West Seattle Whole Foods site’s potential buyer drops out

| Development | West Seattle news

(June photo looking into the Whole Foods site excavation from its southeast side)
E-mail this week jolted us into realizing a whole month had passed since our last official update on what has become known as the “Hole Foods” site, the excavated hole where Whole Foods, Hancock Fabrics and more than 100 residential units were supposed to be built, till construction idled last fall and lawsuits erupted (as first reported here). If you have been following along, you may also remember that news broke in January of a new deal pending for the site, and two months later, an entity calling itself Alamo Manhattan surfaced, led by West Seattleite Matt Segrest, confirming Alamo Manhattan was “under contract to purchase the site” (4/7 WSB report here). We subsequently checked in with Segrest periodically for progress reports; last month, he told us he was “still working on a deal.” So with four weeks having passed, we pinged him on Wednesday to ask if he’s still pursuing the project. The answer that came in today: No. Segrest’s exact quote, via e-mail:

At this time, Alamo Manhattan has chosen to not move forward with the purchase. (We maintain interest in the opportunity, though.)

That’s all the details we have. Since we found this out late on a Friday, we won’t be able to check with others – such as the site’s current owner – till Monday. Meantime, the lawsuits involving the site are still listed in court records as pending, and a check of online records regarding the parcel shows 12 liens in all filed since late last year. (We couldn’t check further into court documents tonight – the service that makes them available online shut down for the night earlier than usual.)

Dave July 17, 2009 (11:17 pm)

Shocking, and yet exactly what I expected. I see another infamous 5 year Seattle hole. I think my favorite half decade long ‘hole’ before this was the old Ballard Safeway.
Safeway Pit

Dave July 17, 2009 (11:19 pm)

Hmm…HTML link didn’t take:

http://post.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2008/11/28/r_1227923935_hole_in_frellingford.jpg

56bricks July 17, 2009 (11:21 pm)

Maybe David Stern and Steve Ballmer should eye this as an opportunity for a new Sonics arena. Or a rink for the Rat City Roller Girls.

JanS July 17, 2009 (11:56 pm)

Dave, I have a friend who lives near the hole in Wallingford…I almost can’t remember when it wasn’t a hole. The neighborhood seems to have accepted its existence as a forever thing. Hope ours isn’t.

JanS July 17, 2009 (11:57 pm)

fill ours with water, dock the Kalakala, have a floating restaurant :)

alkisw July 18, 2009 (12:50 am)

Fill it with water and turn it into a wishing well. Might be able to replace the sales tax increase wished for in another blog entry. How about a whole/hole tax instead?

Louise S July 18, 2009 (8:04 am)

Speaking of tax, a large tax on developers, who seek to disrupt small businesses and neighborhoods, all for some potential gain, leaving us to holding the bag, as it were.

Eddie July 18, 2009 (8:43 am)

Story has been posted for over 10 hours now and no on has posted “Trader Joes”.

You guys just don’t want it bad enough. You’re not worthy.

iggy July 18, 2009 (8:48 am)

Maybe the city could pass a law that would require them to put up an attractive wooden fence outside the chain link fence and then plant ivy (even though it’s invasive, it is perfect for this use) on the fence. Just something to shield us from looking at ugly for years. I often walk past the large hole in Wallingford at Stone Way, and though the neighbors may have gotten used to it, it sure is an eyesore. Also sad that we will probably never have a fabric store in West Seattle. I miss Joanne.

toast July 18, 2009 (9:08 am)

The City Council should adopt a “hole fools” clause in every construction permit granted, stating that if progress is not concluded within a specific period, the property is automatically awarded to the city while any financial encumbrance to that point remains a liability of the previous defaulted owner.

I know, far fetched.

The point is however, that there are currently no real motivations for completion of projects like these, and in this case, all of West Seattle suffers the ugly consequences. This is an offence that demands punishment.

Vanessa C July 18, 2009 (9:25 am)

Jan S., you made laugh right out loud with that one. Hilarious!!!
And EDDIE, you are so right…WE WANT A TRADER JOE’S!!! WE WANT A TRADER JOES!!! WHAT DOES IT TAKE, TO GET TRADER JOE’S TO HEAR US??? Driving to Burien,or across town to the other locations.All that time and gas….A West Seattle Trader Joe’s would flourish here…….Would someone post an address or a link so we can whine at TJ’s some more. BTW,their Chili Verda Green Salsa is the best.

Batgurrl July 18, 2009 (9:39 am)

Hey everyone.. rally around the Trader Joe cry to fill the Hole Foods HOle.

Here is their contact them link: Go for it you know you want it!!!

http://www.traderjoes.com/general_feedback_form.aspx

Living in West Seattle since 1985 July 18, 2009 (10:20 am)

What about Hancock Fabrics?!?!? When they closed shop to make way for this hole they said they would reopen in the new space. I was told they would be in the same new building next to whole foods. Will West Seattle’s fave little fabric store find a new location to set up shop? Is HF gone forever?

M. July 18, 2009 (10:31 am)

I’m sad to hear this. I can’t wait for a whole foods in the west. It’s like a museum of food from everywhere!

sw July 18, 2009 (10:44 am)

The old Huling Chevy building would make a great site for the mythical Trader Joe’s. Lots of parking, too.

datamuse July 18, 2009 (11:26 am)

For that matter, Hancock could move into the Huling space. Or is it too big? (I’m not much for fabrics so I don’t really know.)

Curtis July 18, 2009 (3:21 pm)

Why on earth do we need a Trader Joe’s? Or a Whole Foods for that matter. West Seattle is already home to the best grocery store on the planet. (no, I don’t work there) Call me when Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods becomes a locally owned company….. Until then, maybe we could just build a vertical mall with nothing but Nail Salons – we don’t seem to have quite enough of those in West Seattle.

mike July 18, 2009 (3:46 pm)

Huling Bros lots should become:

Mini Cooper/Tesla/Tata/Fiat dealerships. Bring in the small fuel efficient cars that people would buy.

Living in West Seattle since 1985 July 18, 2009 (5:40 pm)

QFC = Good Food, So happy it is coming to the Junction area! Trader Joe’s Is AWESOME . . . . but I am afraid . . . . it may be a lost cause. With Whole Foods now only a distant dream, we must enjoy what we have. Husky’s Deli is WONDERFUL. Got to LOVE the Alki Bakery. The Origenal Bakery is Awesome. Metropolitan Market is Fun. Safeway is Great for Stocking up. We have a lot of Perfact local foods here every weekend at the Farmer’s Market. Thriftway a great too.There are loads of yummy restaurants here. Lots of Yummy Pizza Places! 2 Fish & Chip places on Alki. West Seattle is VERY lucky!!!

Kim July 19, 2009 (12:08 pm)

For those of us who don’t have cars and maintain an organic/vegetarian diet I can say what a drag it is to take the bus to the PCC and then haul groceries back home on the bus.

Safeway doesn’t have the selection of organic stuff that the PCC has and Thriftway is super expensive! It also necessitates a bus ride.

We were so excited to find that a place like Whole Foods was moving into the Alaska Junction….walkable for us!! But it is not to be, sigh :-(

Just an aside: I know West Seattle has a lot of great grocery stores and restaurants and we’re grateful, believe me but it would be nice if they had a strictly vegetarian/vegan restaurant.

WSB July 19, 2009 (12:12 pm)

To be really clear – at this point, this does not mean that Whole Foods is not to be. What I learned is that the person who was under contract to buy the site as of earlier this year is not pursuing it now. Tomorrow (Monday) I will be checking with various other parties including the financial firm that is now the site’s owner and also Whole Foods itself to see what they have to say about its status – TR

Eddie July 19, 2009 (4:08 pm)

To be really clear (also) I think that the Trader Joes mania is laughable. My post above was intended to mock the mania, certainly not support it.

Mike July 19, 2009 (8:45 pm)

Who want’s a Trader Joe’s anyway? Trader Joes, Whole Foods and WINCO are all non union employers! Everyone else is unionized, Safeway, QFC, Thriftway, PCC, Metro Market, even Bartell’s are union stores.

KBear July 20, 2009 (9:57 am)

Mike’s right. Whole Foods is the Wal-Mart of organic. They pay low wages and fire anyone who tries to organize a union. People who care about eating organic food ought to care about the working conditions at the grocery and its vendors.

austin July 20, 2009 (10:19 am)

Private individuals can be fined for things like leaving a car on the street for too long or building a deck without permit, but big businesses are allowed to create enormous hazardous eyesores on major public thoroughfares with no repercussion whatsoever. Does that seem right?

Johnny Davies July 20, 2009 (10:46 am)

You’re so right Austin. Do it yourself: dig a big-old hole in your front yard. Leave it empty and tell the your neighbors & the city that you ran out of money and you can’t complete the project, so the hole will have to stay. Then, wait and see how long it takes for the city to start fining you. They’ll make you fill it.

This situation is unbelievable.

Dude July 20, 2009 (12:31 pm)

I’ll use the hole to dump all the Safeway produce, meats, flowers etc… that rot a day after purchase. Can’t wait for QFC and will never step foot in Safeway again!

Sage July 20, 2009 (12:57 pm)

Remember when folks were all excited that a “local” developer was going to take care of this? Just goes to show that a developer’s plans and intentions aren’t worth too much, regardless of where their first home is located. Developers are an optimistic species by nature… but optimism & intentions can’t secure a commercial real estate loan these days when prices nationally are falling more 7% a month.
.
Everything points to this being a hole for some time, unless the city gets itself the right to take land like this and put it to better use.

Pete July 20, 2009 (4:42 pm)

Trader Joe’s, guitar shop, water slide park/bathhouse, ships & sea-life place, farm, grange, cinema, velodrome, Trader Joe’s…

Todd July 20, 2009 (4:56 pm)

I can’t even begin to describe how angry this hole (sic) saga makes me. While I was really looking forward to Whole Foods coming to West Seattle, I was excited to be rid of the wretchedly ugly Hancock/Schuck’s building. Now we’re stuck with an equally ugly hole. I don’t understand why the city doesn’t enforce large penalties that prevent a community being stuck with a blight like this. What a terrible sight at the entrance to West Seattle, that so many of us have to drive by every single day.

I don’t know much about city politics, but what would it take for some of us to organize and get something done about this?

WSB July 20, 2009 (5:07 pm)

I asked the mayor about city law and this sort of thing during an interview a month-plus ago. He boiled down to something like “not much they can do” but they are monitoring it. I would suggest contacting Councilmember Sally Clark’s office – she is in charge of the Planning, Land Use, Neighborhoods committee — see what they say. And let me know. I need to check in with them myself. Working right now on a couple other stories – another stalled development, and one that’s not! – TR

Leslie July 20, 2009 (6:14 pm)

I was really looking forward to the Whole Foods and am deeply disappointed. Why doesn’t Whole Foods buy the property? PCC needs the competition, and actually, Whole Foods prices on their own brands are pretty darn competitive.

I also agree with Kim – we NEED a good restaurant in West Seattle where one can order meat or vegetarian or Vegan food that is organic. Why oh why isn’t there anything for us?

As for Whole Foods and Unions – check it out…
CEO of the chain, John Mackey, shows a distinct opposition to unions in a position statement released by Whole Foods. The name of the paper is “Beyond Unions.” Besides its laudable goals of providing natural and organically-grown food, the report states it seeks “To create a workplace which is based upon the values of individual freedom, voluntary community, openness, trust and love rather than mistrust, fear and coercion.”

It further states, “If Team Members wish to have a union represent them, then they are free to choose. However, they should not be intimidated to betray our shared company mission.”

In 2007, Whole Foods launched its “Whole Trade Guarantee,” stating its aim as advancing the Fair Trade movement–encouraging higher wages and prices paid to farmers in poor countries while promoting environmentally safe practices. In addition, Whole Foods announced that 1 percent of proceeds will be turned over to its own Whole Planet Foundation, which supports micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Meanwhile, the company’s Animal Compassion Foundation seeks to improve living conditions for farm animals, while stores periodically hold “5 Percent Days,” when they donate 5 percent of sales for that day to an area non-profit or educational organization.

Whole Foods also has a distinctive reputation for rejecting traditional corporate management models in favor of decentralized decision-making, described as an experiment in workplace democracy.

There are no departments at Whole Foods stores, only “Teams” of employees. And Whole Foods has no managerial job titles, just Team Leaders and Assistant Team Leaders. Nor does the company admit to having any workers, only Team Members who meet regularly to decide everything from local suppliers to who should get hired onto the Team.

Generally, the company strives to achieve consensus at Team meetings, where workers brainstorm about new ways to raise productivity. And new hires need to win the votes of at least two-thirds of Team Members in order to make the cut.

The liberal dress code at Whole Foods allows nose rings, Mohawks, visible tattoos and other expressions of individuality to help promote a stated goal of “Team Member Happiness” for its relatively young workforce. Each Team takes regular expeditions, known as “Team Builds,” to local farms or other enterprises to educate themselves on how to better serve their customers. When Team Members show extra effort on the job, Team Leaders award them with “High Fives” that can be used to enter an onsite raffle to win a gift card.

For all its decentralization, the “unique culture” so beholden to Whole Foods’ supporters bears the distinct stamp of its cofounder and CEO, John Mackey, who declared in 1992, a year after Whole Foods went public, “We’re creating an organization based on love instead of fear.”

The former hippie is known for shunning suits and ties, and wearing shorts and hiking boots to meetings–and for insisting that before the end of every business meeting, everyone says something nice about everyone else in a round of “appreciations.” In a 2004 Fast Company article, business writer Charles Fishman favorably quoted a former Whole Foods executive calling Mackey an “anarchist” for his eccentric executive style.

Kathleen July 20, 2009 (7:19 pm)

What about a fabric store? Our sewing community is shrinking from starvation!

LAP July 20, 2009 (10:19 pm)

I still think Whole Foods = whole paycheck…too expensive. And – not a big fan of what went on when they purchased – (forced out of business) their competition in California. I only know what I recall reading in the media…but it was not very flattering. What about a Top Foods location if we cannot get a Trader Joe’s???

Sage July 21, 2009 (12:39 pm)

@Leslie above.. Not sure where you sourced that info, but what it boils down is that the Whole Foods CEO is a dedicated libertarian and deeply despises unions. Apparently he thinks workers don’t need unions at his stores because he’s such a fab. manager. He may pretend that he gives workers the “choice” to form a union, except that 1) right is granted by US labor law & int’l human rights standards, not by his benevolence; and 2) when workers at his stores actually do try to form unions, they’re harassed, threatened, and even fired. (See http://www.labornet.org/news/0503/wfoods.htm for some info) They’re also not particularly supportive of farmworker justice campaigns that are led by workers.

Laura July 21, 2009 (1:42 pm)

Eddie, You read my mind. Build a Trader Joes already!!!! Come on!

Sag A\'more July 22, 2009 (9:16 am)

Down with corporate business- the junction needs greenspace! Lets have a park!

Louie July 31, 2009 (10:54 pm)

Did we ever get an update from the parties still involved in the project (current owner, etc.)? Sorry if I missed the post.

WSB July 31, 2009 (11:19 pm)

I have left phone messages and sent e-mail. No reply. Which generally means “no comment,” although we journalist types do always appreciate when people who have “no comment” at least return phone calls/e-mails by saying “sorry, we can’t say anything at this time.” Does remind me I need to check the public and court records again, you never know when something will turn up there – TR

Sorry, comment time is over.