Alaska Junction residents and members of the West Seattle Design Review Board said last week a proposed eight-story apartment building with ground level retail space was too huge to fit into the area at Alaska Street and California Avenue.

At the same meeting, a proposed 200-unit apartment complex between Fauntleroy and Alaska, met greater acceptance but review board members and citizen said it faced difficulties trying to incorporate a Montessori school into the nearly block-long, five-story building.

The city's regional design review board are meant to encourage better design, but cannot order a developer to do anything. It makes recommendations to the developer and also to the city's director of Planning and Development on whether to issue permits or make additional requirments on the project.

Charlie Conner has been working on developing two apartment units on Alaska and California, and over to 42nd Avenue for a number of years. His project would take up both sides of the alley, with a tunnel under the alley connecting the two underground floors of parking beneath both buildings. The alley would not be closed off and all access to the parking levels would be from 42nd Southwest.

The second building east across the alley would be six stories and the proposal would extend retail into the alley between the two structures.

The citizens attending the meeting expressed concern at the size of the building at the corner of Alaska and California and its "canyon effect." Conner proposes the eight-story structure be built to the inner edge of the sidewalk. Retail stores would be a sidewalk level.

"Why can't it be stepped back," said one resident, rather than looming upward over 80 feet, dwarfing nearby buildings?

Conner's early proposal would "hollow out" both buldings at the alley, allowing for walkways and pedestrian access to proposed stores on the alley.

This caused some residents of the area to worry about pedestrian traffic because the Mural Apartment building now under construction immediately to the south on 42nd and spanning to the alley, has located its garage access on the alley.

"Cars will proceed north in the alley to turn right onto Alaska and head downtown," said a man. Another said there would be severe traffic challenges because of three new large apartments in the immeciate area.

Conner also proposes a walkway at the south end of each of the building for access from California to 42nd. Because of the different lengths of the two buildings, people would have to walk south on the alley to reach the portion of the walkway connecting to 42nd. Some would have preferred a direct pass-through.

In the end, the review board suggested less retail and access along the alley and perhaps a less imposing building on California, stepping the building back from the streets on upper floors.

The second large project reviewed last week was Harbor Properties proposed "Fauntleroy Triangle" apartment and retail structure along the west side of 38th Avenue from Alaska almost to Fauntleroy.

The massive, nearly block-long early sketch of the building was greeted positively from the review board and nearby residents, except to a proposal to have businesses along Alaska Street be below sidewalk grade. Several thought that Alaska should become more friendly to pedestrian traffic.

"Now it is a heavy traffic street," said one person.

A major contingent of the audience was made up of parents and teachers at West Seattle Montessori School which is located in a building on 38th that will be torn down. The school has been at the location for 28 years and the teachers and administrators of it want to remain in the area. Harbor Properties has said the will work with the school and hopes to include it in the new apartment/retail design.

"We want a 20-year lease, so we are not a here today, gone tomorrow tenant," said one school supporter.

"Where will the playground be?" said one parent. Others chimed in to say children needed to have sunlight and space outside to play, even, perhaps, on a higher floor.

"It will be difficult but we are working to try to give the school what it needs to be here," said Steve Orser, Harbor's director of development.

The design review board seemed pleased but concerned at the difficulty to including the school in a residential building. One parent worried about "the kind of people" who may be renting apartments and being around the young school children.

Jack Mayne may be reached at 369.6328 or jmayne@robinsonnews.com