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Delridge 2009 results

West Seattle outdoor art: Youngstown mural painting, starting today
July 29, 2014 1:08 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Stopped by Youngstown Cultural Arts Center at midday to check on the progress of this year’s mural project – and we discovered the young artists are officially starting work on the mural today! They actually have been working on the 210-foot retaining wall along Delridge for a while now, but first job was to get it primed, and now that that’s done, it’s mural-painting time. That’ll take about two weeks – the grand unveiling is planned for August 14th. As noted here last month, this is part of the same city-funded summertime program that resulted in more than a dozen mini-murals on signal boxes along Delridge last year. The youth are working with professional artists, and according to this online update, they welcome community volunteers, too.

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How local teens spent part of their summer: Rebuilding a custom vintage motorcycle with MISSIONmoto, SW Youth & Family Services
July 25, 2014 1:45 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Program names go by … say, the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative … but we don’t often see/hear the results of activities related to those programs. Here, for a change, is a result. In the photo is Terry, one of the participants in a SYVPI project that led to the teardown and rebuild of that custom vintage motorcycle over the course of a 10-week after-school (etc.) project. He did it with MISSIONmoto, a nonprofit “motorcycle ministry” with garage space near Morgan Junction, which invited youth from the SYVPI program at North Delridge-based Southwest Youth and Family Services to “do a complete teardown and rebuild of a custom vintage motorcycle” – a 1973 Honda CB750K, to be precise. It was a pilot partnership, MISSIONmoto explains; we photographed Terry and the motorcycle at a celebratory barbecue held Thursday afternoon at SWYFS.

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Delridge Day updates: ‘The Lego Movie’ outdoor screening the night before; festival music schedule out
July 24, 2014 4:13 pm
|    Comments Off on Delridge Day updates: ‘The Lego Movie’ outdoor screening the night before; festival music schedule out
 |   Delridge | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

That flyer is just in, courtesy of Pete Spalding, one of the organizers of next month’s Delridge Day festival. It’s a new addition to the celebration – an outdoor movie in the Delridge Community Center park the night before Delridge Day. That means at 9 pm Friday night, August 8th, you’re invited to the free screening of “The Lego Movie.” Then on Saturday, August 8th, 11 am-3 pm, the Delridge Day festival takes over the park; the music lineup is already out:

11:00 Bill Wolford – world music, alt folk
12:00 Ellis Brothers – jazz
1:00 The Slags – rock and reggae
2:00 Roo and the Few – Americana

The park is at Delridge/Genesee, south and west of Delridge Skatepark. More festival details to come.

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Delridge Grocery’s first Friday Farmstand – a hit!
July 18, 2014 8:31 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Health | West Seattle news

Sarah, Susan, Constance, and Ariana posed with leafy greens at the first Delridge Grocery Friday Farmstand because that’s all they had left by the time we got there at 7 pm. Ariana reports the stand had a line for the first two hours as buyers scooped up all the fruit. We mentioned the produce offerings in this morning’s daily preview; next Friday, they’re likely to have more raspberries and blueberries, cherries, peaches, greens, tomatoes, summer squash, and green onions, among other offerings. The farmstand is a sort of appetizer for the future Delridge Grocery, the cooperative store that volunteers are working to open in the commercial space of DESC’s Cottage Grove Commons. To add to the festive flavor of today’s stand, live music was provided by Thaddeus Spae.

Look for the farmstand’s second edition just south of Delridge Branch Library (5423 Delridge Way SW) next Friday (July 25th), 4:30-7:30 pm.

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Help shape North Delridge’s future: New committee needs you
July 17, 2014 9:09 am
|    Comments Off on Help shape North Delridge’s future: New committee needs you
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

What does your community need to thrive, to be a great place to live, work, visit? Right now, the city is getting ready to draw up a North Delridge Action Plan for that section of eastern West Seattle – as explained here – and looking for people to be part of an advisory committee. Your participation would include not only making suggestions and offering opinions, but also reviewing what other community members are saying as part of the process. Creating the plan is expected to take a year or so, during which there will be monthly meetings and three community events. You have two weeks to apply – August 1st is the deadline – contact Jake Hellenkamp (jake.hellenkamp@seattle.gov) for an application, and if you have questions about the plan itself, you can contact David Goldberg at DavidW.Goldberg@seattle.gov. The city’s also planning to have a booth at the Delridge Day festival on Saturday, August 9th, to share info about the planning process. Don’t find yourself five or ten years down the line wondering “whose idea was THIS?” – jump in now.

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Another weekly produce stand launching in West Seattle: Delridge Grocery’s Friday Farmstand
July 12, 2014 8:01 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

Starting next Friday, another farmstand plans weekly sales of fresh produce in West Seattle – this one, announced today by the future Delridge Grocery:

Exciting news! Our Friday Farmstand launches this week! Finally – fresh, local, sustainable fruits and vegetables in Delridge!

Come by every Friday all summer:
4:30-7:30
5435 Delridge Way SW
Two doors south of the library, across the street from our future full-service grocery location

Celebrate our launch this Friday, July 18th, with free lemonade at the farmstand, and a fun comedy event afterward from 8-12 at the Skylark!

Want to be more involved?

Volunteer and take home free produce! Help run the produce stand and take home some leftovers! It’s easy and fun, and we’ll provide training. Sign up for volunteer shifts online.

Join the Canning Club!
Do you like canning pickles and jams to save for the winter? Join Friday Farmstand Canning Club and get first crack and discount prices on bulk quantities of leftover produce! To sign up, e-mail Farmstand Manager Ariana at taylorstanley@gmail.com with your name and phone number. You must be available to pickup produce after the farmstand, at 7:30 on Fridays.

Delridge Grocery, which has its roots in the Delridge Produce Cooperative effort launched five years ago, is working toward opening a co-op grocery store in the commercial space of the Cottage Grove Commons building at 5444 Delridge Way SW.

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Open house celebrates Fire Station 36’s upgrades, reopening
July 12, 2014 2:55 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

At midday today, West Seattle’s Fire Station 36 in North Delridge welcomed visitors to an open house with tours of its upgrades and renovations:

The station recently reopened after about nine months of work – read more about it here – during which time Station 36’s crews were temporarily stationed at a spot off Harbor Avenue SW. Among those on hand today, Fire Chief Gregory Dean:

And history, courtesy of the Last Resort Fire Department:

The next West Seattle fire station to relocate for an upgrade is Station 32 in The Junction, which will be demolished and rebuilt on its current site; during the project, that station will be temporarily relocated to city-owned property on 40th SW across from the Masonic Center.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Guilty plea in deadly crash
July 9, 2014 4:20 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

One Saturday night in July of last year, a pickup truck sped through a red light on southbound Delridge Way at Kenyon, hit an SUV (its wreckage is at right), and rolled. 43-year-old Michael Fisher was thrown from the truck and died at the scene; another passenger was hurt, as was the SUV’s driver. The pickup’s under-the-influence driver, 44-year-old William Edmon, was arrested that night and has since pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and reckless endangerment. We just discovered it in a periodic check of ongoing case files; the plea was entered in late May. Edmon has a long record, as reported here when he was charged last year, including 13 instances of driving with a suspended license, three DUI cases, and cases including inattentive driving, ignition-interlock violation, reckless driving, property destruction, harassment, hit-and-run, malicious mischief, plus several “failure to appear” charges along the way. Because of his record, prosecutors are recommending a prison sentence that would total 160 months – just over 13 years – with 72 of those months as a “DUI enhancement.” The sentencing is scheduled for July 25th, postponed from a date last month so the victim’s relatives can be present.

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Fire Station 36 upgrades done; dedication/open house Saturday
July 7, 2014 8:40 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

(Station 36 rendering courtesy SFD)
You’re invited to Seattle Fire Station 36 11 am-1 pm this Saturday, for its dedication/open house. Station 36 has been going through upgrades and renovations for nine months, with the station’s crews temporarily relocated to a site off Harbor Avenue, but now the work’s done and it’s time to celebrate. First 100 visitors get free hot dogs courtesy of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 27; special kids’ activities too (as if touring the station and checking out the firefighting equipment wasn’t enough to impress most kids!). Station 36 is at 3600 23rd SW (map)

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Roadside raingardens in South Delridge: Door-to-door info
June 12, 2014 4:16 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Environment | West Seattle news

Design is under way for the third area of West Seattle to get roadside raingardens to help reduce runoff that contributes to combined-sewer overflows (CSO), and project team members are now going door-to-door to make sure residents are aware. As outlined at a meeting last November, the raingardens will be built in an area of South Delridge primarily involving several blocks of 17th SW – between SW Kenyon and SW Henderson – that’s also part of a future greenway. Seattle Public Utilities is the lead agency, and says:

Project design is happening through 2014 and into 2015. Throughout the upcoming months, SPU will continue to work with project area residents to finalize the design. During design and leading up to construction, pre-construction activities may include geotechnical and survey crews in the neighborhood, and utility relocation work prior to construction. Construction of the natural drainage system is scheduled to begin in summer of 2015.

The city’s project website is here; the project reps going door-to-door are distributing two infosheets, here and here. And if you have questions, be at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting next Wednesday (June 18th, 7 pm) at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – an SPU rep will be there with an update on the project that’s officially known as “Delridge Natural Drainage Systems.”

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Another Delridge mural project, with an invitation for you
June 10, 2014 1:53 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Last year, the signal boxes – this year, the retaining wall. The newest newsletter from Youngstown Cultural Arts Center notes that the arrival of summer means a new public-art project involving local youth in the Work Readiness Arts Program, which last year resulted in colorful sea-life designs on otherwise drab and vandal-targeted signal boxes (see video above):

This year, volunteers and students will work with artists Louis Chinn and Tess Gamez to design and paint the 210-foot retaining wall across from the Delridge Skatepark, adding depth, color and art along the busy thoroughfare. The goal is to create a mural that honors the rich history of the Delridge area, and celebrates the bright future being created as a community.

Youngstown has launched an online survey asking for suggested themes and elements for the mural – you can share your ideas here.

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North Delridge Neighborhood Council: Outdoor meeting Monday
June 7, 2014 2:22 pm
|    Comments Off on North Delridge Neighborhood Council: Outdoor meeting Monday
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

A few years ago, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council started holding its summertime meetings outdoors in various locations. The announcement of this coming Monday’s meeting has just arrived, and they’re doing it again:

Join the NDNC for our monthly meeting on Monday, June 9, at 6:30 pm. We’re starting our summer meetings in the park series with Cottage Grove Park – 26th and Brandon, the one with the kids’ play area at one end. Bring outside chairs, blankets, or anything else you need – depending on the weather, it gets cool towards the end.

We don’t have much in the way of a set agenda, so we’re holding an open meeting for you to bring any and all issues, concerns or other items.

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Fire Station 36’s seismic/safety upgrade almost done
June 6, 2014 12:26 pm
|    Comments Off on Fire Station 36’s seismic/safety upgrade almost done
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news

For about a year, West Seattle’s bridgeside Fire Station 36 has been in temporary quarters off Harbor Avenue while seismic/safety upgrade work has been under way. SFD says the job’s almost done and they’re planning a community open house to celebrate, 11 am-1 pm on Saturday, July 12th – mark the calendar! Other fire-station upgrade projects are on the way in our area, the biggest being a brand-new Station 32 on the site of the existing one.

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Update: Police took 2K+ plants from North Delridge warehouse, left 45, say dispensary operator and SPD
June 4, 2014 1:34 pm
|      43 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(Screengrab from @raincitycannabis Instagram feed)
While we await more information from Seattle Police on why they raided a North Delridge warehouse – as reported here Tuesday afternoon – we’ve spoken with the man who says the operation was his: Matthew Segal of Rain City, which has dispensaries in Rainier and Magnolia, says he is mystified as to why his operation at 28th/Yancy was raided. He has posted photos on Instagram showing the aftermath; we found him after a tip about the photos. [Editor’s note: They are now showing as “unavailable” from the embed mode; we’re substituting an earlier screengrab above.] He says more than 2,500 plants were growing, and that police told him he could keep 45 – the amount allowed in one “collective garden.” Segal says the raid happened without warning, and that there have been no arrests, and no explanation. He says he was working with the state Liquor Control Board on licensing this location as a legal growing site for the recreational-marijuana business, and that he is registered with the state Labor and Industries Department as a cannabis grower.

He says Rain City serves 4,500 patients/clients. But he acknowledged that the amount of allowed plants at a facility like this is a “gray area,” as much of the medical-marijuana industry has been for the past decade-plus. All he knows for now, he told us, is that he got a call yesterday “saying that police were at my warehouse … and then I came down,” and found the plants being removed. He says he had been growing there for three years and was buying the building (county records show him listed as its owner since a $1,050,000 purchase in March) . He hasn’t decided on his next steps, but hasn’t ruled out legal action, while saying he’ll “figure something out” about how to get a supply to stay in business. “I just don’t understand, it really … it’s going to haunt me.”

Meantime, we checked again with police this morning, seeking more information beyond what Narcotics Unit Captain James Dermody had told us at the scene yesterday; SPD spokesperson Det. Renée Witt said they were still gathering information to share with media. We’ll update this story whenever that information is available.

4:47 PM UPDATE: We stepped away from the desk for a few minutes, and that’s when the SPD Blotter post went up. New information includes police saying they searched two homes, one of them in West Seattle, as well as the 28th/Yancy warehouse:

After receiving complaints from neighbors about an overwhelming smell emanating from a large marijuana grow operation, the Seattle Police Narcotics Unit and Anti-Crime Team officers served a warrant — signed by a King County District Court judge — at a home and a warehouse in West Seattle and another house on Beacon Hill Tuesday evening, and recovered what detectives say is an unprecedented number of illegally-grown marijuana plants.

After police began an investigation into the two homes and warehouse — in the 2400 block of S. Morgan St, 6500 block of 44th Ave SW and 2600 block of SW Yancy St respectively — detectives learned the three illegal marijuana grows were operating under the guise of a medical marijuana collective and were growing far more plants than allowed under state law.

The West Seattle warehouse had more than 2200 plants alone, well over the 45 plant limit allowed for medical marijuana grows in Washington. Police seized 206 and 227 plants at the two homes.

All told 2663 plants and 86 pounds of processed marijuana were seized during the operation.

Detectives say this is the largest illegal marijuana grow operation they can recall investigating.

Police also believe the owner of the grow operation was harvesting marijuana from the grow operation and selling it through a dispensary — which he also owns — violating the state’s regulations on collective gardens.

Detectives left 45 marijuana plants at each location, along with 72 ounces of processed marijuana and growing equipment, and let the growers at each site select which plants they wanted to keep. Detectives were interested only in bringing the operation back under the limits of state law, and in addition to leaving plants and equipment at the scenes, also opted not to book anyone involved in the operation into jail.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Police raid in North Delridge
June 3, 2014 4:44 pm
|      25 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Even though marijuana is legal in our state, that doesn’t mean every use is legal, or that every plant is legal. This afternoon, a tip about a police raid in North Delridge led us to this scene near Yancy/28th, where police say they have found an allegedly illegal marijuana-growing operation. It generated so many complaints, they told us at the scene, they obtained a search warrant. Seattle City Light also arrived to cut off power. We’re expecting more details later.

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Video: Body found at house fire at Delridge/Barton; cooking blamed for fire
June 2, 2014 2:02 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(UPDATED MONDAY NIGHT with fire cause)

(Photo courtesy Jonathan French)
2:02 PM: Firefighters are on the scene of a house-fire call in the 9200 block of Delridge Way SW (map). More to come.

2:07 PM: SFD has reported that heavy smoke is coming out of the house, and also that everyone has gotten out OK. Our crew will be there shortly.

(This photo & those below are by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
2:12 PM: SFD says the fire is “knocked down”; we’ve just arrived in the area and can still see smoke. Avoid Delridge in this area – police have the street blocked at Barton.

2:25 PM: Photos added.

Yes, this is why there’s a TV helicopter over South Delridge/Westwood (directly over us at the moment). A dog was rescued and we’re told it will be OK.

2:39 PM: There are now conflicting reports about whether everyone did indeed get out OK. SFD’s public-information officer is en route and we expect an update shortly.

Police also have arrived to investigate – not just to direct traffic.

2:55 PM: It’s just been confirmed that one of the residents of the home, so far described only as male, has been found dead inside the back bedroom. Authorities had originally reported everyone was out safely but that obviously turned out to be wrong. And while they rescued two dogs and a puppy, four other puppies did not survive.

3:54 PM: Added the briefing video, above – that’s SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, explaining that police involvement at this point is routine for any fire involving a death. No information yet on the person’s identity or cause of death, nor the fire’s cause – we will add new information here whenever it becomes available.

4:49 PM: SFD has tweeted photos of the rescued dogs/puppy:

9:42 PM: Seattle Fire investigators say it started with a cooking fire:

11:20 PM: No word yet on the victim’s identity – that will come from the Medical Examiner’s Office, no sooner than tomorrow afternoon. But SFD has one more tweet about the rescued dogs:

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Comment time for the city’s upcoming CSO plan, including Delridge options to reduce Longfellow Creek pollution
May 29, 2014 1:15 pm
|    Comments Off on Comment time for the city’s upcoming CSO plan, including Delridge options to reduce Longfellow Creek pollution
 |   Delridge | Environment | West Seattle news

Also from today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin – another big proposal that is now ready for review and comments: The city’s draft Environmental Impact Statement for the plan to reduce combined-sewer overflows (aka “The Plan to Protect Seattle’s Waterways”). Here’s the formal notice. This is similar to, but NOT part of, the county CSO-reduction plan that has led to two major projects in our area (storage tank at Lowman Beach and roadside raingardens in Sunrise Heights and Westwood). The city is accountable for different areas, including, in West Seattle, Longfellow Creek and the Duwamish River, and is exploring alternatives including the possibility of more underground storage in the Delridge area. Lots of documents related to this – for the shortest version, the executive summary, go here. You’ll find an overview, and how to comment, by going here – June 30th is the commenting deadline, and there’s one public hearing planned (June 24th in North Seattle, details at that same link).

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Update: Fire call in 9000 block of 20th SW, but no fire
May 23, 2014 2:49 am
|    Comments Off on Update: Fire call in 9000 block of 20th SW, but no fire
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

2:49 AM: Big Seattle Fire response on the way to a call in the 9000 block of 20th SW. Updates to come.

2:53 AM: First units on scene aren’t finding any sign of smoke or fire, so most of the units are being canceled.

3:12 AM: Our crew has verified at the scene, no fire. Residents say they smelled smoke and thought they saw some, but nothing turned up.

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Community-requested 6536 24th SW subdivision hearing: ‘This is too much for that site’
March 21, 2014 7:04 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Development | West Seattle news

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“We’ve organized this meeting because you requested it. … We’re here to listen and write down your comments.”

That’s how senior land-use planner Bruce Rips from the city Department of Planning and Development opened last night’s meeting at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center about the two-lots-into-eight subdivision proposal for the 42,000-square-foot greenbelt site at 6536 24th SW (map), describing himself as the “project facilitator.” Also on hand, DPD manager Jerry Suder, who has been in attendance at most of these types of meetings.

The two revealed that they’ve already asked the site owner/developer to respond to concerns that have come up during the city review, and are still awaiting answers. The big concerns about this site, as first reported here in January, involve what happens to the wildlife and wetland on the site, and how runoff will affect Longfellow Creek, steps away and already a flooding problem many years because of the area’s drainage woes, as shown in this photo by neighbor Cyndie Rokicki (the proposed-subdivision site is in the background, with the real-estate shingle):

Read More

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Update: Big response, small fire in North Delridge – but apparently set
March 11, 2014 3:41 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

3:41 AM: If you’ve been awakened by a big fire response in North Delridge – it was a dispatch for a possible house fire in the 4700 block of 26th SW (map). However, radio communication indicates it was a “porch fire,” and that police put it out before firefighters even got there. Most SFD units are being canceled.

4:14 AM UPDATE: But now there’s more to the story: This is a suspected case of arson, and at least one person is in custody. (More in comments.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Truck taken, followed, found
March 10, 2014 7:17 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

Thanks to everybody who tipped us about a big police response earlier this evening near Delridge/Thistle. It was about the pickup truck in the foreground. Police confirm it was reported stolen, and that they have a suspect in custody. Scanner traffic indicated that its owner had called police while following her stolen pickup southbound on Delridge.

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West Seattle development: Another Delridge parcel for sale; 4050 30th SW lot-split approval
March 10, 2014 1:16 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle development: Another Delridge parcel for sale; 4050 30th SW lot-split approval
 |   Delridge | Development | West Seattle news

Two development/real-estate notes this afternoon:

4040 DELRIDGE FOR SALE: Development in North Delridge has continued to heat up, and another parcel is for sale; the listing has appeared online for 4040 Delridge, 6500 square feet on the east side of the street, near the busy Delridge/Andover intersection. The $270,000 listing touts the site as “Neighborhood Commercial [zoned] vacant land. The perfect location for development. POD housing, live/work lofts, retail w/residential above.” Its specific zoning is NC1-40.

4050 30TH SW LOT-SPLIT APPROVAL: The site at Avalon/Yancy/30th has been planned for townhouses for more than five years, but went idle when the recession hit in the late ’00s (see the site’s history here). Now it is reactivated, and today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin includes word that the city has approved officially classifying the site as four lots – see the decision here. This site also has been on the market; this online listing says a sale is pending.

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Delridge ‘Food Hub’? One recommendation of a new city report
March 2, 2014 3:33 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Health | West Seattle news

A new city report reiterates that access to healthy food in Delridge is abysmal, especially for low-income families. The report follows surveys and focus groups of women in the Delridge area, and was presented to the City Council in a briefing this past week; thanks to Councilmember Tom Rasmussen for pointing it out. The report was inspired, it says, by the Seattle Women’s Commission and Councilmember Mike O’Brien looking into a Delridge community member’s concerns of how difficult it was to find healthy food in the area, even if she took transit to the store, complicated by the logistics of bringing along young children. The report’s executive summary is here, with recommendations from creating a Food Hub – maybe even with a Farmers’ Market-type produce stand – to transportation improvements, to supporting the Delridge Grocery co-op startup that’s aiming to open its market later this year. Here’s the slide deck shown at the briefing.

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