Is "Single Family" Really "Character"?

Here's the thing: I don't really care about the condos. My post isn't about the condo issue. I back neither side. I can understand why developers want to put up a condo there, and I can understand why neighbors don't care for the idea.

My post is a response to a particular argument made in the PI article: that Wedgwood's character is "single family." That's it. That's the entire argument for Wedgwood having a neighborhood character. That's not a distinction, it's a minimal description. And it's not enough to distinguish it from most other neighborhoods in Seattle.

What is Wedgwood's character? Does it have one? What makes Wedgwood uniquely Wedgwood, rather than Crown Hill, Bitter Lake, Beacon Hill, etc., etc.?

I'm not sure I'm following you. I think what Wedgwood has in common with those other neighborhoods you mentioned is why folks should care about unchecked development and bad city planning here. This month it is out-of-scale condos in Wedgwood, next month it will be a big box store in West Seattle etc. You seem to be implying that only neighborhoods with unique architecture or specific nationalities are worth protecting - not that Wedgwood lacks either.

Short sighted planning, lack of investment in neighborhood infrastructure, potential environmental damages and any development that causes economic hardship to residents (like the homes in Wedgwood that will be eclipsed in the shadow of the proposed condos) should be something that all Seattlites care about.

Eric

http://wedgwoodblog.spaces.live.com

Eric: As I said in the post, I don't have a strong opinion about whether or not the proposed condo should go into Wedgwood. And it's great that you've got friendly neighbors -- I certainly wouldn't argue that Wedgwood isn't friendly. Then again, so was Wallingford when we lived there, and so is Rainier Beach now.

But what makes Wedgwood all that different from Crown Hill, or Bitter Lake, or Beacon Hill, or Mount Baker, or West Seattle, or any number of other single-family neighborhoods that have some cool little coffee shops, bakeries, and neighborhood pubs? Obviously, it's your neighborhood, but for people in other neighborhoods to get worked up about what's going on, it might help to emphasize why Wedgwood is special rather than nondescript.

Guest: I counted Republican bumper stickers when I took a walk one day. I got to 8 within a three block radius. But I'm not virulently anti-Republican (some of my favorite family members are red!), so I didn't realize this was some kind of slam on the neighborhood rather than a demographical quirk.

"Republican bumper stickers.... piece of the east side..." WTF? I've lived in Wedgwood for 8 years, it's as solidly Democratic as any other area neighborhood, and just what exactly gives it an Eastside vibe in your opinion?

I'm a believer that the people who live in the neighborhood define it's character and not it's variety of trendy restaurants and bars. Wedgwood is slower-paced little 'hood with a great mix of older original residents who settled here after returning from WW2 and young families looking for relatively affordable houses and good schools. Most folks own their homes and this type of permanence makes the people put in an extra effort to know their neighbors (when we moved in we we're swarmed by casserole dishes and offers to help us unpack which we never have had happen to us in other parts of Seattle we've lived or in Austin).

I think the shops we have here are kind of a reflection of the community. We don't have any place that serves "Tapas" or Asian Fusion but we've got some cool little coffee shops, an awesome bakery, and a couple of comfortable neighborhood pubs. (that said it would be nice to have a sushi place and a non-dominoes pizza joint)

If an "exciting" place to live with "character" = yuppie-swarmed condo canyons Fremont and Wallingford (which we're once much cooler places) I'll take boring ol' Wedgwood anyday.

Eric

http://wedgwoodblog.spaces.live.com