Losing an icon

The announcement that a PCC Natural Market will anchor a multi-use development in the heart of Madison Valley has done little to console neighbors and local businesses owners over the loss of an iconic member of the community. 

The Velmeir Cos. recently announced that the high-end grocer was selected after developers did their due diligence on the needs and the personality of the area, according to Katherine Mackinnon with Nyhus Communications, the public relations firm hired by the developer. 

The developer is navigating through the permit process to build the development where the City People’s Garden Center (2939 E. Madison St.) has operated for almost 30 years. 

According to Mackinnon, plans for the complex include a green roof, rooftop terrace and street-side plantings, with setbacks more generous than required by code. Plans for the new development feature a number of retail spaces, as well as 75 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with underground parking on the south side of Madison Street, several hundred feet south and across the street from the entrance to the Washington Park Arboretum.

The anchor store will occupy approximately 25,000 square feet of the commercial center; the commercial center, as proposed, would be more than 165,000 square feet. The central location of the grocery store, Mackinnon said, was chosen to serve shoppers from Madison Park, Madrona, Leschi and the Central Area.

 “The name PCC came up when in our initial discussions regarding the property,” Mackinnon said. 

Steve Magley, the majority owner of City People’s, said the agreement with PCC has helped him accept that the end was near: He can now move ahead with exploring other potential sites for his business. 

Operating a garden center in an urban setting, he said, can be an expensive proposition: “Nothing had been certain until this week. We had been operating in limbo, waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

The majority owner said he informed his employees of the possibility of closing immediately after he was learned that owners had entered into negotiations to sell the property last November.

The Madison Valley Merchants Association has not taken an official stance on the multi-use complex. Nat Stratton-Clarke, the owner of Café Flora (2901 E. Madison St.) and president of the merchants association, said local business owners are not expected to discuss the project until the group’s meeting in May. 

“Personally, I can tell you that I am devastated to lose a core member of our business community and the wonderful people who work there,” Stratton-Clarke said. “It does not matter who or what will take their place. People are upset because it will affect their homes and the community we love.”

City People’s has sold plants, seeds and gardening supplies to residents since 1988. The neighborhood nursery will continue to operate at its present location until the end of the year. The future of the garden center’s second location in Sand Point is also in jeopardy if the owners of the property move ahead with plans to sell the property to a developer as well.

Changes inevitable 

Lindy Wishard, with the Madison Valley Community Council, wishes her neighborhood could retain the charm that attracted her to the area, but she understands that change is inevitable. Wishard said she was pleased with the results of a meeting she led in early April with representatives from Velmeir.

The report Wishard distributed to the community council members indicated that the developer is committed to working with the local residents and business owners who may be impacted by the construction. Stratton-Clarke and a resident who was familiar with land use issues in the city joned her at the meeting. 

Wishard reported that site preparation could begin as soon as early in 2017, assuming the project meets the guidelines set down by the city. She indicated that a geological report of the site has been submitted to the city; approval is the next step in the permitting process. 

She also said Velmier pledged to contain as much of the work as possible on the site to minimize traffic congestion and to limit construction within the 40-foot height restrictions for the area. 

“Change will happen,” Wishard said. “The best bet we have as concerned citizens is to accept the changes gracefully so we can have as much input as possible in the final design and recommend the type of tenants that will be serving our neighborhood.”

A second community group, Save Madison Valley, made up of homeowners who would live directly behind the proposed retail center or would otherwise be impacted by the development, had a meeting on April 9 to discuss concerns with traffic, parking, seismic safety, stormwater runoff and the preservation of greenery in the community.

The Save Madison Valley group published a 35-page document prior to its meeting outlining its concerns that compared the square footage of the development to the size of almost three football fields. Images in the document illustrated the comparable size of the building and the loss of trees in the residential community. 

“[Save Madison Valley] just wants to be certain that any development is compatible with the community and brings a positive addition to the neighborhood,” Wishard said.

According to Mackinnon, Velmeir has a track record of incorporating the concerns of residents into the final design of its projects. She pointed out that the company accommodated neighbors in another established Seattle neighborhood by modifying the design of the one-story development at the corner of Mercer Street and Queen Anne Avenue North from a pharmacy-only building to an urban village concept to match the unique location of the Uptown neighborhood.

Quick to disagree

Mackinnon emphasized that her client takes steps to attract tenants to new developments that match the unique traits of the neighborhood by filling the need for additional services without creating competition for existing businesses.

Terry Short, outgoing president of the Madison Park Business Association (MPBA) and manager of Bert’s Red Apple (1801 41st Ave. E.) in Madison Park, was quick to disagree. He was informed of the potential competitor just up the road from his grocery store on the same day he stepped down after serving eight years as president of the association.

“As the outgoing president of the Madison Park Business Association, I am sad to see City People’s leave. They have been a mainstay of the community for 28 years,” Short said. “As a grocer, it is more than a little concerning. The added competition on top of the change in traffic patterns from [state Route] 520 and the potential closure of traffic through the arboretum means people could be forced to alter the way they shop on daily basis.”

Bert’s Red Apple has built a loyal customer base, Short said, and offers services and products that may not be available from PCC. The manager admitted the local grocer has not faced much competition since the store first opened in 1937.

Eric Wicklund of Wicklund Real Estate, the incoming MPBA president, said every tenant in the Velmeir project on Madison is certain to have a direct competitor in the valley or in Madison Park.

“Bert’s had a great thing going with zero competitors. They’ll figure it out,” Wicklund said. “We live in Madison Park and shop at Bert’s frequently, but we occasionally shop at Trader Joe’s, too.”

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