West Seattle, Washington

20 Friday

54℉

day : 09/05/2014 8 results

More high-school soccer: West Seattle HS playoff game vs. Blanchet
May 9, 2014 10:57 pm
|    Comments Off on More high-school soccer: West Seattle HS playoff game vs. Blanchet
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

That’s the varsity-soccer team picture shared by West Seattle High School soccer parents including Tim McMonigle and our season-long anonymous contributor, after the playoff game today at Bishop Blanchet. Final score: Blanchet 3, WSHS 1. Tim reports:

WSHS was ahead 1-0 at half, then Blanchet score shortly after halftime to tie. Then they scored two more goals in the last 10 minutes of the game to win and advance in the playoffs.

The future looks bright for WSHS, in that only four seniors are leaving the team, with the majority of the starters this year being freshmen and sophomores. This is the first time in five years WSHS has made the playoffs, with hopefully many more years to come.

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Video: Hearing for 4439 41st SW veers into city policy: ‘It may seem like development’s happening very fast, but there’s a plan’
May 9, 2014 7:50 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(Top clip is the first hour, second clip picks up a few minutes later for final half-hour after our card change)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

As with most recent neighbor-petitioned comment meetings for West Seattle development proposals, last night’s meeting about the 40-apartment, 5-parking-space 4439 41st SW project (first reported here in March) included a big-picture component.

After the hearing’s Department of Planning and Development point person, Bruce Rips, began by saying he does planning on current projects, he also introduced Geoff Wendlandt as a colleague looking at “long-range policies.” While Rips is a fairly frequent West Seattle visitor as designated planner for multiple projects, Wendlandt was last seen here during the neighbor-petitioned meeting for 3210 California. He pointed attendees to the city website for background information including current zoning and future changes in the multifamily zoning code.

Rips continued: “This project, unlike those I’m usually (here for), doesn’t have a design-review component – Geoff will probably touch on that as well. … But it does trigger what’s called the State Environmental Protection Act. … My department made its initial reviews of the project.” He mentioned correction letters sent to the applicant, often from concerns raised in community comments sent to the Department of Planning and Development. They haven’t heard back yet from the developer yet, on correction notices sent a month ago, he said

Next, Wendlandt spoke. “There’s a lot of development happening here as you know … a lot of cranes in The Junction. It may seem .. like development’s happening very fast, very haphazardly, but we do want to say to you there’s a plan for where development can occur – that’s the City’s comprehensive plan … which (outlines) where development can occur over time.” He talks about its background, and how The Junction is designated a Hub Urban Village, which “allows single-family neighborhoods to stay single-family neighborhoods.” Fremont, Ballard, Lake City, North Rainier are other “hub urban villages” around the city, he says. He notes that the Comprehensive Plan update process dubbed “Seattle 2035“ is under way and encourages people to participate. (A West Seattle open house about it last month was sparsely attended.)

He explained that this project is in a “low-rise multifamily zone,” which generally means areas between commercial cores and single-family neighborhoods. He mentions the 2010 changes to low-rise multi-family zones, “to allow a little more flexibility,” specifically in the townhouse-development area. And he mentiond the low-rise development zoning changes that are under way now “to make sure we’re getting the outcome we expected. He said “the growth that’s occurring in The Junction is consistent with (the current city plan) and if you don’t agree, (get involved with the Comprehensive Plan changes).”

One attendee asked if the presence of a business improvement area (such as the West Seattle Junction Association) would have any effect on zoning, particularly in this case related to businesses and where their employees park.

Then, it was on to the community comments.

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High-school soccer: Chief Sealth hosts Seattle Prep for playoff game; Carne Asada Bowl vs. World School follows
May 9, 2014 5:18 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:18 PM: Just in from Southwest Athletic Complex, in postseason high-school soccer, it was Seattle Prep 4, Chief Sealth International High School 1.

The Seahawks now play a just-for-fun game against the World School in the annual “Carne Asada Bowl,” followed by a cookout featuring the namesake dish. Photos later.

9 PM: Photos added – above, from the game with Prep; below, we didn’t catch the carne asada itself but did catch the World School claiming the Carne Asada Cup after winning that game:

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Congratulations! Dow Constantine becomes a dad
May 9, 2014 4:34 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Just announced this afternoon on Twitter, King County Executive Dow Constantine and wife Shirley Carlson are parents:

Twitter limits you to 140 characters, but the new dad added this on his official Facebook page: “She’s 6 pounds, 7.3 ounces.”

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Hours to go until West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day and Stamp Out Hunger food drive
May 9, 2014 12:08 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

From sale #1 at the Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds) to sale #288 at 4400 SW 101st, West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is hours away … just under 21 hours, as of this writing. The maps are here – online and printable PDF – both with details for each sale. A few other notes:

*Until the end of sale day (3:01 pm), any major updates – last-minute changes/cancellations, for example – will be on the official WSCGSD site and the map page here on WSB

*The official site is also the best place to find out about sale day-linked donation drives.

*Want to take a break AFTER sale day? Straight Blast Gym (5050 Delridge Way SW; WSB sponsor) is offering a Parents’ Night Out event Saturday night, 6-10 pm, games, activities, movies, pizza, crafts, $30 first child, $20 each additional. Contact info’s here. (SBG is also having a sale tomorrow – #26 – raising money for its scholarship fund.)

*Whether you’re selling or shopping, consider sending us a photo tomorrow – we’ll be stopping by some of the sales as part of our as-it-happens coverage but we can’t get to all 280+ – thanks in advance!

As mentioned previously, tomorrow is also Stamp Out Hunger Day! If you got a blue bag in the mail, before you go out to shop or sell, fill it up with nonperishable food and tomorrow, leave it by your mailbox or your door, if that’s where you get your mail. If you didn’t get a bag – use one of your own, paper or plastic. Ours is ready:

Donations stay in the local area – and Kristina at the White Center Food Bank, which also serves southern West Seattle, has suggestions for your donation choices:

Please donate items like canned meats, tuna fish, soup, juice, vegetables, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, and rice. Please do not include items that have expired or are in glass containers.

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West Seattle Friday: For today/tonight, see the calendar
May 9, 2014 10:21 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Don Brubeck, via the WSB Flickr group)
Just a quick note that today, as we’re covering more news and previewing West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day tomorrow, we’ll point you to the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar rather than calling out specific highlights here as we do most days. On the calendar page, click on any intriguing line to open it (and then “read more” for details, including maps in most listings) – you’ll see what’s up for today/tonight, including nightlife. One late addition that isn’t on the calendar page but was featured here in the news section – Chief Sealth International High School‘s “Carne Asada Bowl” soccer match this afternoon. Happy Friday!

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No environmental review for new Arbor Heights Elementary? Neighbors’ concerns aired at appeal hearing
May 9, 2014 9:00 am
|      50 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Rendering of new Arbor Heights Elementary)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

They say they’re not trying to stop it from being built.

But neighbors and others concerned about the new, larger Arbor Heights Elementary School say something is missing from the plan: A full-scale environmental review.

So they appealed the ruling that the project doesn’t need that kind of review, and their appeal led to a hearing that lasted much of the day Thursday in a meeting room at Seattle Public Schools headquarters in SODO.

It brought some surprises – including last-minute district research exploring some of the points for which the challengers said an environmental review was needed before the new school is built on the site of the old one starting this summer.

Appeal hearings don’t result in instant decisions, so a written report will be forthcoming. But here’s how the hearing unfolded:

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Breezy Friday
May 9, 2014 6:50 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Breezy Friday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! Aside from the breezy weather, nothing much of note so far during the commute. Weekend notes:

CITYWIDE TRAFFIC ALERTS: Here’s the weekly SDOT roundup of what’s happening around the city that might affect traffic. This also now includes construction notes (the weekend-long closure of westbound 520 is among them).

WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: Neighborhoods around West Seattle will be bustling 9 am-3 pm tomorrow with more than 280 sales of all sizes (as mapped here) in the 10th annual WSCGSD (coordinated by WSB).

And a bit of transportation news in case you missed it here Thursday:

LIGHT RAIL FOR WEST SEATTLE? See what Sound Transit is looking at in its study of the south “corridor” that could include West Seattle, White Center, and points south.

7:28 AM: Thanks to Mike for this note – if you drive SW Charlestown west of California SW, a car is partly blocking the road near 51st SW.

He says a note on it says a tow truck is on the way – but in the meantime, you have to go into the oncoming lane to get around it, precarious to say the least.

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