Council approves final plat for Ballard Corner Townhomes, allowing 14 unit lots to be sold

On June 3 the Seattle City Council approved the final plat and related legislation for Ballard Corner Townhomes, permitting the subdivision and sale of about 14 unit lots at 901 Northwest 50th Street and Ninth Avenue NW in Ballard (Clerk File 314465; Council Bill 120990).

Councilmember Mark Solomon presented the item, explaining the three-step review process: preliminary plat review by city departments and SDCI, an open-record hearing by the Hearing Examiner (preliminary plat approval was issued Sept. 14, 2023), and final review by council to confirm improvements and conditions have been met. Solomon said SDOT, SDCI and central staff found the final improvements consistent with the preliminary plat and hearing-examiner conditions. The clerk filed the final plat and the council passed the bill to confirm the final plat.

The roll call on both filings was unanimous among members present; the council placed the clerk file on record and passed the bill authorizing the final plat to allow individual lots to be certified for sale.

Background: the site is in a Lowrise 2 multifamily zone with a Mandatory Housing Affordability requirement; subdivision facilitates the sale of townhouse unit lots that are already built. The council’s action is the final step needed to certify individual lot sales after construction of required public improvements and conditions in the hearing examiner’s decision.

Next steps: With final plat approval, individual unit lots may be certified for sale consistent with conditions imposed by the hearing examiner and city staff review.