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Good morning. Issue three of the Rainier Valley Dispatch: five minutes on what moved in the Rainier Valley and on Beacon Hill this week, one item for your own neighborhood, the market in three numbers, one practical thing for the house, and the first question a reader sent in.
The valley this week
Ballots go in a drop box by 8 PM Tuesday, November 3. King County Elections' drop-box map lists four in the valley: Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South; Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Avenue South; NewHolly Neighborhood Campus, 7054 32nd Avenue South; and Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Avenue South. King County Elections
South Henderson Street's two-way protected bike lane is open, from the Rainier Beach station toward Seward Park Avenue South. SDOT built it on the north side behind concrete curbs, with bus and bike platforms at Renton Avenue South and Rainier Avenue South, new crosswalks and a repaved stretch of the Chief Sealth Trail. Next on the list: Rainier Avenue South from South Henderson Street to Ithaca Place South, with a new signal and marked crossing at 54th Avenue South by mid-2027 and construction in 2027 and 2028. SDOT blog · Rainier Ave S Connection
Route 7's RapidRide upgrade, the R Line, goes to the King County Council for route and station approval in early 2027. The line runs about eight miles on South Jackson Street and Rainier Avenue South, from downtown to the Rainier Beach station, on a $91.2 million budget. Route 7 carries more than 11,000 riders a day. Metro is also working out how service continues south of South Henderson Street once the R Line ends at the station. King County Metro
The Beacon Hill station elevator outage is off Sound Transit's alert list. Elevator 2 had been out since October 14; on October 27 the service alerts listed no Beacon Hill, Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello or Rainier Beach station alert. Sound Transit
Clocks fall back one hour at 2 AM Sunday, November 1. The 1 AM hour happens twice. NIST
Your neighborhood
Columbia City. Metro's R Line plan puts its Columbia City station pairs at South Edmunds and South Dawson streets, a choice Metro credits to Columbia City riders' feedback. Part of the bus priority is already on the ground: SDOT's southbound bus lane on Rainier Avenue South runs from South Oregon Street to South Edmunds Street. King County Metro
Sold near you: 22 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $879K (range $635K to $1.46M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 18 days.
Hillman City. Parks updated its Lake Washington Boulevard page on October 26. Next on the list: repaving a section of the boulevard pathway between Stan Sayres Memorial Park and 43rd Avenue South, planned for 2027 within available funding, and a paved walkway on 43rd Avenue South from South Genesee Street down to the boulevard, now in permitting. Lake Washington Boulevard
Sold near you: 12 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $703K (range $524K to $1.30M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 24 days.
Seward Park. The three Lake Washington Boulevard swing gates, south of the Mount Baker Beach lot, at Lakewood Avenue South and South Horton Street, and north of 43rd Avenue South, finished their first phase this summer: bases, posts and gates. Two pillars still go in before the 2027 Bicycle Weekends, when the gates close the road. Lake Washington Boulevard
Sold near you: 6 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $900K (range $565K to $1.45M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 24 days.
Mount Baker. (evergreen) Mount Baker Boulevard is a park, not only a street: a narrow, winding greenway along the road of the same name. It was laid out by the company that platted the Mount Baker Park Addition, which promoted the area's views from Mount Baker to Mount Rainier. Mount Baker Boulevard
Sold near you: 10 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.42M (range $475K to $2.70M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 17 days.
Rainier Beach. (evergreen) Kubota Garden is 20 acres of hills, streams, waterfalls, ponds and bridges that the city bought in 1987 from the estate of landscaper Fujitaro Kubota, who started his display garden there in 1927. More than 65,000 people visit a year; it is open every day from sunrise to sundown. Seattle Parks · Kubota Garden
Sold near you: 2 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $556K; the fastest went from listing to closing in 48 days.
Brighton. Seattle Public Utilities is building a planted stormwater area where South Kenyon Street meets the Chief Sealth Trail, east of Wing Luke Elementary along 39th Avenue South. Special soil and deep-rooted plants will filter runoff from about 25 acres uphill before it reaches Lake Washington; the plan adds seating, a stairway and public artwork by RYAN! Feddersen. SPU lists 2026 for construction. SPU
Sold near you: 11 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $740K (range $417K to $1.30M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 27 days.
Beacon Hill. Maple Wood Playfield, 4801 Corson Avenue South, is fully open after a $7.05 million renovation: two natural-turf baseball fields with new irrigation and drainage, four single-stall restrooms, play structures, a plaza and a picnic shelter with a mural. The play areas reopened in February and the fields in late June. Seattle Parks
Sold near you: 5 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $725K (range $140K to $1.05M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 29 days.
North Beacon Hill. (evergreen) Dr. Jose Rizal Park, 1007 12th Avenue South, looks out over south downtown and Elliott Bay. Its 4-acre off-leash area at the north end is reached by a long stairway, or step-free from the bike trail that connects to the Mountains to Sound Greenway; picnic tables, restrooms and a small play area are to the south. Dr. Jose Rizal Park
Sold near you: 9 homes closed within 0.6 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $699K (range $505K to $1.63M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 21 days.
This week's poll
Where is your favorite fall walk in the valley?
The market in 60 seconds
Across Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill ZIPs 98118, 98144 and 98108 (Seattle addresses), the median home sold for $848K over the last 30 days (82 closings; single-family alone $850K). The median home took 35 days from listing to closing, down from 41 a week ago, and there are 4.8 months of inventory, down from 5.7.
Under three months favors sellers and above six favors buyers, so the valley sits in between and tightened this week: 395 homes are for sale against 410 a week ago, while closings rose from 72 to 82. Single-family homes alone are at 3.2 months, and 23% of homes closed above asking, up from 19%.
One useful thing: what goes in the food and yard cart
Meat, bones, shells, dairy, fish and moldy leftovers all go in the food and yard waste cart, with leaves, branches and plants. So do food-soiled pizza boxes, paper napkins and paper towels, which have been out of Seattle garbage since 2015. Bags are optional; if you use them, Seattle Public Utilities wants ones labeled "compostable," green or brown, never plastic and never "degradable" or "biodegradable." Fruit and vegetables are accepted, so Saturday's jack-o'-lantern goes in too. SPU Food & Yard · Compostable bags
Reader asked
A reader in Columbia City asked why Trader Joe's hasn't opened in southeast Seattle, and what is happening at the long-vacant corner of Rainier Avenue South and South Genesee Street. The northeast corner is a surface parking lot. In December 2023 the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections conditionally approved the design for a five-story, 226-unit apartment building with retail and 153 parking spaces there, record 3036324-LU; city staff supported a ground floor able to take one large retail tenant. The record names no tenant, we found no public statement from the company about southeast Seattle, and no construction start date has been published. SDCI decision Know a neighbor asking the same thing? Forward this; they can subscribe at rainiervalleydispatch.com.
Your turn. Which corner, storefront or empty lot in the valley do you want us to look into next? Hit reply; a person reads every one, and the best answers run in a future issue.
That's the week. Reply with anything you want tracked in the Rainier Valley or on Beacon Hill. Next Thursday: the monthly market read, and getting pipes ready before the first freeze.
Curious what your place would sell for right now? Reply with your address and we'll send what homes like yours have sold for nearby.
Bring a neighbor in. Your own link: {{rp_refer_url}} · you have brought {{rp_num_referrals}} so far. 1 neighbor: Your first name in the issue, and the Rainier Valley weekend list a day early · 3: A coffee and a pastry at a Rainier Valley café · 5: The Rainier Valley Dispatch tote · 10: Dinner for two at a Rainier Valley restaurant.
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