Tag: Snohomish County

My curiosities, buildings, real estate and Everett

Carl Setzer

I noticed a classic older building in downtown Everett the other day. The building doesn’t look bad at all, but it’s completely vacant; not even the storefront spaces are occupied.

These are things that capture my attention.

I’m pulling a blog post together about this particular property, as it’s pretty interesting. Well, to me, at least.

Buildings and the politics around them fascinate me.

With this, Everett has begun to  intrigue me. There are some very lovely structures and neighborhoods, with some significant regional history. With these sorts of buildings, a thriving arts scene and solid proximity to Seattle, we have some amazing potential up here.

Around 35 miles north of Seattle, with access to the Sounder Trains and buses, along with Snohomish County’s CT bus fleet, centering from the Everett Station, accessing Seattle is pretty easy and convenient. The Eastside is a little less easy, but not too much so. Microsoft’s Connector buses make their way up here (Snohomish and Mill Creek…maybe with enough lobbying, the Everett station can get a stop, too), and there’s Sounder and CT buses that head to Microsoft’s Commons and the Overlake Station, and downtown Bellevue. Within a few years, and the lightrail system gets fully launched, Everett’s interconnection with the greater Seattle economy will be solidified.

Everett does have a lot to offer, and the way the region’s developing, it will be far more interconnected and accessible to the rest of the region soon.

There’s a lot of opportunity for the forward thinking folks.

A fun find in eastern Snohomish County

Carl Setzer

image

Found a fun property for sale: a $14.4 million dollar estate in eastern Snohomish county. Probably better to call it a compound. Comes with a lake, golf course, train (with roundabout…I’m sure scaled down some), and go cart track to name a few amenities. Got a couple million laying to spend on an amazing experience for your family? Let me know!

Changes in Lynnwood: Bye Safeway?

Carl Setzer

A couple of years ago I noted that Albertsons acquired Safeway. And here in Lynnwood we have an intersection with one of each kitty-corner to the other. I had a hunch that one of them was doomed, most likely Safeway. To me, the store always seemed to be struggling, always rather empty.

Then I noticed “guys with signs” (a modern incarnation of the town crier?) recently. They were sharing the news the they were liquidating the whole store. So, I guess my projection was accurate. If you’re a Safeway fan, there’s the store in Edmonds off of 99 and 236th (pretty sure it’s 236th). And the one off of 148th. I don’t know about the Edmonds store, but the north Lynnwood one is a busy and vibrant place. With its relatively recent remodel, it’s a rather pleasant place to shop. Good since it helped keep it competitive when Fred Meyers opened their Alderwood Store.

I find the Lynnwood Safeway’s migration to be interesting. My first memory of the store, it was located a block east where Big Lots is now. In the 80s (I’m pretty sure) it moved to its current location. What’s interesting to me is that Office Depot went into the old Safeway building. Then a decade or so later, it moved west into the retail space right next to Safeway. So I expect Big Lots will move to the space vacated by Safeway. Well, not really, but it’s a fun conjecture.

Driving up 196th is always telling for me. I remember many old businesses. Like where Shakeys Pizza used to be. Or Pizza Hut. Then I look and try to remember what was “in that spot”. Then there’s the sadness of the now long vacant Alfy’s. A place with many memories for me, and a study in bad management. But that’s a post for another day.

Realizing I have decades of this region’s history tucked into my brain is both rather cool, and a bit alarming. I don’t feel that terribly old! But I can talk about how this city was thirty/forty years ago. I guess it’s clear this place is home for me. No complaints. Nope, not one.

Lynnwood Is Hosting Community Disaster Preparedness Town Hall on March 15

Carl Setzer

As many/most of you know, Western Washington is due (perhaps even overdue) for a major earthquake. The best thing we can do is prepare. And our friends at the City of Lynnwood have pulled together the following event below to do just that.

 

Count me in

What would you do in a natural disaster or emergency?

Would you be prepared?
What about your family, friends, and neighbors?

Our team of first responders and disaster experts will provide you with the emergency preparedness know-how and tools to get you and your loved ones ready for the “just in case.”

Town Hall Will Include:

  • Keynote lecture from Dr. Brian Atwater, world-renowned USGS Geologist, earthquake expert, and professor at the University of Washington
  • First responders providing basic tips for disaster preparedness
  • Information and resource tables
  • Pinpoint your address on the wall-sized map
  • Information on next steps you can take to prepare for a disaster or emergency

For More Info:

Follow us on Twitter @LynnwoodFire @ReadySnoCo @SnoCoFire1

RSVP’s are kindly requested, visit our Eventbrite site to let us know you’ll be coming: http://bit.ly/SnoCoDisaster

Sponsored By:
Snohomish Co Fire District #1, Disaster Medicine Project, My Neighborhood News Network, Edmonds Community College, and the City of Lynnwood’s Police and Fire Departments.

Town Hall Details:
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
6:30–8:30pm
Edmonds Community College, Woodway Hall
Click here for directions and a campus map

Edmonds “I Love Dicks” Video

Carl Setzer

This was shot and posted just about a year ago. Sadly, I completely missed this car show. It’s mindblowing to see the parking lot this full, especially since Winco hadn’t opened yet. Check out the number of cars backed up onto 99 waiting to just pull into the lot. This is a bit long at >10 minutes, but it’s pretty nice.

A Few Thoughts About Marysville

Carl Setzer
Marysville Clock

Most of my life has been spent in Snohomish County, thus I’ve had some familiarity with Marysville. Usually it was the Marysville-Pilchuck high-school football team destroying my Meadowdale team (back then we were the Chiefs). Besides a dominant football team in the 1980s, I otherwise thought of them as a place that had a Burger King right off the freeway on the way to Bellingham and Canada. However, a few years ago (2011) I stumbled into a job located up here and I’ve worked in Marysville ever since.

I’ve been amazed by a few key details. Second only to Everett in population, it’s host to a number of interesting events and activities, as well as shopping. I’d never heard of the Strawberry Festival, for instance.

Here’s a page I whipped together for my real estate blog which goes into greater detail. Take a look and let me know what you think. And please point out anything that should be added. Always seeking to make things better.

The Lovely Town Of Sultan

Carl Setzer

Good ol’ Sultan, butted up against the edge of the Cascades. I spent many a summer’s day/night up by Spada Lake and making a general nuisance of myself in the Sultan Basin.  Fortunately, my friends and I were able to avoid annoying too many folks and that the selfie hadn’t been invented yet.

This little town off of Highway 2 came up in conversation yesterday. A friend was showing properties out there and was wondering “how the market was doing there?”. Well, I decided to take a dive.

Well, there are fewer properties on the market now than there were a year ago (40 in 2014 vs 34 in 2015).  But that’s only part of the story. Around this time in 2014, there was a little less than 4 months of inventory, now there about 2. Properties are selling faster, much faster. Perhaps the biggest piece, though, is the median sales price, which has risen from $172,500 last year to $229,950; a 33% increase. This for a small town of 4,750 about 40 miles north east of Seattle.

So, my friends, the market is good.

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Lynnwood Traffic Work – 68th by Edmonds Community College

Carl Setzer
City of Lynnwood Logo

If you’ve been anywhere near the community college, you’ve seen the massive re-do of the traffic flow. I’m so glad to see the nasty bottle-neck that was 68th & 208th taken care of. I think the roundabout at 204th & 68th, with the new intersection at 204th & highway 99, will really help with the traffic flow of the area. The whole project is nearly complete, so the worst of the disruption should be past.