Harbor Properties to develop another West Seattle Triangle site
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.
Update: Doors open at West Seattle’s newest business, Locöl
It’s opening night at West Seattle’s new beer/wine bar (and eatery) Locöl, as noted here last week. Before things got busy, WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen stopped by to photograph the team at mid-afternoon (they opened at noon and will be open till 2 am, the regular hours, 7 days a week): Above, that’s Chef Meredith Abbott between business partners Shane Whittall and Kyle Duce. Chef Meredith’s resumé includes lauded mobile restaurant Skillet, so she says she’s used to cooking in cozy spaces. We outlined their kickoff menu (and what’s on tap) in our Friday preview; the chef says she’ll change soups and sandwiches monthly, and will have a board out to note specials, especially in summer. The commitment to locally procured vegetables and fruit includes West Seattle Produce as well as High Point Market Garden/P-Patch. The year-plus effort to get Locöl finished and opened brought out some far-flung support for opening day/night:
That’s Shane serving some of the afternoon crowd – including a friend of Kyle’s who flew up all the way from Irvine, California, to be here for the official opening. Locol is at 7902 35th SW (map), between Kenyon Hall and Sharon’s Westwood Florist.
West Seattle Weather Watch: Snow expected TOMORROW night
The snow that stuck a bit, briefly, this morning (as shown above on SW Sullivan in Upper Fauntleroy) is gone. The major roads look great for your drive home – we just came back from downtown via The Viaduct and The Bridge, both bare and dry. But the newest “forecast discussion” from the National Weather Service says this time tomorrow, beware (caps theirs):
THE REAL SNOW EVENT BEGINS LATE TUE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS WARM FRONTAL PRECIP OVERRUNS THE COOL AND DRY LOW LEVEL AIR MASS. PRECIP WILL BEGIN AS SNOW AND SPREAD NORTHWARD AS THE EVENING WEARS ON…POSSIBLY MAKING THE EVENING COMMUTE QUITE MESSY. AT SOME POINT…LATE TUE NIGHT OR EARLY WED MORNING…WARMER AIR WILL MOVE INLAND WITH SNOW CHANGING OVER TO RAIN. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE QUITE DIFFICULT TO NAIL DOWN…BUT JUST ABOUT ALL AREAS SHOULD SEE ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL TUE EVENING.
So unless something changes – you might plan to leave for home earlier tomorrow, but don’t assume we’ll have a “snow day” Wednesday. Meantime, the government transportation agencies are putting out their alerts – from Metro, we have this roundup of their plan to be on “snow watch”.
5:29 PM UPDATE: Seattle Public Schools has sent a “robocall” informing district families that they’ll decide by 1 pm tomorrow whether to go ahead with afterschool activities or not.
9:31 PM UPDATE: The mid-evening forecasts are out and neither one of the forecasts we regularly consult is particularly snow-laden. National Weather Service has put up a Winter Storm Watch and is suggesting maybe 1-3″ in the metro area; weather analyst Cliff Mass thinks something more like a “dusting.”
Last-minute guilty plea for 1 of 4 defendants in Steve Bushaw murder trial
We are at the King County Courthouse, in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque. What was supposed to be a trial for the 4 people charged in the February 2009 murder of 26-year-old Steve Bushaw is suddenly a trial for 3: Danny O’Neal, one of the two alleged triggermen, pleaded guilty this morning. Prosecutors say he made a deal last Friday while also giving a videotaped statement about how he says it all played out. We’ll have a longer report later; in short, he says — as charged — he and John Nikimbe Sylve (known as “Nicky”) — shot Steve Bushaw, and O’Neal says that the next day, he took apart and threw away the 2 handguns that were used in the shooting. As part of the plea agreement, he is pleading guilty to second-degree murder, with a firearms enhancement, and the state will recommend the lower end of the sentencing range, at least 10 years (though the judge is not bound to honor that), plus 16 months for the firearms enhancement.
The three remaining defendants – Sylve, alleged getaway driver Brandon Chaney, and alleged mastermind Bryce Huber – were in court this afternoon, Chaney and Sylve in street clothes, Huber in a brick-red jail-issue jumpsuit. For the past hour or so, their lawyers talked with the judge, and among themselves, discussing what happens in the wake of the eleventh-hour plea: Court is in recess until at least Wednesday, while the three defendants’ lawyers review forthcoming copies of O’Neal’s new statement; their clients still have the opportunity to enter pleas rather than go to trial, and the lawyers told the judge they’ll make decisions on that by late tomorrow afternoon. Meantime, O’Neal’s sentencing is tentatively set for March 4th. (For backstory on the case, here’s the trial preview published here last night.)
ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: More details from today’s proceedings:Read More
West Seattle Target remodeling, will include full grocery store
Westwood Village will soon have two grocery stores. Target confirms to WSB that they are converting the Westwood store to include a full grocery operation. Regional manager Randy Kraum says construction is scheduled to start in early March and continue for about three months, but the store will NOT close at any point during the work – starting in April, he says, you’ll “see some changes on the sales floor (that) might be a little disruptive,” but the store will stay open. The store has added more food items in recent years, but this will be a full grocery store, including meat and produce.
Why do this when there’s already a supermarket (QFC) steps away in Westwood Village? Kraum says the company is making the conversion with most of its stores – after converting more than 300 last year, they’re converting 400 more nationwide this year, and another 400 or so next year. Since this is being done within the store’s existing footprint – nothing to be added on – we asked if some current merchandise would be discontinued; answer – the men’s-clothing offerings will shrink a bit. The project staging is planned for the back of the store, so the front parking area used by most customers won’t be affected. If it all remains on schedule, a “grand reopening” celebration is planned June 5th. According to notations on the project’s city webpage, this is a $1 million remodel.
West Seattle business news: Arcane Comics closing its location here
We had checked out rumors in the past few weeks that this was likely to happen – but no official announcement was made till now. Thanks to Aaron for sharing e-mail from Arcane Comics confirming its West Seattle store (3219 California SW) is closing:
“Arcane Comics West Seattle is closing. Over the last two years we have appreciated the opportunity to serve the West Seattle neighborhood.
For subscribers, we will continue pulling your subscriptions through January 19th. We are more than happy to move your subscription boxes to Ballard at any point between now and then. However, we realize that Ballard may be too long of a trip for your comic books. If you would like we are more than happy to e-mail your subscription list to any shop of your choosing as well. Just let us know what you are interested in doing.
You can send an e-mail to acws@arcanecomics.net letting us know if you prefer Ballard, another Shop or closing your box. Let us know at your earliest convenience. We will be making other announcements throughout the weeks ahead. But you who have supported us through this process will be the first alerted.
As of today Monday, January 10th, 2011 only at Arcane Comics West Seattle Location – All single issue comics are $1.00. 50% off everything else in the store.”
Arcane opened in April 2009, taking over part of the storefront previously occupied by Prudential Northwest Realty before its move to Jefferson Square.
What’s in the West Seattle Triangle’s future? Find out February 7th
For months, city staffers and community advisory-group members have worked on a look ahead to the future of The Triangle, as part of the area starts to redevelop – with Link almost complete, Seattle West Inn and Suites slated for major remodeling, and new businesses opening in the area. The date has just been set for your chance to come see and comment on what the city describes as “the proposed street design concept plan and land use concepts” – a community open house is planned for 6-8 pm Monday, February 7, at the Senior Center of West Seattle. Get a sneak peek on the Triangle planning-process webpage.
West Seattle Monday: Snowy start; Locöl’s opening day; more
(WSB video from the peak of this morning’s brief 8 am snow shower, added 8:19 am)
While there’s been a bit of snow overnight, and some showers continuing again now, it’s NOT expected to last much longer, according to the forecast – but be ready for some tomorrow. No major traffic problems reported (see the cameras below, and check more here):
(Refresh for latest pic of WS Bridge, looking eastbound, and 1st Ave. S. Bridge, more on the WSB Traffic cams page)
Clearing’s expected later – then snow is forecast to start late in the day on Tuesday. Also today: As announced Friday, Rachel Marie is back on the West Seattle Water Taxi run, which means Pier 50 arrivals/departures downtown again … two meetings of note tonight: North Delridge Neighborhood Council, meeting room at Delridge Library, 6:30 pm, and the citywide Skatepark Advisory Committee, 6 pm at Parks HQ downtown (with Delridge Skatepark on the agenda – as we reported Friday, it’s cleared for re-bidding) … West Seattle See Dogs invites anyone interested in raising a puppy to become a guide dog to join them at Merrill Gardens Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) tonight at 6:30, 2326 California SW … And it’s opening day for Locöl, 35th/Kenyon, noon (here’s our report on its “soft-open” event last Friday night). Lots more on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar – and separate coverage if the snow shower lasts for long!
9:10 AM NOTE: … which it didn’t. And now the weather forecast has changed yet again. Now, we’re looking at some snow tomorrow evening, but then rain and wind after that … And weather analyst Cliff Mass is saying the same thing.
West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 hurt in ‘home invasion’ attack
ORIGINAL 2:40 AM REPORT: No arrests yet in a Sunday night break-in that left two people with minor injuries. It happened around 8:30 pm in the 8800 block of 16th SW (map), according to Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams. He says “initial reports” indicate two people wearing ski masks and armed with handguns forced their way into a house. They kicked one person – who declined medical assistance – and hit another with one of the guns; that person was taken to a hospital to have a facial injury checked out. A third person who was home apparently scared the attackers/would-be robbers away by running out of the house to call police; that, says Lt. Williams, led the attackers to run away too. Scanner traffic we heard at the time indicated a K-9 unit was used to try to find them, but searchers didn’t have any luck. Lt. Williams says detectives from the robbery division are now handling the case.
9:31 AM UPDATE: There’s now a story about this on SPDBlotter. Details are mostly the same, with a few additions: The ski-masked robbers are described as black men between 20 and 30; they are believed to have stolen a wallet; and police are asking the public for any information.
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