For kids, today’s Fire Station 32 open house in The Triangle was a chance to get an up-close look at Engine 32, otherwise only publicly viewable when roaring down the street with lights and siren. For other visitors, it was a chance to preview the station’s future:

Renderings on easels and cardboard models on tables were used for an early look at what the all-new Station 32 will be like.

It’ll be a three-story structure, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, built on the same site as the current one at 37th and Alaska:

The construction is still a ways off – about a year and a half, according to the timetable the city gave us for this story we published three months ago; the station will have to relocate during construction. Once it’s done, it’ll have an expanded role in SFD operations, as explained on the project webpage.

The chillier, cloudier weather did NOT mean a break from dunk-tank duty for Josh Sutton from the West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor), but as usual, he was smiling anyway. The rain isn’t expected in till later, so the bouncy toys and other outdoor activities remained available too:

Indoor fun, too! If you see this right after we publish it, you have till 1 pm to get over to the Y’s main location in The Triangle; one component of HK Day – no joining fees for new memberships – does continue all weekend.

We took a few followup questions to city spokesperson Katherine Schubert-Knapp, who replies that (a) there’s no design yet – “we’re in the schematic design phase with our architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson“; (b) the interim site for relocating the station during construction has not yet been chosen; (c) the timeline envisions demolition around “the end of 2014-beginning of 2015. The station construction is expected to be complete by first quarter 2016.”

While Station 32 is already key to responses in West Seattle, as home to an engine, ladder truck, and Medic 32, the city’s summary of the project says, “As part of the rebuild, Station 32 is slated for major improvements and conversion to the lead station for Battalion VII, which covers all of West Seattle, southwest Seattle, and Harbor Island, and the industrial areas lining both sides of the Duwamish River.”

If you noticed the Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) sign in the window of the former West Seattle Motors/Bob Ochsner Cars site along Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle – here’s what’s up: The West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) is taking over the space. It’s already being used for extra parking – 18 more spaces, as announced to Y members a few months back, says Josh Sutton at the Y, adding, “We’re on track to start using the space for fitness classes (quantity/type still to be determined) in the next month or so. Right now we’re cleaning it up and getting it ready – so stay posted. Big thanks goes to Potter Construction for donating a chunk of the renovation costs.” (Proprietor Gary Potter is on the Y’s board.)

(Click to see entire mailer as a PDF)
Thanks to Sharonn Meeks of the Fairmount Community Association – that’s the neighborhood just south of, and uphill from, Alaska in The Triangle – for sharing the news that SDOT has sent a final mailer to residents in the area – see it here. There are two differences from the “proposed plan” sent around last month – as reported here – and one is a big one: Fairmount neighbors appealed a proposal to allow parking on both sides of 37th SW in Fairmount, explaining that the two sides of the street were developed 30 years apart, with different lot sizes/shapes, which means driveways don’t align – for the homes who have them – and allowing parking on both sides could hamper fire-truck access. The other change is that SDOT “will evaluate potential sites for additional bike parking at the beginning of 2013,” according to the city’s project manager Kiersten Grove, who says the plan overall is meant to “facilitate better parking turnover for West Seattle Triangle businesses and provide additional parking for the residents of the area.” It’ll be sent to the City Council for review next month, as explained here.

There’s a new proposal for changes to parking in The Triangle and in the Fairmount neighborhood to its south – see the map above. It’s being circulated after the city’s followup conversations with the Triangle Advisory Group and other neighbors. So far, the postcard above has only gone out to homes/businesses in the immediate area – but it’s certainly of wider interest, so we are sharing it here. An online survey is open right now (go here), and/or you can send comments by Monday, November 26, to kiersten.grove@seattle.gov.

Thanks to everyone who has pointed out that branding work has been proceeding quickly on the new Fauntleroy Shell station at Fauntleroy/Alaska (that’s its official name, according to the city business license). We’ve been working to find out when they expect to open, and finally reached someone today by phone – they say it could be as soon as this Friday, depending on how “network installation” work goes. For those wondering “why two Shell stations at the same intersection?” – please remember that the pre-existing one is going to be part of the 4755 Fauntleroy Way mega-project. That does not mean it’s closing any time soon – but eventually (though the land deal for that project won’t be done till next year, according to the developers, and construction may not start till 2014).

Almost a year and a half after it closed during a conversion from 76 to Arco, the gas station/mini-mart on the east side of the Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection appears to be on the way to reopening, under new ownership. We checked its status after a tip from Paul of PB&J Textiles (WSB sponsor); he noticed the fence that had ringed it for a year was down and the site appeared “cleaned up.” It was fenced off last January and then listed for sale; county property records show the $1.3 million sale to PacWest Energy LLC closed a week and a half ago, and city online records show an application for a sign permit – under the Shell brand. What we’ve found online so far indicates that PacWest is a joint venture between Shell and Idaho-based Jacksons Food Stores. Does this mean anything for the also-Shell-branded station across the intersection? We’ll be checking on that, and on the timetable for this one.

5:17 PM UPDATE: We asked what happens next – answer, in addition to taking comments, here and via e-mail, SDOT is also doing traffic/pedestrian studies in the area, to see which of the potential alternatives might work best. Then they’ll come up with the “10 percent conceptual design concept” by the end of the year, before this proceeds further; right now, as was pointed out to us last week, that’s all the funding this project has ($250,000) – more funding would have to be budgeted for full design, let alone construction. As for whether more public meetings are planned – that’s still up in the air; this is the only one they originally planned, SDOT says (though it was not officially announced till this week, aside from postcards that arrived in some nearby homes last week, which is how we indirectly found out about the meeting last Friday).

(Rendering of potential Fauntleroy Way ‘green boulevard,’ from June 2011 Triangle open house)
FIRST REPORT, 10:05 AM: Thanks to Sharonn Meeks of the Fairmount Community Association for sharing a photo of a postcard she just received in postal mail at her home, so we can share the info with you – we have not seen any other mention of this yet, and it’s less than a week away: The city has scheduled its first open house on the Fauntleroy Way “Green Boulevard” concept – after including $250,000 in this year’s budget to study the idea of turning Fauntleroy Way into a “boulevard,” with a treed median, through The Triangle, between 35th SW and SW Alaska. Love the idea? Don’t like the idea? Want to know more? We’re asking SDOT when some kind of formal announcement is forthcoming, but the postcard Sharonn received says the open house is at 4 pm next Thursday (July 19th) at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). It also includes a city website address that as of this writing doesn’t appear to be working yet. We’ll update when we get more info from SDOT.

4:41 PM UPDATE: Some more info from SDOT re: the open house:

The open house will provide community members an opportunity to provide input on conceptual design alternatives for the Fauntleroy Way SW Green Boulevard Project. The project itself is between 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska Street on Fauntleroy Way SW and seeks to transform this section of the corridor into more of a gateway into West Seattle. The alternatives could include elements such as a landscaped boulevard, planted medians, better pedestrian zones, lighting and better crossing movements. This is all part of a larger plan that originates from the West Seattle Streetscapes Concept Plan.

We are inviting community members to come to the open house to review the alternatives, share their thoughts on the conceptual design plan and generally let us know what is most important to them about this section of the corridor.

SDOT’s Marybeth Turner also points out that “funding right now only allows for a conceptual design (10 percent) and a proposed alternative to be selected this year. Funding would still need to be secured to move this project into a design greater than 10 percent and then into physical construction.”

Josh Sutton from the West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) caught this view of an unusual sight at the development site across the street from the Y’s HQ in The Triangle – a spiral staircase being hoisted into place. The 62-apartment development at 36th/Snoqualmie is Harbor/Urban‘s Nova, one of three major developments under construction in West Seattle right now, along with Youngstown Flats (26th/Dakota in North Delridge) and Oregon 42 (where the recent 3-home demolition is over and excavation is beginning) at 42nd/Oregon in The Junction.

Call to West Seattle Artists! Chaco Canyon Café is looking for your art to display on our walls!

Criteria:
1. West Seattle and White Center artists preferred.
2. Paintings preferred and we welcome pieces with a bright and vibrant color palette.
3. Artists must be willing to keep their work here for a minimum of 6 months and to host at least one Art Walk event during that period.
4. Have approx. 12 large pieces, or an equivalent number of small or medium pieces available for display.
5. Have all work neatly and appropriately framed with the ability to hang from a single hook provided.
6. Be ready and able to put up art during the week of March 19th.

For those interested, please e-mail photographs of your works to anise@chacocanyoncafe.com. We hope to come to a decision by the beginning of March.