We reported “live” last night from the West Seattle Triangle open house, which drew more than 60 people, including local neighborhood and business leaders as well as city planners. (Here’s our story, including video of what City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen had to say.) If you couldn’t be there – you can still take a look at what was presented, now that it’s all published to the city’s website. The introductory overview is here; the “boards” are here, including the final few pages focusing on the potential of 85-foot-high buildings in part of The Triangle, 20 feet above current zoning; and a closer look at the “street-use concept” proposal is here. Next steps: These concepts get official city reviews, with more opportunities for you to officially comment.

(The city’s “Triangle Study Area,” which stretches a little beyond the boundaries of the 35th/Fauntleroy/Alaska Triangle itself)
6:12 PM: It’s already home to businesses and residential complexes like the West Seattle Family YMCA and Tom’s Automotive (both WSB sponsors), Alki Lumber and Diva Espresso, the VFW and American Legion halls, medical clinics for people and pets, Fire Station 32, the soon-to-be-made-over Seattle West Inn and Suites, the new Link residential/retail building and Merrill Gardens-West Seattle (WSB sponsors), the future lounge/restaurant The Bridge, Mountain to Sound Outfitters, the future Trader Joe’s and future Les Schwab Tire Center, and more … and from the south end of the West Seattle Bridge, it’s a gateway. So how will The Triangle evolve? Right now, it’s your chance for a closer look at proposed street-use and land-use concepts, potentially phased in over the years ahead, following months of work by city planners and a citizens’ advisory group – and your chance to share what you think about the concepts. The West Seattle Triangle Open House is under way till 8 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction, enter from Oregon), with what’s promised to be a “short presentation” at 6:30. More to come.

7:05 PM: More than 60 people are here – both familiar faces from the business and neighborhood-association communities, and others who want to know what might be in store for this pivotal neighborhood. As shown in our photo above, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – who has been involved in Triangle planning and brainstorming for almost three years – is here too. He spoke briefly (video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown):

Also speaking were city planner Susan McLain and architect David Hewitt. (They presented very brief toplines on the ways in which The Triangle could evolve, including pedestrian streetscapes in its interior, and the latest version of the Fauntleroy Way “boulevard” concept from SW Alaska to The Bridge – which could have two travel lanes in each direction plus a landscaped median – that’s not officially written into any city plans or budgets yet, though, according to our most recent checks.)

Also here, if you have questions – Paul Roybal and Christine Alar from the county and city respectively, answering questions about Metro’s coming-next-year RapidRide (see our latest story here). One of the Luna Park business leaders who is concerned about RapidRide-related parking loss, John Bennett, is here and voiced his concerns as the presentation ended. Harbor Properties’ Denny Onslow followed him, talking about Link, the mixed-use apartments/retail building that’s almost complete in The Triangle, which he expects will bring 300 new residents to The Triangle, as well as dozens of jobs in the restaurant, yoga studio, and child-care center that are moving in. The formal presentation just ended – still an hour left for Q/A, with planning reps, architects, and RapidRide, as noted.

7:51 PM: The public’s gone and the official participants have rolled up the renderings and folded up the aisles – it’s over. McLain says the presentation will be on the city website tomorrow (we’ll post a separate update when it turns up). Next steps, as she noted in her remarks – even more public meetings and comment periods, as city departments formally review these concepts for potential inclusion in official city planning records, where they would be consulted as redevelopment happens in the area in the years and decades ahead.

As their new mixed-use development Link nears completion a few blocks away, Harbor Properties has revealed it’s in the early stages of planning to develop another site they own in The Triangle – the southeast corner of 36th and Snoqualmie (map). As shown in our photo taken around dusk tonight, the site’s currently a parking lot; Harbor’s Emi McKittrick says it’s been used by Link workers by day, overflow from the kitty-corner West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) by night. She says Harbor does not have a specific plan yet, but has applied to “get a place in line” for Early Design Guidance, expecting it’ll be a few months before a meeting is scheduled, and they’ll rough something out by then. She says Harbor thinks the site could hold about 60 residential units, but isn’t sure whether the development should be entirely residential, or include retail – community comments are welcome, and they plan to start talking to Triangle-area neighbors about their thoughts.

If you’re familiar with the area, you know this is immediately north of the soon-to-be-remodeled Seattle West Inn and Suites property, which Harbor was once planning to buy. Though that deal was never completed, and the motel instead was bought by other area property owners, Harbor retained ownership of 36th/Snoqualmie (and also owns a small parcel near Link where its construction trailer has been headquartered; McKittrick says that will become a playground for the Bright Horizons child-care center that will be opening at Link in May).

Triangle side note: Reminder that 3 local groups are scheduled to meet jointly tomorrow night for updates and Q/A on the upcoming RapidRide bus service, including its Triangle route, which has drawn concern over potential parking loss and other issues: 6:30 pm Tuesday, Senior Center of West Seattle.

First, signs went up offering the forthcoming commercial space for lease. Now, scaffolding’s up on the east side of the stalled 35th/Avalon building, four months after news that it had been purchased by an area company, after being caught up in the Mastro Properties problems. The leasing is being handled by InCitySpace, described in the listing as “2415 (square feet of) retail/office space in shell condition awaiting strong tenant for build-out contribution by landlord,” $28 per square foot, potentially divisible into two 1,200-sf spaces. We have an inquiry out to ask about estimated completion and whether anybody’s signed on yet. (Thanks to everyone who sent tips about both the leasing sign and scaffolding sightings!)

(View of The Hole, photographed in September from atop the unrelated Link project)
We’re in King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead‘s courtroom downtown, after finally confirming today that what’s on her calendar as Ledcor Vs. Aero Construction is indeed the trial for the major legal fights over the stalled Fauntleroy Place development – aka The Hole. Judge Craighead’s staff told us by phone earlier today that the trial – two years in the making – was projected to take about two weeks, though they also noted that, after two days, it was running ahead of schedule. On the witness stand right now: Dan McTaggart from BlueStar, the original developer of the project, which was supposed to bring a Whole Foods Market and new Hancock Fabrics store, plus residential units and underground parking, to the 39th/Alaska spot that had previously held the old Hancock and a Schuck’s Auto Parts store.

Though we’ve just parachuted into the ongoing testimony, we’ve been following the paperwork online since the first two lawsuits were filed in March 2009 – as of right now, online records show 417 separate filings since the cases were consolidated in April of last year, some with triple-digit page counts, like the 100-plus-page list of evidence filed just before trial. One of the key points of contention – did construction work really ever start on the site, and who owes what to whom? (There was a ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2008; demolition work began weeks later – but work idled on the site later in the year, and it was finally revealed that the project had fallen apart and was headed for court.)

Meantime, the site’s future ownership – and ostensibly, future development – is linked to the outcome of this; a potential new owner has been seeking “judicial foreclosure” for more than a year, but as we understand it (at least pending a review of all the latest court docs), nothing will change till some of the key issues are settled – particularly liens for key project figures who say they’re owed money. We’ll track this as best we can during the trial (and of course, beyond).

Compare: Fauntleroy Way as it looks now, through The Triangle …

… and Fauntleroy Way as it might look, in a concept proposed as part of the ongoing West Seattle Triangle planning discussions:

Almost two years after a touchstone meeting that “started (the) conversation” about The Triangle’s future (2008 WSB coverage here), concepts like that one are progressing as part of an official city-involved process. It’s part of the presentation (see it here) given to the Seattle Design Commission last Thursday by architect David Hewitt, a consultant working with the city Department of Planning and Development and a citizens’ advisory group, as they try to envision how The Triangle could evolve with purpose as more development moves in among the existing businesses, large and small, in the next decade-plus. The Design Commission gave unanimous approval to this first round of concepts, which hasn’t yet been formally presented to the Advisory Group, whose next meeting has just been set for 5:30 pm October 27. Read on to see a few more concepts from the presentation, and how they were initially received:Read More

(All photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

You can see downtown from the roof of Harbor Properties‘ under-construction Link – and when it’s done, from the same spot, you’ll also see a stretch of green.

No, not more of that green wrap: A rooftop garden (and sizable deck) will be atop the 195-apartment, plus ground-floor commercial, building along 38th SW north of SW Alaska (map) in The Triangle. Construction is about two-thirds done – it started in late November last year, and the building is scheduled for residents to start arriving in late March of next year.

After the project marked a milestone recently with the departure of its big crane, we requested a hard-hat tour, and Harbor obliged, with Steve Yoon and Emi McKittrick as our guides:

Starting at ground level, we could see the commercial part of the Link building taking shape.

That’s the spot along the alley (east side of Link) where a day-care provider plans to take a sizable space, about 12,500 square feet – and its operation will include an outdoor play area. The rest of the commercial space? For one, vegetarian restaurant Chaco Canyon Café is close to a deal, says McKittrick (you might recall the much-commented-on WSB story six months ago, asking you about potential interest).

Read More