As previewed here, you had a chance to ask questions directly of the man who runs the Seattle Department of Transportation if you had gone to the Southwest District Council meeting this past Wednesday night. A few people took advantage of the opportunity to bring up neighborhood problems as well as larger issues. We recorded the wide-ranging 47 minutes of Q/A on video. If you can’t spare 47 minutes to listen – here are direct links to some of the topics (note – if the links don’t go to the spots they should, drag the playback bar on the YouTube window of the full clip above to the minutes/seconds spot mentioned):

14:00 – The bus bulbs at California/Fauntleroy

16:00 – Bus lanes on SW Alaska

21:31 – With increased development in The Junction, how involved is SDOT? “There are days we can’t go to The Junction because there’s no place to park.” Density is based on the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Hahn noted. He cited South Lake Union rezoning. “With 1,000 more apartments going up in The Junction, does SDOT say, we need (something) to help with traffic … ?” Hahn observed that the same question came up at the Sustainable West Seattle Transportation Forum last year (here’s our coverage, with video), and mentioned the alley-vacation process (frequently covered here) requiring “public benefit” from the developer. He mentioned that one developer downtown wound up buying another streetcar for the city. So, he was asked, could developers buy another bus, or ?

27:30 – Who makes the decisions to add bus bulbs, reduce lanes, etc.? asked another attendee, and how can the “silent majority” have their feelings known? “It’s not like individuals are just making up stuff,” Hahn said, citing again the city’s Comprehensive Plan, ultimately saying it’s a reflection of the City Council. He also says they often hear from people with a specific interest, more bike facilities, for example, so whatever your opinion is, come to meetings and have it heard.

31:00: SW Alaska on the RapidRide route through The Triangle – including parking and traffic concerns as well as unfulfilled promises about making that stretch a “pedestrian corridor,” with street trees. Ongoing parking issues exist, with parking commitments made to businesses between 36th and 38th in jeopardy again. Hahn says he could come out to walk the area and see the issues.

39:00 – Density in The Junction is already 104 percent of what was projected, but the capacity of the street has been reduced.

At 41:50, Vlad Oustimovitch from the Fauntleroy Community Association summarized much of what had been said to Hahn in the preceding half-hour-plus: “It’s almost like somebody deliberately designed something to not work.”

SDOT will be back in West Seattle this week – at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting tomorrow (Monday) night (6:30 pm at the Delridge Library), for example, a rep will discuss the new parking restrictions on SW Genesee to make more room for buses (here’s our February story on those changes).

(California Avenue section in need of repaving, per city-grant application)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A new year brought new leadership for the Southwest District Council, as it met at a new time (earlier – 6:30 pm) in a new location (Southwest Teen Life Center).

New co-chairs Karl de Jong from the Admiral Neighborhood Association and Susan Ruppert from the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council presided over the biggest turnouts in a while, with more than 20 people on hand, including visitors making presentations about road projects proposed for city grant money – including repaving a stretch of California SW.

Read on for details of the proposals, which took up most of the meeting.

NEIGHBORHOOD STREET FUND PROJECT PROPOSALS: Five projects were presented for review, seeking the council’s endorsement as they seek a share of the Neighborhood Street Fund. Community proposals usually go through district councils – all volunteers representing local organizations – for review – on their way to official city-leadership consideration.

This time around, five projects were proposed in the Southwest District (one of two districts whose areas comprise West Seattle – the Delridge Neighborhoods District is the other). Here’s how they were presented:

*Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker – “a recently retired land-use planner passionate about West Seattle,” as she also described herself – spoke about two proposals, both of which, she noted, were made to SWDC before (in 2009 and 2012).

First one: “Safe Pedestrian Crossings in Morgan Junction (document here), focusing on three east-west corridors” in the neighborhood, with “fairly troubling conditions,” she explained: SW Graham from California to Fauntleroy, SW Morgan from 42nd up the hill to 35th, and SW Holden from California up the hill to 35th. “Each of these three roadways are pretty busy, with one or more hills … all have some kind of sight/distance challenge along some portion of the roadway,” she explained, with resulting dangers for pedestrians and cars, particularly “inconsistent pedestrian conditions.”

The application would seek a grant for improvements at key intersections – painted crosswalks or curb bulbs or curb ramps or pedestrian median refuges or pedestrian signals. “Not all portions of these roadways are unsafe – just a few select spots but we want to correct the conditions before there’s an accident,” she explained. There’s no estimated cost at this point, Barker said, in response to a question – that’s one of the specifics, she said, that would be worked out if the application gets further down the road than it has in the past.

Second one: “California Avenue Corridor Conditions” (document here). Barker said, “This could be the tale of many (local) streets” – in this case, it’s California between Graham and Holly, including the California/Fauntleroy intersection ‘which recently has become infamous with the RapidRide bus snarls, challenges …” The pavement is deteriorating: “The holes are bigger, the cracks are wider,” and the sidewalks are going downhill too, so to speak, explained Barker – “there are areas that are pretty darn challenging to walk along.” The MoCA-submitted applications proposes repaving the entire portion of California between those two streets – “just redo the whole darn thing.” Also, repair sidewalks, crosswalks, and related facilities. “The key to this application is knowing the really bad spots,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re taking care of this corridor and making it safe for pedestrians AND vehicles … so we want to correct any problems before an accident happens.”

Third one: “Morgan Junction Alley Improvement” (document here), presented by Thyra DeHaven (owner of The Wash Dog [WSB sponsor]). The alley runs behind TWD and neighboring Kokoras Greek Grill, as it spans the north-south distance between SW Graham and Fauntleroy Way SW; it’s unpaved north of the building that now includes Super Supplements, DeHaven explained, though it’s also used by about a dozen residences, most of which have parking spaces in back, some of which, she says, are not used because the alley is not paved and is in bad shape. She says businesspeople and residents have been working to try to fill the potholes with anything they can find – but whatever they do is undone by the trash trucks that come down the alley for three separate weekly pickups. Among other spillover problems in times of bad weather – dirt from the alley washes into the sewer system and clogs it up (“we had to have (a rooting plumber) come out,” she recalled, to unclog it). Then in the summer – “it turns into a dust bowl,” she explained. So they are looking to have the alley paved and speed bumps installed – “we are so desperate at this point in trying to deal with the issue that we would also take grading and graveling,” which might at least level out some of the potholes, she said.

Fourth one: Former Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum (new president David Whiting was also on hand but not part of the presentation) presented the proposal for a signal at 47th and Admiral Way (document here), where there is a crosswalk now and a flashing light, but that’s not enough, she said, because of the “limited level of visibility as you approach the crosswalk in either direction.” As Walum explained, ANA has long lobbied for this, even before the crash in 2006 that killed Tatsuo Nakata while he was using the crosswalk. “The pedestrian signal is the only way to improve safety at this intersection,” she said.

She quoted Don Wahl, Alki Mail and Dispatch owner, a witness the morning that Nakata was killed since his business is located right at that intersection, by reading a letter from Wahl, detailing the road’s history as a streetcar route, “never designed or intended for the use of motor cars,” which, Wahl wrote, use it as a “speedway,” with numerous intersections and near-misses. He wrote of a petition drive two years before Nakata’s death, with hundreds of signatures requesting a full signal – a request the city did not honor. Wahl’s letter also voiced concerns about more residents coming into the area now that Life Care Center of West Seattle across Admiral is closing; his letter mentioned a proposed apartment building (though we cannot find any development/remodeling proposal in online records, so far).

Walum says they’ve been working with SDOT, which agrees a signal is warranted, but says there is no money, so the signal sits on a list of 12 – at #12, with only two funded outright each year. It would cost somewhere between $125,000 and $500,000 “depending on the signalization features,” Walum says SDOT has informed her. “This is an intersection where a person has been killed,” Walum summed up, “and the only way we feel we can prevent another tragedy in the future is to install a signal.”

Fifth and final one: A brief presentation by Arbor Heights resident Aaron Utigard, seeking safer walking conditions along 35th SW between 100th and 104th (document here), where he said there are currently no pedestrian facilities; at 104th, while there’s a crossing guard and some facilities, he says the plan for Westside School (WSB sponsor) to buy and remodel the Hillcrest Presbyterian Church site (as first reported here last fall) “will increase the amount of elementary school children and parents walking along the road.” He pointed out that the new sidewalks between 98th and 100th used Bridging the Gap money (the same levy that funds the grants now being contended for).

Next step, now that the presentations have been made: A SWDC subcommittee will take the five proposals under advisement for review/ratings, to see what the council will support as moving along in the process, which includes formally submitting applications to the city by the end of this month.

Also discussed at tonight’s meeting:

CITY NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: SWDC member Chas Redmond (delegate from the Morgan Community Association) just wrapped up three years as chair of the CNC – which he noted is officially authorized as a voice in city matters. The goal this year, he said, is to get people from all over the city to participate directly in some of the CNC’s committees – “spend 90 minutes once a month working directly with people who run the city.”

GATHERING OF NEIGHBORS: Pete Spalding from Pigeon Point (which is part of the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council) visited the meeting to encourage all neighborhood groups to participate in this year’s Gathering of Neighbors – community associations and other groups too. A table will cost you $25, unless someone from your organization will do some volunteer work to make the event on 9 am-3 pm May 4th happen – that will lead to the fee being waived. The first half will involve a leadership workshop, as it did last year, followed by a three-hour resource fair, with group reps tabling, entertainment, and more. The theme will be “how our community deals with mental-health challenges in our neighborhoods,” Spalding said – timely for a variety of reasons, including the DESC Delridge Supporting Housing complex that’s coming to North Delridge.

THIS YEAR’S FESTIVALS: MoCA’s Redmond shared dates for three big events with which he’s involved – June 22nd 10-6 for the Morgan Junction Community Festival; the Alki Art Fair, July 20-21, 10 am-8 pm and 10 am-9 pm; Delridge Day, August 17th, 11 am-5 pm (actual running times are tentative, he said).

BOY SCOUTS’ VISIT: Three of tonight’s observers were identified as Boy Scouts from Troop 282, visiting the meeting as part of their work for a merit badge relating to community. Asked at meeting’s end what they thought, one said, “It was long” (drawing laughter). Another enjoyed seeing a wide range of opinions and the collaboration. And the third mentioned taking an interest in the 47th/Admiral stoplight proposal because he lives near there. Troop 282 members are working toward the Eagle Scout level, and one of their adult chaperones said they are always looking for projects – and organizations that would let them work with them.

NEXT MONTH: City Councilmember Tim Burgess is expected at the February meeting. That sparked a discussion about accommodating political candidates – since, while Burgess is scheduled to speak about council business, he also happens to be running for mayor. New co-chair de Jong’s suggestion was to have SWDC sponsor a candidates’ forum and invite everyone. Fauntleroy Community Association delegate Vlad Oustimovitch said forums are a great idea but seldom draw much attendance, so he favored the idea of candidates coming to the meetings and getting a short time to speak. No one volunteered outright to form a committee to work on the issue, so de Jong suggested bringing it up again next month.

(Next month’s Southwest District Council meeting will be at 6:30 pm Wednesday, February 6th, again at the SW Teen Life Center, 2801 SW Thistle.)

(Image by Christopher Boffoli, meshing present and past along California SW north of SW Alaska in The Junction – click for larger view)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

As we continue to cover big new development projects like 4755 Fauntleroy Way (in-depth coverage here), some wonder if there’s still time to preserve some of what Southwest District Council leaders call West Seattle’s “Main Street character.”

Grappling with the topic over the past few months, a core group of the council’s members has been exploring whether historic-preservation options exist to serve that goal. Wednesday night’s monthly SWDC meeting continued the conversation, with special guest Karen Gordon, the City of Seattle’s Historic Preservation Officer.

Details on the discussion, what might happen next, and other toplines from the meeting – ahead:

One of the five SWDC reps present Wednesday night, Fauntleroy Community Association’s Vlad Oustimovitch, mentioned he had been talking with an expert on the issue who thought a “conservation overlay district” might be appropriate in West Seattle – the sort of thing that’s been discussed for the Pike/Pine district on Capitol Hill – and he asked Gordon her thoughts.

Gordon’s department started surveying neighborhood commercial districts at the turn of the millennium, she pointed out, and the information is online (though more than a decade old, she acknowledged). “The first step (toward any sort of plan) is to do a survey and inventory,” she noted, so that should be done for the areas that might be involved in such a district. City grant funds could be sought for that kind of survey, and other neighborhoods have done so, she said, such as Queen Anne.

To the point Oustimovitch mentioned, the Pike/Pine concept isn’t really “regulatory” – it “incentivizes,” she said, so “the character buildings are defined in that overlay – it ‘incentivizes’ developers to protect a building, but doesn’t prohibit demolition.” The council should decide whether it’s looking for something more incentive-based or regulatory, Gordon said. She added that the City Council may be looking at conservation districts “on a citywide basis.” Reaching out to community members and property owners to see what they think is vital too, she said – that’s what’s been done in Pike Pine, since the primary supporters were property owners.

(Seattle Municipal Archives 1956 photo from California/Alaska in The Junction)
West Seattle Junction Association rep and SWDC co-chair Susan Melrose and Morgan Community Association rep Chas Redmond toured the area with an eye toward the kind of buildings that the community might be interested in protecting. That doesn’t count as a survey, Oustimovitch said. Melrose wondered where to get the guidance on what the scope of an overlay might be.

Gordon also made reference to the Columbia City Landmark District – discussed at last month’s SWDC meeting (WSB coverage here) – which she said includes residential blocks as well as commercial areas. Redmond brought up the fact that around Seattle, there are “a number of” business districts like California SW that have tis kind of potential – he described the linear nature of California SW as a true “main street.” Gordon said the National Register of Historic Places has dealt with that sort of linear quality – with railroads, for example, and the development that happened along tracks. Local protection for those, however, “is not very common,” she said.

In terms of next steps, she said it would be important to identify the “clusters” of interest – and then identify one to focus on, where they could start working with property owners. Then, apply for matching funds in the March application cycle (it’s too late for this fall). She also advised the council members to look at background material on the city website, including the surveys of commercial districts, which include about 6,000 properties citywide.

She pointed the council to other resources, including National Trust for Historic Preservation, that have more background on these types of districts and how they are administered around the country. Their conversation will continue.

NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATES

The SWDC has changed its format in recent months to begin with updates from members on what their respective groups/organizations are focused on – something that all admitted had received short shrift under the previous format.

Morgan Community Association (Chas Redmond) – He mentioned that Parks is trying to buy the market/dry cleaners site north of Morgan Junction Park, which includes some ravine/open space to the west (previous WSB coverage here). Even if the purchase becomes reality, the businesses would not close immediately, because Parks then would have to figure out how to develop the site. Traits of the site could be perfect for P-Patch gardening and outdoor-movie screening, Redmond reported. … He also mentioned that the Murray Combined-Sewer Overflow control project is up to 60 percent design and “looking really good.” The actual construction isn’t expected to start until next spring – and then will last more than two years.

Senior Center of West Seattle (Jim Edwards) – Some big events coming up, including a chicken dinner on October 17th, and they have casino trips too.

Fauntleroy Community Association (Vlad Oustimovitch) – The Fauntleroy Fall Festival, 2-6 pm October 14th on the “community campus” of the schoolhouse, YMCA, and church, is coming up fast. The RapidRide bus stop by the ferry is causing some trouble, he mentioned, as FCA had foreseen and warned. Also in the area, the Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project work immediately north of the ferry terminal continues to ramp up, and the pocket beach Cove Park has “disappeared for a couple of years.”

West Seattle Junction Association (Susan Melrose) – The first-ever WSJA-presented Harvest Festival, coming up October 28th, is a big deal, with logistics being worked out for the West Seattle Farmers’ Market to move into the street that day, and 20 organizations planning activities for California SW during the festival, plus a kids’ costume parade – led by the West Seattle High School Marching Band. Melrose says that they’re also working on safety problems in The Junction such as deep tree wells – they’re looking into some gravel filler that will improve the walking area. Asked how Junction Plaza Park is doing, Melrose says the dog-waste problem there has improved.

Alki Community Council (Tony Fragada) – He talked about the grant being sought for a sculpture in conjunction with Seal Sitters, an organization with which ACC has been working a lot.

Seattle Police (Lt. Pierre Davis) – Crime Prevention coordinators will be focusing soon on prevention of car prowls, now that it’s getting darker earlier. He also mentioned that SPD is working on “eradicating” drug -related problems in the Delridge/Brandon area, which has had scattered trouble lately, as well as the speeding problem near K-5 STEM at Boren, which the Aggressive Driver Response Team has been coming in to work on.

He also recapped the Safe Communities gathering at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center last Thursday night, attended by more than 100 people (WSB coverage here), with the intent of plugging people into resources as quickly as possible. Melrose told Lt. Davis that the WSJA board misses the “beat cops” that used to be in The Junction, because they had “such a positive effect.” He said that the system they’re looking out now called “hot-spot policing” will encourage officers getting out of their cars in emphasis areas such as The Junction, and implementation is coming up when officers get off vacations, special deployments, etc. Will any of the 12 new officers in the mayor’s proposed budget come to the Southwest Precinct? They’re pushing for it, Lt. Davis affirmed.

SDOT’S NEIGHBORHOOD STREET FUND: Art Brochet, a consultant with SDOT, came to talk with the council about the process of applying for and vetting potential Neighborhood Street Fund projects – like the 25th SW work featured here earlier this week. Brochet said the application process is online this year. SDOT is encouraging applications to work closely with District Councils, whose support is important as the city decides who gets the money. The councils will review applications from their respective districts next January. “Any sort of project is eligible,” Brochet said, even though sidewalks have been the most-proposed category (the projects must be on “right of way,” which means on or by streets or alleys).

The Southwest District Council meets the first Wednesday of every month, 7 pm, at SSCC’s board room – public always welcome

That was a big topic last night for the Southwest District Council, with five groups (West Seattle Junction Association, Alki Community Council, Morgan Community Association, Admiral Neighborhood Association, Fauntleroy Community Association) sending representatives to the group’s first post-summer meeting at South Seattle Community College.

Only one guest this time – Columbia City resident, property owner, and revitalization activist Rob Mohn, invited to talk with the SWDC about historic preservation and neighborhood revitalization. As SWDC co-chair Susan Melrose from the WSJA explained, community leaders are wondering what they can do to “preserve the charm” of the neighborhood even as redevelopment revs into higher gear.

Mohn says the Columbia City Landmark District – one of seven in the city – far predated him, founded in the late ’70s. He says that district has design-review authority for projects in the area it covers, instead of a city-convened volunteer Design Review Board like the Southwest DRB that has jurisdiction here. He said the district originally was founded with a lot of guidelines about renovations, “to preserve the stock of buildings during a time when (there wasn’t much development).” Now, there is development interest, he pointed out. The district is seen as a plus, he believes, because of the area’s “sense of place.” And because it’s helped preserve older building stock, rents are lower and a “funkier” mix of small businesses remains, he said. New building proposals – like a 65-foot, 193-unit apartment building over a supermarket that’s on the drawing board – are reviewed for compatibility. But even the existing buildings, he said, are catalogued as either contributing to the district or not contributing to it, with different standards and rules for the buildings in the latter category.

But – “I’m afraid (that) for you guys, the horse is already out of the barn,” he said, though council members pointed out that none of the “good” buildings are slated for redevelopment – yet.

Fauntleroy’s Vlad Oustimovitch brought up Ballard, which also has preserved its historic buildings via a historic district.

This discussion continued an exploration that began at SWDC meetings earlier this year, looking at possibilities for preservation – landmark status for individual buildings, or perhaps a district that would focus on West Seattle’s historic trolley network spanning all three junctions (Admiral, Alaska, Morgan). Melrose and Morgan’s Chas Redmond plan to walk the area to map its features.

“That’s what it’s ultimately about – people in the community getting organized, and (then) getting support from the larger community,” said Oustimovitch.

As he put it, it would be a “long and winding road” to develop a historic district – while suggesting there are two points to focus on first: Developing the narrative, and finding funding. The council itself has few resources – its members are volunteers representing local organizations. So the discussions will continue, while Redmond and Melrose do some initial work to explore possibilities. She said, “It’s an opportunity to galvanize the community and get people to work together.” The council also plans to invite Southwest Seattle Historical Society leadership to a conversation to help put all this in the area’s historical context. (“The trolley (network’s history) may or may not be the vehicle,” cautioned Oustimovitch.) The council hopes to reach beyond its mostly-western-West-Seattle borders for support, too.

The meeting started with notes from the neighborhoods that were represented:

*Admiral – Jim Cavin talked about the successful 4th of July Kids’ Parade (WSB coverage here) and the just-completed six-concert ANA-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series.

*Alki – ACC president Tony Fragada said he will be attending tonight’s Ballard public meeting about the environmental assessment for the proposed Greener Skies package of flight-path changes and more (which he brought up during Mayor McGinn’s Town Hall in West Seattle last week, as reported here).

*Fauntleroy – Board member Oustimovitch mentioned the RapidRide station construction and the Barton Pump Station upgrade project next to the ferry dock, as well as the briefly proposed, then killed, Go Ape project (WSB coverage archive here). The Fauntleroy Fall Festival is happening on October 14th. He was asked about the Murray sewer-overflow-control project at Lowman Beach and reminded everyone of next Tuesday’s city hearing.

*Junction – Upcoming development and looking ahead to fall events, which start with the West Seattle Junction Car Show a week from Sunday.

*Morgan Junction – Board member Chas Redmond also mentioned the Murray CSO project hearing. MoCA is also talking with the city about whether park-levy money might be available to purchase the land immediately north of Morgan Junction Park (as reported here in June, it’s up for sale).

One more meeting note: The council’s meetings, long held at SSCC, might move next year; the Southwest Teen Life Center was mentioned as a possible new location. SWDC meets the first Wednesday of most months.

UPDATE FROM POLICE: Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis discussed two recent gunfire incidents, the one at Alki’s Whale Tail Park two weeks ago (WSB coverage here) and the one in Delridge just hours before the meeting. No new information regarding the Alki case, but he said police are hearing from Whale Tail neighbors more since the incident, and that’s a good thing. In the Delridge investigation (WSB coverage here) – where we had talked to him at the scene – Lt. Davis said police are seeking warrants to look at certain apartments/houses in that general area. Patrol officers have noticed “suspicious individuals” in the area in recent weeks, but they don’t seem to be associated with any one particular place – they move around between locations in the area of the incident.

COUNTY ASSESSOR’S UPDATE: Overall, home values in King County remain down, but city properties are holding their value better than rural properties, according to Assessor Lloyd Hara. He also mentioned noticing the uptick in commercial construction and single-family-home building since the third quarter of last year.

CITY COUNCILMEMBER BURGESS: Hara’s comment segued into one of Councilmember Tim Burgess‘s first comments, how the city Department of Planning and Development is fee-based, so staff cuts had come with a drop in the fees received by the department. The upswing in construction is part of the reason why budget cuts next time around likely won’t be as drastic. Burgess said Seattle still has it better than some cities, particularly in California, where he said there are places with “rolling fire-station closures” as well as deep cuts in police services and emergency food/housing.

On the proposed SODO arena: Burgess says it’s not a great deal for the city right now; he described himself as “agnostic” on the general idea of another arena, but regarding this specific proposal, he wants to see a better deal before he’d consider voting “yes.” He expects the council to vote before the next round of budgeting gets into high gear in September.

He was asked the pilot program to test every-other-week trash pickup – which was abruptly revealed in May (WSB coverage here) to include a West Seattle test zone, in Highland Park:

(Click to see full-size map, as PDF)
At last night’s meeting, North Delridge Neighborhood Council‘s Amanda Leonard and Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council‘s Pete Spalding both brought it up; Burgess said it was generating lots of e-mail. While the city might be saving money, he was told, the program was shifting the cost to people who might not be able to afford it – forcing them to get a bigger can, for example.

He also got an earful about SDOT and the various plans they keep bringing to Delridge – in particular, the South Delridge rechannelization plan that was suddenly revealed at the last Delridge District Council meeting (WSB coverage here – which included the following graphic):

The Delridge leaders told Burgess the group handling that plan seemed to be completely separate from and unaware of the work of the group that had been talking to them about a rechannelization plan on the north end of Delridge. The councilmember called that “unacceptable.”

The district councils’ regular meetings are: Southwest, 1st Wednesdays, 7 pm, South Seattle Community College board room; Delridge, 3rd Wednesdays, 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

CRIME TRENDS UPDATE: Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis said, “We’re reaping the rewards (of recent arrests) right now” – saying burglaries, car prowls, auto thefts are down. Even strongarm robberies, though other parts of the city are way up. West Seattle, said Lt. Davis, has had five in the past two months. He urges anyone interested to contact SPD to come out for Block Watch or other neighborhood presentations, CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) evaluations, etc. They want to really stress this before summer arrives along with criminals trying “more inventive things” … to “see if we can keep our bad guys in, and for individuals who want to be bad, give them the proper reward for their work.”

Morgan Community Association‘s Chas Redmond asked Lt. Davis what will happen if White Center and other adjacent areas vote in November to be annexed by Burien (that city’s council decided earlier this week to seek that vote); he said it’s too soon to say, though Seattle has a good relationship with Burien PD and other neighboring departments. He also was asked about issues including when to call police about someone “loitering in the bushes” – contact your Community Police Team officer if it is not a “happening now” issue – and parking enforcement, with people in the Triangle/Fairmount area parking in ways causing safety and visibility problems. “If it’s something that can be enforced, we’ll enforce it,” Lt. Davis promised.

Now, the non-West Seattle-specific briefings:

SEATTLE WATERFRONT/SEAWALL: Planning continues on what is hoped ultimately to be a waterfront “that people want to go to,” Steve Pearce – central waterfront project manager for SDOT – told the SWDC. Cost estimate, finance plan, and strategic plan are part of what’s coming up as the city works on its waterfront vision/plan – including the seawall replacement – now that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is coming down. Waterfront design is to be done by the end of 2015, as the deep-bored tunnel opens for traffic if all goes as scheduled, enabling demolition of what’s left of the Viaduct. The seawall – replacing the “untreated timber structure under Alaskan Way” – is to be done by then, though, the SWDC was told – phase 1, at least, with phase 2 to follow after 2020. It’s hoped that the replacement will improve fish habitat, with improvements including a “light-penetrating surface” in the sidewalk. (“It would be nice to catch fish off the waterfront again,” observed SWDC co-chair Tony Fragada, president of the Alki Community Council.)

Overall, a Central Waterfront Committee that looks at related issues, including possibly some kind of entity that would actually “maintain and program the waterfront,” according to Pearce. The area they’re looking at covers 26 blocks. The renderings shown are very different from what you see along the downtown waterfront today – with pedestrian and seating areas in abundance rather than the current fairly narrow strip of sidewalk abutting the street.

(See the entire presentation here – warning, sizable PDF.)

“Possibilities” under discussion include grandstand seating or a roller rink at Pier 62/63, maybe a swimming pool on a barge that could be brought in for the summer, and a plaza by the Seattle Aquarium, plus a “major new public space” crossing from Victor Steinbrueck Park north of Pike Place Market all the way down to the waterfront.

(New waterfront condos were part of the rendering too.) Separate from all the envisioned amenities is the street design, showing where traffic flow would split up around Pike Street, onto a new north-south street heading north from there. And there will be some novel means of pedestrian flow too – perhaps even escalators in spots where people need to get up or down a steep incline.

The waterfront will include a “very high-quality bicycle facility [path],” too, Pearce promised.

He showed what happens if you don’t continue into the tunnel, coming from the south – heading onto Alaskan Way or onto First Avenue South, to get into downtown, once the Viaduct and its midtown ramps are gone. Transit is still reviewing how it’s getting into downtown, he noted (as has been discussed in a low-key way at some of Metro’s recent public meetings). How busy will the roads be? 35,000 trips a day are envisioned starting south of Colman Dock, four times the current volume, in 2030 – NOT taking into account the possibility of higher volumes with a tolled tunnel. Waterfront Alaskan Way is being designed, as a result, with two lanes each way.

The southernmost section, from King to Yesler, he acknowledged, is “the hardest to explain” because the street is being “used different ways at different times to achieve our goals.” It will have “flex lanes” in which parking/loading will be allowed at “off-peak times” (9 am-3 pm, weekends, most likely) and the configuration will change at other times – northbound in afternoon/evening peak, for example, two lanes will be reserved for ferry traffic, two fo rthrough travel, no parking. In morning peak, the same direction would include one ferry lane, two through lanes, and one transit lane, no parking lanes. Overhead signs are most likely what will show people which lane is which – unless “more elegant” solutions arise before all this is built, he allowed. That section of the waterfront might take two cycles for a pedestrian to cross if they’re moving a little slower than average, so the median will be made a safe place to wait between cycles.

During seawall construction, there will be at least three travel lanes under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, in case you’re wondering (Redmond was). “We intend that Alaskan Way (will be) always open for traffic” during the seawall project, he declared.

What about funding? asked Junction Association rep Susan Melrose. The plan isn’t final, Steve said, but part of it – more than $200 million – is expected to come from a Local Improvement District that will be set up to charge property owners who stand to benefit from all this. That won’t quite cover the almost $300 million estimate, he said, for the street part of the project alone, but the state is covering a share too, so the “transportation portion” is covered, he said. They’re also hoping for philanthropy – “significant nonprofit donations” are hoped for. The seawall, though, will likely be funded by a citywide ballot measure, he suggested, adding that the project already is up to 35 percent design.

Find out more at waterfrontseattle.org.

CITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN: This was the subject of the night’s second briefing, by city rep Sara Wysocki, talking about the city’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. She said the city’s not going to be overtly Big Brother in this area – “we’re not going to tell you what you can buy and what you can eat” – but will work on making information available. Technical Advisory Groups have been set up to “analyze and recommend” strategies for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. These groups will brief City Council on April 23rd for the first time in this process – not on detailed plans, but on the “bones of the plan,” said Wysocki.

A “Green Ribbon Commission” also is to be convened – made up of “civic, business, environmental, and social-equity leaders” – to review proposed strategies so that they are not in conflict with “job creation, affordable housing, public health, and social equity.” Public comment will be solicited once the April 23rd briefing happens. And Wysocki says she’d be happy to go speak with any community group interested in more dialogue on the topic. The draft plan is to come out in October, with the public-comment period on that open through December. Meantime, they’re also looking for proposals for community climate-action projects, with contracts to be awarded for up to $7,000. “These don’t have to be very big projects,” Wysocki said – maybe your street, your book club, your PTA, “your definition of community.” There’s more info on this at seattlecan.org.

COMMUNITY POWER WORKS: Briefing #3 was by Jessica Farmer, talking about this program we’ve already covered here on WSB, as Community Power Works signed on as a sponsor to get the word out about this city-run energy-efficiency-upgrade project. Through the program, you can pay $95 for a home energy assessment that would usually cost $400. And they’ll work with you to figure out ways to “identify upgrade opportunities and incentives,” averaging $2,000 in value. They’re hoping to have 2,000 home upgrades done within the next 14 months, helping homeowners “achieve 15% energy savings” – so far, though, she says savings are averaging almost twice that. P.S. Need a new heating system? She says “extra incentives” are available for “switching to high-efficiency heating.” There’s a small-business program as part of CPW too, for restaurants and small-to-medium-size grocery and convenience stores, and those assessments are free of charge. Followup questions from SWDC members included whether there are incentives for solar; not under this project, Farmer said, but they work with Seattle City Light which does.

TOTEM POLE: Carol Vincent from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society says their totem pole is finally going up next month, no date set yet, though, as restoration work has not been completed.

EVENTS COMING UP: April 21 Gathering of Neighbors … June 23 Morgan Junction Community Festival … and before then, the next meeting of the SW District Council, on May 2nd.

FIGHTING/PREVENTING CRIME: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis announced a public-safety forum for 7 pm March 29th at the precinct (Delridge/Webster), focused on a very specific section of northeastern West Seattle, from the bridge to Boren, centered on Delridge Way SW and the adjacent streets. Lt. Davis explained, “We want to try to strengthen the Block Watch capabilities (there) … (since) we really got hammered with petty crimes and burglaries” in recent months, though as he recapped, multiple arrests have made a big dent in that previous trend. He said the “if you see something, say something” philosophy is helping bring in more tips from citizens in other areas of West Seattle, but they would like to see more tips come in from the Delridge neighborhood, and are hoping that the forum might educate more people on best practices for preventing and reporting crime/suspicious activity.

Next, two reports from SDOT, on current work and a future event:

(Photo from Ventana Construction [WSB sponsor] Facebook page – work on SE corner of California/Findlay)
RAPIDRIDE-RELATED STREET/SIDEWALK WORK UPDATE: SDOT’s Jonathan Dong, who had spoken to the SWDC before about the construction, was there with James Sido, a rep from the construction company that’s working on the right-of-way changes (Tri-State) to facilitate RapidRide Line C, which Metro is launching to replace West Seattle’s Route 54 this fall. (We reported last month on the start of work in south West Seattle.) The Rose, Webster, and Myrtle stops on Fauntleroy have now received their new concrete, though Sido said that the Myrtle concrete “had an issue” and needs to be redone, which is “high on their priority list to get that area up to speed as quickly as they can.”

The work that’s happening in north Morgan Junction right now is drainage work, he said, with a new stop to be located there; he also mentioned the major work on the northbound side of California at Findlay. Sido explained that the landowner was going to have some side-sewer work done, and asked that this be folded into the RapidRide-related construction project. He says the next areas where you’ll see work crews are Fauntleroy/California near Zeeks Pizza and the southbound side of California at Findlay. They hope to have this segment of work “substantially completed” by May.

Dong reiterated, in response to a question, that stops further south, such as the Fauntleroy ferry dock vicinity and Westwood Village, are being handled by county crews. Morgan Community Association rep Chas Redmond asked SDOT’s Dong to make sure someone takes a look at the areas along California where Puget Sound Energy has done gas line work and left behind a “temporary patch.”

Dong says the rechannelization of SW Alaska – changing a car lane to a transit lane and removing some parking, among other changes that he acknowledged are “going to be the most visible change in the community” – will likely happen in early April. They want to “blanket the area for one or two blocks in both directions” with reminders, and Dong says that’ll happen about two weeks before the work is done. What’s holding up the scheduling right now is that they’re waiting on the traffic-signal work. The work will take a few days and will likely start around 7 am, said Sedo, though Erica Karlovits of the Junction Neighborhood Organization suggested they might consider starting later to avoid rush-hour complications. Dong thinks the work will take two to four days, weather-dependent, of course. Karlovits and West Seattle Junction Association‘s Susan Melrose both stressed that the more warning, the better, since the lane and parking changes will be a surprise (if not shock) to some people, both shoppers, businesspeople/employees, and Junction-area residents.

Admiral Neighborhood Association vice president Karl de Jong asked the two if the projects were creating jobs in West Seattle, and also about what kind of labor and apprenticeship agreements were involved; they didn’t have answers but promised to get back to him. Next SDOT topic:

(WSB photo from 2011 Seattle Summer Streets on Alki)
SUMMER STREETS/CAR-FREE DAY: SDOT’s Sonia Palma talked about the 5th annual car-free day on Alki as part of Seattle Summer Streets. As reported here last month, the date this year is May 20th, starting with the West Seattle 5K (co-sponsored again this year by WSB). Palma says the street-closure plan is the same as last year, with a full closure from 63rd to Don Armeni for the race, and then, after 11 am or so, the closure only extending eastward to 58th SW for the Summer Streets remainder of the day. SDOT is currently looking for sponsors and organizations interested in participating, while also asking community reps to get the word out about the big day.

Even more from tonight’s meeting, including quick updates on key projects that individual groups are focusing on, ahead:

COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM: David Keyes, the city’s community-technology program manager, said April 3rd is the deadline for community technology grant applications – one for technology literacy and access; grants of up to $20,000 area available, supported by cable-franchise fees. Civic engagement projects are the other category, he said – and that doesn’t just mean Internet projects, he said. You can find out all about it at seattle.gov/tech.

He also mentioned an upcoming contest,”Apps for Seattle” – April 27th-29th at City Hall, a “StartupWeekend-dot-gov” type of event, a developer-intensive “crunching” weekend will be held – partly, Keyes said, to see “what else can we do with the city’s data.seattle.gov portal … and make that more available to the public in different formats?” They’ll be looking for community ideas on what kind of applications will be most useful. After that, they’ll have till August to submit their apps. So if you know developers, get the word out! The site for the contest isn’t ready to launch yet, though.

GATHERING OF NEIGHBORS UPDATE: From Chas Redmond – student musicians, a martial-arts troupe, possibly some breakdancers are among the entertainment lined up so far for the April 21st Gathering of Neighbors community-building fair/open house event, happening at Chief Sealth International High School.; speakers will include the legendary Jim “Neighbor Power!” Diers. Keep tabs on the event by going here, till their new website is up within a week or so. (We’ll publish an update when that happens.) Redmond mentioned they’re trying to get the South Park area involved in GoN this year, too.

TELL THE STORY OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Lois Maag from the Department of Neighborhoods talked about a contest that’ll be held for community videos as part of the Seattle Center 50th anniversary celebration – and they’re looking to ALL communities/neighborhoods, not just those near the center. Find out all the details here.

Toward the start of the meeting, there was a turn around the table for updates on projects that participating organizations are working on:

WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION ASSOCIATION: From Susan Melrose: WSJA is moving ahead with West Seattle Summer Fest – they’re going to try to bring back a second entertainment stage this year, and they’re also working with Sustainable West Seattle to bring back the sustainability-focused GreenLife activities area. Later in the year, she said, the WS Junction Car Show will be back.

JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: They’re working on the dog-waste issue that has roiled folks in the neighborhood (it’s been a hot topic in the WSB Forum). Dog owners just aren’t scooping, and that’s a health hazard, among other things, so strategy is being plotted to try to tackle the problem.

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: With the Barton Street Pump Station expansion project and RapidRide stations/stops, there are three projects that’ll be under construction soon in Fauntleroy, per Vlad Oustimovitch. He also mentioned FCA’s annual membership meeting, Food Fest, coming up on March 20th, at The Hall at Fauntleroy.

UNSUNG HEROES: Michael Shilley from the Highland Park Action Committee and Delridge Neighborhoods District Council talked about the Unsung Heroes banquet coming up – they’re still looking for nominees, and have received 13 so far. (Here’s our previous story.)

ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Vice president Karl de Jong said planning continues for the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, and ANA continues to support the Admiral District’s new business association.

SOUTHWEST SEATTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY: March 18th, they’re inviting people, particularly youth and elders, to Southwest Library to be part of the forthcoming “Telling Our Westside Stories” exhibit, talking about both memories and places they enjoy now. SWSHS is particularly interested in more participating from the southern communities – Highland Park, White Center, South Park. RSVP to loghousemuseum@comcast.net.

MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Chas Redmond mentioned the work under way at Lowman Beach in preparation for the Murray Basin CSO-control project. Also: The Morgan Junction Community Festival is June 23rd.

ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: President Tony Fragada said that ACC is continuing to work on addressing the problem of landslides in the area.

The Southwest District Council, comprised of representatives from community councils and other organizations primarily based in western West Seattle, meets monthly, usually the first Wednesday, 7 pm, in the board room at South Seattle Community College on Puget Ridge.

METRO RESTRUCTURING PROPOSAL, SECOND DRAFT, FIRST MEETING: These are changes that Metro wants to implement when RapidRide debuts in West Seattle this September. The new draft came out just hours before the Wednesday night meeting; our first set of toplines is here, and a round of community conversations is ahead (see the calendar here). At the SWDC meeting, Metro planner Jack Lattemann told the council they were the first community group getting a briefing. The newest proposals for individual routes are linked from a dropdown menu on the right side of this page; here’s what he highlighted:

*Route 120 will not get additional service but will go to Westwood Village and connect there with other Metro routes.

*Route 125 would operate on weekdays matching SSCC hours, till 10 pm, with a “pretty full weekday schedule,” but no weekend service at all. It WILL go downtown, but it won’t connect to the 11, Lattemann clarified upon a followup question from SSCC rep Candace Oehler. The lack of weekend service also was questioned by Dorsol Plants, a council rep who also happens to be an SSCC employee and student.

*Route 128 has one new proposal in Round 2 – it would be extended as far north in Admiral as Atlantic Street; the route also would be upgraded to “every half-hour at all times, with service hours extended till at least midnight, 7 days a week, connecting the 3 Junctions at a pretty consistent service level.” The idea of running it on SW Genesee will not work because a signal is needed at Avalon/Genesee, and the money was in the “levy that didn’t pass,” Lattemann said (challenged by Admiral’s Karl de Jong, who said that SDOT told him that light is on the schedule for 2013).

*New Route 20 would start from California/Lander, where the 128 starts, and match its current routing from Admiral District to 16th SW, as an east-west connector, with more frequent service than the 128 now has there (this was previously proposed as Route 40)

*21 would still end at Westwood Village, but would become “the third route in West Seattle with a 15-minute service level”

*22 would retain some service between The Junction and Westwood Village via Gatewood, and then would loop the route through part of Shorewood/Arbor Heights, 7 day a week till 7 pm, once an hour, providing a “basic level of service” rather than going away entirely

*55 would retain service during peak hours, 5 morning and 5 afternoon, same current stop locations

*21 through Arbor Heights would keep 4 morning and 4 afternoon trips

*For those still concerned about RapidRide, Lattemann noted that it will operate earlier, later, and more frequently than the current Route 54, which it will replace.

Lattemann was grilled on how much of a change Metro will be willing to make in this round before finalizing its plan – particularly regarding the effects on SSCC. He said that for example, if weekend service were to be restored for a route serving SSCC, something else in the West Seattle area would have to go. Later, after the Metro reps had left, SSCC’s Oehler mentioned that it’s unheard of for an institution like SSCC not to have Saturday bus service, and she will be looking for support as they campaign to get Metro to include Saturdays in the plan. “We’re not asking for more (service) – we asked to maintain the current level,” Oehler said.

How will RapidRide get downtown? Lattemann was asked. For now, he says, they’re proposing that the C Line use the Alaskan Way Viaduct and get off at Seneca Street, as the 54 does now, though obviously that will be gone when the tunnel opens, so there’s a “question long-term about where transit should go.” The C Line would go up to 3rd Avenue from there and “become the D Line to Ballard.”

In addition to the upcoming meetings, you can also comment on the newest Metro plan by taking an online survey.

(P.S. The night after this meeting, Metro delivered its second community briefing, at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting, which we covered for partner site White Center Now – you can read it here if interested.)

COUNCILMEMBER SALLY BAGSHAW: She now chairs the Parks and Neighborhoods Committee – she says those two functions were joined at her request, both “intrinsically connected with our quality of life.” So she’s making the rounds of neighborhoods “to find out what’s most important to them.” She says all neighborhoods want to be “safe, green, and connected” – so that’s her theme for the year. In particular, she’s excited about the “neighborhood greenways” concept, taking inspiration from Portland, which already has 60 miles of these non-arterial streets, focused on walking and biking. As reported here last fall, she’s already visited Delridge to talk about a possible one for 26th SW – here’s a photo from that visit:

(October 2011 photo by Mike Dady)
She says Seattle departments are coming together “to make this happen.” The first year, they expect to have 7 miles of greenways created in Seattle. North Seattle will get the first; private donors, such as Children’s Hospital in the north end, are participating too. … She also talked about the latest round of community-center cuts, which she says kept all the centers open (though she did not mention that Southwest Community Center is no longer a community center). She says the process that resulted in those decisions is one she would now like to apply to the Department of Neighborhoods, to find out what services people would most like to get out of that department.

She then went around the table to ask SWDC reps what they wish worked better, when they work with the city. And she got an earful – from neighborhood input on planning issues that doesn’t seem to have been taken into account, to departments not speaking with each other, to public-works projects that suddenly appear out of nowhere without local notification. The talk eventually came around to the recent Triangle rezoning process, in which the final result included elements that did not emerge from the citizen-advisory-group process. “We ended with a major upzone with no input,” flatly declared Sharonn Meeks from Fairmount, who had been on the Triangle Advisory Group. Meeks also mentioned the process two years ago when hundreds of West Seattleites participated in a neighborhood-plan-update discussion – and then never heard the results of their work, whether anything would ever come of it.

“15 years ago, the neighborhood engagement was genuine; now, it’s (part of a checklist),” noted Vlad Oustimovitch from the Fauntleroy Community Association, after Erica Karlovits from the Junction Neighborhood Organization underscored how recent “processes” – the Triangle rezoning, Junction parking reviews – seemed to have outcomes determined by the city regardless of what local participates showed and told them. “We all got blindsided by an upzone,” SWDC co-chair Susan Melrose of the WS Junction Association said, explaining to Bagshaw that the proposal came into the advisory-council “process” at “the end.”

Bagshaw listened and asked what would “better management” of the process “look like.” Oustimovitch suggested, for one, that it be clearly spelled out what the community would get for each additional foot of height a developer would get. “Maybe additional greenspace at the ground level, maybe additional parking for the business area …”

One other issue came up: Melrose brought up the fact that Junction Plaza Park is under siege from dogs and owners who don’t clean up after them. She wondered if something that small should just be off-limits to “pet pottying,” period.

GATHERING OF NEIGHBORS: (This briefing preceded the news release we published here on Friday.) April 21st is the date; event director Michael Taylor-Judd briefed SWDC on what’s in the works so far. It’ll run 11 am-3 pm for the public, preceded by a 2-hour neighborhood/leadership-building program with local leaders and featured speakers (Jim Diers of “Neighbor Power” fame). It’ll include a resource fair. It’ll be on a relatively low budget – they’d been seeking a grant but “just found out today we’re not getting it.” So it’ll be an all-volunteer production. (The event, originated by the now-defunct Megawatt nonprofit, was taken over by Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association when Megawatt called it quits, but DNDA is no longer able to stage it.)

ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED AT TONIGHT’S MEETING: Just in case you wondered. Unlike January, this meeting was a full house – the U-shaped table was full with reps from the West Seattle Junction Association, Junction Neighborhood Organization, Fauntleroy Community Association, Alki Community Council, Highland Park Action Committee, Morgan Community Association, West Seattle Senior Center, Admiral Neighborhood Association, Southwest Seattle Historical Society, Fairmount Community Association, South Seattle Community College, West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network, West Seattle Be Prepared, .

STREET-TREE ORDINANCE: Lots of discussion after we covered last month’s West Seattle community meeting about proposed changes to the city rules, which haven’t changed in half a century. City arborist Nolan Rundquist stressed that they are looking for as much comment and opinion as possible – here’s how – before this gets to the City Council. His summary: The proposed rule will better define who’s responsible for which trees, public or private, and a “no-fee permit process” will be put into place to deal with removal, pruning, replacement, etc., as well as who is allowed to handle such tasks. But he says “small work” – such as pruning branches that aren’t bigger than two inches in diameter – won’t require a permit.

FAUNTLEROY EXPRESSWAY: The council had invited project communications consultant Josh Stepherson back to provide an update once the intensive phase of the earthquake-safety work, with some overnight closures (next ones Jan. 9-12), got under way on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge. Morgan Community Association rep Chas Redmond asked about an anomaly he’d spotted (which we have noticed too, in late-night drives):

That anomaly: “Bridge closed” signs are turning up much earlier, some nights, than when the work actually begins. That problem should be fixed now, said another project rep, because they have reminded workers not to put the signs out until just before they are ready to close the west end of the bridge for the actual work – in some cases, apparently, they had indeed put them out a few hours early. (Watch here for the latest on closures, and we’ll update you on announcements too.) According to Stepherson, the work remains on track to be completed by June.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT RICHARD CONLIN: He’s expected to turn over that title to Councilmember Sally Clark at the council’s first meeting of 2012 next Monday, but still had a lot of big-picture information to share. For one: He said the Department of Neighborhoods needs to be revisited, proactively, regarding its role in city government. The council and mayor will be talking about that over the next six months, he said. Next: The 2013-2014 budget that’ll be put together later this year looks “grim.” Even though the economy in general is promising, according to Conlin, that won’t improve the revenue picture, so there are “tough decisions” ahead.

Next: Development and planning, now that he is expected to be chairing the renamed committee handling those areas (Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability). That turned talk to the recent council approval of Triangle rezoning; Redmond asked about building height – since part of it will allow 85-foot buildings – and potential “dark urban canyons.” Conlin’s reply: There are policies about public views, but not private.

The last big topic was transportation. He had general words of praise for West Seattle-area proposals submitted to SDOT, but no specifics, even when Admiral Neighborhood Association vice president Karl de Jong pressed him on a major sore spot for that area – the request for a stoplight at 47th/Admiral, where ANA recently led a demonstration (WSB coverage here) centered on a tribute to Tatsuo Nakata, the City Council staffer killed while crossing there five years ago. Conlin said the city is well aware of the concerns, but did not commit to any action (the intersection is on the list of potential new-signal locations, but it’s a list that isn’t attached to much money, so progress tends to be slow).

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS LETTER: One more note – councilmembers will vote by e-mail on whether to send the City Council a letter asking that emergency preparedness be a priority for Council planning this year (there wasn’t a quorum of reps last night to finalize it then). The draft letter includes this paragraph:

“Actively support Emergency Preparedness on the individual, neighborhood and District levels and recognize the needs and critical importance of the work of Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management in encouraging and supporting citizens to work with their neighbors to improve Emergency Preparedness in Seattle.”

Cindi Barker of West Seattle Be Prepared was there to discuss the topic with the council. (P.S. Know where your emergency-communication hub is? Find it!)

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY’S FUTURE: We’re writing about this topic separately; we’re told reps also will be at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting in two weeks (Wednesday, January 18th, 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center), if you’d like to hear from them firsthand.

The Southwest District Council – which includes reps from major community councils and other organizations around western West Seattle – meets the first Wednesday of most months, 7 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s board room.

(Click to see full-size PDF)
When we first reported on Metro‘s proposed 2012 changes last week, it looked like your first chance to see an official presentation in West Seattle would be Metro’s November 9th and 17th meetings. Now there’s late word of an earlier chance: Metro’s now on the agenda for this Wednesday night’s meeting of the Southwest District Council, 7 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s board room, and yes, as always, it’s a public meeting. Also on the agenda: A presentation about the changes SDOT is making on West Seattle streets to accommodate next year’s Metro West Seattle RapidRide debut (including SW Alaska rechannelization). SSCC’s at 6000 16th SW; the board room is in the Robert Smith Building – campus map here, building map here.

P.S. An online survey about the Metro proposal is now available, with questions about how it would affect you – you can take the survey here.