Conner project Design Review #5 tonight: One woman’s crusade

On Tuesday, we showed you all four of the “schemes” now proposed for the western building in this two-building project (see them in this WSB story) in the heart of The Junction. Tonight, 6:30 pm, West Seattle Christian Church, members of the Southwest Design Review Board will look at them and decide whether the project will get the green light to move on to the next stage of the permit process. One person you can expect to see there is Rene Commons, who, at the third meeting, brought architecture examples she hoped the project team would take a cue from:

Commons has been working to be sure everyone knows about tonight’s meeting – she even made and distributed this poster:

(The city’s own signage is generally a bright green “NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING” flyer.) She explains, “I think West Seattle deserves more on this corner of our historic Junction. Our community recognizes that the building planned for this corner of the 4-way in the Junction is our quirky Times Square and a building of this size and magnitude should be designed better compliment the character of the small business quirky atmosphere of the Junction. I can embrace large structure like this if it is well-designed at street level and in context or improved context of the existing historical buildings in the junction. The Design Review Board really needs community support to guide the developer to get it right.” To see the full “packet” for tonight’s meeting – which, as we reported after meeting #4, was called expressly to deal with the “massing” and look of the western building — go here. If you’re going to tonight’s meeting, which like all Design Review sessions includes public-comment time, parking for WSCC is off Genesee, just east of the main church building at the 42nd/Genesee corner – look for the signs.

4 Replies to "Conner project Design Review #5 tonight: One woman's crusade"

  • WSMom April 23, 2009 (10:29 am)

    Thank you Rene for standing up and helping our community clarify what we mean when we say we want our Junction to be “livable”! I hope that everyone who has taken the time to write comments on the WSB regarding this project show up tonight to help the Design Review Board send Weber Thompson back to the drawing boards!

  • Mad enough to comment April 23, 2009 (3:06 pm)

    Jesus, people. Cornices and foofy, antiquated archtectural “details” do not make a neighborhood “livable.” Unless you have a sweet spot for Super Supplements, get with it and quit wasting this poor architecture firm’s time. Thank you.

  • J April 23, 2009 (3:54 pm)

    It doesn’t have to have cornices and “foofy” architectural details. But it’s reasonable, for a building in such an iconic place, for us to insist that it respond to the buildings across and kitty-corner from it. It doesn’t. It looks like it’s been whisked across from Bellevue.

  • ljd April 23, 2009 (5:36 pm)

    In this economy we should be happy anything is being built, let alone most of Alasksa Street from California to Fauntleroy. No building on the site is going to please everyone. If Renee Commons thinks something else should go on the corner she should buy the project and make the changes she wishes. Otherwise, let the professional designers do their job. It’s in the owners best interest to enhance the junction… they have to sell/lease these units. If this project is cancelled because the design review process seems to be endless, are we going to be stuck with the horrible Super Supplements building and the super-classy Rocksport?

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