Update: More than 60 turn out for a say on The Triangle’s future

| Development | Triangle | West Seattle news

(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.

foy'boy February 7, 2011 (7:40 pm)

When are the people of westseattle going to rise up and say hay mayor do you even know we are here. Do you even know about trafic in the mornning. Our mayor treats westseattle as if it does not exsits. Even the radio never talks about trafic in the mornning. What is it going to take for city hall to see our traffic problem getting out of westseattle in the mornning. Our mayor has money foy bike lanes but no money for a park and ride in westseattle. WSB you told me once that the city won ‘t build a park and ride in westseattle. So what your telling me and everyone else to just give up, well that an’t going to happen. WE need a rally to let the mayor know that thier is a place called westseattle. If thier is anybody that feels this way please responde. This is a golden chance to make a change.

foy\'boy February 7, 2011 (7:52 pm)

I was told by the WSB that the city had no plans of building a park and ride in westseattle. Well the fight an’t over. It is as if our mayor has no idea we or westseattle even exististis. Heck even morning radio won’t talk about our traffic problems. Wheres oliver stone, even he would find it funny that a comunity so close to cityhall to be completly ignored. I dare our mayor , want’ts to reduce the peoples carbon foot print won’t consider a park and ride in westseattle.

WSB February 7, 2011 (8:25 pm)

Foy – did you come to tonight’s open house? That’s where you could have spoken directly to the city, the county, get on the record. (If you did, good for you.) Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the Transportation Committee, was there. He also had a public availability last Saturday at High Point Library – did you go there to talk to him? All I’ve said is that I have heard the city say at meetings over and over again, they’re not developing park and ride. We report what we see and hear. But if you want one and want to agitate for one, come speak out. We’ll report that too. There are opportunities every week, almost every day, and the ones in West Seattle are always publicized here … TR

foy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'boy February 7, 2011 (8:29 pm)

I thought that the state con. said you could only collect tolls when a work was under contruction and when the project was done or payed for the toll would stop. Thats why the tolls stoped on the 520. The bridge was payed for. Now we are asked to pay for somthing that is still just a dream. Our gov is going to use early payments to balance the buget. If someone knows different plese explain the rule change.

Mark February 7, 2011 (8:50 pm)

We have to plan for the future of West Seattle. It makes sense to think about what we want for this area. It is right next to the Junction and has great bus service. The city is doing the right thing. This could be a great place to live.

JN February 7, 2011 (8:57 pm)

This seems to be a well though out development plan, although from what I’ve seen, there has been no consideration (or very little) for bicycles. So, why does everyone continue to call Mayor McGinn, “McSchwinn”, as if he constantly shoves bicycles down the throats of citizens? There needs to be more accommodation for bicycles and transit, and we need to cut back on the usage of cars as the sole means of transportation if we want West Seattle to be brought into the present, and invest in our future.

concerned February 7, 2011 (9:02 pm)

The city really does need to think about doing something about the increased traffic that is a result of building up this area, which will only worsen with the addition of Trader Joe’s, high-rise apartment buildings, etc. I am not against development, but increased traffic needs to be addressed as part of the development process. There is a noticeable increase in traffic near the Junction since QFC has opened. Pretty soon this area is going to be as painful to drive (or sit in traffic) through as Meridian is down in the Puyallup/South Hill area. It is not responsible to build up and develop an area and not address increased traffic – it becomes a real pain for people who live in the neighborhood and have to sit in traffic for 20 minutes to travel a few miles. The neighborhood streets were not built to handle the kind of traffic that these new businesses will draw. They really should consider a park and ride in the area, maybe as part of the development plan.

Diane February 7, 2011 (11:09 pm)

The person who spoke after City Councilman Tom Rasmussen, was Marshall Foster, Seattle city planning director, who I learned tonight, also lives in West Seattle; I met him at a big waterfront/transportation meeting in South Lake Union last year just before he was promoted to planning director

WSB February 7, 2011 (11:17 pm)

Thanks, I am hoping to lengthen the clip but uploaded CM TR before leaving the venue – uploading on a 3G connection is a little slower than at home. Didn’t know he was from WS too.

Diane February 7, 2011 (11:17 pm)

I was also very happy to meet tonight the owner of the new vegetarian restaurant going into the Link, the restaurant everyone has been raving about; he’s super nice and excited about opening here April 1; that’s him in the maroon shirt; the woman next to him in black is manager of the restaurant, talking to Tom Rasmussen; I already forgot both of their names; sorry

WSB February 7, 2011 (11:31 pm)

Chris the owner and I believe Sarah the GM, as seen in my lousy iPhone photo from our big story when they made it official:
https://westseattleblog.com/2010/11/chaco-canyon-cafe-makes-it-official-coming-to-west-seattle
.
The local woman who’ll run the new Bright Horizons was there too (followup story coming up on them in a day or two) – I got to chat with her for a bit. It was quite the who’s-who.

metrognome February 8, 2011 (1:52 am)

oy. The city of Seattle does not build park&rides; King County Metro does. As p&r’s are designed for people in suburban areas who have to drive to a central point to catch commuter service, there are only 2 in Seattle city limits: WEST SEATTLE (under the bridge) and Green Lake (under the freeway). There is also a p&r in White Center.
Land is expensive and usually unavailable in a big enough lot in an urban area, so the p&r would need to be a large concrete garage, which would also be expensive.
Another option would be to identify churches, etc. with lots that are empty during the week; Metro has contracted with numerous locations like this for temporary lots.

WSB February 8, 2011 (2:17 am)

Perhaps it would have been easier for city reps asked that question in meeting after meeting after meeting after meeting I have covered, then, to have demurred and said “Oh, we don’t build park and rides, that’s up to the county.” They have not given that answer, and have instead said that it’s against city policy, not the direction they’re going in, etc., and that’s why I replied thusly to one of Foy’s comments. – TR

DW February 8, 2011 (9:12 am)

What is “The Bridge?”

austin February 8, 2011 (9:52 am)

You know, the bridge, that giant elevated road that spans the Duwamish river and connects West Seattle, particularly the area of West Seattle in question, with the rest of the city. It’s fairly noticeable.

WSB February 8, 2011 (9:57 am)

No, sorry, I was looking up the link … The Bridge is the new lounge/restaurant going into the ex-Redline, ex-Legends. We have done at least one story …

Alex February 8, 2011 (5:19 pm)

This area will be a great place to live, unless you have a job outside of West Seattle. How does anyone expect to get to work once 99 is torn down? Can I-5 really accommodate all that northbound traffic without hopelessly strangling the bridge (more than it already does)?

It’s pretty scary thinking about this future. Most people who support the housing market have jobs, and most people with jobs work outside of West Seattle. Tunnel or not, it’s impossible to imagine property values going anywhere but down once the bridge traffic suddenly gets worse.

Dano February 9, 2011 (1:45 am)

Somebody…PLEASE fill us in on Trader Joes progress!!!!!… We see NOTHING happening!!!! Wasn’t the original plan to have it open by late spring / early Summer???

I swear to God…. What IS IT with that part of our neighborhood?!… A BIG FAT hole, and empty businesses…. I will not trust businesses OR developers EVER again!