West Seattle, Washington
31 Thursday
The date is finally confirmed for the dedication celebration and public open house at new Fire Station 37 in Sunrise Heights: 11 am-1 pm Saturday, December 4th. You’ll be able to tour the new 35th/Holden building; kids’ activities are promised as well as free blood-pressure screenings and “life-saving door prizes.” The Engine 37 crew moved in a month and a half ago; the historic ex-Station 37 a few blocks north is expected to be sold, but since it’s a city landmark, it can’t be torn down. (Thanks to David Rosen for spotting the dedication invite online – no formal announcements have been sent around yet! ** Added 10:23 am Thursday – just got a postal-mail postcard with the same invite you see above.)
“Construction of our new park is almost complete,” says a brand-new update on the Seattle Parks webpage for the under-construction Myrtle Reservoir Park (map). Thanks to Heather for pointing out the update, which bears today’s date; we hadn’t checked with project manager Virginia Hassinger since she reported in early October that there was at least another month of work left. The new update says in part:
In the next several days we will be testing and commissioning our irrigation system and doing final cleanup work.
We also will be installing temporary protective fencing and signs within the park to direct people away from the newly seeded lawn and to protect SPU facilities. We are working closely with SPU to install fencing as soon as possible.
Once these things are done we will selectively remove construction fencing at the entry pathways, opening the park pathways and play area to the public. Our goal is to provide public access to the new park before the Thanksgiving weekend.
The park’s been almost four years in the making – we started covering the process when the second round of meetings began in early 2008.
A few nights ago, Bird on a Wire Espresso in Westwood tweeted a mysterious few words about an upcoming presence in Admiral. We e-mailed a follow-up question; the reply came tonight, with this announcement:
Our little Bird has spread her wings!
We are joining sweet forces with Heavenly Pastry in the Admiral Junction … opening soon at 2604 California Ave SW!
We will offer all the same things you have grown to love at the “Mamma Bird.” Beer and wine may not happen right away, but our offerings will include Heavenly scones,
MORE DELICIOUS PASTRIES they can provide to us, sandwiches, soups, smoothies and delights from our current vendors. We will continue to use Raven’s Brew Coffee.
Stay tuned via our website, Facebook and Twitter for more information including actual opening date, hours of operation (we will open at 6 am weekdays) and more things to come!!!!
And YES, we will continue to operate at 3509 SW Henderson St!!
Heavenly Pastry closed its retail storefront just four weeks ago, while saying it would continuing to bake at that location.
From SDOT, circulated by the city’s Junction-based Southwest District Coordinator Stan Lock:
SDOT is updating the Seattle Transit Master Plan and would like you to provide your input by completing a survey:
Want a better transit system? Tell SDOT what you’d like to see!
Getting around Seattle can be tricky — everyone has waited for a delayed bus in the rain, driven to work to save time, or needed room for just one more bike on the train. Maybe you wish the bus stopped closer to your house or was easier to get to on foot or by bike. We know you have ideas about how transit should be improved, so here’s a chance to share your take with the city.
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is updating Seattle’s Transit Master Plan, which will help to determine the city’s future investments in transit. As part of this process, SDOT is conducting a short survey to figure out what’s working and what isn’t in Seattle’s transit system. The survey takes less than 10 minutes and asks some basic questions about how you currently use transit and what you’d like to see improved. Throw in your two cents at
seattle.gov/transportation/transitmasterplan/survey and check out
seattle.gov/transportation/transitmasterplan.htm for more information
about the plan.
When we first reported a week and a half ago that the former Café Revo in the Luna Park business district is being turned into a new restaurant called Avalon, we promised to pursue more information. And here it is; proprietor Deborah Breuler agreed to answer a few questions via e-mail:
BACKGROUND? “I was managing partner/Executive chef at Maggiano’s in Bellevue. I worked for them for ten years both here and L.A. Thomas and I both come from restaurant backgrounds. We met in Chicago while we were both working for Rick Bayless and Susan Goss in their American Regional Restaurant Zinfandel. I have opened 6 restaurants for other people; this will be my first as an owner.”
AVALON’S FOOD: “We will be focused on Pacific Northwest products with influences from the Mediterranean. I particularly love the foods of Morocco, Spain, France, and Italy. Some examples of that would be a Serrano ham, grilled pear with hazelnut mascarpone bruschetta, or lamb shank with prunes and almonds over blue bird grains emmer farro. Semolina lemon tart with whipped cream fraiche.”
Three years and nine days after the first word of a proposal to change the zoning of a full block of California SW on the south end of the Admiral District, the proposal has finally reached the City Council, which has the final say.
(Screen grab from Seattle Channel stream of this morning’s hearing)
Its Committee on the Built Environment has just concluded its first hearing on the proposal to change the zoning along a block-plus of California SW (Hanford to Hinds) from NC1-30 to NC2-40, enabling larger businesses and taller buildings.
Despite the time it has taken for the proposal to get to this point, council staffer Michael Jenkins noted to the committee, “You are pressed for time on this” – it’s now close to the end of the 120-day period allotted for committee action. It’s been pushed off this long because the city recommendation on the proposal came right before fall – which happens to be when councilmembers are focused on budget matters; they have wrapped those up except for next Monday’s final budget vote, so that’s why they were able to take it up today.
No one was there for public comment (on this issue or anything else on the agenda) at today’s meeting. The council spent about half an hour listening to Jenkins’ presentation, involving the issues on which we’ve reported many times before (here’s our coverage archive). Clark summarized that the main issues seemed to her to be the height analysis – how would the upzoning really affect the area – and interpretation of whether this fits with the Admiral Neighborhood Plan. There were some technicalities bandied about regarding the “adopted” plan versus the “recognized” plan; Clark said she has always felt the entire “recognized” plan should be considered as such. Councilmember Sally Bagshaw suggested a “field trip” to the site; no date was set but Clark said that certainly was possible. Clark asked for clarification of whether the property owners who proposed this (Mike Gain and Roger Cayce) owned all the parcels (they don’t, though Jenkins didn’t have that information handy) or had a special agreement with other owners supporting the proposal.
Bottom line: There will be at least one more hearing in this committee – they are scheduling November 30th for oral arguments, and the people challenging the rezone (six appeals, largely involving dozens of nearby residents) will get 15 minutes to split among themselves, while those seeking it (and, since it recommended approval, the city Department of Planning and Development), will get 15 minutes. After that hearing, committee chair Clark said, they will decide if the committee is ready to vote on the request – or if they will schedule one more meeting on December 8th. Once this committee makes its decision, a full council vote would be next. (One note, the graphic on the screengrab above is erroneous; though the term appeared throughout the meeting stream, this is not a CONTRACT rezone, which would involve a specific project; this is a general rezone – differences explained here.)
A “short-term forecast” alert is just out from the National Weather Service for the entire metro area (and then some):
A LINE OF SHOWERS EXTENDING FROM NORTHEAST OF THE PUGET SOUND REGION TO THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR IS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST. SOME OF THE SHOWERS HAVE BEEN HEAVY…WITH AMOUNTS BETWEEN A HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. SOME LOCALIZED PONDING OF WATER AND URBAN FLOODING IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE SHOWERS. THESE SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING.
(Tuesday morning photo by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Since our Monday night report on the Alki Bakery closure, a few developments – a couple of which were added to that report, a couple that were not. First – if you missed that story, to recap, the bakery closed without warning Monday night, with a note posted on the door by the company, saying in part, “Our lease has run its course and it’s not viable for us to renew at a rate that works for both Alki Bakery and our landlord.” Our interview request to the AB owner Kevin Piper has gone unanswered, though Nancy Leson at the Seattle Times has just published an update, writing that he said in e-mail:
Simply put, our lease on Alki Beach is about to expire and the economics of renewing the lease at a much higher rate does not work … We will do our best to find positions for our staff members in other locations.
The landlord, however, has commented publicly. As noted in an addition to our previous story, the property owner of record, Joanne Richey, died last summer; her daughter Barbara Wuerth posted last night on the newly created Save the Alki Bakery Facebook page, alluding to critical comments, saying:
I am the evil landlord. My family has owned this building since 1920. The closing was mutual, he has become much busier with his bakery in Kent. I toured it and was really impressed. I will miss his coffee but things change. His baked goods are still available in many groceries and restaurants.
We are seeking further comment from her, too. We have also had online exchanges with Sarah Holmes, longtime café manager, who has also commented here and elsewhere. In a comment last night, she says she’s planning to stop by at noon today to check out the notes on the door; she also told us last night that she received word of the impending shutdown “less than an hour” before her staff, and that she was offered a position at another AB outlet. She also has written on Save the Alki Bakery:
Thank You everyone…for your beautiful words and stories. It means the WORLD to the people who actually worked there. We will all miss the Bakery greatly…both as a job and as a home…♥ DO NOT be rude to the owners of the building, please, they have lost so very much in the recent past months. They did NOT ask for this or I’m sure want it….
No public hint so far of what’s next for the 61st/Alki building.
Another busy night for West Seattle meetings: If you are interested in neighborhood traffic control, you’re invited to a city informational meeting, 6:30 pm, West Seattle Library … The Triangle Advisory Group that’s been talking about streetscape and zoning in the area’s future will talk tonight with Metro about RapidRide‘s potential effects – including parking removal – in the area, 6 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle … Delridge Neighborhoods District Council has its monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, Youngstown Arts Center, with a wide-ranging agenda including a look at where Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association is now and where it’s going … For the 2nd consecutive day at Endolyne Joe’s, 20% of sales benefit a local school – this time, Pathfinder K-8 … The West Seattle High School PTA meets tonight in the school library, 7 pm … That’s also the start time for a winter fashion show at Shadowland, presented by Junction boutiques Sweetie and Carmilia’s. P.S. As previewed here yesterday, a City Council committee meeting that’s about to start (9:30 am) will include the first council discussion of the Hinds-to-Hanford California SW “upzoning” proposal. You should be able to watch live at www.seattlechannel.org; it’s the last item on the agenda.
We’ve received two reports that Highland Park Way is closed “at the top” because of a crash that is said to involve a school bus. Heading over to check – but in the meantime, so as not to panic anyone, we will note there is no such crash on the live 911 log, which would suggest no medics summoned because no injuries. Update to come. 8:50 AM: Checking the scene, and traffic is getting around in both directions, with the help of police, though the bus is still there. Adding a photo. Via Facebook, Erik said he was at the scene when it happened about an hour ago and a car and truck appeared to have been involved too. 9:18 AM: Scene clear, according to comments.
Got a few hours tomorrow (Thursday) night, 7-9 pm, to help WestSide Baby move 100,000 diapers (from their big Huggies donation) “in addition to other projects”? E-mail sarah@westsidebaby.org!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Though some categories of crime are down, that doesn’t mean local police aren’t busy. This is the seventh weekly installment of this new WSB feature, and now it has a name. If nothing else, some of the summaries may answer questions you had about police responses you saw in the past week or so …
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Around 6 p.m. Saturday, a call came in to 911 about a man running near 35th and Juneau with a large knife. Officers quickly found the man, who was fairly easy to spot, seeing that he was dressed in fatigues and carrying a machete. He was handcuffed and taken to the SW Precinct. An investigation soon showed that he was part of a group of military aficionados engaged in a scavenger hunt through the neighborhood.
*After placing an online ad to sell her computer (a MacBook Pro), a woman agreed to meet a potential buyer on Saturday evening at a fast-food restaurant at 35th SW/Avalon. As she pulled the computer from her bag so that he could examine it, the “potential buyer” grabbed it from her grasp and fled in a large dark-colored sedan driven by a woman.
(8 more summaries ahead:)Read More
Sunset on Beach Drive – not nearly as chilly as it’ll be in a few days, with the forecast still mentioning “snow showers” as a possibility for the weekend (no sooner than Friday night). But first, it’s likely to be breezy – up to 25 mph in tomorrow’s forecast. And there’s analysis of last night’s windstorm, plus a brief look ahead to snow prospects, on Cliff Mass‘s site right now.
First topline from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: Crime is notably down. If you’ve noticed we’ve had fewer crime reports lately, it’s not that it’s going unreported – it’s just not happening, according to Capt. Steve Paulsen. Last week, only one burglary was reported in all of West Seattle, he said – bringing the total for the month so far to 11, compared to what would usually be 27 to 30 by midmonth. (We crosschecked with the online police reports – indeed, only one listed from last Wednesday through today.) The precinct commander cited “significant recent arrests” – people suspected of burglarizing homes by day and prowling cars by night, arrested thanks to what Capt. Paulsen described as “outstanding detective work” as well as alert citizens and timely reporting by victims. West Seattle is getting a reputation among thieves as a bad place to do business, he suggested – while promptly cautioning that an uptick in theft is likely within the next month as holiday shopping begins. Time-honored advice: be aware of your surroundings; don’t leave purchases visible in your car while you go from store to store. In one unsolved case, Capt. Paulsen said there’s no arrest yet in last night’s Highland Park armed robbery. Meantime, he introduced “three-quarters of (his newly aligned) command staff”:
At right, Lt. Pierre Davis is the new operations lieutenant – second in command for the precinct – the job Capt. Paulsen had before leaving the SW Precinct early this year for a short stint at the West Precinct (where his SWP successor, Lt. Norm James, now works with former SWP commander Capt. Joe Kessler). At left, Lt. Alan Williams is third-watch commander (night shift); that’s the job from which Lt. Ron Smith, center, moved into the second-watch (day shift) role. Lts. Davis and Williams are new to the SWP. He also noted that the Community Police Team now has three officers (as reported here when one of them, Officer Ken Mazzuca, visited the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting last week). CPT Officer Jonathan Kiehn, also at tonight’s meeting, praised citizens for providing improved info when calling 911 lately – a topic on which he spoke at the last West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting. In particular, Officer Kiehn said, they’re giving better descriptions of suspects and the direction in which they’re heading.
Special guest at the meeting: Detective Suzanne Moore, who works on abuse/neglect cases, especially those with elderly victims. She shared two hotline numbers that can be used to report suspected cases – if they involve a residential facility, 800-562-6078; if they involve a private caregiver or home, 206-341-7660.
The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets the third Tuesday of the month, but they’re skipping December, so January’s the next meeting; keep an eye on www.wscpc.org.
If you come to the Madison Middle School commons before 8 tonight, you’ll find several ways to offer the Alaskan Way Viaduct project managers your opinion on the “preferred alternative” for replacing its Central Waterfront section – the bored tunnel. First thing you’ll see when you walk in is a sign-in table and an easel with 16 topics listed, asking you to place a red-dot sticker next to the one that interests you the most.
You can move around the room to more than a dozen stations offering information about different aspects of the project, and if you want to make your official comment while you’re here, your options include writing it out longhand, typing it into one of two available laptops, or saying it aloud while court reporter Linda Grotefendt types.
This is an official part of the process triggered when the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (about the tunnel project’s effects) was made public a few weeks ago; this is the only West Seattle meeting where you can come to ask questions, but there’s no presentation tonight – since it’s open-house format, you are welcome to stop in any time before the event ends at 8 pm. You may also find unofficial information about the “No Tunnel” campaign – as we walked to the top of the steps that lead to the Madison commons from the south parking lot, we were handed a flyer headed “Stop The Tunnel, It’s Not a Done Deal.”
Meantime, looked like a decent turnout in the early going – more than 20 people had signed in within the first 15 minutes. If you can’t get to the meeting – here are the other ways to comment; the deadline is December 13th.
Thanks to Tracy T for sharing this news via Facebook – Clarian Energy, run by West Seattle energy entrepreneur Chad Maglaque, is celebrating a big win – a Consumer Innovation award in the GE Ecomagination Challenge. It’s for Clarian’s SmartBox Solar Module, which will make it possible to tap into solar power via existing home outlets. Xconomy has the story here; you can also read about it on TechFlash (where we found the video embedded above).
When Thanksgiving approaches, we usually get questions from people wondering what the local food banks need, so we’re checking in with both of the food banks that serve West Seattle. We’ve already published a volunteer request from the White Center Food Bank; today, we have information from the West Seattle Food Bank:
The West Seattle Food Bank sends sincere thanks to all who are helping neighbors in need by holding food drives and making donations this holiday season
“If you are interested in helping specifically for the Thanksgiving season,” said Executive Director Fran Yeatts, “the best times to drop off food are Friday November 19th between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM and Monday November 22nd between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM. For Thanksgiving the items that are especially appreciated are frozen turkeys less than 12 pounds and desserts like pie. The store-bought pies in the box are the best for storage and distribution by the Food Bank. “
For West Seattleites needing assistance, distribution hours are different during the week of Thanksgiving. The West Seattle Food Bank will be distributing food:
Monday, November 22nd, 9:15 AM – 11:00 AM for seniors only.
Monday, November 22nd, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM for the general public.
Tuesday, November 23rd, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM for the general public“We will also be distributing over 150 home deliveries on Wednesday, November 24th. “ said Yeatts.
The West Seattle Food Bank will close at 3:00 PM on the 24th and will be closed Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th.
We know there will be MUCH more to add to it – but for starters, here’s the first draft of our compiled list of holiday events and activities in West Seattle, grouped by type, on the newly launched Holidays page (you can also find it from the row of tabs atop all WSB pages). If there’s anything you’d like to add to the page, please share the information (and photos/logos/flyers if available) – we’ll be updating it at least once a day.
Will the City Council approve property owners’ request to “upzone” the block of California SW between Hanford and Hinds (city map at left)? The next step in the three-years-so-far process is a City Council committee hearing and possible vote tomorrow. In fall 2007 (1st report here), area property owners Mike Gain and Roger Cayce filed a request to change the zoning from NC1-30 to NC2-40, enabling taller buildings with larger commercial spaces – there has not been a specific development proposed for the area so far. Neighbors mobilized opposition, and a contentious public meeting ensued on November 30, 2007 (story here).
2+ years later, the city Department of Planning and Development finally issued its recommendation this past June, supporting approval of the change (WSB coverage here); area residents subsequently challenged the accompanying “determination of (environmental) nonsignificance.” Two months ago, city Hearing Examiner Sue Tanner ruled against that challenge (WSB coverage here), and recommended council approval of the zoning change. That in turn was appealed by dozens of area residents; the City Council now will decide the fate of their appeal as well as the proposal itself. All this sets the stage for a hearing tomorrow before the City Council Committee on the Built Environment, 9:30 am at City Hall (here’s the agenda, and here’s the council staff’s memo summarizing the proposal and its status; if you can’t be at City Hall, it should be live online at seattlechannel.org and on cable channel 21). According to the council’s briefing memo, this committee will have to meet at least once more on this matter, before the full council can take a final vote, and all that has to be done before the end of the year.
(Added 10:17 pm, KING 5 aerial of the orcas between Fauntleroy and Vashon today)
ORIGINAL 10:35 REPORT: We’ve received a couple reports of orcas in the West Seattle/Vashon vicinity, including the Orca Network‘s e-mail report that a Washington State Ferries vessel spotted some around 9 am between Bainbridge Island and Alki Point, headed south. We just checked from Lowman Beach and didn’t see any signs, but wanted to share the word to be on the lookout today. 10:53 AM UPDATE: Adding the first of several photos shared by Gary Jones, who caught the images off Alki Point.
We’re at Stellar Pizza in Georgetown along with West Seattle Junction Association director Susan Melrose, Clementine proprietor Linda Walsh, and various Seattle independent businesspeople as well as city staffers, for the launch of a new five-neighborhoods-for-starters (including West Seattle), city-supported “buy local” campaign called Only In Seattle (explained here). (Photo added – Walsh at left and Melrose at right, with City Councilmember Sally Clark:)
Check out the website for starters. The West Seattle businesses highlighted as “hidden gems” are Husky Deli, Easy Street Records, Spring Hill, and knows perfume – as you can see here. Walsh said that other businesses like hers, even if not specifically highlighted, will benefit:
(The other featured neighborhoods – with more to be added in later phases, we’re told – are Ballard, Columbia City, Georgetown, and Rainier Valley.)
Only In Seattle from Only In Seattle on Vimeo.
(Promotional video for new Only In Seattle campaign)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Something to say about the potential effects of a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct? Tonight’s your official chance to say it to the state, 6-8 pm (open-house format so drop in any time), Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW) … What’s next for Seattle Public Schools‘ new-this-year Student Assignment Plan, as the district looks ahead to the second year of the transition? What changes would address West Seattle concerns and challenges? District officials host a meeting at West Seattle High School (3000 California SW) tonight, 6:30 pm … Also on the school front: Endolyne Joe’s (9261 45th SW) donates 20 percent of today’s proceeds to Gatewood Elementary (same thing tomorrow for Pathfinder K-8) … West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting is at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 7 pm, featuring a guest talking about protecting elders from abuse … Tonight at the Senior Center of West Seattle, it’s a Big Band Bash with Center Music Northwest, 7 pm, 206-932-4044 for reservations … At Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), it’s the monthly Alauda belly-dance showcase … Storytellers from Mexico and El Salvador are at the South Park Library for Spanish Storytime, ages 3 and up, 6:30 pm (8th Ave. South and South Cloverdale).
(Photo by, and used with permission of, Robin Lindsey)
Seal Sitters volunteers call that harbor seal Queen Latifah; she is the latest West Seattle shoreline visitor to merit their protection and win their hearts. But others are getting too close for comfort, explains Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey: “Over the last few days I have observed an increasing number of people intentionally going under (or over) the yellow tape perimeter of the area near Queen Latifah … those people are truly breaking a federal law and (it’s important) that the pups rest undisturbed.” To underscore that point, Robin has written a new entry for the Seal Sitters’ blubberblog, and asked if we would share the link with you – you’ll find it here. (If you don’t recall hearing so much about seals on our beaches this time of year, you’re right – Seal Sitters are having a surprisingly busy November, and as a result will soon be scheduling a December training session for prospective new volunteers – we’ll let you know when the date’s set.)
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