Staci at Luna Park Café shared the photo of their sign – which is up in advance of the restaurant’s 23rd anniversary this Sunday (March 18th). She says they’re celebrating by offering kids free face-painting from 3-6 pm that day (Sunday). The café’s history – including a photo of what the building held, long ago – is on this page of the LPC website. Staci also mentioned they’re also celebrating St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow (Saturday) with a corned-beef-and-cabbage special and green beers. (We’ve received word of a few other St. P’s day specials we’ll be offering, and they’ll be in the Saturday daily preview – e-mail us yours if you haven’t already!)

At Ola Salon in the Luna Park business district tonight, that’s Tiann Stubberfield with the tweezers and Transitional Resources‘ Darcell Slovek-Walker (reclining) and Yemaya St. Clair. Ola and TR are neighbors – TR, which provides housing and other services to people living with “severe and persistent” mental illness, is headquartered just a few blocks south on Avalon Way. Tonight, Ola held a fundraiser for TR, including donating the proceeds from certain services as well as raffle tickets. Treats too, plus live music from West Seattle’s own Sid Law:

If you missed tonight’s event – here’s how to help Transitional Resources. Meantime, still lots of chances for you to reach out and give this holiday season – we’ve got a special section, with both fundraisers and direct donation opportunities, on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page.

Several inquiries have come in about the police/fire response in the Luna Park business district. All we know so far is that an elderly man is reported to have suddenly collapsed, and medic crews have been doing CPR. No crime or crash – police told us they are there just to help make sure firefighters have the space they need to work. As you can see in our photo, southbound (uphill) Avalon is blocked at the scene. If we find out anything more later, we’ll add it.

During the early morning hours our patio at Avalon restaurant was
vandalized. Two large planters were knocked over. Plants were pulled up, chairs were broken and thrown to the sidewalk out front. It must have happened quite late we were here until 1 am and back at 8 am. It has since been cleaned up and none of our diners had to miss a beautiful day on our patio. It was disheartening to know this happened in our community. If anyone saw anything?? I have reported this to the police.

No way to tell if it’s related, but while we were taking photos early this morning today at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, we were told that shrubs had been torn out by vandals overnight; Alki Community Council‘s David Hutchinson had replanted them and was cleaning up before the 9/11 anniversary events began.

(Photo courtesy Avalon Glassworks, used with permission)
West Seattle’s Avalon Glassworks has a long history of helping local nonprofits – and the latest is the Seattle Public Library Foundation, which will get a portion of the proceeds from the newly announced holiday ornaments shown above. $30 each. You can check the ornaments (and other blown-glass art) at their shop on Avalon Way just south of the West Seattle Bridge. (They’re available online too.)

The ornaments caught our attention as we were just about to publish this reminder: Seattle Public Library branches are closing for a week-plus again this year, as a result of city budget cuts. That closure starts a week from tomorrow (August 29) and continues through the Labor Day holiday on Monday, Sept. 5th, so the libraries won’t reopen till Tuesday, September 6th. More info here.

A postscript to the West Seattle shoots for “Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas” – Alki last weekend and Beach Drive yesterday – two photos just came in from Avalon proprietor Mary Palmer, who says: “We thought we would share a couple of photos with you. David DeLuise came into our restaurant to relax after a day of filming ‘Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas’ and to celebrate a crew member’s birthday.” That’s Mary at right, with Avalon partner Deborah Breuler at left. If the name sounds familiar, yes, he’s the 39-year-old son of the late comic legend Dom DeLuise, and couldn’t resist a bit of clowning at Avalon:

Avalon’s been open four months now, in the Luna Park business district. (Driving by this afternoon, we noticed it looks like their patio’s open – a few tables of diners were out in the sunshine!)

ADDED 1 AM SUNDAY: Avalon sends word another of the movie’s stars, Elliott Gould, came in Saturday night:

The plan is outlined in a letter sent to Luna Park businesses this week (read the 2-page PDF here), signed by Metro director Kevin Desmond and SDOT director Peter Hahn. It finalizes the plan for a bus lane that will mean no on-street parking along the east side of Avalon 6-10 am weekdays between the bridge and SW Bradford. That had drawn strongest objections from Luna Park Café owner John Bennett and Java Bean Coffee owner Tony Hoyt, both of whom do much of their business in the mornings. The letter notes that the restrictions “will affect 355 linear feet of curb space …” The county and city reps who had attended Luna Park merchants’ meetings had previously described the affected area as 15 parking spaces; by the city’s 15-to-19-feet-per-space measure, that’s between 19 and 23 spaces.

There is one potential change: Desmond and Hahn write that “… with this letter, we commit to reassessing whether an additional RapidRide stop at the existing northbound (bus) stop at SW Charlestown Street [map] would be warranted to meet the needs of more riders.” Luna Park business owners had taken the previous proposal as adding insult to injury, as there was no RapidRide stop planned in the business district, or anywhere north of SW Yancy, a few blocks uphill.

We’re checking on how soon the decision on that potential stop will be made; work along Avalon Way might start as soon as “late spring,” according to the letter (again, you can read it in its entirety here).

Subject: Rapid Ride along Avalon Way West Seattle (Java Bean) A little less Potter, a bit more George Bailey!
Joe, Michelle, Brian and Bill,

As you are aware, quite a bit of discussion concerning the Rapid Ride parking issue in the Luna Park Business District of West Seattle has taken place over the past year. Many different options have surfaced, that would both accommodate the goals of Metro, the livelihood of the businesses and the retention of jobs in the Luna Park neighborhood. As the owner of Java Bean I am greatly concerned that the choices being proposed regarding the rapid ride program will put me out of business and cause 5 full time jobs to be lost in West Seattle. Given what’s in the balance I would guess most West Seattle residents would side with us – the business owners, our teammates and our fans if given the choice of either saving their neighborhood amenities or getting to work a bit quicker. Why can’t we do both?

During (last Wednesday’s) meeting I brought up a question concerning how the location of the bus stops were chosen for the C-line. One of the key factors: an average of 150 people board the bus on a daily basis up the street from our business district (the proposed Rapid Ride stop) vs. the 120 people who board the bus on a daily basis directly across the street from my Coffee Shop (Java Bean) and other businesses in our business district. Based on this as a factor, I was told, at least at this point, the plan is to remove surface street parking between the hours of 6-10 am M-F for the Rapid Ride bus line that will NOT stop in our business district. This will put me out of business, eliminate 5 full time jobs, and decrease the quality of life of the residents of West Seattle who frequent my business. Not to mention the adverse affects it will have on my associate business owners.

In fact, with the goal to get people out of their cars and on the bus, not only will my customers (who continue to drive) be unable to park from 6-10am, but my customers who do decide to use Rapid Ride will not be afforded the opportunity to jump off the bus to grab a cup of coffee since the bus won’t be stopping in our business district.

It’s a serious double whammy to the Java Bean. You take away the parking, put people on the bus and then those on the bus can’t get off.

(Tony continues)

If the Bus Stop were moved North a few blocks to our district, the people would continue to be served and the fabric of the community would strengthen. Think about it – The Bus arrives every 7-10 minutes…you jump off grab a coffee, Say “Hi’ to your neighbor, ask about the kids, grab a paper and you’re right back on the Bus. This is what Rapid Ride should be about. What it shouldn’t be about, is putting people out of business and losing jobs.

I believe we need to address the more creative facets of a neighborhood and its user-friendliness in order to create a quality of life for it’s residents. In this instance we need to be ruled less by the numbers and a bit more by our creativity. When we base our decisions solely on numbers and less on amenities, culture and community, we begin to lose something that is very difficult to replace. Sure you can put a bus stop a few blocks south of a vibrant creative neighborhood because the “numbers” say it’s a good idea, but in the balance are the businesses (Java Bean 21 years, Luna Park Cafe 21 years, Avalon Glassworks) and the jobs of the people within those businesses, not to mention the community connections that keep the neighborhood, safe, fun and enjoyable. Why limit access? Why cut us out of the picture?

If you take away the morning parking along Avalon Way and don’t give us a Rapid Ride stop the quality of life for our customers will decrease, the Java Bean will go away, and the community will suffer.

I propose the Rapid ride bus stop be positioned in our Business district should the choice go through to eliminate on-street parking from 6-10 am Monday – Friday. This way we continue to meet the needs of the citizens of the neighborhood and eliminate the tough choice for those who want to take the bus, but want to live in and participate in a vibrant community. No representative or community leader would ever want to be held responsible for a vibrant 21-year-old business closing its doors and putting its employees in the bread line. We can all win, if we all work together.

A little less Potter a bit more George Bailey!

Anthony C. Hoyt
Owner – Java Bean, Inc.
www.javabeancoffee.com

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
In our previous coverage of the new West Seattle restaurant Avalon, which officially opened this afternoon at 2940 Avalon Way SW in the Luna Park business district, we’ve talked about the food, and the coffee – but the art is part of the story, too. It’s all by Diann Sales:

She’s the sister of co-proprietor and head Chef Deborah Breuler – at right in this next photo with co-proprietor Mary Palmer (Deborah had answered questions about their plans in one of our earliest reports):

Diann’s work incorporated many repurposed materials found at the site (the photo above shows her in front of a collage done on an old door they turned up). More Avalon photos ahead:

WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen stopped by just after Avalon officially opened for happy hour at 3 pm today, before things got really busy, so she was able to show a bit more of the space than we’d seen before, including more of Diann’s work (with yet more to come). Above – that’s collage over a photograph on canvas found at the site, with a Polaroid emulsion added from a shot she had taken in Italy. The back wall, reports Ellen, features two works on other doors Diann found at the site. One more Avalon view:

Heavy curtains lined in red flank the front windows; as Ellen describes it, ” They give the expansive front area a nice warm glow. As for the food and beverages – for starters, Avalon is open for happy hour at 3 pm (continuing till 6), and dinner service starts at 5 pm (there’s a menu link here). After a “couple weeks” on this schedule, Mary had told us earlier, they plan to add brunch.

If you’ve driven along Avalon tonight, you might have noticed people inside the street’s new namesake restaurant. No, Avalon is not open to the public yet – as reported two days ago, next Monday (January 3) is the big night – but tonight, it’s having what’s known as a “friends and family” night to work the bugs out. Stopping by for a few photos, we got co-owner Mary Palmer to pause for a photo, by the espresso machine:

Caffe Umbria is the coffee chosen by Avalon. Meantime, among the “friends and family” we found giving Avalon’s cuisine a try were two people already well-known in the local food world:

Justin Cline and Ann Magyar, who own White Center-headquartered Full Tilt Ice Cream, pronounced Avalon’s food “good.” Both of the desserts on tonight’s preview menu, by the way, included Full Tilt ice cream – salted caramel in the Chocolate Profiteroles, cinnamon with the Apple Pie Tartlet. (What else was on the menu, you ask? The appetizers offered were Duck Flat Bread with persimmons and fontina cream sauce, Mixed Green Salad with sherry vinaigrette, marinated cheese curds, pears and candied hazelnuts; Salad Trio of marinated winter vegetables; Crab and Cod Cakes. Entrees: Syrah Braised Short Ribs with root-vegetable gratin; Grilled Sturgeon with dandelion pesto, anchovy butter, caramelized cauliflower, fennel bulb and cavalo nero; Marinated Carleton Port Tenderloin with butternut squash, brussel leaves and pancetta; Braised Chicken Gremolata with mashed potatoes, sunchokes and lemon. Other potential menu items are on their website.)

(From the RapidRide C Line route map)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Imagine West Seattle without the art glass of Avalon Glassworks, the “salubrious” beverages of Java Bean Coffee, the burgers of Luna Park Café, and the rest of the Luna Park business district.

That’s what the businesses’ proprietors warn could happen if the forthcoming Metro RapidRide “C Line” takes away Avalon Way street parking nearby – as is currently planned – a risk they say is even more dire in their area than in The Triangle, where related fears have surfaced.

The Luna Park district merchants have been talking with Metro over the past few months, without convincing them to preserve the parking, so now they’re taking their concerns to the community at large. Wednesday morning, we were invited to sit in on their monthly merchants’ meeting, which also included businesspeople dealing with related RapidRide-parking-removal concerns in The Triangle, as well as three county reps.

The meeting packed the back section of Luna Park Café, with about a dozen businesspeople, including three from The Triangle (which has voiced its own RapidRide concerns) as well as West Seattle Chamber of Commerce board chair Jerome Cohen (whose law office is in the heart of The Junction). They discussed their concerns for about 20 minutes before three county delegates started arriving – transportation specialist Chris Arkills from King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s office, and Jack Lattemann and Paul Roybal from Metro. (Another government representative was there, Christine Alar from SDOT.)

The major concern for the merchants along Avalon Way, just south of the West Seattle Bridge is this: The RapidRide bus service, scheduled to replace the 54 in September 2012, is supposed to have a dedicated lane heading northbound down Avalon to the bridge. Though there had been some community sentiment to route it along Fauntleroy, the King County Council approved the Alaska-to-35th-to-Avalon-to-The-Bridge route two years ago, and as was noted today, it would take a vote by six of the nine councilmembers to change that.

To create the bus lane along Avalon, the street parking across Avalon from the Luna Park businesses would go away.

“We’ll be an island,” declared Avalon Glassworks’ Shannon Felix as the meeting began, “if that access is gone. … This (neighborhood) is going to revert to what it was 20 years ago.”

“I’m really nervous right now,” the block’s major landowner, John Bennett, picked up from there. “We need to build up our defenses and get a plan going … That’s 80 percent of my parking.” He turned to the proprietors of Avalon, the new restaurant taking over the former Café Revo on the block. “You’ll be out of business before you even start,” Bennett warned them. Later, he and others pointed out the small business district already has barely enough spaces to deal with their needs: “If anything, we want MORE parking” (than currently exists).

Bennett had invited another journalist to the gathering, Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur, and noted that his acquaintance with her dated back to a battle in another neighborhood where he has significant holdings, Georgetown, over location of a transfer station there (here’s a column from 2006), a community campaign in which he recalled learning that just saying you don’t want something isn’t good enough.

It was revealed during the meeting that Metro has been meeting with the merchants’ group for several months – this was the sixth meeting, the county reps pointed out. However, Avalon Glassworks’ Felix told us afterward that every alternative the merchants proposed was ultimately shot down.

During the back-and-forth of the meeting, while the Metro reps said they would “take a look at (the situation) again,” there were no promises. Executive’s office rep Arkills said that the issue of changing the route from Avalon to Fauntleroy would be difficult to say the least, and, he observed that Fauntleroy had been found to have other problems as a potential route, including a lack of connectivity with the much-used transfer point at 35th/Avalon.

The business owners stressed they weren’t opposed to buses or even RapidRide. Said Bennett, “We all agree we need rapid transit – but if we’re going to do this, why don’t we do it right?” He went on to suggest that would mean above-grade or underground transit, rather than buses, and briefly lamented the loss of the once-planned monorail.

That’s unrealistic, suggested Metro’s Lattemann, after Patrick North of Mary North Travel in The Triangle suggested that business closures resulting from parking loss in his district and Luna Park would lead to “blight.” Lattemann said, “I disagree about blight. We’re heading into a future where we simply have to rely less on cars. This [RapidRide] is the biggest transit improvement that West Seattle is going to see this generation. There’s no money for light rail [etc.] …” Lattemann suggested that ultimately, RapidRide would be a boon for Luna Park businesses: “This area will be known as one of the areas that’s easy to get to by bus.”

The county delegation did offer one alternative they said would preserve 15 parking spaces: Eliminating the left-turn lane between Yancy and Bradford. They acknowledged that still means drivers would have a block-long hike to the major Luna Park businesses. They also suggested another look to see if every possible parking space already had been squeezed out of the streets on the west side of Avalon (Bennett insisted there’s nothing left to squeeze, and “we’re already short parking NOW”).

Also discussed: Could the left-turn lane be completely removed? No, said SDOT’s Alar, since their studies indicated that would increase crashes about 30 percent. What about making the bus lane weekdays only, or even morning rush hour only (given that’s the time the buses would need to jump the northbound to-the-bridge queue to truly resemble “rapid”)? Neither generated much enthusiasm among the business owners, with morning being busy for both Luna Park Café’s breakfast business and vital to Java Bean’s coffee business. Not that either would necessarily work for the county’s goals, either, Metro reps warned; they ultimately said a new traffic/parking analysis would be in order, since the one used to draw up the current plan was done in 2007.

Adding insult to injury, in the businesses’ view, is the fact there’s no RapidRide stop planned in their area – the nearest one is uphill at Yancy (stops are marked with circles on the route map). According to Roybal, that’s so the people living in the high-density residential area centered on Avalon/Genesee can choose either to head toward Yancy, or in the other direction toward 35th. It was also confirmed that RapidRide isn’t stopping by the Park-and-Ride lot under the West Seattle Bridge, either, which led to some head-scratching. And a sore subject from the past briefly re-emerged – the 2007 removal of the crosswalk by Java Bean.

The meeting ran an hour and a half, with no resolution at the end. Avalon Glassworks’ Felix told WSB afterward that she hasn’t given up hope yet, saying the meeting represented a bit of progress. “I didn’t even think [the county reps] would come.” But she’s also not viewing their attendance through, shall we say, rose-colored glass, contending they have only “given us lip service” to previously proposed alternatives.

She also reiterated that the Luna Park businesses face a different challenge than those in The Triangle, where there is access from multiple directions – for her district, however Avalon goes, they go. (And indeed, regarding The Triangle, Metro’s Roybal said that recent discussions had indicated they might be able to get by without a bus lane between 35h and Fauntleroy after all – design for that area is just beginning.)

NEXT STEPS: The Metro reps promised to pursue a new traffic analysis, and to keep coming to the Avalon merchants’ meetings. The merchants, for their part, suggested a show of force at Mayor McGinn’s West Seattle town-hall meeting/community forum tonight (6 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center) to voice their concerns on a larger stage. Asked what else they could do, Arkills suggested they could set up meetings with individual County Council members. Another meeting regarding RapidRide concerns in The Triangle is planned in January, with both merchants and residents. Meanwhile, construction of the Rapid Ride facilities – including bus stops and shelters – is scheduled to start next year, with the C Line service itself launching in September 2012; the county has said it will convene a new series of West Seattle public meetings next year to talk about what other Metro service changes might be in order once RapidRide is running.

On this “Small Business Saturday,” remember the smaller business districts of West Seattle too – like Luna Park, along Avalon Way just south of the West Seattle Bridge, where you will find Avalon Glassworks. Luckie shared photos from today’s glassblowing demonstration, featuring glass jellyfish created by guest artist Richard Lowrie.

You can go watch till 5 pm today – and Luckie also notes that Avalon Glassworks has a food drive under way; bring a donation and you’ll get $1 off a purchase.