Tacoma Condo Tour - June 2006
This was a busy weekend in Tacoma. We made it to the Point Defiance Flower and Garden Show yesterday and today we toured several downtown Tacoma condos as part of the Pierce County Parade of New Homes. The Flower and Garden show was… well a flower and garden show. Condos. Now that’s something we can get excited about. Generally speaking we aren’t interested in new housing developments. Instead, what we wanted to see was how our favorite condo projects were coming along. This year’s new home tour features several downtown condos.
We visited the Vintage Y, Bridge Condominiums, and Triangle Townhomes last year as part of the Tour of Urban Living. What has changed? Several units have sold, but not as many as I had expected. I really like nearly everything about the Vintage Y. I like a lot about the Bridge. Yet, I’m still not a fan of the Triangle Townhomes. The floorplans seem awkward. The finish work and finer details still seem to be a problem in Phase II. The closets seem better than Phase I, but… I think last year’s summary still holds true.
For all the newspaper stories, press releases, and general condo talk in town I am surprised by the number of units still available in these projects. Eight units are still available at Triangle for $568k to $740k. Four units (plus 1 contingent) are available at Bridge for $350k to $540k. Five units are available at Vintage Y for between $360k and $569k. Personally, I really liked unit 402 which, at $360k, is a ‘bargain.’
After ‘dreaming’ along Market Street I headed toward 21st and Yakima to find the City Steps Townhomes. Unlike the other condos we saw, this one still had the feel of a construction site. The two model homes, however, were quite a surprise. The size, layout, and finish work all were decent. Each unit had two floors plus a basement two car garage. The model with the cherry floors and granite counter top ‘upgrades’ is definitely our first choice. The standard options seem fine, but if given the choice between wood or carpet, we’ll go with the wood. With prices from $298k to $376k, it seemed like a deal given the price of its neighbors to the North (in Downtown, that is). Of course, any buyer at City Steps is banking on the future of the neighborhood. Right now there isn’t much in the neighborhood. Given the number of developers asking for property tax abatements for the immediate area, it seems like a good bet. Five years from now it could be quite the neighborhood. We didn’t know what to expect, but we like it. The future looks good for South Downtown.
The Parade of New Homes continues next weekend; check it out for yourselves. PS – I liked the Garden Show more than I like to admit.