West Seattle, Washington
28 Sunday
First one comes directly to WSB from a reliable source that’s contributed important news here before, reporting that the closure was announced to the staff at a meeting within the past several days – this is the Starbucks store that replaced Infinity Espresso less than a year ago on the north side of Jefferson Square, 
NOT the “licensee” stand inside Safeway. Second report of this (hat tip to TPN from Blogging Georgetown) comes from a map the Times has been keeping of reported closures. This Starbucks is so relatively new, it’s only been 11 months since we first reported it was coming – it opened in late fall. The company itself has drawn criticism for the time gap between its announcement that 600 stores would close and its upcoming public announcement of which stores are closing. Its spokespeople are not currently confirming or denying closure reports for any specific locations; we requested comment on this one and received an official (albeit generic) statement – read on for the full text:Read More
Possibly into the 80s all three days. Official opening time, 10 am today (music starts @ 1:45). Much more coverage as things get going later; activities, vendors, more, listed here. We’re in the official Information Booth in the center of the Walk All Ways (California/Alaska) intersection, daily till at least 5 pm (photo above, taken this morning – that’s Dawn Leverett and Patti Mullen at left, from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, which is running the booth, with WSB helping out).
With next month’s deadline approaching for the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency to make a deal with Seattle Public Schools to buy the historic schoolhouse – now that the district’s selling it as “surplus” — here’s the latest update from FCSA, including word of a new possible use for the “back lot,” which previously has been mentioned as a possible development site:Read More
Right in the middle of California SW between Edmunds and Alaska, less than two hours after the street closed for West Seattle Summer Fest setup tonight (and the festival itself tomorrow through Sunday), we got that video in the middle of the crowd that gathered outside Elliott Bay Brewery, as Garry “Bubbleman” Golightly enchanted an all-ages crowd. Kids and even pets will find new additions during this year’s festival (highlights are listed here). Elsewhere, we found signs of impending fun at the West Seattle Junction Association-presented annual extravaganza:
That’s a dunk tank that was delivered next to Shoofly Pie Company, awaiting its assignment; almost directly across the street, next to Red Cup Espresso, cool treats — frozen Mighty-O Donuts! — are promised for what the forecast suggests will be a warm weekend:
West Seattle Summer Fest kicks off tomorrow morning. Hours are 10 am-8 pm tomorrow and Saturday, 11 am-7 pm Sunday. Live music runs a little longer Friday and Saturday, and starts at 1:45 pm tomorrow; here’s the music lineup for all three days. Meantime, the next photo shows where you will find us, and an all-star lineup of folks from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
That’s the official West Seattle Summer Fest Information Booth, right in the heart of the “Walk All Ways” zone at California/Alaska; at least one member of Team WSB will be there every moment it’s open, till at least 5 pm each day – please come by to say hi, and if you can spare a moment or two, we’ll have a few questions for you as we help the Chamber build an informal “community profile” – we’ll be posting them online too – everything from where you’re originally from (if you’re not a West Seattle native) to whether you think WS needs a hotel. By the way, the road closures for Summer Fest as set up tonight are as follows: Alaska from 42nd to 44th, California from Genesee to Oregon and then again from Oregon to Edmunds (west-east traffic is allowed through on Oregon). Temporary bus changes are detailed here. See you this weekend in The Junction; we’ll be posting numerous reports about the people, the events, the fun, the food, and more, as it all unfolds (and of course, other West Seattle news too!).
For the first time in months, Metro sent out a major update on the year-and-a-half-long 53rd Ave. Pump Station expansion project that’s been under way along Alki since March. Major points: Next week, for a period lasting up to 36 hours (likely Tuesday/Wednesday), a particular phase of the project will require wastewater to be trucked away from the spot instead of channeled through pipes. Crews will work around the clock, but Metro warns people to expect “increased noise, more truck traffic on the road and potentially odor.” Here’s how the “Vactor” trucks will get to and from the site:
Trucks traveling to the West Seattle Pump Station will follow Alki Avenue Southwest to Harbor Avenue Southwest. Trucks traveling to the Alki Stormwater Treatment Plant will follow this route: Alki Avenue Southwest to 63rd Avenue Southwest to Beach Drive Southwest to 64th Avenue Southwest to Southwest Wilton Court.
Then in late July, four to five weeks of “sheet pile driving” will commence, to stabilize the site for excavation, and residents are warned this is likely to bring vibrations as well as more noise. You can read the entire Metro project update here; the project’s main infopage is here.
Marilyn sent this to us today:
I was riding my bicycle today and had a nasty fall. I want to say thank you to all the wonderful people that stopped to help me. Linda came right over to help, Brian came from his apartment with bandages etc. And even gave me a ride home. Many others came by to help as well as a police officer, it was just very wonderful how many people cared. So thank you so much to all the wonderful people.
The Fauntleroy Community Association sends word from FCA members Sherry and Ron Richardson that City Council President Richard Conlin liked their suggestion of “please turn off your engine” signs for the Fauntleroy ferry-queueing zone (first reported here a month ago), and asked SDOT to make it so. So we checked with SDOT communications boss Rick Sheridan today regarding a timetable, and here’s what we heard back:
SDOT did receive the request from Council President Conlin. Following the mayor’s lead on climate change, SDOT is very supportive of reducing vehicle emissions whenever possible. We recently installed signs reminding drivers to turn off engines while waiting for city bridges along the Ship Canal.
SDOT will install signs along Fauntleroy Way SW, near the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. (Though the signs will only be informational as there is no authority provided by the Seattle Municipal Code to force compliance.) We are working on the language and siting for them now, and expect that roadway users should see them within the next month.
(photo courtesy Alma Taylor-Smyth, who lives in one of the “flower houses”)
Followup to yesterday’s story about the Alki Ave “Flower Houses” evergreen tree and the neighboring condo owners’ plan to trim it — which is getting attention in citywide media today (two TV stations and one newspaper counted so far) — the condos’ homeowners association has posted this response:
Hi, I’m Wendy, the president of the 1402 Condo Association. I’d like to make a comment in response to the tree trimming controversy. We have never talked about cutting down the tree, topping it off, or trimming it back so that it would die. In fact, we are willing to give up some of our view so that it can grow. We bought our units having been told by Randie that we had unblockable and wireless views, which is no longer the case for the lower units.
Since the tree has grown to this size in the last four years, the arborists have said that the tree could be blown down in a wind storm–on our building, her house, or the cars below. The root system is beginning to buckle the sidewalk, and will eventually pose a problem for the walkers.
Over the last three years, we have offered to move the tree to the back, which is no longer possible, and replace with a different tree, but Randie refused.
Recently, we tried to meet with Randie to discuss and come up with a solution that would work for both of us, and she refused. We have shared our arborist’s report as well as the legal research with her and her attorney, which we did not have to do.
It is our sincere desire to meet with her and find an amicable resolution.
– 1402 Homeowners Association
We have messages out to those who originally contacted us, seeking a response. 6:21 PM UPDATE: We have heard back from Randie Stone:
Here is the first paragraph of a letter that was left on my front door just prior to the Fourth of July weekend:
Dear Randie:
On behalf of the 1402 Alki HOA I’d like to give you the heads up that we will be trimming the limbs and foliage of the two Douglas Fir trees that encroach our property line as early as Monday, July 7, 2008. Although we are not legally required to do so, we are extending the courtesy of advance notice in hopes that we will be able to maintain a friendly, neighborly relationship.
My only goal is to maintain the health and integrity of my tree which was there before the condo was built. The safety of my tree was my only concern.
Please let the record show that I am acting as a private citizen and protecting my rights as a private citizen.
Randie Stone
Just checked with Seattle FBI spokesperson Robbie Burroughs to see if there are any photos of the Westwood Village WaMu drive-thru robber from yesterday — no pix, but the description of the robber (and vehicle) has been refined; here’s the latest:
What we know now is that an older white female dressed in black clothing, dark sunglasses, a fake beard and possibly a wig, robbed the Washington Mutual Bank drive-thru window just before 1pm. She passed a note to the teller saying there was a bomb planted in the bank that would go off in 90 seconds if she was not given money. The teller complied and the robber drove off. Her vehicle was described as a Jeep type SUV, burgundy in color. The exact plate # is not known but a witness saw a 4×4 inch sticker of a Boston Terrier on a window on the driver’s side of the vehicle toward the back of the car. No photos of the robber were obtained. She is still at large.
Last night, we mentioned the viewing party set next Wednesday to cheer West Seattle barista Blayne on “Project Runway.” Tonight, there’s another reality-show viewing party in West Seattle — Comic/impressionist Marcus will be at Rocksport at 8 pm, where you can join him to watch the show on which he’s a finalist, “Last Comic Standing.” He’s also getting ready for his performances at Admiral Theater tomorrow night and Saturday, so Admiral management invited us to shoot a snippet of video with him this morning – it’s more of a plug than a comedy routine but if you have 40 seconds to spare, his Captain Jack Sparrow imitation is pretty dead-on:
The Admiral’s got a ton of live comedy shows coming up, all listed here.
PARKS LEVY PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT: The City Council is getting closer to deciding whether to pursue putting a new parks levy on the ballot this fall, when Pro Parks expires. Next step – a public hearing tonight before the Parks Committee, chaired by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, 5:30 pm, City Hall. The final list of projects currently proposed for the potential levy is in this document.
BIGGEST ROAD CLOSURE OF THE WEEKEND: Besides the West Seattle Summer Fest road closures in The Junction kicking in at 6 pm tonight (mentioned earlier here), if you haven’t seen this in citywide media already, be forewarned the 520 bridge across Lake Washington closes for its annual inspection, 11 pm Friday-5 am Monday.
Two weeks ago, we reported on a proposal to build a playground at California Place, the mini-park shown above (California/Hill, next to Admiral UCC Church). Now we have word from Manuela Slye, who outlined the idea at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting last month, that a new group is forming and has just filed an application with the city Department of Neighborhoods to seek funding for the first phase of the project, including design work. As part of the process, you are now invited to the first community meeting planned by the new group, FANNA (Friends and Neighbors of North Admiral), to “discuss the status of the project, proposed timeline, and (seek) input and help from the community,” says Slye (who operates Cometa Playschool preschool). The meeting is set for 6:30 pm July 23rd at the West Seattle (Admiral) branch of Seattle Public Library; FANNA expects to hear from the city about its grant application by mid-August.
SUMMER FEST STREET CLOSURES START TONIGHT: 6 pm tonight, California closes between Genesee and Edmunds, and Alaska closes between 42nd and 44th (thanks to Sue for pointing out in comments that involves bus changes too). And those street closures mean …
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK BONUS! You can stroll carless streets while visiting The Junction for the Second Thursday Art Walk tonight, 6 pm-9 pm. Of course, the Art Walk has stretched far beyond The Junction now; see the list of venues at the Art Walk website. Some have artist receptions tonight, including ArtsWest.
ALSO TONIGHT IN THE JUNCTION: Marcus from “Last Comic Standing” is at Rocksport @ 8 pm (more on this later today), looking ahead to an Admiral Theater show tomorrow.
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE JUNCTION: Seattle Tilth says Next to Nature is now selling maps for this Saturday’s City Chickens tour, including coops at West Seattle homes (more here, and at the Tilth website here.)
AND MIDDAY TODAY IN THE JUNCTION: We’ve mentioned that all three West Seattle Little League All-Star teams have won their district championships – first time ever! – and are going to state tournaments. One of those teams, the 9-10s, has travel expenses because they’re going to Vancouver (WA), and players will be fundraising in The Junction today starting at 11 am (look for the red jerseys), as well as having a car wash/bake sale in the PCC parking lot Saturday, 11 am-2 pm.
SPEAKING OF SPORTS TEAMS: Don’t forget that when it’s time to nosh at Summer Fest, the West Seattle High School football team will be serving up chicken sandwiches and chicken Caesar salads to raise money for badly needed new uniforms (as first reported here last month). What else is at Summer Fest, you ask? Come say hi to Team WSB at the Information Booth all three days, and get info ahead of time at the SF website.
NEW BEACON ONLINE: Editor Cami MacNamara has just posted the latest edition of the Alki Community Council-published semimonthly newspaper Alki News Beacon; you can get it here. We contribute to the News-Beacon sometimes and wrote up the beach-fire-controversy flareup for this edition. The ACC’s next meeting, by the way, is a week from tonight — 7 pm July 17, Alki Community Center. Also from Alki:
ALKI STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAZA PROGRESS: Thanks again to David Hutchinson for that photo and another update on the project, about to start its third day (see our extensive video/photo coverage of its momentous Day 1, plus the past year of what led up to it, archived here). He reports:
Virtually all of the rubble has been hauled away. (Today) begins the construction phase of the project with Patrick Donohue, Parks Department Project Manager, indicating that this would begin with surveying and grading. Then will come the construction of the forms in preparation for the first pouring of cement next week.
(photo shows the California/Spokane townhouses mentioned in third-to-last paragraph below)
After the mayor’s proposed changes in “multifamily zoning” came out yesterday afternoon (WSB coverage here and here; city infopage here), with a particular focus on townhouse design, we wondered how one high-profile expert would react to the proposal — West Seattle architect David Foster, current chair of the Southwest Design Review Board, gained citywide attention earlier this year after this WSB report, in which he lashed out at “micropermitting” — large townhouse developments escaping design review by applying for permits as separate small developments. We e-mailed Foster to ask for his comments on the new zoning proposal, and he says it’s a mixed bag:
I am very happy to see the City finally recognizing the importance of requiring Design Review for all townhouse projects. It would fix the micropermitting issue because it removes the thresholds that allowed
builders to dodge the process. Every neighborhood deserves good design. Since townhouse builders have consistently failed to deliver good design, it’s time to require it as a condition of permitting.As for the other proposed amendments to the code, I support them, but feel that many don’t go far enough – or will have little effect. The 4′ max fence height restriction for example is a no brainer: better would be to require real landscaping and no fence at all. (Look at the NW corner of Spokane and California for a 4′ fence that is still UGLY.) I don’t think that a ‘proscriptive’ code can be relied upon to ensure good design, which is why
the Design Review requirement is so important.I’m very disappointed to see that the mayor removed the height increases in L2 zones and lower. Obviously he is feeling the heat by the NIMBY crowd. Any good designer will tell you how is hard to do decent architecture with a 25′ height limit. The fact that most lowrise zones will continue to have a lower height limit than single family zones is sort of absurd. And, height limits will remain ‘non-departable’, which means Design Review won’t be able to offer that flexibility either. So, we’ll be stuck with more low-ceilinged, faux-craftsman designs in the years to come.
Next step in the “multifamily zoning” proposal will be various opportunities for review and comment as the City Council reviews it – we’ll keep you updated when dates are set.
You read it here first June 18 — Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) barista Blayne (photo left) made it to “Project Runway,” according to Hotwire proprietor Lora Lewis (as of tonight, still no formal announcement of the Season 5 cast), and now Lora sends word of a viewing party for the PR new-season debut next Wednesday — a big-screen TV will be set up in the community room at Ginomai (42nd/Genesee; map), which can hold about 30 people; 9 pm next Wednesday (7/16), bring a small dessert and non-alcoholic beverage to share, the room will open around 8 pm. (If you are looking for a viewing party WITH booze, Lora says nearby Shadow Land is planning one.)
As reported here this morning, Seattle and other “north and east King County cities” are now looking to team up on construction of a new misdemeanor-offender jail, because of the cost savings suggested by preliminary results of a new feasibility study. The Highland Park Action Committee, which has been leading the opposition to the two West Seattle sites on the city’s “final four” list of locations, has now weighed in with its reactionRead More
If you’ve ever passed the “Flower Houses” on Alki Ave, you’d remember them – two of the few houses left among the condos (map). We’ve received multiple notes about a protest campaign brewing over the reported plans of the condos next door to trim the big tree you see in the photo. We first heard about it, and received the above photo, from tenant Alma Taylor-Smyth, who wrote:
My husband, nephew, and I live at 1396 Alki (the left-hand house in the attached photo taken by my nephew, William Harman), and our landlady, Randie Stone, lives at 1400. She is the one who turned the flower houses into the gorgeous landmarks that they are today. We moved in in February, and every day someone local comes up to us to tell us how long they’ve loved the houses and how much they enjoy seeing the beautiful plantings, and someone who isn’t local comes up to ask about the houses and tell us how beautiful they are.
Randie was informed last week by the home owners’ association at 1402 Alki (the condo on the right in the photo) that they would be hiring someone to “trim” the branches of the 2 Douglas fir trees on her property that are on their side of the property line, although they admit that this would be something like 80% of the total branches the trees have!
I cannot imagine anyone with a soul who would think this constitutes an improvement to a spot that brings so many people enjoyment every day. Mind you, the trees were there before the condo was ever built.
I’m not a lawyer, and it does seem like the condo owners have the right to trim branches on their side of the property line (although I don’t see how their right can possibly extend to an action that would almost certainly kill the trees). However, my guess is that if they do go on to trim those branches, a great many people will see what they’ve done and wonder how they could have done such a thing and whether it could have been prevented. What I would love is to find a way to let those people know ahead of time that the condo owners want to cut off all those branches, so that they can let the condo owners know how outrageous an act that would be.
Randie has given so much to this community in providing so much beauty year-round. Is there any way that the community can give back, in the form of helping to convince the condo owners not to denude these trees that contribute to the beauty and serenity of this oasis among the condos?
We also heard from Gayle, who wrote, “The residents at the 1402 Condominiums want to butcher this beautiful tree for the sake of improving their view! They say it’s raising and cracking the sidewalk, but the owner says, ‘Not true! The sidewalk was cracked before the tree grew! Now those butchers intend to whack off half of my tree for their view!’ There are indiscriminate tree killers on the loose on Alki and they must be stopped! Please let Condomanagements.com @ 206 937-4856 know that you are pro-nature and anti-pettiness!”
We just passed the site and the tree hasn’t been trimmed yet; there’s now a big pink sign out front of the “Flower House” urging people who enjoy the tree to hang a ribbon to show their opposition to the reported trimming plan. We have a call out to the management company, where we were told the executive “who’s been dealing with this” is out of town, but we told them we’d be posting about this today, and they said they’ll have somebody else get back to us with a comment. We’ll update when we get that call back. Meantime, here’s a closer look at the tree (sent by Gayle):
(newest info at the bottom of the post)
(photos added 1:40 pm)
No further details yet, we are en route to check it out in person, but scanner traffic indicates another West Seattle bank robbery – this one time at WaMu in Westwood Village. (Thanks to CDN, who was listening to the scanner at a moment when we weren’t.) Scanner just bulletined they are looking for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, masked woman who said she had explosives on her body, plate similar to 197XOF, decal of a boxer dog on the window. Happened within the past 10 minutes or so. Call 911 if you see anything resembling the vehicle mentioned above. 1:08 PM UPDATE: We’re at the bank. Police confirm a robbery – at the drive-thru.
The bank has signs up saying “temporarily closed.” At least two police units on scene.
1:11 PM UPDATE: Latest scanner bulletin also mentions the robber claimed there were explosives in her vehicle. 1:22 PM UPDATE: We talked to a bank employee who said it happened pretty much right at 1 pm and only involved the robber and the drive-thru teller – everybody’s OK and most others in the bank didn’t even know what was going on until afterward – more police have arrived at the bank as have FBI agents. Investigators are going around that part of Westwood Village looking for witnesses.
3 PM UPDATE: The outdoor ATM’s are doing a lively business while the bank lobby remains closed. Police have cleared the scene. Here’s some video from earlier this afternoon. The gent in the checked shirt talking to the police is from the FBI.
5:21 PM UPDATE: Lt. Steve Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct just updated us: No arrest yet. The official description is “white female with a fake bearded … driving a large burgundy SUV.”
On the day BlueStar Management ceremonially broke ground last month for the Fauntleroy Place project – future home to Whole Foods, Hancock Fabrics, and nearly 200 apartments, on the northwestern side of the multicorner Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection – executive Eric Radovich sent out the new rendering you see above. Many were startled – it had little in common with the design that even that very day had been on the BlueStar website, and had been shown at previous Design Review meetings:
And in fact, the new rendering resembled the one that neighbors had brought to a previous Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting – one that BlueStar told us the next day was just for “massing.” Memories of this were still fresh when the new design abruptly emerged last month; last night, BlueStar sent a team back to JuNO to explain the changes, and listen to neighbors’ thoughts in advance of an August 14th Design Review Board meeting now set for the project. Here’s our full article:Read More
Thanks to David Hutchinson for that photo; he was there as the old Alki Statue of Liberty base came down just before 9 am today. David says, “Even as an enthusiastic supporter of the new plaza, I was sad in a way to see it fall. After living at Alki for quite a few years, it had become a familiar landmark and a connection to the past and many good memories.” This is the second day of construction for the new Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, with money coming from an extensive fundraising drive in the past year; archived WSB coverage is here, including our video and photo updates yesterday as site demolition work began and the statue itself (video of the “flying statue” here) was taken away for temporary storage before the scheduled September 6th plaza dedication.
Just in from the city – Seattle and “other north and east King County cities” are now looking at building one jail for the misdemeanor offenders the county says it eventually won’t be able to handle, instead of each city (or smaller combinations thereof) building its own – based on the results of a new “feasibility study.” The question would remain, where would a semi-regional jail be built; at last month’s Delridge District Council meeting (WSB coverage here), City Councilmember Sally Clark said, “Other cities think a regional solution is great … as long as it (the jail) is in Seattle. Meantime, we’ll be pursuing reaction on this morning’s announcement; for starters, read on for the news release just sent by the city:Read More
With Chief Sealth High School ready to move into Boren (WSB photo above, from 7/4), renovation work at Sealth is kicking into high gear, in the first phase of the process to combine the campuses of Sealth and nearby Denny Middle School. Last night, the Westwood Neighborhood Council got the latest on the project and also dove deeper into discussion of what will happen to the Denny site once the old school is demolished. Local journalist David Preston covered the meeting for WSB – read on for his report:Read More
| 24 COMMENTS