A silver Subaru Impreza driver struck a bicyclist on Wallingford Ave near 40th Monday, according to Janice’s posting on the Wallyhood Forums:

My husband was riding his bike on 40th and Wallingford where he got hit on his bike and the person that hit him ran we need to find this person. My husband has a broken arm and stitches in his head I hope we can get help finding this person.

According to the report Neal DeWitt, the bicyclist, gave to KOMO and the police, the driver struck DeWitt on purpose:

“The car comes up kind behind and beside me, and the light changes, and he goes and I go, and it’s like he’s trying to get by me … and I’m like, ‘What’s the hurry?’”

Those words apparently angered the driver in the car, described as a Subaru Impreza. According to police, the driver hit DeWitt and then drove away.

“Next thing I know I’m laying on the ground going ‘Ahhh!’ and somebody’s moving my arm, my arm, my arm, my arm – it hurts,” DeWitt says.

The hit broke DeWitt’s arm and left bruises on his face.The police are seeking the driver for investigation of hit and run and felony vehicular assault.

(Thanks Jeff Dubrule for the tip)

The city recently announced a new “Parklet” program, partnering with local businesses to convert small areas, typically one or two parking spaces, into public enjoyment space, and Molly Moon’s on 45th and in Madrona are on the pilot program list.

The concept began in San Francisco, where the ReBar, an art studio, launched the first parklet in in 2005. It was open for just two hours, but it launched PARK(ing) Day, a nation-wide temporary parklet program. .

Emilia Arnold, Parklet project manager for MM’s, says:

We’ll be constructing a parklet outside of our Wallingford shop on 45th where we hope ice cream eaters and their friends (four-legged & otherwise) will use the space to have a seat, chat & basically just enjoy the neighborhood.

We’re hoping to have both parklets open by June, subject to the program’s timeline. One of our main goals here at Molly Moon’s is to create a great community gathering place with each of our shops, and we’re hoping our parklet will extend our community space to the street in a way that can benefit the entire neighborhood. We’re still finalizing the design, but we plan to incorporate some fun, playful elements & greenery.

The pilot program launched in summer 2013 with the opening of the first parklet at Montana Bar in Capitol Hill. Two additional parklets, hosted by Chinatown/International District Business Improvement Area and City Hostel in Belltown, were permitted during the first phase of the program and will be installed this spring.

The program is an experiment. The city expects to complete evaluations and make recommendations about whether to proceed with a formal program by the end of 2014.

(Photo of design for Seattle International District parklet)

Do your fruit trees drop more fruit on the ground than into your hands? Do you seek the secret to growing apples organically – without worms? Would you like to help harvest surplus fruit in your neighborhood and get it to those who need it most?

City Fruit, a Seattle non-profit that supports care and harvest of local tree fruit, will be expanding into the Wallingford, Fremont, and Ballard neighborhoods this summer to harvest fruit that would normally go to waste. This fruit is then donated to food banks, shelters, and feeding programs.

In the past, Solid Ground’s Community Fruit Tree Harvest organized volunteers to pick this fruit. Due to funding cuts, Solid Ground will no longer conduct community harvests, so City Fruit will manage the harvest in the north end neighborhoods. City Fruit already collects fruit in West Seattle, South Seattle / Beacon Hill, and Phinney / Greenwood.

Want to learn more about City Fruit? Stop by the “Beautification Wallingford” event this Saturday, April 19, at Wallingford Center, and chat with City Fruit staffers and volunteers. You can sign up to have your fruit tree harvested or to volunteer to help with the harvest.

And while at Wallingford Center, lend a hand to take care of the street trees along 45th. Volunteers will be cleaning up garbage, grass, and weeds around the trees. Tools, gloves, and instructions will be provided.

Meet at Wallingford Center starting at 10 am. Rev up your volunteer engines with coffee and donuts at 10 am, and pizza at noon. A limited number of special gifts from the Dept. of Neighborhoods will be available to those who show up early.

Questions? Email: [email protected] Or check out City Fruit’s website.

John Bredeson and his family are hosting an event for our new house representative in Olympia, Brady Walkinshaw, this Friday from 6 – 8 pm at their home at 3817 Wallingford Ave N. He says that while it is a campaign event, it is open to anyone who wants to get to know Brady.

If you plan to attend or have any questions, please email John at [email protected]

Should you see a parade toting a a beer keg through Wallingford this Sunday, here’s what it’s all about:

For the fourth year in a row, Latona Pub continues the tradition of showcasing a selection of craft beers transported by foot, bike, and sailboat from local breweries to the Green Lake area pub during the week leading up to Earth Day. The sustainable beer transportation events will culminate in a celebration at the pub on Sunday, April 20.

Volunteers from Feet First will deliver the final keg—Hand Truckin’ Amber Ale—after a 10 mile walk from Two Beers Brewery in SODO to Latona Pub in Green Lake. A midway stop at Zeeks Pizza in Belltown for lunch will keep participants’ energy and spirits high.

In honor of Earth Day, it will be a “zero-carbon event” (volunteers will transport the ale 10 miles on foot), and it will benefit Feet First, the non-profit organization working to make Washington more walkable.

Volunteers will leave Two Beers Brewery in SODO at 9:30 am and plan to arrive at the Latona Pub at about 2:00PM. If you’re interested in joining, see the event web site.

(This real estate snapshot provided by Kris Murphy and Daniela Dombrowski, Wallingford-based realtors and Wallyhood sponsors)

Home sales prices have increased a whopping 11.95% from a median sales price of $581,770 in first quarter of 2013 to $651,281 in first quarter of 2014. So the trend of 12% annual price increases that we have seen in 2013 is continuing.  Inventory is still extremely low, contributing to this high appreciation: with limited selection, multiple offers become the norm and drive prices upward. Sales prices in the 1^st quarter of 2014 were on average 3% higher than list prices, as opposed to 2013 where sales prices came in around 2% higher than list price.

As real estate brokers, we are certainly feeling the shortage of inventory, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find homes for our buyer clients, and then to compete for them.  As listing agents we often see buyers waiving all of their contingencies (inspection, financing, and appraisal) in order to get the house of their dreams. Some homes in the neighborhood have received 10 or more offers, and occasionally the price is driven up by more than $100,000 or even $150,000. At this rate, we will quickly approach California real estate prices.

Mortgage rates have actually come down a bit since the beginning of the year to about 4.25%, but surprisingly for the first time ever, jumbo rates are often 1 to 2 points lower than for conventional loans.  (Jumbo rates apply to loans greater than $506,000 in King County).

1st Quarter 2013 to 1st Quarter 2014 Home Sales Comparison

Statistics in table above are based on home sales outlined in map area below and are derived from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service data.

The Trend toward Urban Living

Why are so many buyers attracted to these close-in Seattle Neighborhoods?

Recently Gene Balk of the Seattle Times wrote an article based on recent census figures:

He found that for the first time in 100 years, Seattle’s population is growing faster than in its suburbs: “Between 2011 and 2012, Seattle’s population grew at a rate 25 percent faster than that of surrounding King County. During this period, Seattle’s growth rate was 67 percent faster than Bellevue’s.”

Many believe that we might be witnessing “a major demographic shift, with younger people rejecting a culture of sprawl and car-dependency associated with suburbs, and instead choosing the lifestyle offered by dense, walkable cities.”

We have certainly heard that time and again from buyers moving to Seattle.  Everybody seems to want to live in a  location where they can walk to get their groceries and coffee.  In fact, walkscore.com has become one of the primary tools for buyers to determine what is close by, especially walkable, to a home they may be considering.

This is all good news for Wallingfordians as our homes continue to appreciate.

Kris Murphy and Daniela Dombrowski are Wallyhood sponsors and real estate brokers who live and specialize in the Wallingford and Green Lake neighborhoods.  They practice out of the Keller Williams Greater Seattle office located on the corner of Stone Way and N 45^th St. They can be contacted at [email protected] / [email protected] and through their web site, www.Key2SeattleRealEstate.com.

It’s time to clean up, Wallingford! Join the Wallingford Chamber, the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club, City Fruit, the Wallingford Center and your neighbors to clean up North 45th Street and nearby blocks. This year we’ll be giving some love to the street trees on 45th.

Meet at Wallingford Center Saturday, April 19, at 10 am. First we’ll pick up garbage from the sidewalks and around the trees, then dig up grass and other weeds from the tree pits. All tools and gloves will be provided.

Come early for coffee and donuts and fun gear from the Dept. of Neighborhoods. Keep working and earn a pizza lunch.

Fruit tree experts from City Fruit will be on hand to answer your questions. Sign up to donate fruit from your tree or help with the neighborhood harvest.  Questions? Contact [email protected]