78 Steps for Eastlake
By Peter Haley – The Eastlake News
When the new Flow apartment building opened on Fairview Avenue E last summer, it did more than just add a hundred-plus rental units to Eastlake’s housing supply.
The four-story building now sits in the middle of the northernmost block of Fairview, in front of a fifty-foot bluff above which the elevated I-5 freeway connects to the Ship Canal Bridge. It replaced an untidy tangle of trash-strewn weeds and brambles, home to an intermittent homeless encampment. RV dwellers who had been parked in front of the site were replaced by a new sidewalk.
A New Connection for the Neighborhood
The development brought something else to Eastlake: a stairway linking Fairview to Eastlake Avenue. The stairs were meant to provide a direct, safer route—not only for Flow residents, but for anyone making that short journey.
At the top of the stairs sits the Route 70 bus stop and, in the future, the RapidRide J stop. A stairway at this location had been discussed as long as a decade ago in the proposed Fairview Green Street plan. The developer agreed to cover the $250,000 construction cost, the City approved the plan as part of the Master Use Permit, and construction began in 2021. Everybody seemed pleased.
The Building Itself
The Flow building quickly proved popular. It offers a mix of studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms, most with views of Lake Union. A handful of units are reserved for lower-income tenants. Rents range from under $2,000 to over $3,000. Amenities include a gym, a rooftop common room, work-from-home business booths, and a shared-use Tesla for residents without cars. The style is modern, stylish, and efficient—more “smart casual” than the luxury high-rises downtown.
The Stairway That Went Nowhere
When the building opened to tenants in May 2024, the stairway didn’t. Instead, it dead-ended at the top into a construction fence surrounding a paved, empty lot. Removing the fence was necessary to connect pedestrians to the Eastlake Avenue sidewalk and bus stop.
A year later, the stairway was still closed. The fence remained, and no one seemed to know who could remove it.
Chasing Down the Answer
Eastlake News inquired.
On March 12, Eastlake News emailed WSDOT to ask what was going on. The initial reply was promising: “Give us time to look into this.”
After several weeks of back-and-forth, WSDOT confirmed on May 5 that they own the lot and have leased it to contractor SKANSKA as a staging area for the SR-520 Bridge mega-project. The lease is expected to last for the duration of the project.
Could a Walkway Be Added?
The answer: no.
When asked whether WSDOT had known about the stairway and its intended route before leasing the lot, they said the City had never informed them.
A Sudden Change
It seemed to be a dead end—until three days after that May 5 conversation.
Without announcement, email, or explanation, the fence was gone. The lot was open, and a year after completion, the stairway was finally in use.
A Welcome, if Mysterious, Resolution
The opening is good news. But it raises a question: should we investigate how it happened, or simply enjoy the result?
The State’s official stance had been a clear no, yet their actions said yes. Perhaps, in this case, it’s best to let this sleeping dog lie.
