Why Your Condo View Could Be In Jeopardy

KIRO 7's Graham Johnson reports on how some buyers are getting unpleasant surprises.

For one new condo building, the name "Cosmopolitan" says it all

Clifford Tatum was thrilled to move downtown.

"When I first moved here 10 years ago, I wanted to live downtown, but it was kind of a ghost town. There wasn't much going on," Tatum said.

No longer. Seattle is setting growth records.

Just count the cranes --- and the big holes.

For Tatum, a building going in next door is oh-so-close.

"It's 18 feet from the entire west face of our building."

That's right -- 18 feet will separate the Cosmpolitan from a new 500-foot office building.

Tatum will lose his view, his light and his privacy.

"I expect to be having conversations with office workers when I decide to open my curtains," he said.

"You have a pretty emotional reaction to that. It's like, wow, 'You're in my space,'" said Jeff Levy a Cosmopolitan resident.

To truly understand the impact, come up to the roof. Instead of seeing Puget Sound, imagine the wall of an office building 18 feet away. It would extend 200 feet above the roof and cast a shadow over a roof garden.

Clifford Tatum says that's hardly what he expected when he bought his condo in 2005.

His contract never guaranteed a view. But at the time, the neighboring developer planned a much smaller office building.

Then -- between when Tatum bought and when he moved in -- that 13-story neighbor became 34 stories.

The city changed the zoning. In the downtown core, tower height is now unlimited. Buildings can be as close as fire code allows.

"It's a complete disregard for the residents of our building," he said.

The city notified the Cosmopolitan's developer, but says it didn't have contact information for individual buyers.

"When I discovered this, I asked our developer to let everyone know what was happening and they refused to do that," Tatum said.

We haven't been able to reach the Cosmopolitan's developer for comment.

Seattle planners call the situation "unfortunate."

City spokesman Alan Justad also says this is just the first conflict downtown caused by close quarters and lost views.

"You've got situations -- seven at least -- where new towers, if they all get built, will be relatively close to one another," Justad said.

Among them -- a new retail and condo building on Second Avenue -- right beside the "Cristala."

An apartment tower on Pine Street will also get a close neighbor. And the city is considering allowing taller buildings in South Lake Union. It's all part of the strategy to bring thousands of new residents to the city's core.

"It's climate protection. Getting people downtown close to work and jobs is very important," Justad said.

But what about lost views?

Under city law, private views are not protected. You'll find the same thing in Tacoma, Everett and Bellevue.

That's why no matter where you buy -- whether it's a condo or a house -- real estate broker Kimberly Brangwin has this advice:

"Don't assume the way it looks today is the way it's going to stay," Brangwin said.

She says any buyer should use the "neighborhood review" clause in their contract to visit the local planning office and quiz officials about what the law allows.

"Mindreading doesn't come along with the purchase, so you might not know what your neighbors are going to do but at least you can find out what the zoning would allow them to do," she said.

What they're allowed to do today could change tomorrow.

That's the catch. Just ask the Cosmopolitan residents.

"We don't believe that views are guaranteed but we didn't expect to have a monster right there," said Jeff Levy.

A complaint we'll hear again and again in a city growing "up."

Although private views are not explicitly protected, the city of Tacoma has imposed height limits in some neighborhoods to try and reduce conflicts.

And in Bellevue, the city says neighborhood covenants are often enforced through the courts.