West Seattle, Washington
14 Sunday
Local community leaders have been working on more ways to convene discussions about one of our area’s hottest current topics, development. And while covering tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting (full report to come separately), we got semi-early word of an event in the works, and wanted to let you know to save the date: On June 4th, DNDC will join the Southwest District Council on the SWDC’s regular meeting night, to host City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, who chairs the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee (which this week alone has handled issues from small-lot development to microhousing). Some details are still being worked out, including the venue/time, but if you want to hear about and talk about where things stand and where they’re going, save the night of June 4th.
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
Every year, Holy Rosary School sells Christmas trees not only to raise money for its programs, but to donate part of the proceeds to local nonprofits. Tonight, this year’s beneficiaries accepted checks for $1,752.92 each. From left, West Seattle Helpline, represented by new executive director Kate Stannard; Salvation Army‘s Hickman House shelter, represented by Mary Libby and Carmen McRoy from the SA; and the West Seattle Food Bank, represented by Judi Yazzolino. Only seven months until next Christmas (but who’s counting?)!
(Added: Photo of Tokitae this evening, courtesy JayDee in Upper Alki)
We’ve received some questions about a ferry that seemed stalled in the water off Alki Point earlier this hour. No, it’s not in trouble. We checked via MarineTraffic.com; it’s the new Washington State Ferries vessel M/V Tokitae, built at Vigor on Harbor Island and scheduled to go into service next month.
Nine months after a real-estate/development group bought the 12-unit apartment building at 3060 Avalon Way for just under $1 million, they’ve put it up for sale for more than twice that. The 9,500-square-foot site is listed for $2,552,000, with the listing mentioning renovations since last year’s sale, and also: “With the ability to build up to 65 feet in height on the property. The land value today is approximately the same as the asking price for the apartment building, giving the buyer an opportunity to earn income while processing permits at the City of Seattle.” The building is sandwiched between two sites that have had development proposals in the past few years – apartments at 3062 Avalon (which the DPD site notes were canceled last year) and 104 units of microhousing at 3050, and a few lots east of a project that just won a key approval last week, 100+ apartments at 3078 Avalon.
P.S. If you like stats and numbers, they abound in this background brochure about the 3060 Avalon property, which takes a broader look at the West Seattle and citywide apartment market, too.
(Trailer for “The Goonies,” scheduled for August 16th)
You made suggestions … organizers discussed, searched, decided, confirmed … and now, as just announced by Lora Swift of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), next to the courtyard transformed into an under-the-stars movie theater six Saturday nights each summer, we have the lineup for the 2014 edition of West Seattle Outdoor Movies – we’ve linked each movie’s name to a trailer clip (except for the much-requested “Goonies,” :
Saturday, July 19th: Gravity (2013) PG-13
Saturday, July 26th: Spice World (1997) PG
Saturday, August 2nd: Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – PG
Saturday, August 9th: The Blues Brothers 1980 – R
Saturday, August 16th: The Goonies (1985) – PG
Saturday, August 23rd: Frozen (2013) – PG
Again this year, pre-show entertainment will be featured, and Lora’s starting the search now; you’ll get the chance to buy tickets for raffles to benefit local nonprofits; and PB&J Textiles will sponsor concessions, with those proceeds also going to local nonprofits. This year, the WSOM committee is inviting nonprofits to request inclusion on the recipient roster; e-mail Lora for more information on how that works – lora@hotwirecoffee.com – and she asks that you “include contact information and short paragraph and/or weblink about the non-profit.” If you are or know of a potential pre-show act, same address, and that’s also where to inquire if you’re interested in applying to help with sound this year.
New to West Seattle/never been to WSOM before? Admission’s free, since the series is supported by sponsors (including WSB). Gates open early; you bring a chair and/or blanket and stake out a spot; movies start at dusk, which means the time gets earlier as the six-week series goes by. (Scroll through this WSB archive to see some of our past coverage.)
(Click image to see the full-size map on the city website)
An emerging city transportation project potentially involves both the West Seattle “low bridge” (officially the SW Spokane Street Swing Bridge) and lower Spokane Street from East Marginal Way eastward. The proposal to create a “heavy-haul corridor” turned up toward the end of this news release sent by Mayor Ed Murray‘s office late Tuesday afternoon about a “Maritime/Manufacturing Summit” held Monday. The news release included a link to the map you see above and noted, “In cooperation with the Port of Seattle, roads along this corridor will be rebuilt to new heavy haul standards” to “enable permitted vehicles carrying overweight loads to travel on designated routes.”
While described in the mayor’s news release as having been announced at the summit, the heavy-haul-network concept has been under discussion for a while; we’ve found earlier mentions including a letter of support this past March from the city Freight Advisory Board, pointing out that the “heavy haul” vehicles’ per-axle maximum weights would be below vehicles already using city roads, including trash trucks and Metro buses.
For followup questions, the mayor’s office pointed us to SDOT communications director Rick Sheridan. He says that “rebuil(ding)” the corridor means that “SDOT will assess whether some roads in the heavy-haul network would benefit from an additional layer of paving to account for more frequent use by heavy vehicles and the appropriate time to accomplish that work.” As for where the proposal goes next: “The mayor will submit legislation to the city council this summer to establish a heavy-haul permitting system, to include a fee structure and any necessary terms and conditions of the permit.”
Texts indicate some in Arbor Heights noticed the Guardian One helicopter checking something out in the North Shorewood/White Center area in the past half-hour; we’ve published an update on partner site White Center Now but are mentioning it here too – King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates says they were looking into an assault case that was a disagreement between people who knew each other, and they’ve moved on.
(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)
Today we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: HomeStreet Bank, now open in The Junction. New sponsors get the chance to tell you about themselves, so here’s what HomeStreet would like you to know:
HomeStreet Bank is local! We are based in downtown Seattle and are one of the largest community banks headquartered in Washington. HomeStreet began in the University District in 1921 as Continental Mortgage and Loan Company, later becoming Continental Savings Bank in 1986 when we became a full-service bank. We changed our name to HomeStreet Bank in 2000. (However, many people will still recall getting their mortgage at Continental Savings Bank!) We have expanded our services further over the years, adding business banking and lending, investment services, and more. HomeStreet offers a wide variety of financial products and services, including:
• Personal Banking
• Business Banking
• Mortgage Lending (including renovation loans and reverse mortgages)
• Commercial Lending (including a new small business loan program as well as SBA financing)
• Investment and Insurance Services for consumers and businesses
• Cash Management Services for businesses of all sizes
• Private Banking
• Residential Construction Financing
• Commercial Real Estate financing (apartments, retail space, office & industrial)
HomeStreet Bank has 82 deposit branches and lending centers in the Pacific Northwest, California, and Hawaii.
Community involvement has always been a high priority for HomeStreet. Many of our employees support the needs of local community organizations by creating active partnerships, hands-on service and providing leadership. As a relationship-focused bank, we always try to go the extra mile for our customers while providing personal service that is oftentimes not expected. We pride ourselves in our employees’ ability to make decisions on their own.
HomeStreet Bank is proud to be a member of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. We are also proud supporters of the West Seattle Helpline, West Seattle Food Bank, WestSide Baby, and Nature Consortium. Being new to the West Seattle community, we are very excited at the opportunity to get involved in the neighborhood. This year we sponsored the Taste of West Seattle and will be sponsoring Summer Fest and West Seattle Outdoor Movies. We are also thrilled to be hosting this year’s Stuff the Bus Diaper Drive for WestSide Baby!
HomeStreet Bank’s West Seattle branch is located at 4022 SW Alaska Street and we would love for you to stop in! Check us out online at: www.homestreet.com or “like” our Facebook page.
We thank HomeStreet Bank for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; see our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
No formal environmental review for the new Arbor Heights Elementary School project that’s replacing the crumbling original 65-year-old school. That’s what the district originally had decided, issuing a Determination of Non-Significance; more than two dozen neighbors appealed the decision, arguing their case at a May 8th hearing (WSB coverage here), and now the appeal ruling is in, starting with an introductory letter by Superintendent José Banda:
(If you can’t see the Scribd embed above, here’s the document as a PDF.) If you want to skip ahead, the conclusions of Margaret Klockars, the hearing examiner who handled the case, start on page 7, after a recap of what the district originally decided and the points that were argued. Bottom line: While Klockars agreed that the checklist leading to the original Determination of Non-Significance had a few errors and omissions, she believed the supplemental information provided later by the district showed no major impact in areas of concern from traffic to trees, so the DNS conclusion “was not erroneous.”
SIDE NOTE: As reported here last night, the district has set a community meeting June 2nd for questions/answers/updates on the project, which will start after the school year ends and everything is moved out of the to-be-demolished buildings. AHES will hold classes at the Boren Building for the next two years, with the new school expected to be ready for fall 2016.
(Can you pick out our peninsula in this pic? Sunset from the sky, by Bill Schrier, shared via Flickr)
Happy Wednesday! The sun’s supposed to be back later. Meantime, your calendar highlights for today/tonight:
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Everybody loves a story, especially the littlest among us. Bring yours! 10:30 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library. (2306 42nd SW)
TACOS FOR BASKETBALL: 5-9 pm, it’s an all-you-can-eat taco-bar benefit for West Seattle High School‘s basketball program at Pecado Bueno in The Junction – details here.
STEPS AT STEVENS, SECOND COMMUNITY DESIGN WORKSHOP: Tonight, see three potential design concepts for the proposal to create a new, safer pedestrian path into West Seattle High School from California SW. The community-proposed project now has its own website; if you missed the first community design workshop, here’s the presentation from that meeting, including potential inspiration for the steps and art elements. 5-7 pm at WSHS. (3000 California SW)
AFTER THAT … WSHS PTSA MEETS: Right after the Steps at Stevens workshop, it’s the final West Seattle High School PTSA meeting of this school year, 7 pm. (3000 California SW)
SEATTLE PARK DISTRICT? BRING YOUR QUESTIONS: Tonight, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council focuses on something you’ll vote on in August – whether to create a Seattle Park District as a permanent way to raise more money for city parks, instead of another fixed-term levy. From DNDC chair Mat McBride:
Continuing our civic engagement series, we are hosting Councilmember Jean Godden, chair of the Parks Committee. She will discuss parks, and how the MPD factors at the City Council level. We also have presenters for the Yes and No campaigns relating to the MPD. Time is allotted for each speaker to answer questions from the community. This is an important conversation, and possibly the best chance for folks to hear from all sides of this big decision in one forum. All are invited and welcome.
Full agenda here. DNDC meets at 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
LOOK! UP THERE! Tonight – assuming the sky really does clear – you’ll see the last quarter moon, according to Alice Enevoldsen‘s most-recent edition of Skies Over West Seattle.
WHAT NEXT? You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to see what’s happening tomorrow.
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
“Uneventful” commute so far, as WSDOT’s Twitter account put it.
ROAD WORK: SDOT confirms that crews are expected back at Charlestown hill (west of California) today, between 46th and 47th.
7:31 AM: Crash reported (via the SFD 911 log) at Olson/Myers – no word how/whether it’s affecting traffic on the hill to/from 509.
8:08 AM: That call is closed on the 911 log and we haven’t heard anything further.
8:53 AM: SPD is/was back on bus-lane enforcement today, according to this Twitter exchange.
Tuesday night at Southwest Branch Library, a handful of community members met with SDOT reps and consultants to brainstorm the city’s in-the-works School Road Safety Plan for next year and beyond. Whatever emerges in the future plan will get funding from the city’s increasing arsenal of school-zone speed cameras, noted SDOT’s Jim Curtin, who recapped the pre-existing plan to add two more in West Seattle this fall, both on Roxbury, near Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. The plan remains to have them in place by September, with a monthlong grace period and ticketing starting in October. Those are two of five to be added at schools around the city this year, joining 4 in place, 1 of those in West Seattle, on Fauntleroy by Gatewood Elementary (existing cameras are in black on the SDOT map below, with the next round of additions in blue):
More than a dozen additional ones are expected around the city next year, Curtin said, with 60 schools being studied right now. The camera revenue has to go to school-safety improvements by order of the City Council.
The consultants at the meeting were from Toole Design Group, which is working with SDOT on the plan. They explained that this is in the opinion-gathering stage, and collected reaction to some possible plan components including traffic calming and different types of crosswalk signals. They promised more meetings in West Seattle; tonight’s attendees suggested one of those meetings be held on a weekend so that people with school-age children might be more likely to attend.
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