Walkway on Lk WA in DT Kirkland

With Walkways Like This, How Can We Be Only a 60?  I Delve To The Bottom Of This…

A few years back when I bought my condo in Ballard the site agent kept telling me that by obtaining this address, I would have a WalkScore of 97! Amazing! I knew that Ballard (and specifically my condo) was within VERY close walking distance  to anything and everything that a person could ever want. Farmers markets, restaurants, movie theatre, banks….I felt secure that for resale value this was an important benefit. And now someone was telling me that it could be quantified and proved via new website called WalkScore.com

Since those days WalkScore.com has become a regular tool in my life as a Realtor.  WalkScore is a very cool resource for Realtors and buyers who are relocating because it gives a clear sense of how car-dependant one has to be in any given town or from a singular address in the US.

I tend to work with a lot of relocation clients and because I live in and love Kirkland – and mainly for its walk-ability – I always recommend that the relocating buyers take a look at WalkScore as one of the links they check out before visiting. It really gives a sense of layout and transit conditions for an area.

So I was shocked after a client relocating from San Antonio, Houston (known for its grand River walk), with whom I had talked up the outdoor and walk friendly nature of Kirkland, emailed me back to say that she wanted to stick with only looking at Seattle (snarky, whiny inoculation voice inferred) because Kirkland’s WalkScore wasn’t very high. WHAT?! Kirkland, just like Ballard with its 97, also had a movie theatre and a library and a bank, etc.,. Why the disparity?!

No matter, I knew what was true.   

But then another blow! Recently I have been revamping my Facebook page: Jennifer Nilssen Real Estate and added a WalkScore widget for Kirkland. So there it was staring me right in the face. A WalkScore of 60! What the H-E double hockey sticks? (Those who know me know I cuss like a sailor and it’s an ability that’s been genetically bred in me going back at least 3 generations but in this forum I prefer to be a professional and a lady.) I ask again: How can this be?

Some things you know are just plain good. Like U2 or flavored vodka.  And I know that walking around at a Kirkland Wednesday Farmer’s Market on a clear day is an innately good thing.  So is being able to walk or run or skate along the shores of Lake Washington with world recognized landmarks in the background at sunset.  You can’t do that in Sammamish, my friends.

A WalkScore is important because walk-ability offers easily forgotten benefits to the environment, our lifestyles, our overall stress, our finances and our communities. Also, driving is suspected to be the leading cause of climate change. Moving you feet one after the other to get you somewhere is pollution free! Plus people who walk tend to weigh less and be happier and lead healthier lives.

 And here’s the kicker if you’re financially motivated:  WalkScore claims that every value point they grant your address could be worth up to $3,000 in value add for your property because according to a study from CEOs for Cities (based on data from WalkScore and Zip Realty) depending on your metropolitan area, homebuyers today value car-less communities and greener living . Read the CEOs for Cities report here.  That’s a huge bright light at the end of the tunnel for Kirkland homeowners today.

So I ask you, WalkScore: My town only a 60?! If Ballard is an 87 we surely must be at least an 80. This is a misrepresentation. The picture on the front page of the City of Kirkland website is of a walking path for Heaven’s sake. I make it my mission for the next hour to delve into why this atrocity has been cast upon us.

Maybe this is just relative and 60 is a good score.  On the website I first notice that Bonney Lake is a tough 29. And Sammamish, rated the least walk-able city in WA is also a 29. But then I see that we’re rated alongside Lynnwood, Shoreline and Pullman who are also all 60’s. Huh?

Well, I can see on the website that WalkScore uses an algorithm that can tell you if you’re moving or living in a walker’s paradise or if you’re doomed to be handcuffed to your car. And that goes for any address in the country or a city as a whole. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-less lifestyle—not how wide the bike lanes are or how pretty the area is.

The Walk Score model gives a city or an address points based on the distance to amenities in each category. If an amenity is within 1/4 mile they assign the maximum number of points. The number of points goes down as the distance approaches 1 mile and no points are awarded for amenities further than 1 mile. The points are given on a scale from 0-100.

OK, so let’s really explore this relative thing again. I see that Seattle overall is rated 72 and it’s the highest rated city in Washington. Although I would still like to see Kirkland rated a little bit higher, that makes a little more sense to me.  And I admit that Kirkland does have some areas that aren’t very pedestrian friendly with their amenities and you may have to walk a little further than ¼ mile.  And when I put my own address in which is not that far outside of DT Kirkand, it’s only a 42. Then I see that some ratings may be scewed because they don’t have data on local amenities and infrastructure  in their system. The good news is that  you can input any missing data to help them out. That will theoretically improve the overall city’s rating. (Local Kirkland business owners take note to input your shops in WalkScore) So it’s comforting to know that your WalkScore may improve as their data improves.  And lastly, when I input the address for Starbucks on Lake Street, the WalkScore improves to an 87! Wahoo! Redemption!

 Dear Kirkland, WalkScore may have sold you short overall in my opinion, but you’ll always be a 100 to me.

To read more or to contact Jennifer Nilssen, visit her website at www.livekirklandwa.com or follow her on Twitter @jennifernilssen.