West Seattle, Washington
09 Thursday
Almost three years after it was originally proposed, the recommended zoning change for California SW between Hanford and Hinds (and a bit beyond, on the west side) is moving ahead. We got first word from one of the property owners who first proposed it in 2007, Mike Gain. It’s not reflected yet on the project’s Department of Planning and Development webpage, but DPD’s Bryan Stevens confirms to WSB that the notice is about to be published:
DPD’s recommendation on the rezone request will be published for public viewing on Monday. There will be a 14-day appeal period which initiates upon publication and a required hearing with the City’s Hearing Examiner to review the department’s recommendation. The date for the hearing has been tentatively scheduled for August 18th at 9 am. After the hearing, the Hearing Examiner will issue findings and make a recommendation to City Council to help inform their decision on the rezone proposal.
According to Gain: “The Director’s Report supports the rezone of the 3200 block of California Ave SW from NC1-30 to NC2-40. This essentially would return it to its previous zoning while allowing for one additional floor and increased flexibility in the size and/or type of ground floor retail.” He adds:
This rezone has undergone a lot of review and received substantial public comment. We are pleased with the decision. Several benefits to this that will occur over time are that it will:
· Help enhance the California Ave “corridor”
· Encourage job creation and business vitality
· Maintain and enhance neighborhood character
· Provide more and a better mix of housing options
· Increase the number of goods and services that allow people to shop locallyAs you are aware, in the 1980’s this area was zoned for 40’ and is consistent with surrounding building heights. For some unknown reason and no notice the city down-zoned this area. Since that time there has been little reinvestment – many businesses have come and gone – while some storefronts remain vacant for lengthy periods of time. This rezone will help to change that.
When the proposal was first made, it stirred a fair amount of controversy, which we covered extensively – as archived here (reverse chronological order). Gain and partner Roger Cayce had not put forward a specific project proposal for the area, but at one point along the way, discussed their ideas with WSB. We will be continuing to follow this process, including any proposals they may bring forward in the future. MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: We’re writing a separate story, but in the meantime, here’s the link to the DPD page with the “director’s report,” officially published today as expected.
The World Harmony Run — which “seeks to promote international friendship and understanding” — is in West Seattle this afternoon, and its journey along the peninsula began with a stop at Providence Mount St. Vincent, where King County Executive Dow Constantine presented a Torch-Bearer Award to Providence Senior and Community Services executive Charlene Boyd, a former administrator at The Mount. (They’re shown with Daulot Fountain.) On hand for the event – more than 100 residents and preschoolers – the kids are from the intergenerational education program at The Mount. They all were invited to walk/run/roll a relay around the building, and then the official torch runners are scheduled to run on to the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, starting around 3:30 pm.
ADDED 8:05 PM: Here’s video from the lap around The Mount:
Then, from photographer David Hutchinson, the official World Harmony runners arriving at the Alki Statue of Liberty:
Clouds? What clouds? Bring out the shades – and the strawberries – and we can all be in a summer frame of mind. Day 1 of the Rotary Club of West Seattle Berry Sale (WSB sponsor), and – from left – Melissa Haynes, Greg Whitney, and Ann Avery are in the lot behind Safeway till 6 pm; if you’ve preordered (which you can do online) this is the pickup spot, but walkup sales are available too, and Rotarians will be back 9 am-3 pm tomorrow (plus two more rounds of berries – raspberries and blueberries – later in the summer).
(Photo courtesy Paul Dieter – showing Langdon Cook, who writes Fat of the Land, pulling in pink salmon)
According to King County Councilmember Jan Drago‘s office, a state commission the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board has just committed another $10 million to the new South Park Bridge – meaning $80 million of the $130 million needed. 5:20 PM UPDATE: More details now in an official county news release:Read More
(Photo by Aaron Last)
As Pride Weekend arrives in Seattle, the rainbow flag is flying over the Space Needle for the first time. And as you see in the photo above, two West Seattleites helped raise it. The photo is courtesy of one of them, State Sen. (and King County Council candidate) Joe McDermott (right) – that’s West Seattle resident and Seattle Storm owner (among many other high-profile roles) Anne Levinson just left of Sen. McDermott, with City Councilmember Sally Clark and State Rep. Jamie Pedersen. Sen. McDermott adds, “People are welcome to email me at Joe@JoeMcDermott.org if they want to walk with me in the Pride Parade at 11 am Sunday morning in Downtown Seattle!”
The King County Sheriff’s Office storefront-deputy role in White Center is a huge one – spotlighted by the murder of Deputy Steve Cox. The community has been abuzz over rumors that his successor, Deputy Jeff Hancock, is leaving – and now they’ve been confirmed. Our partner site White Center Now broke the story last night and has new details today.
The Seattle Design Commission has just announced its finalists in the Holding Patterns competition, first reported here two months ago – asking people citywide to pitch ideas for stalled development sites, such as “The Hole” at Fauntleroy/Alaska/49th. They received 83While nothing obviously from West Seattle made the finalist cut, there was one proposal we thought you’d like to see, after SDC’s Valerie Kinast pointed us to it. It’s a “Beer Garden, Dog Park, Outdoor Movies, Sculpture Mound” concept for The Hole – check out the entire five-page proposal here (with some even-more-whimsical drawings) – and you can see all the finalists and honorable mentions by going here. Kinast tells WSB that even though this wasn’t chosen as a finalist, the SC might still help try to make something happen with The Hole: “We are considering all of the major stalled project sites, so just because this didn’t make the cut doesn’t mean that the site isn’t still on our radar. We will be working through which sites have potential in the coming weeks.”
Under way right now – the three-location West Seattle Community Car Wash to benefit the WS Food Bank and World Vision’s Haiti relief work. Any time before 4 pm, you can get your car washed at the State Farm office at 4727 44th SW (that’s where West Seattle High School cheerleaders are helping out right now, as shown in the top photo; Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller will be among the volunteers on hand at 1 pm), at John L. Scott (5242 California SW), and at Keller Williams (4452 California SW), where we also stopped for an early photo:
Rain does NOT appear to be in the forecast today, so if you can make it to any of those spots by 4 pm, get your car washed for a good cause. They’re also collecting nonperishable food donations as well as packaged diapers.
In West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, a few new reports from the inbox – for starters, first catalytic-converter theft we’ve heard about in a while. The victim says it was cut off their 2000 Toyota 4Runner on Avalon Way yesterday in the Luna Park business district “in broad daylight” and is upset that no one apparently called police while it was happening. Next, a car prowl, a burglary, and a bike theft (latter one added at 11:40 am) – read on:Read More
David Ginsberg spotted that little critter in a big High Point-area maple tree earlier this month. If we had to caption it, we’d say “Hang on, Friday’s here.” As are its highlights: The West Seattle Community Car Wash, 10 am-4 pm at three locations, raising money for food banks and Haiti relief (bring nonperishable food donations too) … The World Harmony Run torch arrives at The Mount this afternoon and then runners take it to Alki – full details in our preview … Tonight, a give-and-get handbag event at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) – Click! is teaming up with Nyla from Cherry Consignment, president of the local chapter of The Ruby Room, a non-profit that helps teenage girls get formal wear for their special occasions. 6-9 pm tonight, bring a gently used handbag to donate and receive 20% off a new bag. … Also: Rainbow Bingo at the Senior Center … a barbecue and movie at Hiawatha Community Center … The Swinery’s “grand reopening” party … the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s first berry-pickup day (and you can walk up to buy, too), 1-6 behind Admiral Safeway … Even more on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar.
A night for anniversary celebrations last night in The Junction – above left, that’s CAPERS‘ Lisa Myers with Lisa Barnes, toasting her store’s 25th anniversary. It’s gone through changes over the years – we’re still nostalgic for the pumpkin muffins! – but the end result is that it’s still alive and kicking – you can keep up with what’s new through the CAPERS website as well as Twitter. And across the street, it was anniversary night for one of West Seattle’s popular boutiques:
Note the champagne bottle – it’s the 7th anniversary for Sweetie and owner Joeanna Purdie, pictured with Karen Krupp and Heather Kirk Riley. Sweetie’s updates are online here, as well as on Facebook.
The “School’s Out Bash” is an annual tradition for High Point Community Center – but this year, they moved it to HP’s Commons Park, and what a perfect night: Hundreds came for free fun, including food, field games, and face painting:
That’s Laura Wilburn from High Point CC. Bounce houses drew a crowd too:
Wondering what else is up this summer, at HPCC and West Seattle’s other community centers? Here’s the summer brochure.
The headlines from Wednesday night’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting at Highland Park Improvement Club headquarters:
TAKING A STAND ON 4TH OF JULY: Announced by Laura Drake toward the end of the meeting, there’s a plan to try to prevent fireworks mayhem on the Highland Park Elementary School grounds on the 4th of July. Neighbors are going to stand at its closed gates from about 9 till 10 pm to try to get people to stay away – “Bring a camera and start taking pictures in case things get weird,” Drake advised. She also suggested brightly-colored shirts.
RESERVOIR PARK MEETING REMINDER: As HPAC attendees were reminded by chair Dan Mullins, tomorrow (Saturday), 10 am at Southwest Community Center, is the fourth public meeting about the West Seattle Reservoir park expansion at Westcrest – and the design is scheduled to be shown.
Several more items ahead, including a high-profile crime case and the new Sunday Market:Read More
(Riley Bunch at Madison Middle School’s 8th-grade promotion event)
Before the end of the school year gets too far in the rear-view mirror, we have one more story to share: Madison Middle School‘s Jeanne Merritt shares a photo and the story of Madison’s 8th-grade promotion earlier this week:
Madison Middle School eighth graders were promoted Monday night in a well-attended ceremony at West Seattle High.
Four student speakers reminisced about their social and educational experiences at Madison.
The inspirational speaker was Jesse Hagopian, former Madison teacher. He spoke about his experience being in the Haiti earthquake. Also, when the graduating eighth grade students were in seventh grade, Mr. Hagopian became a father. At that time he assigned the students to write letters of advice to a father. At the promotion ceremony Mr. Hagopian then turned that good advice back to the students.
The story continues with more on the students who were honored – and some adults, too!Read More
Quick notes before we just pop these in the WSB West Seattle Events calendar – both notes are for Saturday, July 10, just two weeks away: Coastal on Alki has changed its 2nd monthly outdoor movie to “Goonies” because of a licensing problem with the previously scheduled “Pirates of the Caribbean” (here’s the new flyer). And at Delridge Library that morning, 11:15 am, it’s the first in a new summer series bringing back Vietnamese Story Time every Saturday morning. Librarian Shannon Schinagl says, “Children of all ages and their caregivers can enjoy stories, songs, fingerplays and crafts in Vietnamese!”
(July 2009 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Exactly one month till one of the biggest events of the summer — the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade, coming up on July 24th. (A kickoff reminder once again this year, that’s the parade’s official name, not the “Hi-Yu Parade,” though the West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival float and royalty will be one of its highlights!) The U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flyover will precede the parade again this year, according to Jim Edwards, if some urgent duty doesn’t preclude its appearance. The parade starts at 11 am from California/Lander and travels down California to Edmunds at the end of the main Junction business district – and while planning is well into the final stages, there’s one big need: Do you perhaps have a convertible for the American Legion Post 160 Commander to ride in? This year they’ve got all the convertibles covered, so to speak, except his. If you can provide a convertible for the parade, contact parade co-coordinator Dave Vague at vagued@comcast.net – just think, your car will be seen by thousands!
(Photo courtesy World Harmony Run)
The kids in that photo are holding the torch for the World Harmony Run. It’s the world’s longest relay run, and it’s coming to Providence Mount St. Vincent at 2 tomorrow afternoon. Part of the ceremony will include a WHR Torch-Bearer Award for Providence Senior and Community Services executive Charlene Boyd, presented by King County Executive Dow Constantine. Then there will be a chance for residents, children, staff, family and friends to hold the torch and make a wish for harmony – plus an intergenerational relay run around The Mount’s building. And after that, at 3:30, you’re invited to join the World Harmony Runners as they run with the torch from The Mount to the Alki Statue of Liberty, leaving from outside the café on the south side of the building. Find out more about the World Harmony Run here.
Proactive note tonight from Bradley at Life Church in Westwood:
FYI so there is no panic about strangers walking around the neighborhood, Life Church here on 35th and Cloverdale is initiating a food drive for the White Center Food Bank that will be taking place next Thursday, July 1. They are canvasing the neighborhood with flyers for the food drive tonight, June 24th. Please don’t mistake them as strangers–:-)
The weekly roundup of all the major traffic-affecting closures and changes around the area is out – and it’s worth a look tonight more than ever, since it includes this weekend’s Alaskan Way Viaduct and 1st Avenue South Bridge closures, next Wednesday’s South Park Bridge forever shutdown, as well as other things that might affect your mobility – here’s the link. (Traffic P.S. – We haven’t been by to see it yet, but SDOT tells us the Genesee Hill paving work is done.)
They are being seen more frequently on West Seattle street corners – people standing for hours, selling fruit from boxes. (There’s been one at the busiest corner near WSB HQ, three days during the past week, standing there from morning till late in the day. A nearby resident who speaks a little Spanish tried talking to her, and learned only that the vendor was “from the mountains of Mexico.”) Some people have messaged us to ask about the law. One of the first results we found in an online search reminded us that this is not a new phenomenon – there was even a discussion last year in the WSB Forums. While a permit is required to sell on the street, it’s a moot point in many of these cases, because it’s outright prohibited in single-family zones (as is the case of the one near us). Is anyone enforcing the rule? So far, we haven’t heard from anyone who has officially complained. The method for doing so is on this SDOT web page. (SDOT is checking for us to see if they’ve been getting complaints, and how they’re handled.) We haven’t found much past coverage of the fruit sellers in this area, but it’s been a hot topic in the Bay Area, where this story suggested some of them may be more victim than violator.
ADDED: SDOT’s Marybeth Turner tells WSB they don’t get many street-vending complaints; when they do: “An SDOT Street Use Inspector responds to these complaints during normal work hours on a priority basis. If it is a matter of public safety, a Seattle Police Officer may also respond, also on a priority basis– this occurs mostly in the SODO stadium area or nightlife areas” such as Belltown.
Volunteering can be fun! Jackie from Matson Navigation Company on Harbor Island e-mailed to share news of her office’s environmental-volunteer project – last night, a group of co-workers went to Alki to help stencil storm drains – and in the photo above, they were joined by a young helper they nicknamed the “Storm Drain Trooper.” Here’s a bucketless photo of the group:
Jackie says, “We couldn’t have chosen a nicer evening to be at the beach. The Alki community members were so friendly and thankful as we worked in their neighborhood to help fulfill the city’s goal to stencil every storm drain in Seattle with the ‘Dump No Waste, Drains to Lake, Stream, or Bay’ message.”
Share your news, any time – here’s how.
(WSB photo from December 2009)
Two items from the Rotary Club of West Seattle: First – rededication of the Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole may happen as soon as August, now that the pole is being readied for restoration following the theft last November and recovery out of state (here’s our May story on the case’s resolution). The latest, from Josh Sutton:
Staff from Artech took the pole today from Parks and Rec storage to a local fumigation company. Next week it will be transported to their warehouse for restoration. In agreement with Parks & Recreation, the Rotary Club of West Seattle has hired Artech for the preservation, restoration and reinstallation of the Totem Pole stolen from Rotary Viewpoint Park last November. We look forward to setting a date in August for the community to celebrate the pole’s rededication.
Shortly after the totem pole was recovered, we did a story about Artech and some of the similar work they’ve done – you can see it here. Meantime, a big boost for the Rotary berry sale (WSB sponsor):
The Rotary Club of West Seattle wants to thank Charlie’s Produce for donating use of a midsized refrigerator truck during our Club’s Strawberry Sales & Pickup this weekend. With the pending construction, Admiral Safeway couldn’t sit a 40′ trailer there for six weeks, like past summers.
These buckets of Skagit Valley strawberries are freshly picked, hulled and packed in their own juices, so keeping them cool is essential to maintaining their quality. Even if you didn’t pre-order, we still have buckets for sale this weekend. Friday, 1-6 pm, Saturday 9 am-3 pm at Admiral Safeway, back lot.
We are taking Raspberries and Blueberries orders for mid July. West Seattle Rotary’s Berry Sale raises money for local scholarships and our Holiday Kids Shopping Spree. Thanks to our buyers, to Admiral Safeway, and Charlie’s Produce for your support!
They’ve got online ordering this year – the links are on the WSR home page.
West Seattle High School just sent out an urgent request to anyone who can help: Mr. Jinan Jia arrives July 30th to be the WSHS Chinese teacher next year – enabling them to offer instruction up to Chinese III – but he needs a home while he’s here – and fast, to support his visa request. “This is an exciting opportunity for the host family to learn of the Chinese culture and Mandarin Chinese language,” notes WSHS principal Bruce Bivins. They prefer a home in West Seattle, since the teacher will use Metro to get to work. Here’s the application form; but first, please call (206) 252-8800 or e-mail brbivins@seattleschools.org if you are interested in being the host!
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