West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
“We are excited to share our vision with like-minded women who want a
comfortable alternative to girly women’s underwear,” 
say Betsy Bruce and Dana Joy – both longtime West Seattleites – as they launch a crowdfunding campaign for their creation: Underwear called BoiBums. They’re trying to raise money to manufacture “a product for women using the same soft fabrics, comfortable cut, and wide-waistband used in men’s underwear.” (Briefs, not boxers.) And the sizing range will be robust – briefs in sizes up to the equivalent of 3XL. You can watch Dana and Betsy’s sassy pitch video on the Kickstarter page for BoiBums. In crowdfunding tradition, they’re offering rewards to donors, all detailed on that page. And if the underwear business goes well, they’re expecting to expand into other – perhaps, more visible – lines of apparel.
(WSB photo from 2013 Morgan Junction Community Festival)
We’re at the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting, and have just heard updates on the MoCA-sponsored Morgan Junction Community Festival, which will be happening before MoCA’s NEXT quarterly meeting. This year’s festival date is Saturday, June 21st, and it will include music (likely two stages, including a “cantina”), about 30 booths (a bit less space than last year, and they’re hoping for more nonprofits as well as vendors), ever-popular Bubbleman (one show this time), the Bark of Morgan pet event, the Bite of Morgan food tastes, food trucks (possibly up to three), hands-on kid stuff with the help of local kid-oriented businesses, and more. One thing REALLY needed now – volunteers to step up; this festival doesn’t run without them – “We need volunteers and we need them badly,” said MoCA’s Tod Rodman. And they’re signing up sponsorships, too, with new levels – you’ll find information on the MoCA website at morganjunction.org.
P.S. Lots more has been and is being discussed as tonight’s MoCA meeting continues – more coverage to come.
(WSB photo from Alki edition of Seattle Summer Streets in May 2013)
We’re a month away from a big day on Alki – Sunday, May 18th, starting with the West Seattle 5K Run/Walk at 9 am, followed by Seattle Summer Streets (aka “Car-Free Day”) 11 am-5 pm. And today, Alki’s Guy Olson shares the news that he and the rest of the Alki Beach Creeps Bicycle Club are organizing a costume/bicycle parade again this year. Wear a costume and meet up at 1 pm that day, 63rd/Alki. (See video of last year’s edition in our 2013 Summer Streets coverage.) Skidding competition too, and prizes are promised – full details on the Facebook event page.
Two projects return to the Southwest Design Review Board tomorrow night at the Senior Center of West Seattle, and the revised design proposals for both are now publicly previewable:
REVISED DESIGN FOR EX-CHARLESTOWN CAFE SITE: At 6:30 pm, it’s the second Early Design Guidance meeting for 3824 California SW; board members asked the team for the 30-unit (townhouses and live-work units) project to give it another try (here’s our report on the first meeting in January). The rendering above is the “preferred” option proposed by the architects, Caron, the third of these three “massing” options:
You can see the full “design packet” by going here – again, remember, this is the “Early Design Guidance” stage, which means they are just proposing size and shape, and that’s why you don’t see other potential design details.
REVISED DESIGN FOR 4505 42ND SW: At 8 pm tomorrow, this Junction project also is returning for a second round of Early Design Guidance (our report on the first meeting in January is here). The changes in this one involve size as well as shape:
On a site zoned for up to 8 stories, what started as a 7-story proposal is now down to 6, and 45 apartments (five fewer than previously proposed), with 17 parking spaces, and 4,300 square feet of retail. See the full “design packet” by going here.
P.S. Both of these projects are among the dozens on our finally-updated map of West Seattle development projects under construction/on the drawing boards/recently completed. See it here.
Lots of work in recent years on making the streets and sidewalks safer around West Seattle schools. Maybe you’d like to formalize that by being part of the Seattle School Traffic Safety Committee? The search is on for new members – read on for the announcement:
If you live in or travel through Sunrise Heights or Westwood, you probably know the “roadside raingarden” construction for the first phase of the Barton Basin Combined Sewer Overflow Control project continues to intensify. The King County Wastewater Treatment Division is building “green stormwater infrastructure” in eight blocks this year, seven blocks next year – 91 roadside raingardens in all. En route to a meeting last night, we noticed the activity on one block, 34th SW north of Holden (map), so went back today for a closer look (above). The county is now publishing weekly updates on its website – including what’s happening in which blocks:
For any residents who didn’t get block-by-block informational flyers, those also are available online. This project is part of state-mandated work to reduce combined-sewer overflows into Puget Sound; in this area, it’s called Barton because the wastewater ends up at the Barton Pump Station north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock.
P.S. The county is scheduled to present an update on its other in-progress Combined Sewer Overflow Control project, the Murray-basin-serving storage tank across from Lowman Beach, at tonight’s Morgan Community Association meeting (7 pm, The Kenney [WSB sponsor], lower-level meeting rooms, 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).
Before sharing his Tuesday orca photo, Gary Jones sent another awesome round of eagle photos from Alki Point (thanks!) – all three of which we’re featuring throughout today’s calendar preview.
LIBRARY STORY TIMES: Home on spring break? Parental leave? THREE library story times this morning for kids of various ages – see our calendar page for details (mouse over any line’s right side to get the “plus sign” you can click to open the line for more info).
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION’S QUARTERLY MEETING: 7 pm at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). The agenda, as also published at morganjunction.org:
7:05 Murray/Lowman CSO (King County)
7:15 California @ Fauntleroy Level of Service (SDOT)
7:25 Micro-housing Legislation Update
7:35 Morgan Junction Land Use Topics:
Pedestrian Zone Mapping, Low-rise zoning changes, West Seattle land use committee
7:55 Morgan Junction Festival Update
New Business
8:00 Solar Presentation
8:10 West Seattle Transit Coalition and Prop 1
8:15 CALSeattle Letter: Coalition for an Affordable Livable Seattle
8:30 Nazarene Church Residential Development
All welcome. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
DPD AT DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: The city Department of Planning and Development has three reps for three programs at tonight’s DNDC – as previewed here yesterday. And West Seattle neighborhood advocate Cindi Barker will be there too, with information on how you can track, and give feedback on, land-use issues. 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. All welcome. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
‘UNPLUGGED’ AT C & P: The Seattle Classic Guitar Society‘s open-microphone night for guitarists and other acoustic musicians, at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
And as usual, much more on the calendar!
(Latest bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The rain’s back; also, a few problems along the way in the early going this morning but WSDOT says they’re all cleared now.
ADDED 8:19 AM: Some other notes, since it’s another quiet morning out there (so far):
COLMAN DOCK ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: Use the downtown dock for the Water Taxi or Washington State Ferries? The state’s working on its future and is now out with an environmental assessment as an early step in the process. A public hearing is coming up later this month, and comments are being taken now. Details are here, including various outreach events – one of which will be at the Water Taxi dock (Pier 50) on May 1st during the afternoon/evening commute.
ADDED 8:59 AM: A incident at 5th/Roxbury is showing on the 911 log as having been briefly dispatched as a heavy rescue. Not hearing any scanner traffic about it so not sure of the circumstances – please let us know if you passed through the area and saw anything.
9:35 AM: As Dave reported in comments, it was a flipped car. The car was on 5th just north of Roxbury and a tow crew right-sided it moments before our photographer arrived. No traffic effects on Roxbury.
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