day : 04/02/2016 12 results

(Rendering from meeting “packet,” by GGLO)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Aegis Living assisted-living/memory-care complex planned for 4700 SW Admiral Way has won Southwest Design Review Board approval in the minimum number of meetings – two.

Giving unanimous approval were the three board members present for the second review tonight – Matt Zinski, T. Frick McNamara, and Alexandra Moravec. Joining them was the city’s assigned planner for the project, Holly Godard. The board members agreed that Aegis had listened and responded to the feedback given at the first review last July (here’s the official city report from that meeting).

This is a major milestone for the project set to replace the former Life Care Center of America, two years after we first reported that Aegis Living was buying this site.

Here’s what the project team, board, and community members said before the board made its decision:

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Seaview prowlers; Westwood mail theft

February 4, 2016 10:35 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Crime | Seaview | West Seattle news | Westwood

Two more West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

SEAVIEW PROWLERS: Just got a call on our 24/7 line (206-293-6302) from a Seaview resident who says two prowlers were in and around his neighbors’ garage, between 47th and 48th and Raymond and Graham, about an hour ago, and took off running when they saw him – descriptive information included white males, beards, hoodies, dark clothing, flashlights. (His neighbors weren’t home at the time but are back now and have been informed, as have police, who he said were in the area looking around.)

MAIL THEFT: Via text, a Westwood-area resident reported: “At 6:45 am on my way to work I noticed mail along 26th SW and 25th SW by SW Thistle. Looks like someone made a spree in opening mailboxes and getting mail and I even saw a few packages open.” The texter was planning to file a police report, last we heard.

Share This

UPDATE: Police response on Alki

February 4, 2016 9:31 pm

| 18 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(Photo courtesy @webcami)

9:31 PM: Thanks for the tips – we’re at 61st and Alki, where a double-digit turnout of Seattle Police cars has converged along the businesses on both sides of the intersection. A private (AMR) ambulance is here now too, and we’re waiting to talk to police to find out what’s going on.

(WSB photo)

9:37 PM: Here’s what police tell us happened: An officer in the area was flagged down by someone reporting a belligerent bar patron at Celtic Swell. The officer came into contact with that person, who got even more belligerent, and the officer called for backup – that’s why the big showing. The situation is now under control, and most of the police have left. The suspect, we’re told, left in the ambulance.

FRIDAY MORNING NOTE: See the comment section for details from someone who was there as it happened.

Share This

Fun for 120 @ West Seattle Elementary’s Family Health Carnival

February 4, 2016 7:55 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photos)

For the fourth year, West Seattle Elementary School invited students and their families to a Family Health Carnival – “to increase families’ knowledge of and participation in physical activity and healthy eating,” explains school nurse Terri Helm-Remund, who got the grant that enabled the first one in the 2012-2013 school year. Since then, “the school has duplicated the event each year using volunteers (many from AmeriCorps) and grant funding from different sources.”

About 120 people participated, The evening began with a round of Zumba, then dinner sponsored by the United Way, followed by games, activities, and informational tables featuring organizations including the American Lung Association, Cheer Seattle (top photo), First Tee, Girls on the Run, Seattle Fire Department (photo below), Seattle Parks Aquatic Program, Seattle Parks Scholarship Program, Camp Long (which brought the owl in the photo above this paragraph), Within Reach, WSE Parent Booster Club, High Point Neighborcare, and High Point Neighborhood House.

About 120 people were there to enjoy the evening, Helm-Remund tells WSB.

Share This

From the ‘in case you wondered too’ file: What’s going on at ex-Feedback Lounge

February 4, 2016 5:26 pm

| 21 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

5:26 PM: It’s been the question of the day: What’s going on at the former Feedback Lounge space (6451 California SW in Morgan Junction)?

While plywood’s up now, the facade was all but removed earlier today. Building permits and other documents show a renovation plan that’s been in the works for a few months to add more glass – “reconfigure storefront glazing” – to the front of the building.

We went by late this afternoon to check on its status and found someone who identified himself as a prospective tenant there to take a look. The landlords had told WSB recently that the building remains available for lease – as this listing indicates – and that the “Sound Bar” plan with nearby restaurateur Dan Austin hadn’t gone through after all.

The Feedback Lounge closed six months ago, after more than six years as a rock-‘n’-roll bar and restaurant.

ADDED 5:46 PM: A representative of the building’s ownership tells WSB regarding the renovations, “The building is going to look beautiful … bigger windows and a skylight. More natural light will show off the original cedar beams inside,” and confirms no tenant finalized yet. If you look at the photo in this 2008 WSB story, you’ll note the building’s corner space, home to Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor), used to be short on windows, too.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: City says it’ll evaluate Pecos drive-thru traffic if it’s a problem

February 4, 2016 3:35 pm

| 33 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Neighbors of the Pecos Pit Barbecue project at 4400 35th SW are asking for a meeting with city reps to show their concerns about its drive-thru exiting onto SW Genesee.

The concerns aren’t new – they’ve come up since the proposal (first reported here a year ago) was shown to include a drive-through, which will be the fourth in the 35th/Avalon vicinity (after KFC, Taco Time, and Starbucks). But as neighbors point out, they’re unique because the drive-through on the restaurant’s east side will have vehicles exiting onto residential SW Genesee to the north, where parking overflow from the apartments and condos along Avalon tends to result in one travel lane.

The city has approved the plan and said it didn’t require a wider review because it wasn’t a change in use for the building, owned by City Light and formerly a teriyaki restaurant. But that restaurant didn’t have a drive-through. Neighbors say they’re not opposed to the new restaurant but they think the city has underestimated its likely popularity and that will result in not just more traffic to Genesee but also a backup on the entrance to the drive-thru, which is from an alley to the south.

In an e-mail loop about the continuing concerns, city rep Bryan Stevens said that if there’s a “long-term problem” once the restaurant’s been open, the city can take another look:

When our staff reviewed the proposal, it was for the purpose of using an existing restaurant building for a new restaurant with the addition of a drive-in function. Based on the size of the new restaurant space and that it was a small local business (not a high-volume chain), staff did not see the need to require any additional queuing space beyond what was shown. While there are prescriptive queuing requirements for high-volume drive-in businesses such as banks and gas stations, restaurant businesses require staff to use their discretion based on what is known about the business and its operations.

While it’s possible upon first opening that there may be a pent up demand leading to queuing challenges, staff determined that for normal average operations, that the spaces shown on the plans would accommodate the demand and traffic flow. If queuing volume presents a long term problem after the business is in operation, then SDOT will have the business develop and implement an approved revision to better manage the vehicle queues.

Councilmember Lisa Herbold, also in the e-mail conversation, says she has already looked into “what types of streets a drive through service can utilize. The response from DCI was that only Pedestrian Zones (which begins at SW Alaska) limit curb cuts along certain streets and prohibit businesses which are car-centric.” Neighbors are now asking for her and city and project reps to meet at the site for a firsthand look.

Share This

Junction Plaza Park art installation: See the design options during Art Walk

February 4, 2016 1:36 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | WS culture/arts

During the next West Seattle Art Walk – one week from tonight – it’s your chance to offer your thoughts about the public art installation that’s on its way to The Junction. We reported last year about the plan for art in Junction Plaza Park, the greenspace at 42nd/Alaska where the community gathers for events including the annual Christmas-tree lighting and special features during West Seattle Summer Fest. As mentioned briefly in our report on last night’s Southwest District Council meeting – with a promise of this followup – the artist chosen for the project, Troy Pillow, will be at Cupcake Royale from 6-8 pm on Thursday, February 4th, showing proposed designs for the art installation, which is partly funded by a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods and partly with “public benefit” funding from the nearby Spruce development. So drop in while you’re visiting for Art Walk, evening shopping, dinner, etc. – here’s more info from the West Seattle Junction Association.

Share This

35th SW lane closures Saturday as crane for Aura comes down; Avalon work to follow

February 4, 2016 11:59 am

| 7 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

11:59 AM: Just announced: The tower crane for the mixed-use project Aura on 35th SW just south of SW Avalon is coming down on Saturday, and that means lane closures on 35th. Also note work on Avalon to follow next week. From contractor Compass:

This Saturday (February 6th, 2016) we will be closing down the 4 lanes on 35th Ave SW adjacent our site to dismantle our tower crane (all of which has been approved by the City of Seattle). The road will be signed accordingly and a police officer will be present to direct traffic (see attached traffic control plan for reference). The plan is to roll on site at 5:00 am Saturday with a mobile crane so we can start work by 7:00 am.

Weather permitting, we’ll have the crane completely dismantled and hauled off by 9:00pm. Though we are permitted to work until 10 PM with the lane closures, we are confident (weather permitting) we will be out of there before then. However, if we run into complications, we will wrap up Sunday morning. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause to your weekend commutes.

Lastly, we will begin work an Avalon St. next week as we connect our underground utilities. This work will take almost 2 weeks, and will be performed between 8:00am and 4:00pm. The lanes will be modified as we trench across the street, however, they will be signed accordingly and hopefully will not impede the daily commuters significantly.

Aura’s crane went up 14 months ago. When it’s down, two will remain in West Seattle for now, both at The Whittaker‘s site (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW).

1:10 PM: We’ve added a photo and corrected the project’s name – it’s Aura, as previously reported here.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Fauntleroy Expressway project ready to ‘move ahead’

February 4, 2016 11:08 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

(January 2012 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)

The re-replacement of more than 600 earthquake-safety cushions under the west end of the West Seattle Bridge could start as soon as late March.

That update today from a spokesperson for SDOT‘s Fauntleroy Expressway Bearing Pad Replacement Project.

We first reported last month that the re-replacement is finally about to get under way, a year later than first announced, and two years after the city revealed the new cushions installed in 2012 would need to be replaced because of a design-process problem.

Since this work is expected to require dozens of bridge closures – mostly late at night – we had asked last month how SDOT would take into account the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure for the tunneling project that at the time was also expected in March. Since the tunneling’s been on hold again for three weeks now, SDOT says today:

We have been hoping to get a firm (or relatively firm) range of dates for the likely AWV closure. However, the Governor’s directive to stop any additional drilling until he is satisfied with the answers provided to him about the sinkhole leaves the closure schedule very much in the air.

Given this situation, along with our belief that our project’s nighttime closures will generally add no more than a couple of minutes of travel time for detoured motorists, we are going to move ahead. We expect to begin construction sometime between late March and mid-April (and hope to have a firmer schedule in hand from the contractor by the end of February).

While we’d prefer to not have our weeknight closures of the Expressway overlap with the AWV closure, we don’t believe there is enough of a linkage between the two to cause us to delay the project.

A briefing is planned at next month’s Southwest District Council meeting (6:30 pm Wednesday, March 3rd, Sisson Building), and SDOT says it would be happy to meet with any other interested groups. The city has reiterated that the bridge is safe; tougher cushions extend its lifespan.

Share This

West Seattle Thursday: Schools; stories; signups

February 4, 2016 9:31 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Thursday: Schools; stories; signups

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Highlights of what’s up around West Seattle for the rest of today/tonight:

LAFAYETTE KINDERGARTEN TOURS: 1:15-2:15 pm, prospective parents are invited to tour Lafayette Elementary. (California SW/SW Lander)

IMMIGRANTS’ STORIES @ SWYFS: 5-7 pm, dinner, a tour, and conversations at Southwest Youth and Family Services, featuring Seattle’s Civic Poet Claudia Castro Luna and immigrant families – details in our calendar listing. (4555 Delridge Way SW)

FREE TAX-PREP HELP: You might qualify for the tax-preparation help being offered via United Way of King County at 24 locations including, in our community, the West Seattle Food Bank. 5-9 tonight and other nights – info in our calendar listing. (35th SW/SW Morgan)

WEST SEATTLE LITTLE LEAGUE: 6-8 pm at Uptown Espresso in The Junction, West Seattle Little League (which provided the photo above) is hosting another information/document night: “Join us if you need to turn in your documents OR if you just want more information about WSLL and the upcoming season.” The registration deadline is coming up fast – Monday, February 15th – and you can sign up online at westseattlelittleleague.com. (California/Edmunds/Erskine)

RELAY FOR LIFE OF WEST SEATTLE: The kickoff meeting for this June’s overnight cancer-fighting Relay for Life of West Seattle is 6-7:30 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Come meet organizers and team captains and find out how to be part of it. (9131 California SW)

PATHFINDER SCHOOL ELEMENTARY TOURS: K-5 tours 6-7:30 pm tonight – RSVP required; the school website explains how to do that. (1901 SW Genesee)

DENNY INTERNATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6:30 pm, prospective families are invited to an open house to meet Denny teachers and staff. (2601 SW Kenyon)

2ND DESIGN REVIEW FOR 4700 SW ADMIRAL WAY: As previewed here earlier this week, the Aegis Living West Seattle assisted-living/memory-care project at 4700 SW Admiral Way goes back to the Southwest Design Review Board tonight, 6:30 pm at the Sisson Building. (California SW/SW Oregon)

LIVE MUSIC AT PARLIAMENT TAVERN: 8 pm, Sweet Jesus, The Other Matt Clark, Graham MacRae are on tonight’s lineup at Parliament Tavern in The Admiral District. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

LOOK AHEAD … to see what’s coming up on our calendar, especially to get a jump on morning events (like school tours) that happen before we publish this daily reminder list.

Share This

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday notes

February 4, 2016 6:56 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday notes

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Click any view for a close-up)

6:56 AM: Good morning. So far, no incidents reported in/from West Seattle.

7:43 AM: A crash is reported at 24th/Holden.

7:52 AM: Via Twitter, Michael reports lower Spokane backed up @ Alaskan, possibly by signal issues.

Share This

High-school basketball: West Seattle girls now 19-0

February 4, 2016 1:17 am

| Comments Off on High-school basketball: West Seattle girls now 19-0

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

(WSB photos – click images for larger views)

Last regular-season home game for the undefeated West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team on Wednesday night – and their season-long win streak continued with a 51-43 win over Seattle Prep. Pre-game honors for seniors included special balls to #32 Lydia Giomi (above) and #30 Lexi Ioane (below) – Giomi scored her 1000th point vs. Eastside Catholic back on January 8th and pulled down her 1000th rebound vs. Garfield on January 29th; Ioane scored her 1000th point vs. Lakeside on December 16th.