattle Sweet Digs blog, if you do care to venture out.

But it’s my first 4th of July here. A question for you longitme residents: where’s the best place to watch the fireworks?

And here’s some early summer flowers, hoping the sun stays out for tomorrow.

Update: Unless you have a view from your house, you can’t watch the fireworks on Mercer Island. It’s not allowed. Tell the City Council: that’s just plain crazy.

The Mercer Island Reporter reports, as reporting is its mission and namesake, that Tent City IV is coming to Mercer Island Methodist in August. Tent City is a semi-permanent, organized camp of homeless people that moves every few months to a new location. The idea is to provide services and housing for those who are trying to get on their feet. Tent City is always invited by its host, usually a church, but oftentimes the neighbors of the host organization are less welcoming. Here’s a photo of Tent City III at St. Mark’s in Seattle:

Photo credit: Bjornb on Flickr.

Some readers may now be thinking, “I like the idea of helping other people, but how close will Tent City be to me?” it’s about as far away from most of Mercer Island as you can get and still be on Mercer Island:

The United Methodist Church will host Tent City on Mercer Island. Just like those Methodists: always helping others!

NPR ran a story on Tent City, weighing the pros and cons. The story’s worth listening to, but here’s my summary:

• Pro: Tent city provides a path from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
• Con: It’s a band-aid that doesn’t solve any long-term problems.

Because life is rich and complicated, the answer must be a little of both: the Tent City concept is darkly wise and rudely great. I tend to believe that even in its imperfections, Tent City is one of the better attempts to solve a difficult problem. Other viewpoints, as always, are welcome here. Feel free to use the handy “Leave a Comment” feature to express yours.

While this is a blog about Mercer Island generally, I do tend to geek out on real estate stats and drop in the occasional house porn. So I’m excited to see another blogger is also covering the Mercer Island real estate market: Tera Randall, part of Redfin’s local real estate blog, Seattle Sweet Digs. She wrote on Mercer Island homes for sale over $1 million. Sweet homes, sweet views.

As I’ve mentioned before, I work for Redfin, so it’s nice to have Sweet Digs coverage in the neighborhood. But that’s not the only reason for my welcome: Mercer Island has only a small, but semi-dedicated, group of bloggers, and it’s nice to have one more. Here’s a summary:

• Richard Sprague’s personal blog, which comments on all manner of things including Mercer Island and especially education. My favorite recent post: Why Yong Zhao is Wrong.
• Our Mercer Island, a collaborative blog. You’ll see the first blogger here is one of the major contributors, and Bruce Basset is another. Posts aren’t that regular, but hey, neither are mine. My favorite recent post: Another Coffee Shop, Please.
• Tera from Seattle Sweet Digs, with the aforementioned post which is the first of what I hope will be many.
• This blog. My favorite recent post (yes, I can have a favorite in my own blog): Will a Farmers’ Market Make Mercer Island More Like Capitol Hill and Fremont? That post didn’t get a lot of pickup but I liked it.

Happy reading. And remember: there’s always room for more.

ZipRealty’s CEO predicted the Seattle market is the next to crash, according to Seattle Bubble Blog. That prediction would be scarier if he had cited data that supported it. He cited the amount of inventory that’s on the market, which is high. And… and… and that’s all the data he cited.

Apparently Seattle’s market will go the way of San Diego and Miami. But isn’t real estate the most truly local market there is? Don’t all trendlines have variance around the median? So let’s do what this fellow failed to do: look at the data.

Inventory

Yup, inventory IS high. (see Inventory, Inventory, Inventory.) According to Redfin , there are 203 homes for sale on Mercer Island. In the last three months, only 60 homes sold here. So inventory is pretty high. It’s interesting to compare the average statistics across those groups:

So the houses on the market are pretty close to recent sales in terms of price per square foot, but it’s generally smaller and less expensive homes that have been selling. It’s a slow market; volume is down about 40% year-over-year; and inventory is high.

Foreclosures

California’s seen a rate of 517 foreclosures per day. But it also has a much higher rate of subprime lending, according to an interactive map by The New York Times. In the Seattle area, less than 9% of the loans made were subprime. EVERY subprime loan in the area could default and Seattle still wouldn’t be in the same position as Sacramento, CA or Ft. Meyers, FL.

Foreclosures in a neighborhood can drag down home sale prices, and if not maintained, become a public nuisance . But Redfin shows only 219 homes currently in foreclosure in all of King County. We’re not immune, but it’s not that bad here. Getting even more local: no Mercer Island homes are in foreclosure. Not to say it can’t happen; it’s just not a problem right now in our ‘hood. If the data change, we’ll look at it again.

Fundamentals

The national unemployment rate in April 2008 was 5.0%; in Washington State it was 4.7%; in Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma, it was 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job growth in the area was fourth-highest in the US in the past year. Seattle’s population also continues to grow. Things can change. But right now, they’re ok.

So are we in for more of a sluggish market and some price drops? Probably. Are we in for a San-Diego style crash? Probably not.

The Mercer Island Reporter reports that the council is considering two new lights downtown, at 27th and 77th and 78th. Not to overdramatize the situation, but our 4-light island is threatening to turn into a teeming metropolis of tense, sweaty people trapped in cars! Actually, the new lights sound like a good idea. But blinking red at off-hours, please.

The article also contains a review of what was, apparently, a very lengthy debate over the options at Island Crest Way and Merrimount:

1. keep the current four-lane configuration, which would require an expansive expansion;
2. or use three lanes only, with two travel lanes and a center turn lane. The three-lane configuration would extend to 42nd st.

Recap: council leans toward center lane.

As someone who will probably spend up to eight full days of my life trying to take a left on Island Crest Way, I applaud that leaning and hope it will crystallize into a decision.

Even my husband, who drives swiftly and curses at speed-impaired drivers, says Island Crest needs to slow down- it’s frikkin’ crazy. He suggests a roundabout there. Oh, and some trees down the middle so it doesn’t look like a concrete highway.

Any passionate convictions out there? Four-lane option, three-lane option, or roundabout?

Photo credit: Roomman on Flickr.

Friday was Bike to Work day. It’s Bike to Work month. We live on an island in the middle of Greater Seattle, so everywhere’s convenient. Except Lynnwood.

Here’s a photoessay of biking to downtown Seattle from Mercer Island from my ride on Friday. I was running a bit late for a too-early meeting and didn’t want to stop to take photos, so please forgive any shakiness.

Commuting from Mercer Island to Downtown

Step 1: Get to East Mercer or West Mercer Way. Island Crest is way too busy. The Island is quiet and pretty in the morning.

Step 2: Where the bike lane crosses the road, take a left. Keep going til you’re on I-90.

Step 3: Enjoy the ride over the I-90 bridge; consider that people living in Iowa don’t have bridges. Check whether Ranier is out. Notice that you ride away from the sun and get great light.

Step 4: Coming off I-90, stay left to go through the bike tunnel and over the I-90 lid. On bike to work day, there was a little rest station right off I-90.

Step 5: Stay on the bike path by the Colman Playground and the old Colman School. Even if you don’t commute, you should check out this great city ride sometime. Wave to the other bike commuters!

Step 5: After you pass the old school and cross 23rd St., you’ll head down a big hill. At the bottom you’ll be at Rainier Ave. You might get hit by a car if you bike on this road. Instead, stay right on the bike path, which will drop you at Hiawatha Place across from some new townhomes. Take a left, and go around two roundabouts until you get to Dearborn St.

Step 5: Take a left on Dearborn and cross Rainier. Lots of riders chose to turn right onto 5th Ave South and go through some of the quieter avenues to points further, rather than follow the busy traffic onto Airport Way and 4th Ave. South.

From Dearborn, you can get into the I-D, Pioneer Square, downtown or anywhere.

What about riding home, you ask? Well, instead of commuting back I decided to go out for happy hour. My husband met me out and I hitched a ride home with him. It was Friday, after all.

Biking Bis and the folks at Piknik also harnessed angular momentum to get to work Friday. And Kent’s Bike Blog put up some useful Seattle bike maps.

Commuting to the Eastside/ Redmond

Watch for Part 2, commuting to the Eastside. The route is complicated and dangerous, so this will be an exciting post. We might even do a round trip for this part.

Outtakes

Right, blog posts don’t usually have outtakes. Well, if you ride to work while taking photos, you’ll get outtakes.

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