Five years ago, Wendy Simons decided to take a chance on South Lake Union.

After reviewing concept drawings, she bought into a new residential development called Veer Lofts. That was a year before the building broke ground at Ninth Avenue and Harrison Street.

“I was very nervous about taking the step. I felt it was a gamble,” said Wendy, a docent at the Seattle Art Museum. “At that time, none of us knew how the neighborhood would evolve.”

Wendy, who grew up in Cape Town, came to Seattle over 30 years ago. After living in Medina and Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood, Wendy decided to radically change her lifestyle and move to South Lake Union in 2008.

“It turned out to be one of the top decisions of my life,” she said.

Her home is one of 99 units in Veer Lofts, a Vulcan-developed building. The space is a reflection of her personality – elegant, inviting and warm. A grand piano sits in the corner of her modern unit, and soft classical music fills the space. Fine china waits on the kitchen shelf for the next tea time with a friend.

Moving to South Lake Union has transformed Wendy’s lifestyle. She walks to fetch groceries, hops on the streetcar to go downtown, and rarely needs to use her car. She often finds herself attending an art opening and a lecture in the same evening, and still having time to meet friends afterward for a glass of wine.

“It’s incredible what living here allows me to do with my time,” said Wendy, who volunteers for the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the Seattle International Dance Festival and Art on the Fly. She also serves as a South Lake Union Chamber Ambassador.

In South Lake Union, Wendy has become part of an incredibly tight-knit group of residents.

When Wendy bought into Veer, the developer emphasized that the building was intended to be a community. “I thought that was fantastic,” she said. “And it has absolutely come true.”

On New Year’s Eve, Veer residents keep their doors open and drift in and out of each other’s lofts, sampling food and visiting. Wendy often hosts parties with others on her floor, babysits for a neighbor, or watches the cat down the hall. “I feel like I have a family here,” she said.

Though downsizing was a challenge, Wendy calls it a blessing.

“It freed my energy and has allowed me to have a much richer life,” she said.

About 5,000 residents currently live in South Lake Union. Vulcan is developing two new residential buildings in the area, Stack House Apartments and The Martin. They are both expected to open in the fall of 2013.

Posted by DiscoverSLU on Feb. 22
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