<p>I’m not as funny as George Carlin but I like to rant too.</p>
<p>Three icons of my formerly affordable blue collar neighborhood have disappeared in the last few months.</p>
<p>[Local</a> News | Sunset Bowl in Ballard](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004108661_sunset05m.html]Local”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004108661_sunset05m.html)
[Edith Macefield and her house were symbols of Old Ballard](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2008003478_danny18.html”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2008003478_danny18.html</a>)</p>
<p>And this morning a building that has been at the main intersection for 44 years was demolished.
[Ballard</a> Denny’s demolished](<a href=“http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/368206_dennys25.html]Ballard”>http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/368206_dennys25.html)</p>
<p>I don’t equate progress with tearing down blocks of affordable single family housing and erecting townhomes with garages facing each other so that residents have to park on the street.</p>
<p>I don’t equate progress with long time & popular businesses being forced out so another condominum can be built and the " street level businesses" aimed at not long time residents, but at the higher income tech workers.</p>
<p>Where are lower middle income people supposed to live?
Since poverty index is very low, we ride above the income where we could get low interest loans to repair/renovate our house- but still far beyond affordability.</p>
<p>We are being pushed out farther and farther away from the city core ( and jobs) in search of housing, but with gas at $4.45 a gal, and inadequate public transportation, that isn’t a logical option.</p>
<p>Our neighborhood has already exceeded by 174% its 20 year growth plan.
[Seattle’s housing growth is off the charts | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008003405_growth18m.html”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008003405_growth18m.html</a>) I wonder what will happen to them when the software companies consolidate/move to India?</p>
<p>Around the area, some luxury condominums are being put on hold when buyers can’t sell their homes, but other buildings/homes have already been razed to make way for the high rises.</p>
<p>I am glad we didn’t get caught in the housing trap where buyers were convinced they could afford more house than they should, but with our house increasing in assessed value about 10% every year or so, the increase in property taxes is especially galling, when we feel our quality of life has diminished. I worry that we may be in this situation at some point
[It’s</a> time for Seattle to give back to jazz icon](<a href=“http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/368189_robert24x.html?source=mypi]It’s”>http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/368189_robert24x.html?source=mypi)</p>
<p>It’s really scary.</p>