Good morning. Issue two of the Central Seattle Dispatch: five minutes on what moved in Central Seattle this week, one item for your own neighborhood, the market in three numbers, and one practical thing for the house.
Central Seattle this week
SR 520's westbound ramps to northbound I-5 and E Roanoke St close nightly again, October 26–29. WSDOT closes them 10 PM to 6 AM, Monday through Thursday. Westbound drivers past the Montlake Boulevard and Lake Washington Boulevard exits detour to southbound I-5, and one westbound lane between Montlake and I-5 closes too. WSDOT's 24-hour line: 206-319-4520. WSDOT
The budget's road to the November 5 hearing. The Select Budget Committee takes oral comment Tuesday, October 27, at 9:30 AM, then discusses councilmembers' proposals October 27 to 29. The chair's balancing package is due November 3. At the November 5 hearing, remote comment starts at 1 PM and in-person comment at 5 PM. City Council
Ballots are due Tuesday, November 3. No stamp is needed. A mailed ballot must be postmarked by Election Day, and the Postal Service recommends mailing at least a week ahead. Drop boxes close at 8 PM on November 3. King County Elections
Late-night Link: buses may replace 2 Line trains after 11 PM on October 31 and November 1. Rail milling on the 2 Line may need a bus bridge between Judkins Park and International District/Chinatown stations. Sound Transit notes the dates can change. Sound Transit
The chrysanthemum show comes to the Volunteer Park Conservatory, October 30 to November 1. The Evergreen Chrysanthemum Association, a club founded in 1947, shows hundreds of large exhibition mums from Friday at 11 AM to Sunday at 3 PM, free with admission. Conservatory
Your neighborhood
Capitol Hill. (evergreen) Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Avenue, sits just southeast of the Capitol Hill light rail station. It has a fountain, a texture pool and a reflecting pool, promenade paths, a shelterhouse, a plaza, a play area, tennis courts and ball fields; it is open 4 AM to 11:30 PM. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 20 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.12M (range $370K to $2.48M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 29 days.
Eastlake. RapidRide J Line crews start on the southeast corner of Eastlake Avenue E and E Louisa St as early as Monday, October 26, digging up sidewalk toward E Franklin St. The alley entrance on E Louisa closes for the work; use the E Lynn St entrance. Crews are also starting the southbound station near E Garfield St and building a retaining wall between E Allison St and Harvard Avenue E. SDOT
Sold near you: 12 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.48M (range $690K to $3.05M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 18 days.
Montlake. (evergreen) Montlake Playfield, 1618 E Calhoun St, next to the Montlake Community Center, has a play area, a track, playfields and tennis courts; court reservations run through the Amy Yee Tennis Center. Nearby, the SR 520 ramp closures in this week's lead item run October 26–29. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 6 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.37M (range $1.23M to $2.23M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
Madison Park. (evergreen) Madison Park, 4201 E Madison St, looks east across Lake Washington to the floating bridge and the Cascades beyond. Beyond the beach, the park has two tennis courts, a play area and a big grassy slope, with shops and restaurants across the street. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 14 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.45M (range $175K to $7.10M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 20 days.
Washington Park. The Seattle Japanese Garden in the Arboretum reopened for the most part on July 28 after a major restoration. Its north section stays closed through November for wall construction and landscape restoration, and the whole garden closes December through February for winter maintenance, so November is the last month to visit this year. The 3½-acre formal garden was built in 1960 under designer Juki Iida. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 14 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.86M (range $475K to $7.10M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 20 days.
Harrison / Denny-Blaine. (evergreen) Viretta Park, 151 Lake Washington Boulevard E, is a grassy lookout below steep slopes, a quick stop for a look at the lake on a boulevard drive or walk. Park stairs climb from the boulevard to 39th Avenue E and E John St. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 14 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.83M (range $789K to $11.80M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 12 days.
Madrona. (evergreen) Madrona Park, 853 Lake Washington Boulevard, runs from a wooded hillside down to a grassy beach and swimming area on the lake. A jogging path follows the shore, with picnic areas, grills and a fishing pier along the way. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 14 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $896K (range $568K to $2.58M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
Leschi. Night work on Lakeside Avenue S for the Leschi South Marina rebuild may start at the end of October at the earliest; the city will post dates once they are set. Work starts in the evening, mostly in the southbound lane, with the loudest saw cutting and jackhammering done before 10 PM, so daytime parking and deliveries for the Leschi Market stay open. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 6 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.12M (range $952K to $2.11M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 26 days.
Central District. Garfield Community Center, 2323 E Cherry St, runs free drop-in programs this fall with a free Quick Card from the front desk: open gym Saturdays 3 to 5 PM for all ages, soul line dance Saturdays 10 AM to noon, a walking club Thursdays 9 to 10 AM, and pickleball Thursday and Friday for adults. Hours: weekdays 9 AM to 8 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM, closed Sunday. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 15 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $780K (range $290K to $1.59M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
The market in 60 seconds
Across Central Seattle ZIPs 98102, 98112 and 98122, the median home sold for $1.16M over the last 30 days (73 closings; single-family alone $1.25M). The median home took 52 days from listing to closing, and there are 5.4 months of inventory on the market, down from 5.7 a week ago.
That is balanced territory, leaning toward buyers: under three months favors sellers, above six favors buyers. Single-family homes are tighter, at 4.0 months, and 15% of homes closed above asking.
One useful thing: free leaf bags all November
In November, Seattle Public Utilities picks up up to 10 extra bags of leaves for free on each collection day for household food and yard waste customers. Use paper or compostable lawn and leaf bags, or a reusable container with a lid; never plastic bags. Any other month, each extra unit costs $7.50. Raking leaves out of the street keeps storm drains clear; if a drain stays clogged after you clear the surface, call SPU's drainage line at (206) 386-1800. SPU: leaves · SPU: storm drains
That's the week. Reply with anything you want tracked in Central Seattle. Next Thursday, October 29: daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, and what changes on the 1 Line and Metro, if anything.
Know a neighbor who would read this? Forward it. They can subscribe at centralseattledispatch.com.
Live in Central Seattle, work in Bellevue? The Bellevue Dispatch is the same five minutes for Bellevue: https://www.bellevuedispatch.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cross-centralseattle
The Central Seattle Dispatch is a RexMont Real Estate publication. Adriano Tori, Designated Broker. Reply to this email and a person reads it.