By LEAH WEATHERSBY

The area's tight real estate market may soon get a little less so.

Seattle City Light is preparing to put up for sale 53 properties throughout the city that it has decided it no longer needs, including 20 in North Seattle. Most of the surplus lots are either current or former substations.

The substations are considered surplus these days because power delivery has gotten more efficient. Now they represent an unneeded step in electricity's path from the utility to your toaster.

The list of properties going out for bid is whittled down considerably by a few factors. First, City Light is required to offer surplus properties to government agencies before putting them on the market. (Other agencies still have to pay the appraised value of the land.)

Currently, some of the sites are slated to become park land - three in North Seattle. Seattle's Office of Housing has first dibs on six sites, possibly to be used as low-income housing. City Light will hold on to three north of the Ship Canal, unused, just in case power demand or technology changes. That leaves eight in North Seattle which may well be sold to the highest bidder.

Local residents have their own opinions as to what is best done with the properties, although most probably don't realize that they're coming in relatively late in the process. City Light started with nearly 150 properties in 1968 which the agency knew it would surplus in the future. It has already disposed of nearly two-thirds of them. City Light decided to send speakers to community groups to get people involved in the process after citizens in West Seattle raised concerns about the fate of the Palm Substation last year. Now North Seattle groups are having their say and reaction is mixed. Some neighborhoods aren't too keen on proposed low income housing on certain sites.

The Windermere neighborhood, for example is already slated for two new housing developments, each of which will contain hundreds of units. Michael Fenton, president of the Windermere North Community Association, said that his community is already taking more than it's fair share, and developing sites such as the Sand Point Substation for large amounts of housing puts the neighborhood's quality of life at risk.

Those leery of public housing seem to have more than a ray of hope. Eric Pravitz, a project manger with the Office of Housing, said those plans are far from set in stone.

"When this list of properties came around, we took a look at it and determined (which ones) would be suitable physically and by zoning to develop housing on," Pravitz said at a recent public meeting in the Northwest District. He explained that his agency is merely a conduit for financing development- not a developer. "I'm not trying to cram some idea or project down your throat. If there's complete oppositionŠyou probably won't see me again."

For lots that no agency wants, there seems little doubt that they will go on the auction block. Jim Jensen, open space coordinator for the Ballard Planning Committee, wishes the Utility would hold on to more of the properties in the hope that they can be purchased for open space in the future.

"We recognize some (of the sites) wouldn't make the best parks," Jensen said. "But we don't like the idea of disposing of public property when the public still needs it." There is still time for more voices to be heard on the fate of the old substations. Hagen said the last of the facilities won't be de-energized until 2008. He added that the City Council has the final say on all proposed sales.

For those interested in buying, there's quite a variety. Properties range in size anywhere from 2,700-25,000 square feet and Hagen said that most would probably appraise for under $500,000.

For more info, contact Steve Hagen at 684-3327.

Seattle City Light properties to be surplused:

North Beach Substation, 9407 19th Ave. NW, Bid sale

Loyal Heights Substation, 7750 28th Ave. NW, Bid sale

Ballard Substation, 6730 24th Ave. NW, Bid sale

Monroe Substation, 1405 NW 65th St., Sold to Parks

Olympic Hill Substation, 8032 15th Ave. NW, Low income housing

Sunset Substation, 3209 NW 65th St., Held for future use

Market Street Substation, 2826 NW Market St., Held for future use

Leary Substation, 1414 NW Leary St., Held for future use

Whittier Substation, 7605 6th Ave. NW, Sold to Parks

Phinney Substation, 6109 Phinney Ave. N, Low income housing

Green Lake Substation, 949 N. 80th St., Bid sale

Chelsea Substation, 2321 NE 95th St., Low income housing

Hawthorne Substation, 3904 NE 65th St., Bid sale

Laurelhurst Substation, 4502 NE 41st St., Sold to Parks

Morningside Substation, 8605 35th Ave. NE, Low income housing

Sand Point Substation, 5755 NE 63rd St., Low income housing

View Ridge Substation, 7502 44th Ave. NE, Bid sale

Wedgewood Substation, 2507 NE 70th St., Bid sale

Fremont Substation, 3622 Albion Pl. N., Low income housing

Linden Avenue Parcels, N. 143rd St. & Linden Ave. N., Already authorized for sale