West Seattle, Washington
04 Tuesday
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
In today’s traditional WSB sponsor welcome, we want to share this information about RD House Real Estate & Property Management. 
Owner/Broker Ricky D. Sadler is a longtime West Seattle resident who started as an agent with the West Seattle John L Scott office, and sold his first house on Fauntleroy, across from Lincoln Park. An interesting trend that RD House has seen, especially in West Seattle, involves owners who decide to rent their property and manage it themselves but quickly realize that being a landlord isn’t something that everyone is cut out for. A myriad of issues all make self-management a very challenging, and unexpected, fulltime, job. RD House uses a flexible operation that allows them to virtually run the business from the field, which they say has been a big success – owners really value their responsiveness, the average days on market for their rental units over the past year is about 25 days, and they are steadily taking on new properties. Aside from running RD House, Ricky D sits on the board of the Seattle chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers and is involved in community support, such as Solid Ground, which provides emergency food and clothing banks, and he’s raised funds for First Place School, which provides a safe educational environment for homeless children. We appreciate the support of RD House and the other West Seattle-based businesses who sponsor WSB; you’ll find them all listed on the WSB Advertise page along with info on how other prospective advertisers can join them.
Before Day 2 begins, with more demolition work at the site of the Alki Statue of Liberty‘s old base, much of which was gone by quitting time yesterday (hours after Lady Liberty herself “flew away”; WSB video here), we have a few more video clips from Day 1 — including the statue “riding” off after its “flight” and plaza fundraisers Paul and Libby Carr talking with WSB immediately afterward:Read More
Highland Park Action Committee leaders continue their tour of West Seattle community groups, tonight visiting the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s monthly meeting. HPAC chair Dorsol Plants and vice chair Rory Denovan told the FCA about a letter that’s being drafted asking the Port of Seattle to support them in opposing the two potential city-jail sites in West Seattle, particularly the West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way site; HPAC contends the site’s location near the Duwamish Waterway and its industrial area means a jail “has enormous potential to permanently impair efficient movement of freight” and would run counter to the port’s Seaport Shoreline Plan, which the HPAC draft letter says “calls for discouraging non-industrial uses in the industrially zoned area around Terminal 115.” Next scheduled event in the city’s jail-site-vetting process: A public forum at 9 am Saturday at North Seattle Community College, intended to focus on the Aurora site that’s on the “final four” location list (with the two West Seattle sites as well as a spot in Interbay), but open to anyone. All WSB coverage of the jail-sites fight, by the way, is archived here.
That was the request when we talked with cleanup organizer Nancy Driver after tonight’s JuNO meeting (more on the main topics, development, later). We’ve told you before about the plan for a huge community cleanup from Walking on Logs to Fauntleroy/35th on September 13th, including the recent details that it’ll be 9 am-3 pm, and volunteers 14 and up can sign up for 2-hour shifts. Nancy explains that she needs signups now because this is a major organizational effort – everything from loaner orange vests to donated treats – and she has to have a rough head count. No obligation if you have to change your plans later, but if you think there’s even a remote chance you’ll be able to help out on September 13th, please e-mail Nancy right now: ndriver@quidnunc.net
As mentioned earlier, the long-awaited “multifamily code (zoning) update/changes” proposal by Mayor Nickels just went public this afternoon. Next step is City Council review, starting with the Planning, Land Use, and Neighborhoods Committee led by Councilmember Sally Clark, who was cautiously optimistic (and also reiterating no one’s saying townhouses themselves are “bad”):
For full details of the proposal, the right side of this page has links you can check; the full ordinance is 271 pages. We’re still going through them. Here’s what West Seattle architect and Design Review Board member Brandon Nicholson, who appeared with the mayor and Clark at the announcement this afternoon outside a Capitol Hill townhouse cluster (here’s our first report), said he considers most promising:
Regarding townhouses in particular, there are also some design specifics mandated, such as: “Limit the height of fences in a street facing setback to four feet (4’) in height .. Limit building overhangs over driveways and aisles to 3’.”
Another topic of intense interest ahead of time: Height. It’s not changing as much as once feared. In the mayor’s ordinance, it’s addressed starting on page 101, and here’s all the summary says:
1. Maintain the current overall scale and density of zones, including the 25’ height limit in certain Lowrise zones (LDT, L1 and L2).
…
4. Use an incentive program in the Lowrise 3 (L3), Midrise (MR) and Highrise (HR) zones to encourage affordable housing in exchange for additional height and floor area.
As mentioned in our previous report, “affordable housing” will be defined two ways – for purchasable units, affordable by those making 100% of the state-defined median income; for rental units, affordable by thosemaking 80% of the median.
So how high can you build, if you merit the incentives? That’s what we asked Department of Planning and Development director Diane Sugimura after the news conference. She and assistants say L3 is the West Seattle zone most affected – it’s a 30′ zone but a developer who merits the incentives could go up to 37′. Then there could be an additional 5′ in L3 for a pitched roof, and more height beyond that in this instance:”Additional height is permitted for sloped lots, at the rate of one foot (1’) for each six percent (6%) of slope, to a maximum of five feet (5’). The additional height is permitted on the down-slope side of the structure only …” And two more feet could be allowed as part of a “green roof.” But then there’s a later clause about “additional height and floor area” that says it does NOT apply to L3 in Admiral and Morgan Junction “urban villages” (but does not rule out the West Seattle Junction and Westwood UVs). What does that all really add up to? We’re at the JuNO meeting right now, and expecting to hear some further expert analysis that we’ll include in our report later tonight. 10:55 PM UPDATE: Nicholson was pre-scheduled to speak at tonight’s JuNO meeting, and while the focus of his presentation was townhouse-design-improvement advocacy on behalf of the Congress of Residential Architects, he also wove in some points about the zoning proposal, particularly what had changed from reports/expectations in recent months – including the fact it will not change height limits in most of West Seattle’s zones after all, and does not drop parking requirements below 1 space per unit (except in a certain type of area that doesn’t exist in West Seattle) – he also noted the design-review mandate for townhouse projects was a last-minute addition.
Just in from the office of West Seattle’s King County Councilmember Dow Constantine – Elliott Bay Water Taxi ridership for June has been tallied and it’s 14 percent higher than last year, following a double-digit increase for the preceding month — news release with full details, ahead:Read More
At the podium is Brandon Nicholson of Junction-based Nicholson Kovalchick Architects, who was asked to join Mayor Nickels and Councilmember Sally Clark as the long-awaited proposed changes in the Multi-Family Code — aka zoning for townhouses and other multi-family units — went public a short time ago on Capitol Hill. Nicholson also is a member of the Southwest Design Review Board, and a strong advocate of the design-review process, as he explained during his presentation at Clark’s recent townhouse-design forum (WSB coverage here) — and more design review (mandatory “administrative design review” for townhouse projects) is a component of what the mayor unveiled today, along with a proposal to allow developers more height and density in exchange for reserving a percentage of the project for “workforce housing” (those earning 100% of the state-set median income for ownership, 80% of that number for rentals). We’ll add more details shortly – three documents including the full text of the proposal have just been linked from the right side of this page; many reviews and public hearings are ahead, and whatever emerges at the end will not be finalized till sometime next year. (By the way, Nicholson coincidentally is scheduled to speak about townhouse design at tonight’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting, 6:30 pm at Ginomai, 42nd/Genesee.) 2:53 PM ADDITION: Here’s the official city news release toplining today’s announcement. We will be working on a “what’s in it for WS”-specific breakdown when we get home shortly. Note that the “urban centers” mentioned in the news release are NOT synonymous with “urban villages” – West Seattle has u-villages but not u-centers. (Here’s a map of UVs and UCs citywide.)Read More
“Flying damsel” is how Libby Carr of the Seattle (Alki) Statue of Liberty Plaza Project described the sight you see in that two-minute video clip (she was next to us atop a picnic table, watching it all unfold; we’ll add video of our interview with Libby and Paul Carr later), as the statue is lifted off its old base, not to return till a new pedestal is in place as part of the plaza work. As we showed you in updates earlier this morning, the statue is off to storage and demolition of the old base, asphalt, and benches is under way – project manager Patrick Donohue, who’s been on site supervising, says demolition should be done by day’s end; “regrading” will get under way tomorrow; actual construction of new elements should start next week. Goal is for this to be done by September 6th. 4 PM UPDATE: Ran by Alki again and noted the construction crew leaving, with the final core of the old statue base still standing, so that may not be coming down before tomorrow.
That’s the Stroller Strides class at Green Lake, warming up before participants and their young charges head out on the path for a unique bring-the-wee-ones workout that’s coming to West Seattle and offering a free class this Thursday. Kelli Currie teaches this class, which we visited last week, and will teach the one on Alki too – to check it out for free, she says you just have to show up at Alki Bathhouse on Thursday morning; sign-in starts at 10, class starts right at 10:30. You can read more about Stroller Strides at its website.
(see the bottom of this post for newest pix/info)
The crane’s in place and will soon be lifting the Alki Statue of Liberty off its old base – never to return to that one – since a new pedestal is part of the plaza project for which construction started this morning. More to come.
10:12 AM UPDATE: Lady Liberty has been removed from the pedestal and is en route to temporary storage (till sometime before the planned Sept. 6 dedication); Paul and Libby Carr of the Statue of Liberty Plaza Project have been here watching the milestone unfold on a spectacular sunny morning. They note that the benches and plaques being removed – three in all – as part of the demolition/construction work are all being replaced; two of the families, they say, chose to have benches in the new plaza, another asked to have a bench/plaque elsewhere on the beach. Now that the statue’s gone, the fencing is completely closed, and jackhammering has resumed (it’s pretty noisy down here right now). 10:34 AM UPDATE: Now the demolition of the old base is under way.
Two pieces of heavy equipment are at work on the site now, tearing up the blacktop within the fenced area as well (as mentioned elsewhere, the promenade along the water is NOT blocked, though it’s a little narrower now at the plaza-construction site) 11:05 AM UPDATE: Jacqueline Tabor of the Parks Department is putting up historic photos on the fence around the construction site – not just of the statue’s past, but also Alki from as long as a century ago. They’re going up today along with an informational sign about the project.
More pix and video to come.
Much to report from the latest batch of West Seattle police reports we reviewed at the Southwest Precinct. 
These are from reports processed in the past five days – some of the incidents are more than a week old because the department review process took a few days – and it’s a long list because it’s been a while since we downloaded reports. Among the summaries you’ll read ahead, an online car buyer gets scammed; a toddler turns up wandering in the street; a couple of unusual “road rage”-type cases and slightly older kids get the police called on them just because they’re … playing? Read on:Read More
That backhoe has just moved into place as the Parks Department gets ready to start construction of the plaza to be built around the Alki Statue of Liberty, which –as reported here yesterday — is scheduled to be taken away this morning and put in storage for the two-month duration of the construction. Right now, Parks is loosening the statue off its soon-to-be-replaced base to prepare for the move. (Archived coverage here; more updates later.)
Jennifer Duong, who provides staff support to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council on behalf of Seattle Neighborhood Group, asked us to post this reminder – the event’s become even more timely since the original announcement, given the major incidents (robbery/shooting and attack, to name a few) our neighborhood law enforcers have been through lately:
Next Tuesday, July 15, Southwest Precinct neighbors are invited to drop by the precinct to show their appreciation for officers who endure long hours, bad weather and ever-present danger to patrol WS area communities. The open-house event is planned from 10 am to 8 pm, to accommodate all three shifts.
Community members are invited to drop-in at the precinct anytime from 10 am to 8 pm for food, fun, and small talk. Come by and meet the people who patrol your neighborhood and taste some great food from local cafés. Bring thank-you cards and letters of appreciation. Share your stories about a dedicated officer or anecdotes about how someone from SPD has helped you. Coloring books and stickers for kids and art supplies to make appreciation cards will also be available.
All are welcome to donate food and beverages from local restaurants, delis, grocery stores, cafés and bakeries. (Home-cooked or home-baked foods cannot be accepted). Donations will qualify as 501-(C)3 charitable contributions. If you would like to participate or volunteer, please contact Jennifer at 206-322-6134 or jennifer@sngi.org. (If you need us to pick up your food donations, contact us by Monday, July 15th). The event is sponsored by members of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council and Seattle Neighborhood Group.
Contact:
Jennifer Duong
SNG SE/SW Program Coordinator
206-322-6134
jennifer@sngi.org
Seattle Neighborhood Group
If you’ve never been to the precinct, it’s directly east of the south side of Home Depot, at Delridge and Webster (map) – the main entrance is from a parking lot that you enter from Webster.
Kayle sent that photo and this note:
6:30 am Sunday. We live in the ravine above Salty’s, up near Walnut in North Admiral. We’ve been hearing three coyote pups and mom at night … now they have been waltzing around our deck in the mornings! The pups look healthy, well fed and are bold. Watch your pets!
Then this afternoon, JC sent this:
Not sure that this is particularly newsworthy, but it certainly made my jaw drop: I was just driving up the north end of California Avenue, coming up from Harbor Drive at 2:43 pm. A little more than halfway up the hill, I had to stop for an otter which was loping across the road towards bay side of the street. There was a white pick-up truck coming down the hill who also had to stop. The driver and I exchanged astonished shrugs as the otter disappeared into the bushes.
In the previous reader-report wildlife post (which coincidentally mentioned coyotes and an otter), we noted you’ve got a chance tomorrow night to hear various experts talk about “coexistence with coyotes,” though you’ll have to go to Rainier Beach to do it. ADDED EARLY TUESDAY: Maybe you’ll see City Councilmember Sally Clark there. One of the newer entries to her official blog mentions her first-ever coyote sighting (she lives near Seward Park).
How will city leaders change the “multifamily code” (zoning for townhouses, apartments, etc.)? The long-awaited proposal from the mayor’s office goes public tomorrow afternoon — first step in the next stage of the process, which then will involve public comment including City Council hearings. We’ll be there to cover the announcement. (Some of what it might include was previewed during a city Planning Commission member’s presentation in the “Townhouses: Can the Patient Be Saved?” forum we covered here a month ago.) City background on the issue can be found here.
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