day : 08/01/2014 11 results

West Seattle development: 1606 California SW penciled in for design review

January 8, 2014 11:56 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle development: 1606 California SW penciled in for design review

| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Add another project to the Southwest Design Review Board‘s schedule for the first few months of 2014: A North Admiral apartment project first reported here last October, 16 units replacing a fourplex and house at 1606 California SW (map), is tentatively set to debut before the board on March 6th. The project site is zoned L(owrise)-3 and is proposed as three stories, with 21 offstreet parking spaces. (It’s not in a frequent-transit zone, so parking is required.) This is the eighth West Seattle project scheduled for design review in the next eight weeks.

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Biznotes: West Seattle Fabric Company ‘streamlining’; new Smallclothes owner; Beni Hoshi followup; Zippy’s tribute

January 8, 2014 9:36 pm

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| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Four local-business notes to share tonight:

WEST SEATTLE FABRIC COMPANY STREAMLINES: North of Morgan Junction, you might have noticed the former Stitch and Sew Studio location at 5910 California SW has a “for lease” sign in the window. After 14 months, proprietor Monica Skov tells WSB she has decided to streamline and host classes out of their ongoing flagship retail location, West Seattle Fabric Company in The Admiral District. Monica tells WSB, “The Stitch & Sew Studio was a great experience for us to know exactly what our customers want – and simple, small, ‘learn to sew’ classes are what are needed.” So that’s what they will be offering, out of WSFC from now on, at 2210 California SW.

NEW OWNER FOR SMALLCLOTHES: The children’s store smallclothes at 3215 California SW has a new owner, Anne Thompson, who invites you to stop in and say hi. If you haven’t been there before, Anne says smallclothes is known best for “very well maintained, brand name, used clothing” for kids. She is a mom of two daughters and was looking to return to work outside the home after four years “when this opportunity came across my lap … I just couldn’t pass up the chance to own my own business.” She says smallclothes is now open on Sundays and while it’s under new ownership, its popular staffers are still there, and she’s added an additional staffer to help with logistics.

BENI HOSHI FOLLOWUP: We first noted in Monday night’s business roundup that Beni Hoshi Teriyaki by the 35th/Fauntleroy bridge entrance had suddenly gone out of business and removed its signs. We have since checked with the property owner, Seattle City Light, whose spokesperson Tyson Lin says the building was leased by the owner of a prior business and subleased to Beni Hoshi, so SCL has no direct knowledge of what happened. He also says the 2011 mention of studying the site for low-income housing development didn’t go anywhere: “(The site) was considered, but in the end was not included as an opportunity for this purpose.” So we still don’t know what happened and what’s next for the building.

ZIPPY’S TRIBUTE/BENEFIT: While writing this roundup, we noticed the following, posted on Facebook by Zippy’s Giant Burgers:

Our special burger (not really a burger in the traditional sense) for the month will be the pork tenderloin. This special is to honor Rahel’s father, who passed away over the weekend. He was an Iowa boy and the pork tenderloin sandwich is an Iowa favorite. On a trip to Wapello Iowa last spring we met with the local butcher and he gave us the lowdown on how to make this deep-fried treat. Simple and tasty.

*pounded out and tenderized piece of center cut pork loin. marinated in seasoned buttermilk over night. coated in cracker crumbs (we were directed to make our own cracker crumbs using regular old saltines)
*deep fried.
*served up on a bun simply dressed with yellow mustard, pickles and lettuce.
$8 – one dollar from each sandwich sold will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter.

Zippy’s is at 9614 14th SW.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Catalytic-converter theft; mailbox casing

January 8, 2014 7:38 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports tonight – first, from Patrice:

Thought you might like to know that my catalytic converter, muffler, tailpipe were all stolen right off of my car sometime Monday night.

Turns out I have a wanted item. I drive a ’97 Toyota 4-Runner and the Cat converter is full of precious metals. I looked up info on a 4-runner blog and learned that some cities get rashes of these thefts and it only takes about 30 seconds to cut it off. Which is what they did to my car. Cut it all clean off.

I live in the Admiral District on Walnut. [map] The car was parked in the street. Other folks may want to know so they can try preventive measures. I’m just sick about it.

And from Lori:

Monday early a.m. (between 3:30 and 5) and early evening two incidents of a person with a flashlight outside houses in the 50th and Alaska [map] neighborhood. Possible mailbox thefts. Police have been notified.

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What should Seattle Parks ask local voters to approve? Speak up January 25th

January 8, 2014 6:07 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

More than five years after voters passed the Parks and Green Spaces Levy in 2008, Seattle Parks and Recreation is expected to bring a new measure to the ballot this year. First, it’s holding three community meetings, one here in West Seattle, to see what you think of the work done by a citizens’ advisory committee to get to this point. The meeting is set for 1 pm Saturday, January 25th, at High Point Community Center (free child care provided); read on for the Parks announcement of what it’s about, and how to offer your thoughts even if you can’t be there:

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Solar storm leads to aurora alert for tonight – if you can see it

January 8, 2014 2:41 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

A big sunspot is acting up, and that’s led to solar-storm activity, with the possibility of aurora sightings if the sky clears at all. First word came from our Skies Over West Seattle correspondent Alice Enevoldsen, and we also received tips from Mike and Mat. The best explanation is at spaceweather.com; you can also watch the Space Weather Prediction Center. According to a chart shared by Alice, the peak activity should be between about 10 pm our time tonight at 4 am tomorrow. She says it’s “worth driving out from under the clouds for.” (Unfortunately we’re not seeing anyplace cloud-free, even on the longer-range weather radar. But there’s always hope.)

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West Seattle road work: ‘Microsurfacing’ for Arbor Heights, Fauntleroy

January 8, 2014 2:29 pm

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| Arbor Heights | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

(Click image to see full-size map)
Residential streets in Arbor Heights and Fauntleroy will get a bit of a facelift this summer – with a process called microsurfacing that SDOT is using instead of chip seal. The map above shows the general project area, but that does NOT mean every block of every street will get this treatment. But some preparation work is starting now:

To prepare the streets for microsurfacing, SDOT crews will make minor repairs such as filling potholes, depressions and cracks. Locations identified as candidates for such repairs may be marked with white paint.

Trees and vegetation will be trimmed as necessary to allow the microsurfacing crews to complete their work.

The project area is divided into five sections. The northeast section will be prepared first, and SDOT will prepare each section before moving onto the next.

The prep work will begin as early as January as weather permits and may continue into the summer. This work is expected to occur intermittently as SDOT deploys crews for this project and for other maintenance projects throughout the city.

Full details about the project are here, including contact info at the end of that page if you have questions.

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Update: New interim chief announced for Seattle Police: Harry Bailey; West Seattle community forum for permanent-chief search

January 8, 2014 11:08 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle police

11:08 AM: The official announcement has just been made at City Hall: Mayor Ed Murray has appointed a new interim Chief of Police, retired former assistant chief Harry Bailey. The previous interim chief, Jim Pugel, returns to his previous assistant-chief role. The mayor is appointing a committee to help find a permanent chief and hopes it will happen fast – by April. More details are in this report from our partners at The Seattle Times (we’ll update the link when they publish a longer story later). Though Chief Bailey retired more than five years ago, he worked as a liaison/consultant for SPD and the mayor’s office as they worked through reform, ethics, and community relations in the past few years, as did Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Joe Kessler, who is with Bailey in the 2012 photo at right, shared with us during Night Out coverage, when the two visited SW Precinct Advisory Committee rep Pete Spalding (who shared the photo that night) and neighbors on Pigeon Point. First reaction in is from the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild, which calls the appointment an “excellent decision,” adding, “Chief Bailey is highly respected by the rank and file officers and the communities of Seattle.”

12:10 PM: The official news release is out and it includes word of a new city website related to the search for a permanent chief; there we find that community forums are set as part of the search, including one in West Seattle, 6 pm January 30th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).

ADDED: The mayor has also sent a letter to the SPD rank-and-file – see it here (PDF).

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West Seattle Wednesday: What’s up today/tonight

January 8, 2014 10:08 am

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(From “old desolate” via the WSB Flickr group – captioned, “The blackberries always win”)
Happy Wednesday! Lots on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar today – here’s a sampling:

NEW YEAR, NEW BABY? The drop-in support group for parents of babies up to 1 year old, Early Days, meets Wednesdays, noon-2 pm, at Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. Details in our calendar listing. Just show up! (4746 44th SW, #201)

ENTREPRENEUR/CO-WORKING MEETUP: Noon-1:15 pm, drop by new WSB sponsor West Seattle Office Junction to meet and talk with other local entrepreneurs, telecommuters, etc. – get feedback and inspiration. (5230-B California SW)

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL’S NEW MEETING SPOT: The council that includes reps from groups around what the city calls the Southwest District – mostly western West Seattle – has changed meeting locations, starting tonight. 6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle, the big upstairs meeting room. Topics include the possibility that city leaders might seek to re-map districts to correspond with the new City Council districts – reducing 13 districts citywide to 7 – here’s an overlay map of how the current city districts correspond to the new council districts:

Tonight’s full SWDC agenda is here. The council usually meets on the 1st Wednesday, but that of course was New Year’s Day. (California/Oregon)

34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: As previewed here last weekend, a big agenda here too – awards, legislative update, health-care-reform progress report. See the agenda on the 34th Dems’ site here. Meeting starts at 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy, south side of the historic schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)

PUNK ROCK AEROBICS: 7 pm at Hiawatha Community Center, a new series starts, for ages 11 and up. More in our calendar listing. (2700 California SW)

FOOTNOTE: Did you know the location of Elm Place SW, in today’s featured photo, without looking it up? We didn’t! So here’s the map.

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West Seattle wildlife video: Fight of the hummingbirds

January 8, 2014 9:13 am

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

If hummingbirds spoke, we imagine these two might have sounded like the seagulls in “Finding Nemo“ – “mine, mine, mine, mine.” The feeder fight between these two Anna’s Hummingbirds was captured by Vlad Oustimovitch in Gatewood, and we thank him for letting us share it. (The local Audubon Society talks about Anna’s hummingbirds and their feeder behavior here.)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday commute (etc.) watch

January 8, 2014 6:03 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:03 AM: Here we go again. Hoping everyone will get to work, school, etc., more easily than Tuesday. As always, we’ll update as necessary …

8:37 AM: No news is good news, in this case.

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High-school basketball: West Seattle visits Seattle Prep

January 8, 2014 1:56 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Close one last night for West Seattle High School, whose athletics staff shares this summary:

The West Seattle HS boys basketball team traveled across town to play Seattle Prep, the #10-ranked team in the state, on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats played hard throughout the game and were prime for the upset on the road, but a few late turnovers cost them the game, falling 60-56.

The Wildcats took the lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter and held that lead until the five-minute mark, but empty possessions let Prep jump ahead for good.

WSHS senior DeAndre Love was game-high scorer with 30 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and added 5 blocks. Freshman point guard Nate Pryor and sophomore guards Andre Moore and Carter Golgart also played well for the Wildcats.

WSHS travels to Franklin on Friday to play the Quakers in a grudge match after WSHS beat the then-#4 -ranked Franklin team a year ago. Varsity tips Friday at 8 pm.

The WSHS girls face Prep tonight.

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