Beach policing plan, city’s shoreline-rules update both reviewed @ Alki Community Council

As a draw for people from around the region, Alki Beach poses a unique challenge for local police. It’s one of six areas of West Seattle for which Southwest Precinct leaders are drawing up neighborhood-policing plans, so Operations Lt. Ron Smith came to this month’s Alki Community Council meeting in search of comments on the draft. He was one of two guests, along with a city rep working on the revised Shoreline Master Program.

ALKI POLICING PLAN: The ACC had circulated the draft policing plan along with the meeting agenda:

See it here – short and simple, no multi-chapter, triple-digit-page-count tome.

Lt. Smith, a former Alki resident, pointed out that the SPD Traffic Unit can have considerable impact with enforcement in the beach zone – “a ticket is worth 10 arrests” for some offenders in the area, he explained. Traffic and crime aren’t the only issues – dogs on the beach represent a policing issue, too, Lt. Smith said. And that is an example of how city departments cannot stay heads-down in their own silos any more, he said – “If we can get Parks, animal control, fire, and the community involved, we can get a better handle” on a problem like that.

Regarding traffic enforcement – be aware, if they’re out enforcing, they’re writing tickets for residents as well as visitors. Meeting attendees said they are particularly concerned about the motorcycle groups that tend to descend on Alki, especially in summertime, gathering in front of businesses and sometimes causing noise problems – revving engines, blasting music, profanity.

Lt. Smith said they are aware of parking issues too, which observing that West Seattle is unique in a lack of metered street parking. And he said police are working on getting keys for park facilities, and encouraging third-watch officers to make sure the gates are closed. Overall, the plan inevitably will evolve; they just want to get a feeling for community concerns. When you have a concern, Lt. Smith urged, don’t be timid about calling 911!

Recognizing that pro-active presence is of extra value on the beach, they’re also seeking funding for a new mobile precinct so one can be parked on Alki more often at peak times. And this past summer, bicycle-riding officers have been high profile.

SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM UPDATE: Maggie Glowacki from the Department of Planning and Development gave a detailed presentation of the changes that are expected to be finalized next year, covering zoning of and future development guidelines for the city’s major shoreline areas. She explained that it would be the first true update since 1987, focused on “use preferences” for the shoreline as well as ensuring ecological protection and protecting public access. Puget Sound, Elliott Bay, and the Duwamish River are the local shorelines governed under the master program – NOT any of the local creeks. The update has been years in the making – as you’ll see on its city website. Here’s the 43-page slide deck she presented (including some West Seattle-specific examples):

Among the toplines: There are five types of urban shoreline environments – urban general, urban industrial, urban maritime, urban stable/urban commercial, urban residential. The plan assesses anticipated future needs as well as current statuses. Each environment would have specific uses listed as allowed, descriptions for what types of buildings and development would be allowed, how much setback from the shore would be needed, what kind of “over-water coverage” would be allowed, would shoreline modification be allowed and how much, etc. Much of it is a balancing act, Glowacki explained – the industrial zone, for example, doesn’t come with a public-access requirement.

Among the big issues this deals with: What uses are allowed in industrial shoreline areas; how does the shoreline plan deal with “floating homes”; how does it handle public access; how does “no net loss of ecological function” get measured, and how does it relate to development standards.

The proposed plan is in the final stages of review before going to the City Council. Its online materials include a massive virtual stack of documents linked here, including comment letters from shoreline businesses (Vigor Shipyards, for example) and city responses. Glowacki’s contact info, if you have questions or comments, is on the right side of the page.

SIDE NOTE: The presentation was strictly about the city’s in-the-works guidelines, not any specific development proposals, though some in attendance had questions about the status and future of the “Pier 1” property immediately southeast of Salty’s (WSB sponsor). That did not fall under Glowacki’s purview; the most recent information we could find is that its owners had sought a site-specific zoning change through the current Comprehensive Plan Amendment process that’s before the City Council, but it’s not recommended for approval.

ALSO MENTIONED: A citizen proposal for modifying the West Seattle Water Taxi shuttle routes is in the works … The growth of volleyball tournaments on Alki, taking up much of the sand space on summer weekends, came up (as it did last year in the WSB Forums). Interested in those topics, or anything else happening in the Alki/Beach Drive area? Be at the next Alki Community Council meeting – third Thursdays, 7 pm, Alki UCC Church (62nd/Hinds).

Kathy September 24, 2014 (9:50 am)

Businesses in Alki are geared almost 100% to serving customers in motorized vehicles. This creates a culture more welcoming to people who travel the street at unsafe speeds or come just to cruise or circle the neighborhood looking for parking. Most gang activity, I assure you, arrives in Alki by motorized vehicles.

I challenge the businesses to cater a little bit more to people arriving by foot and bike. This means providing some bicycle parking in front of your business. I recently helped clean up in front of a business on Alki Avenue during the beach cleanup event. The place was disgusting with discarded cigarette butts all over the ground in the outdoor table area. With the heavy rains those butts are washing down onto the beach and into the Sound. I think if there were bicycle parking instead of motorcycle parking in front of that business, there would be space for more customers to park, and it would attract more of the type of customer who is less likely to throw their cigarette butts on the ground or bring a gun into the area.

A few bike sharing stations linking the Water Taxi dock to a couple of locations along Alki would also bring more people to the area who are less likely to come just to cause trouble or create a traffic jam. This might require sponsorship from one of the Alki businesses. A bike share option along Harbor/Alki Avenues and Beach Drive would also help people coming back from sporting events on late Water Taxi runs who would be otherwise stranded due to no shuttle or bus service. These bikes come fully equipped with lights so night riding on the trail would be no problem. https://www.prontocycleshare.com/

As an aside to this topic: How many times have you sat at a window or at an outdoor table in a restaurant on Alki Avenue only to have your view of the water and mountains blocked by a parked car? A smart Alki restaurant owner would be contacting SDOT and requesting that a bike corral be installed in front of their business instead of 1 or 2 car spaces. The view from their tables would be instantly enhanced, making make their restaurant experience more attractive to customers.

Mongo September 24, 2014 (11:20 am)

Kathy – I suspect most customers of Alki businesses are coming by motorized vehicles, and that the business owners understand that. Parking at Alki is already a big enough hassle that it impacts the decision on whether to go there. Removal of more spaces is just going to make more people decide not to deal with the hassle and to somewhere else. I also suspect that would cost more business than would gain via non-motorized customers.

David Boneham September 24, 2014 (11:45 am)

Kathy,
You sound very well meaning and you want what is best for Alki but why make sweeping generalizations about motorcyclists? Why the suggestion that motorcycle parking should be replaced with bicycle parking? Motorcycles take up very little parking space compared with automobiles. They also rarely cause traffic jams. I think your argument would be more valid if you would suggest taking away car parking for bicycle parking.
I’m not even certain there is official motorcycle parking in Alki. It just happens that motorcyclists can squeeze in narrow spaces that cars don’t fit into or, in other circumstances,
multiple motorcycles fit into the space one car would take – the same as bicycles do.
Your description of disgusting cigarette butts is compelling but I believe that those foolish enough to indulge in those things sometime arrive in cars, sometimes on motorcycles, sometimes on bicycles, and sometimes on foot. Please don’t single out one mode of transportation for demonizing. That happens enough with bicyclists
and it shouldn’t. In fairness it shouldn’t happen to motorcyclists either as they are another transportation minority group who are often unfairly maligned. As with all modes of transportation there are always rude and inconsiderate people. Motorcyclists don’t have a monopoly on such behaviors.
As far as your other ideas concerning bike sharing stations and Pronto I think you have a well thought out argument and I’m all for it.

Guy September 24, 2014 (3:00 pm)

I didn’t even know there was a community council for Alki. I’m moving out of the Alki area before next summer. People that visit here really ruin it for me. My cat was killed by a speeding car, stuff gets stolen from my patio, and the trashy people that stay until 4:00am keep me up at night. We are talking about bicycle parking and cigarette butts? I feel like Allen Iverson being asked about practice. And….most of the neighbors are jerks.

WSB September 24, 2014 (3:10 pm)

We’ve been reporting on it for seven years – https://westseattleblog.com/2007/07/hot-headlines-from-the-alki-community-council-meeting – although it certainly predates us. Small group of dedicated volunteers who, like every community council/org we cover, would love to have more help, participation, even just people sitting in the back row staring quietly :) Anyway, sorry to hear about the problems.

Kathy September 24, 2014 (8:56 pm)

David B., I didn’t really intend to paint all motorcyclists with the same brush. But the report in the meeting was targeting the behavior of “the motorcycle groups that tend to descend on Alki, especially in summertime, gathering in front of businesses and sometimes causing noise problems – revving engines, blasting music, profanity.” and this was the concern I was addressing. As for parking, a motorcycle can park in any legal street space, but bicycles on Alki, with its great bike trail, are currently restricted to parking in a few places on the narrow real estate allotted to sidewalks that are supposed to be for pedestrians, but which in fact are crowded with plantings, light poles, traffic and bus stop signs, garbage and recycling bins, newspaper stands, bike racks and outdoor cafe seating. On the street you could get at least 2-3 bikes parked in the space needed for one motorcycle, 10-12 in the space needed for one car. I actually spoke to one business who told me they would prefer to have one motorcycle parked in front to having a few bikes parked there, that situation may have influenced my comment to some extent, but needless to say, as a bicyclist, I will take my business elsewhere in the future. The next time I see a bicyclist throw a cigarette butt on the ground I’ll be sure to let them know my feelings about it in no uncertain terms. I don’t know how anybody can justify that disgusting behavior. On Saturday we were supposed to be keeping track of the types of trash we picked on the beach and in the neighborhood and I gave up counting the cigarette butts after 350…

Kathy September 24, 2014 (9:27 pm)

Mongo, have you ever heard the saying “if you build it they will come”? Well, if you only provide car parking, they will come bringing their car. But, if you give them better options, like more frequent transit, bike share, more places to lock their bike, more people will come to your business because more people fit in a bus than a car, and more bikes can fit in one parking space. And you will start attracting more people who aren’t coming now because they either don’t have a car and have few other options to get there, or who are avoiding coming because they don’t like to hunt for a place to park their car or their bike.

I don’t know if you live in Alki, but nearly every weekend this summer with all the nice weather traffic was wild in front of my house on Admiral Way with all the cars circling the block, u-turning, hunting for parking anywhere, peeling out with screeching tires and roaring motors as they zoomed out of the neighborhood and up the hill 25 miles over the speed limit. And I am one of the lucky ones, my heart goes out to those who live right on Alki Avenue. If we keep promoting the neighborhood as welcoming mainly to cars, we can only expect to continue to attract this type of behavior.

ScubaFrog September 24, 2014 (10:47 pm)

Guy, I can empathize completely. The fast cars/motorcycles and tremendously loud stereos have ruined Alki for me, too. I’m out of here before next summer, as well.

I’ve tried time and again to work with Captain Wilske (and even the new Chief), to no avail. “Speeding motorcycles, cars, and loud stereos aren’t a priority”. I remember when speeding cars/street bikes, and obscenely loud bass cars were ticketed.

This was the worst summer since I bought here in 2007.

Rick September 25, 2014 (3:26 am)

Gosh,I guess Alki should be exclusive for residents,bicycles and peds.

Guy September 25, 2014 (10:15 am)

At “Rick”: Now you’re talking!! Great idea!

e September 27, 2014 (10:42 am)

“When you have a concern, Lt. Smith urged, don’t be timid about calling 911!”
I lost count of how many times we called 911 this past summer and no one showed up. Once we went down to the precinct the next day to ask what happened and were told we had called at shift change. not the best pr.
I love alki for 9 months a year, but it isn’t enough to justify the other 3 months any more. This summer was the last straw and we sadly just sold our place. I hope this new plan makes a difference.

Sorry, comment time is over.