A new life for Ballard's auto row: Two oldline dealerships close as land values rise

Ballard has changed a lot over the past 80 years, but there were always the Ford and Chevrolet dealerships.

No more. Three Sisters Nelson Chevrolet and The New Wilson Ford — two landmark businesses a few blocks from each other — recently closed, a move apparently prompted by rising real-estate values.

Condos may be sold there instead of cars and trucks.

A note on the door says the Ford dealership, founded in 1921 and owned by Pierre Auto Centers, lost its lease, and a large sign posted outside the building describes a residential project scheduled to rise on the property.

At the Chevrolet dealership, a note on the door reads, "Changing economic circumstances, including the highest and best use of the property ... has induced this change."

Plans for the Ford site on both sides of Leary Avenue call for a complex of six apartment-condo-retail buildings from three to six stories high. The properties are assessed at about $3.2 million combined, King County records show.

The city has approved preliminary permits for the projects, which will include 430 residential units, and construction is expected to begin next spring, said Scott Surdyke, development manager for Denver-based Simpson Housing.

The Nelson site near the Ballard Bridge also has attracted the interest of developers, said Jim Hammond, spokesman for the Nelson family and executive director of the Puget Sound Auto Dealers Association.

"People started popping their head in the door and said, 'Would you sell your property?' " Hammond said. "It was a really hard decision to make. But it's worth more (sold) than the dealer could ever bring in."

The land — on which sit the main showroom and car lot, a nearby used-car lot and the service garage — is assessed at more than $2.7 million, King County records show.

The three Nelson sisters, who four years ago bought the dealership founded in 1922 by their grandfather, haven't sold the property but have had several offers, Hammond said.

Hammond stressed that the closure of two of the oldest car dealerships in Seattle doesn't mean that such neighborhood businesses are in trouble.

"It's definitely not a trend and definitely a coincidence," he said, rattling off a number of other longtime dealers. Plans to redevelop the Wilson Ford site first came up two years ago, he said.

Nevertheless, Ballard's auto row has quickly shrunk from three dealers to one, leaving only Carter Motors, a Volkswagen and Saab dealer on Leary Avenue.

That irritated longtime Ford customer, Jim Leon, 70, who went to the dealership last week in hopes of picking up some parts for his 1985 Ford Ranger.

"It's too bad they had to go — everything is going," Leon said, reading a note in the window that directed customers to a shop in the University District. "I hope they're still in business, too."

Despite the closure of its two neighbors, the Carter dealership is upbeat about the car business in Ballard.

"Last year was our best," said sales manager Matt Welch. "We've been here for 43 years and hope to be here for 43 more."

The dealership is planning to expand across the street and open a Saab showroom where its auto-body repair shop has been, said Sara Carter, who runs the business with her brother, Wade Carter.

She agreed that the neighborhood is changing — for the better.

"Ballard has really come on," she said. "It used to be a sleepy little town."

Bill Kossen can be reached at 206-464-2331 or at bkossen@seattletimes.com.