Alki Council tonight: Police plans; development concerns

(updated Friday morning with attachments/images re: 59th/Stevens project “shadow” concerns)
Steps away from the busy beachfront, Alki Community Council members gathered tonight for updates on several topics – most notably, police plans for helping Alki stay safe, and two hot development-related issues — read on:

First: Beach safety, going into another summer season. Officer Brian Ballew from the Southwest Precinct Community Police Team says Alki emphasis patrols/presence will start full blast as of this weekend. Four extra officers were on hand today (we saw some of them on hand at the Slices corner, keeping watch).

Officer Ballew said this weekend’s effort will include more motorcycle and radar presence along Alki Avenue noon-5 pm; as for the summer season, he says it’ll be a lot like the past – extra Friday night and Saturday night patrols, extra daytime patrols as merited by sun-drawn crowds.

Next: Development. As we mentioned in previews of tonight’s meeting, two major topics were on the agenda: The multifamily-code update that’s expected to reach the City Council later this year, and the 59th/Stevens development that’s drawn a petition from concerned neighbors (resulting in a meeting that’ll happen next Thursday night).

Former ACC trustee Gary Ogden led the multifamily-code discussion; he and Karen Clegg co-authored an article about their concerns in the new Alki News Beacon (she sent us a similar writeup that we excerpted in this WSB report). Ogden said they’re particularly worried about the increased height that might be allowed under some circumstances, leading to view and light loss for many existing homes.

At tonight’s meeting, some of his concerns were challenged by West Seattle architect David Foster (who also is chair of the Southwest Design Review Board). Foster contended that some of the code changes would lead to better-designed developments instead of the current proliferation of “cookie-cutter”-type buildings.

Ogden said he agrees with Foster that the current code is broken, but doesn’t believe these potential changes represent the best way to fix it.

The multifamily-code-change proposal has been in the works a long time; if you check its official city website, you’ll notice the planned timeline already is out of date. Though there’s been talk the changes might go before the council as soon as next month, as previously reported, Councilmember Sally Clark — whose Planning/Land Use/Neighborhoods Committee will lead the review — told WSB recently that she doesn’t expect anything to be finalized before the end of the year, and that councilmembers are still waiting to see what proposals the mayor’s office will officially submit for their consideration.

Second development issue:
59th/Stevens (previous WSB coverage here), across 59th from Alki Playfield and Elementary. Steve Cuddy led this discussion, and presented a letter he sent the city on behalf of concerned neighbors.

They’re not necessarily opposed to the development — which seeks to tear down the existing home and replace it with two single-family homes plus three townhouses, all of which neighbors say are proposed as three-story structures — but are particularly concerned about these two points highlighted in their letter:

1) The plan to erect a 6-foot high fence along the sidewalk at the busy school crossing street corner; 2) the very large and long-lasting shadow the project will cast on the public park area directly across the street at which there are ball fields and a very popular children’s play structure, which double as school recess playgrounds for Alki Elementary school children.

Cuddy says the fence would obstruct visibility for, and of, children crossing the street. As for the shadows, he has developed graphics using Google Earth that he says demonstrate how the new buildings will “create huge swaths of blocked sunshine at the Alki Playfield and Park, and that the shadows will be cast upon the most highly used areas of the Park, and at times of highest public use of the Park, which is afternoon-early evening.”

ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: Cuddy sent WSB the files he presented – here are some of them:
Images projecting potential shadow at certain times of the year:
June
July
August
Excel spreadsheet of shadow concerns
PDF diagram

(continuing original Thursday night report) Cuddy’s letter to the city notes a section of code which he says gives the city the authority to “require alterations to proposed projects, even when they are within code and zone restrictions, if they will result in shadow effects on public property including, specifically, city parks.”

(The city-scheduled meeting to review the project and neighbors’ concerns is next Thursday, May 22, 6:30 pm, at West Seattle Library [Admiral branch]. If you can’t attend the meeting, e-mail comments to planning consultant Janet Wright at jwright@reidmiddleton.com)

OTHER NOTES FROM TONIGHT’S ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING: Tony Fragada discussed emergency preparedness, as this spring’s West Seattle-wide campaign continues. He drafted a letter asking the city for improvements that could make the Community Center a safer gathering place in case of disaster — specifically, seismic bracing of Alki CC and a small generator for “minimal emergency needs.” Council members also suggested requesting a 20-foot cargo container for storage of emergency supplies.

3 Replies to "Alki Council tonight: Police plans; development concerns"

  • MargL May 16, 2008 (9:52 am)

    I love “controversy for controversy’s” sake :-)

    re: the building shadow on the playground. We were there last week and I don’t remember that part of the play area being particularly sunny. There are trees on the south side shading the older play structure with metal slides and having the shade on the metal slides is nice because they tend to get quite warm and uncomfortable when sliding down in shorts!
    It also looks like a big swath of shadow is covering the parking lot – something I’m sure the folks that park there would appreciate when temperatures climb and they have to get into the cars at the end of the day.

  • star55 May 16, 2008 (7:47 pm)

    I think it would be helpful if the police got out of thier cars and walk the beach. Maybe help with educating people regarding the bike lane.

  • Jennifer L. May 18, 2008 (9:14 pm)

    It sure didn’t seem like there was extra police presence this weekend at Alki. We watched a truck drive along the entire length of Alki Ave with the driver sitting on top of the cab steering with his feet through the window, backing up traffic for miles. Not an isolated incident from my personal viewing this weekend.

Sorry, comment time is over.