West Seattle, Washington
13 Tuesday
(photo at left, Mike Gain in his West Seattle office, next to framed drawings of Cayce and Gain’s past headquarters)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“Personally, I think the market’s bottomed out.”
Longtime West Seattle real-estate/development leader Mike Gain was careful to include the term “personally.” But it’s emblematic of his optimistic nature, which he is using to fuel what he calls the “run” to get up to speed as he takes over Prudential Northwest Realty, which he ran for two years after he and Roger Cayce sold their West Seattle-iconic Cayce and Gain real-estate firm to Prudential in 2002.
That “run” hasn’t stopped since at least Tuesday, when he prepared to tell the PNW areawide team he was coming back to run the company (as first reported here Thursday morning, once Gain confirmed it).
Even as I sat in Gain’s 3210 California SW office this afternoon – where I’d last visited in December 2007 to talk with Gain and Cayce about their rezoning proposal for the blocks surrounding it (more on that proposal’s status later) – signs of that “run” persisted.
The Times reports tonight that City Councilmember Jan Drago has decided not to run for re-election this fall, after 15 years on the council. She was one of four whose slots are up this year: Councilmember Richard McIver already has said he’s out; Council President Richard Conlin has said he WILL run again; Councilmember Nick Licata hasn’t finalized his intentions yet. The list of others who’ve filed so far can be found here.
(added 7:14 pm, photo by Tony Bradley, replacing our original iPhone photo)
ORIGINAL 6:16 PM REPORT: 9428 Delridge, commercial building. Here’s a map. Scanner says smoke from the second floor. Off to check it out.
6:31 PM UPDATE: (From TR at the scene) No visible flames, but smoke coming from roof of the Ty Ty Market building that is just to the north of the Cafe Rozella (etc.) building on the alley (which veers southeast from a driveway opening on Delridge). Flames were seen on the second floor, but seems to be out now. The fire engines have traffic blocked around the Delridge and Roxbury Triangle.
UPDATE 6:43 PM: No one was hurt and fire crews are mopping up.
UPDATE: 6:51 PM: Traffic is also blocked along 17th SW between Roxbury and Delridge as crews are still packing up.
7:02 PM UPDATE: The incident commander told us at the scene that fire investigators have just gone in to figure out what started the fire and how much damage was done. SFD spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen says nobody was inside when the fire started. Photographer Tony Bradley got to the scene shortly after firefighters and saw some flames behind a 2nd-story window; we’ll add his photo when we get it (7:13 pm, we subbed it out for the iPhone photo originally on top of this – and here’s a second one from Tony, beneath this update).
10:07 PM: Just in case you’re wondering, we’re still awaiting official word from SFD on the fire’s cause.
8:49 AM MONDAY: Our fellow White Center Now contributor Ricardo Guarnero at neighboring Cafe Rozella says the fire actually was in a Muslim prayer hall in this building. We are still awaiting word from Seattle Fire investigators regarding cause/damage. Ricardo adds that there’s a note on the door saying “MASJID is closed indefinitely,” and adds, “The sign is on the door where Muslims gathered to pray five times a day. Next door is the ‘Hope Academic Enrichment Center.’ Both were there for the Muslim community in White Center – mostly African immigrants from the horn of Africa.”
12:39 PM MONDAY: SFD tells WSB that “improperly discarded smoking materials … in a vinyl couch” were to blame for the fire, which has been ruled accidental. Damage is estimated at $25,000. A photo we took at the scene this morning shows a burned couch:
In case you are planning on heading east, you should know there is a serious two-vehicle crash not too far away — West Marginal South and South Holden (map) – at least three people reported to have major injuries, including a baby, per scanner traffic from medics rushing them to the hospital. Don’t know the circumstances yet; will add links as we find them, to anyone covering in person. 7:32 PM UPDATE: The P-I has published a short item that says West Marginal has reopened to traffic.
Thanks to Nick for e-mailing to share the news that this sinkhole has opened in the middle of the Seaview straightaway section of 48th SW, at Graham (map). As you can see, it’s been blocked off, but this is right smack in the middle of a 2-lane, 2-way arterial, so best to be forewarned to slow down if you use that road.
Just noticed that new sign in front of the future Feedback Lounge in Morgan Junction. The sign says “opening soon-ish,” but JenV e-mailed to point out an online countdown clock – which is not on the MySpace site that’s been the main source of FL info, but on this new website, which details FL’s forthcoming attributes:
West Seattle’s new place featuring full-service cocktails, food, music videos, in-house programmed music, the Tune-O-Matic Library, The Whammy Bar, the 40-foot outdoor Sunndeck (no, that’s not a typo), Harmonic Happy Hour, Rok Box, Front of House music videos/live concerts…and LOTS more!
The date the clock is currently counting down to is Saturday, April 4. Meanwhile, back at the MySpace site, you can see photos from the work that’s been going on inside to transform the former Beveridge Place Pub (also once known as the Full Moon Saloon) – which is between the new BPP location and the future Zeeks Pizza/ex-Corner Inn – into Feedback Lounge. (Want to be the first on your block with their T-shirt, featuring the slogan “We deal in volume?” Those are on sale on the MySpace site.) Morgan Junction side note — more big progress at the park just east of FL and BPP – tree installation and more benches:
The latest update on the park-naming process is here.
(February 1 photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
One month ago tonight – Super Bowl night – the southern block of the heart of the West Seattle Junction business district, Alaska to Edmunds, swarmed with police collecting evidence in a sudden, shocking shooting. Though the victim, 26-year-old Steve Bushaw (shown at right in a family photo from last summer, holding his niece Ava), originally was described as having non-life-threatening injuries, he died within hours at Harborview Medical Center, and the search was on to find the two men suspected of West Seattle’s first 2009 murder. Police have had little to say since the shooting that night — they say both men opened fire, both were described by witnesses as black, and their getaway car was said to be a “white sedan,” last seen heading south from The Junction. We checked again with SPD’s media unit late Friday, and Detective Mark Jamieson told WSB there is ZERO new information to make public – no additional description, no hint at whether arrests are any closer than they were after it happened. Jamieson reiterated that the moment homicide detectives — who continue to call this “an active investigation” — have something new to release publicly, we’ll hear it.
(WSB video of West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival’s award-winning appearance in 2008 Seafair Torchlight Parade)
Riding on a float, waving at hundreds of thousands of people during the Seafair Torchlight Parade – and tens of thousands during other parades in communities from West Seattle to Sequim – is just one of the side benefits of being West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival royalty. Scholarship money is another big attraction. To be considered for the Hi-Yu Senior Court to be chosen this summer, candidates need to apply by the end of this month – here’s the announcement one more time:
Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Scholarship Competition: Applications due
3/30/09Young women who live, work or attend school in West Seattle are invited to apply for the Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu scholarship competition. There are several scholarship awards given out at the pageant, including, but again, not limited to: Athletic, Media Career, Community Service, Academic, Miss Congeniality, Creative Expression, and Hi-Yu Involvement. There are three titles awarded: Queen and two Princesses.
Each title winner receives a scholarship (Princesses- $1,000 each, Queen- $2,000), crown, and sash. The Queen will receive $1,250 at the end of her reign and $750 after completing the Miss Seafair competition. She will represent the community during the 2009-2010 festival year and travel to several Northwest parades with the Hi-Yu float. The Senior Court members must be available to participate in the Hi-Yu Summer Festival activities.
While there is some work involved, West Seattle royalty will have a lot of fun serving your community, making new friends, increasing confidence, and developing leadership. New this year, all candidates will have the opportunity to work with a local businesswoman as a professional mentor and spend a day with professional health & beauty professionals receiving advice on hair, make-up, and dress. Hi-Yu serves the West Seattle Community by providing fun and affordable entertainment for adults and children alike.
The application, found at www.hiyu.com, must be postmarked by March 30, 2009. Mail your completed application to Candidate Coordinator, West Seattle Hi-Yu, PO Box 16130, Seattle, WA 98116. If you have questions, call Shirley at 206-935-5224.
Again, here’s the direct link to the application. And another Hi-Yu reminder, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Three weeks from today, it’s the Hi-Yu Spring Tea and Silent Auction at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 2-4:30 pm March 22nd, $25/person. Make a reservation – 206-935-6517 or info@hiyu.com.
(January 2009 rendering of Conner project alley area, courtesy Weber Thompson)
Will the third time be the charm for Conner Homes as it takes the “alley vacation” portion of its West Seattle Junction megaproject back to the Seattle Design Commission? That group has to sign off on such requests (as do SDOT and the City Council) and already has seen two presentations by Conner’s architects, each time asking for an encore (WSB coverage: January 2009 and November 2008). Now, they’re set to make another presentation at 2 pm this Thursday during the commissioners’ all-day meeting in the Boards and Commissions room at City Hall downtown (map). In this case, the “alley vacation” isn’t the classic case of a developer wanting the actual alley, but instead, requesting the right to use land UNDER the alley, to connect what otherwise would be two separate underground garages for the two buildings at California/Alaska/42nd. (Meantime, as mentioned here last month, the entire two-building project also is set to return to the Southwest Design Review Board on March 12 – 6:30 pm, High Point Library.)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm today in The Junction, 44th/Alaska; you can see the newest “fresh sheet” here – with greens, prawns, and mutton, among the newer offerings.
DELRIDGE PRODUCE CO-OP INFO AT THE MARKET: Galena White‘s been working hard to find and organize volunteers to make the co-op dream happen, and today she’s planning a booth at the Farmers’ Market, so look for her there. She’s also set up a new online site for co-op-related communication; find it here, and if you’re on Facebook, be sure to friend her there too.
GOT ROOM IN YOUR HOME/HEART FOR ANOTHER PET? Bernadette Cassidy of The Wash Dog in Morgan Junction e-mailed (editor@westseattleblog.com) to share the news that the King County Animal Shelter will be there today, noon-4 pm, with adoptable dogs and cats. And if you adopt one, Bernadette’s got a bonus for you – a free self-serve wash.
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