West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle’s “Hole Foods” site: Semi-update, since you asked

March 15, 2010 at 4:28 pm | In Development, West Seattle news | 23 Comments

What you see here on WSB isn’t always everything we spend the days and nights doing … there’s also our content streams on Facebook and Twitter … and we are blessed with plenty of phone calls and e-mail to answer. Often we handle questions that don’t ever turn into stories, because that’s just part of the job. But when more than a few people e-mail or call with the same question, that tends to be a hint it’s time to share the answer on the site too. So — We’ve heard from several people in the past week wondering what’s up (or not) with the Whole Foods (and Hancock Fabrics, and residential, etc.) development site at Fauntleroy/Alaska. Here’s what we know: Whole Foods’ regional spokesperson Vicki Foley told us recently that they will not have news any sooner than June, which is when she said their lease on this site expires. So at least until then, their official line is still, they remain committed, etc. Meantime, the big legal battle over the site itself is not yet resolved. (It’s been a year since we broke the news that the first suit had been filed – months after work at the site halted in late 2008.) There have been a few small rulings along the way – mostly involving whose claim has preference over whose, so there have been some “partial summary judgment” decisions, but the consolidated case is not yet resolved and has not yet gone to trial. We check the online file for the lawsuit almost every day, just in case something big happens; there are so many parties to the case, requiring multiple notifications every time any action is taken, that the file is REALLY big. As we wrote in September of last year, the note to the site is now held by 3922 SW Alaska LLC, which had moved at that time for “judicial foreclosure”; we haven’t found any evidence it’s happened yet.

23 Comments

1. Methinks were stuck with this indefinitely.

   Same goes for the Orangina building at 35th and Avalon. Though it does make for a good target from the 9th tee at the West Seattle Golf Course. :)

   Comment by OP — 4:53 pm March 15, 2010 #

2. I think that whoever puts on the West Seattle Outdoor Movies series in the summer should put on “Movies in the Hole” – now that would be a good use of it.

   Comment by Lady Fauntleroy — 5:15 pm March 15, 2010 #

3. This will be a “hole” for many years to come. Not a thing will happen until all lawsuits are resolved, and we know how quick that can be. The infamous Ballard Safeway Hole lasted what, 5+ years at least? So we’re gonna be looking at this for a long time to come. They should do like the failed “1 Hotel” downtown behind the Bon garage and just fill it in and use it for parking or something. If they want to dig it out in 5 or 10 years and try again, fine.

   It’s one thing when business closes, but I wish the city could do something about these “half finished” or started projects so you don’t have a massive eye sore or whatnot in the community for years/decade.

   Comment by Alki Area — 5:39 pm March 15, 2010 #

4. Sounds like Whole Foods will have more to say when their lease expires, like: See ya.
   .
   Too bad, it’s a real eye-sore.

   Comment by LB — 5:54 pm March 15, 2010 #

5. I don’t care about WF so much but I really do miss Hancock Fabrics! There’s still so much Huling/Gee building space going to waste. Wish that Hancock would separate themselves from the WF mess and move into one of those empty buildings.

   Comment by Elisabeth — 7:09 pm March 15, 2010 #

6. Is it just me or is the side of Alaska in the southwest corner of the “hole” sinking? It sure looks like it needs repair. I wonder if there is any hazard to digging and jackhammering so close to the wall of 30 foot drop. Whose responsibility is it when the street falls into the “hole”? I would reckon a guess that the litigation on that front would be as long, if not longer than what we see now. In the short term, maybe we are all on the hook.

   Comment by timeslid — 7:17 pm March 15, 2010 #

7. It’s a shame nothing gets done around here without a slew of lawsuits. Whole Foods would contribute positively to the neighborhood and bring more options and higher quality food to the area. Who wants to spend an hour or more in traffic making a run up to Wallingford or over to Bellevue? I’m always amazed at how regressive and reactionary “progressive” Seattle citizens are when it comes to projects in their backyard. The viaduct is another example. A structure in imminent danger of collapse in the event of an earthquake, but we talk and jockey forever on niceties, environmental peeves, and subtlety while we play Russian roulette with the lives of drivers who have to use it daily.

   Comment by Dennis Wulkan — 7:51 pm March 15, 2010 #

8. Dennis – just to be clear – the lawsuits weren’t challenges to the project by “progressive” (or otherwise) “Seattle citizens” – they were, and are, various entities involved in the project suing each other.

   Comment by WSB — 8:02 pm March 15, 2010 #

9. It will make a great site for the new jail ;)

   Comment by brew — 8:16 pm March 15, 2010 #

10. so so sad and mad about this hole in my hood

    Comment by thd3 — 9:23 pm March 15, 2010 #

11. as I sad two years ago…as soon as the whiners started complaining and making the developers jump thru a million different ‘design reviews’ (THE ORIGINAL WAS BEAUTIFUL), Whole Foods got cold feet. Then QFC jumped on it at got their $)# together and built. WF is just biding its time till it can walk away, and we’re stuck with a massive eyesore for years to come. And I don’t expect the Huling properties will fare much better.

    Comment by grr — 9:51 pm March 15, 2010 #

12. I know it’s a stretch, but that seems like an ideal site for a below-ground, multilevel Park ‘n Ride/Transit Center, with some retail ringing the west/north perimeter (including Hancock Fabric and Schucks, please and thank you). Let the retail shops credit your ORCA card if they want to offer “free” parking.
    There are plenty of holes in this idea, but doesn’t anyone else think that West Seattle needs *at least one* real Metro Park ‘n Ride (without paving over acres of land)?

    Comment by DrD — 12:29 am March 16, 2010 #

13. At many a meeting, the concept of a park n ride comes up. Problem is that the official city policy on more park n rides tends to be described as somewhere in the vicinity of “Hell, no.”

    Comment by WSB — 12:36 am March 16, 2010 #

14. Park and ride is the best idea ever – city needs to wake up.

    Comment by homesweethome — 8:13 am March 16, 2010 #

15. Excellent idea DrD, I love the idea of a park and ride.I think there are plenty of “unofficial” ones in West Seattle, so this would be a legit place to locate it to.

    Comment by Jill Loblaw — 8:34 am March 16, 2010 #

16. Actually, that would make a great place for a Monorail station……

    Comment by mark — 8:37 am March 16, 2010 #

17. Embrace the hole…any kind of government authority or public works project will not make it go away…private enterprise will and that will happen only when the cost benefit is recognized. In this economy…now and for a good long while the hole will be apart of our lives (sigh)!

    Comment by Near Alki — 9:22 am March 16, 2010 #

18. Except that, from an engineering standpoint, the monorail wasn’t great.
    –
    Really, transportation engineers who make a career studying these things reject monorail as a viable form of mass-transit.
    –
    Example: monorail breaks down, possibly on one of the single-track segments they were proposing, the whole system shuts down. Think about the # of times we’ve had a mono dangling immobile above 5th ave. for days on end. The columns and spans the monorail travels on is a fragile point in the system as well. Rail can continue to roll through most repair sites, monorail can’t.
    Do break-downs happen on light-rail? Yes, but derailments are generally easier to repair, and stalls are easier to remove.
    –
    I know I am really beating a dead horse, but I hope that some of the few remaining MR supporters will someday realize that though the mono looks good and space-age (MAYBE, in 1965!), the technology was from the 19th century, and hadn’t really improved over 100+ years, despite the work of many supporters.
    It is time to get over it.

    Comment by dawsonct — 9:38 am March 16, 2010 #

19. As bad as it is, I would rather not have a bunch of dump trucks driving dirt into W. Seattle, a bunch of earth-moving machines blasting exhaust into the air then a big empty lot surrounded by chain-link fence for another 3-4 years (nothing going on at the ’1 Hotel’ site. they just filled it in), and then do it all over again in reverse.
    –
    And, speaking of unnecessary waste of gas, what the hell does Whole Foods carry EXCLUSIVELY that you find yourself driving for more than an hour to procure? And if it REALLY THAT important, why don’t you go to the Interbay WF? Closer than Bellevue and Roosevelt, and they actually have one there, unlike Wallingford.

    Comment by dawsonct — 9:49 am March 16, 2010 #

20. or what about a new community pool and water park – wild waves west seattle

    Comment by 3dht — 9:52 am March 16, 2010 #

21. Its called Sarcasm, sorry about that dawsonct….maybe it would have been better if I dropped in the obligatory TJ comment about the hole…

    Comment by mark — 10:34 am March 16, 2010 #

22. You’re right Mark, the TJ meme here in W. Sea. IS one of those things that set me off, even more than the “I wanna monorail!” whiners.
    –
    I suspected there was a bit of sarcasm in your post; consider my response more of a preventative post.

    Comment by dawsonct — 10:44 am March 17, 2010 #

23. How about a hosptial or Urgent Care? Something we DON’T have in WS and actually need. We sure as h*ll don’t need another grocery store (unless it’s a TJ’s – haha). Park-n-Ride is a good idea, but I can’t see the city embracing that since IMO they haven’t planned well for ANY kind of useful public transportation system. Whatever does happen, at the very least the city should require the developers to FILL IN THE HOLE until the pending & on-going legal issues are resolved.

    Comment by Cheryl — 3:28 pm March 17, 2010 #

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