West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
From transportation to tax returns, briefings, updates, and announcements spanned two busy hours at tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting:
DELRIDGE MULTIMODAL CORRIDOR: SDOT‘s Sara Zora provided the briefing on this, which traces to an idea that Delridge neighborhood advocates have been discussing for a while. The concept of viewing a road as a “multimodal corridor” is at a “very conceptual level,” Zora said. Delridge is one of 10 corridors SDOT will be looking at in 2015, all “major arterials” to be reviewed through the “complete streets” prism.
6:09 PM: Northbound Delridge at Oregon, near Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, is blocked by a 2-vehicle crash. Avoid the area. More to come.
6:22 PM: Police confirm at the scene, no major injuries. Two people were being transported by private ambulance. No TCI callout, so it will not be a long closure.
6:39 PM: Added a photo taken from the footbridge by Youngstown, looking south over the northbound lanes. We’ll be checking back on the scene before the top of the hour.
6:44 PM: Police just announced via scanner that Delridge is open both ways again.
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli. Above, police near the robbery scene)
5:18 PM: Police are combing North Admiral neighborhoods right now for two street-robbery suspects. More to come.
5:27 PM: They have found a possible suspect. We don’t have full details of the incident yet but police had been seeking two people, one reported to have a knife, another who reportedly told the victims he had a gun. They either stole or tried to steal a phone.
(44th/Atlantic, where police checked a home whose resident reported an intruder alarm)
5:45 PM UPDATE: No word of any arrests yet. An active search continues, with K-9; the actual robbery happened north of Admiral/California.
(Tonight’s search went all the way to the water – above, Don Armeni Boat Ramp park)
Just before this, we had learned of a robbery attempt near there yesterday afternoon; police say they don’t know yet if that’s related. In that one, two people tried to steal a 13-year-old’s phone, but older youth in the area chased them away. It apparently was not reported to police until today. (Added: That attempt happened near Lafayette Elementary around 3 pm Tuesday, according to the victim’s family.)
6:26 PM: Search continuing, and it’s very wide-ranging.
(Sunset/Seattle, atop the North Admiral bluff)
7:23 PM: Police have been searching as far north as Harbor Avenue. Counting the attempted robbery yesterday that we just learned about today, this is the fifth street robbery or attempt in West Seattle in the past seven days, starting last Thursday (January 15th) when two people knocked down and stole the backpack of a middle-schooler walking by Myrtle Reservoir in Gatewood; on Friday, a robber stole a phone from a high-school student walking in a Westwood neighborhood; on Saturday, a man parking near his workplace in Morgan Junction was accosted by robbers who tried to steal his car.
8:14 PM: We’re adding photos from the search. Meantime, we just checked with Lt. Alan Williams, who confirms, no arrests yet, and that the person detained at 45th/Walker was not identified by the victims, so he was released. The robbery itself, Lt. Williams says, happened in the 2300 block of 44th SW. He has no description information at this point aside from “two black males … estimated to be 15-17 years of age.”
Here’s what’s new and interesting in the development files:
LENNAR’S SECOND WEST SEATTLE PROJECT – 2501 HARBOR: Seven months ago, we mentioned this one-acre parcel with three industrial/storage buildings was listed for sale. Among the possibilities touted in the listing: “Excellent potential for apartment, office or mixed-use redevelopment.” The latter is what’s on the drawing board now. According to an early site plan in the city’s online files, Lennar Multi-Family (residential developer for The Whittaker in The Junction) is proposing a 142-unit, 117-parking-space mixed-use building with 4,500 square feet of commercial space, to replace the three existing buildings. The zoning is C1-40 but the site plan proposes a building rising 48′ above grade. Parking would be entered from SW Florida, on the west side of the site. This will require Design Review; no date set yet. We’ll be following up on questions such as timeline and the future of the businesses currently on site.
YMCA EXPANSION GETS KEY APPROVALS: This week’s first Land Use Information Bulletin from the city includes the notice of key land-use approvals for the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) expansion/remodel. The approval notice includes a link to information on how to appeal. The expansion plan was announced last September.
2646 SW HOLDEN, 1 HOUSE GOING, 18 COMING: A demolition permit is now being sought for the one old, vacant house on this site stretching between Holden and Webster:
One land-use permit has been issued for the 18-house subdivision planned here, and another one is being sought for other aspects of the planned development.
OTHER DEMOLITION-PERMIT FILINGS: 10037 39th SW in Arbor Heights, except for the foundation; 3402 SW Morgan in High Point, to be replaced by two duplex townhouses; 3031 59th SW in Alki, to be replaced by two single-family houses and a two-unit townhouse.
320O BLOCK OF CALIFORNIA SIDE NOTE: We mentioned earlier this month that two addresses here are going to Streamlined Design Review with a mix of townhouses and live-works. What we didn’t notice, until some neighbors pointed it out, is that the sites were part of the location proposed for a 60-unit building at 3211 California SW. So it appears that project – which had made its Design Review debut last spring – is apparently no longer in the works.
More signs of Seahawks spirit, with The Biggest Game now just 11 days away:
From Amy Daly-Donovan – who says it’s part of a Super Bowl-related commercial being filmed by CenturyLink Field today, and she and her husband are both involved. (In case you missed it last Sunday, Amy shared a photo of Finnegan, The 12th Dog.)
Other spirited scenes/notes shared with us so far this week:
Chuck Jacobs says he put together those kerosene lanterns just in time for last Sunday’s game and will have them going for the Super Bowl as well.
And next week, West Coast Entertainment in Admiral is offering a free bag of Skittles for everyone who takes a West Seattle Segway tour next Monday-Friday. On the final pre-game Blue Friday, January 30th, you’re also invited to stop by the WCE office at 2705 California SW between 9 and 5 for a free Seahawks airbrush tattoo (and free popcorn if/while you wait).
Thanks to Southwest District Council co-chair David Whiting (president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association) for sharing the city’s announcement confirming which Neighborhood Park & Street Fund projects are funded for this year. See the full list of projects citywide here; below, see the excerpts showing West Seattle projects (the city considers WS to be two neighborhood districts, Southwest and Delridge):
The citywide total for all projects funded this year is almost $2 million. In some cases, the grant money is applied to a larger project – for example, this will be the case with the Boren crosswalks, a project confirmed earlier this month. We don’t have full details on all the projects but they will certainly be topics at the respective district council meetings, including Delridge, 7 pm tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (as previewed in our daily highlights list).
P.S. A similar amount, about $2 million, is set aside for this year’s NPSF – and the application deadline is approaching.
The latest reminder that the West Seattle Food Bank provides recycled books to its clients – and needs your donations to keep the books flowing!
The West Seattle Food Bank’s Bookcase Program was so successful with our clients during the holidays that we have run out of many books, especially children’s books. Young children enjoy the picture books while waiting with their parents in our lobby and are excited about being able to take them home. Cookbooks, history books and Adult fiction and non-fiction are extremely popular with our adult clients. Our Bookcase Program distributed more than 5,500 recycled books last year donated by local book stores and individuals in our community. Donations are accepted during our office hours of Monday – Friday 9 am – 3 pm. The West Seattle Food Bank is located at 3419 SW Morgan St. at the corner of 35th & Morgan.
First, if you happen to have been at Westwood Village and noticed police this past hour:
SHOPLIFTING/ROBBERY: What was described over the air as shoplifting-turned-robbery at the Westwood Village Radio Shack drew a big police response. Our crew was told the employee wasn’t hurt; they’re still trying to determine what was taken. Police were searching for two possible suspects, described early on as Hispanic women 18-22, both 5’3″ to 5’4″, one thin, one medium-to-heavy, one dressed all in black, one in a gray jacket. We’re hearing of one possible arrest in a residential area several blocks north and will be checking to verify.
(12:35 PM UPDATE: SPD confirms a 15-year-old girl is in custody. Apparently the other possible suspect was not involved in the crime.)
(back to original report) A few other Crime Watch notes from the past few days:
RECOGNIZE THIS CAR? Shay says it’s been parked in her neighborhood for a few weeks and neighbors thought it belonged to someone working nearby, but now realize it’s abandoned.
Police will be contacted if they haven’t been already, but Shay got a stolen car back via this kind of WSB report a few years ago and so wanted to get the word out this way too.
CAR PROWLS: Last Friday night, according to a reader report, three cars, all Hondas, were broken into near 49th/Juneau in Seaview; someone “with a flashlight was spotted at 6 am and fled upon being observed.” No signs of forced entry, so neighbors are wondering if the prowler(s) have “a keyless entry.”
NEXT CRIMEFIGHTING MEETINGS: The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meets at 6:30 pm next Tuesday (January 27th) at the Southwest Precinct – you don’t have to be a captain, or even in a block watch (yet!), to attend. And if you missed the announcement published here Tuesday morning, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole is coming to West Seattle for her first “community conversation” here, 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 3rd, also at the precinct (which is at Webster/Delridge).
P.S. The chief’s latest quarterly report to the City Council will be presented this afternoon – read it here.
(Today’s sunrise at Seacrest – photo by Lise Thivierge)
Thanks to our community contributors for views of this morning’s sunrise! Scroll all the way through to see all three views. And, of course, to see the highlights of what’s up today/tonight – maybe your first community meeting of the new year? From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
STORY TIMES: Four library story times on the calendar today – preschoolers at West Seattle and toddlers at Southwest, both at 10:30 am; babies at High Point, 11:30 am; Somali story time at High Point, 5 pm. Each has its own listing, with more info and even a map, on our calendar.
DUWAMISH RIVER CLEANUP PLAN: 5:30-7:30 pm tonight in South Park, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition offers your next chance to find out more about the plan, in three languages:
Tonight at Concord International School is your opportunity to learn about EPA’s “Record of Decision,” its final cleanup plan for the Duwamish River. It is a step in the right direction – but there is still more to do! To keep working for an even healthier cleanup, we need YOU! Join DRCC/TAG and your neighbors tonight as EPA and South Park community members provide some highlights from the plan and talk about what is next. Presentations will be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Light dinner and child care will be available!
(723 S. Concord)
NEIGHBORHOOD GREEN MEETING: Talk about climate change with the Green Party of Seattle and Sustainable West Seattle. 6:30 pm at Admiral Bird. (2600 California SW)
(Today’s sunrise, Olympics view – photo by James Bratsanos)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Agenda toplines:
7:10 p.m. Friends of Art on Pier 86, the Silos & Grain Elevator – David Levinson
7:17 p.m. UWKC Free Tax Campaign – Thomas Gardner
7:25 p.m. Multimodal Corridor Program, Delridge Way Project – Sara Zora (SDOT)
7:45 p.m. Update from CM Rasmussen – Tom Rasmussen
8:15 p.m. DNDC Business/Events/Discussions – All
-District 1 Candidates Forum
-2015 Grant Opportunities
-Joint DC Meeting with SWDC
-Annual DNDC Membership Meeting/Elections
-West Seattle Working Waterfront Tour
8:35 p.m. Neighborhood/Community Announcements – All
This time, DNDC meets in the Youngstown theater. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), it’s MoCA’s quarterly meeting. Agenda toplines:
* Special Guest – James Bush, Department of Neighborhoods
* Murray CSO
* Morgan SDOT update
* Morgan Park Little Library update
* Donation to Morgan Neighbors
* New Bike Racks for Morgan Junction
* 2015 Neighborhood Streets and Parks Funds – Morgan applications
* 2015 Morgan Festival
* Election of Officers, slate presentation for April meeting and vote
Find MoCA in The Kenney’s lower-level meeting rooms. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: As previewed here Monday night, WordsWest takes on New Year’s resolutions in the 7 pm writers’ showcase at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), featuring Jennie Shortridge and Frances McCue. (5612 California SW)
COMEDY! 8 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), hosted by Mona Concepcion, it’s the next “Just Laugh It Off” showcase – check the lineup here. (6451 California SW)
MORE COMEDY: Tonight’s also the night West Seattle native Adam Cozens, visiting from L.A., stars at Comedy Underground in Pioneer Square, 8 pm, as mentioned in our recent followup story on how his showbiz career is going. (109 S. Washington)
(More of the Olympics, from Alki – photo by Don Brubeck)
EVEN MORE … daytime activities AND nightlife, on our calendar!
Two new reports of the scam phone callers who claim to be from Seattle City Light, alleging you owe money and are at risk of imminent shutoff if you don’t pay them. This came in last night from Dan at Peel and Press in Morgan Junction:
My employees at Peel and Press just got a call from someone claiming to be Seattle City Light stating that they were going to shut off our power in one hour and that they needed to confirm our billing info. My employees took down the name and number and then called me. I called back “Mr. Allan Grey” and he went on about how my last two payments weren’t cleared and they would be shutting off my power in the next few minutes. He wanted me to confirm my card number and exp date. I asked him to reference the last 4 numbers of my SCL account because something didn’t seem right and I had a feeling this was a scam. He assured me I could wait for my power to get shut off so I would know it was real. I again asked for the last 4 digits and he hung up. I called Seattle City Light and just as I expected my power bill was up to date and no issues with my service. Claimed to be Allan Grey – Ph. 1-800-237-3081
At least one local residence also just got this kind of call – see this post in the WSB Forums. And as noted here a month ago, utility-bill scammers are showing up in person, too.
WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT: City Light has scam-protection advice for you here.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:05 AM: With the temperature at/around freezing, after a mostly clear night, watch for icy spots this morning. First transportation-related tweet of the day is from Kevin, who says his girlfriend hit a spot of black ice while on her bicycle passing the bottom of the SW Yancy hill in North Delridge.
7:44 AM: Junction traffic note from SDOT:
A medical response has blocked the WB lane of SW Alaska St just east of California Ave SW. pic.twitter.com/Hj9PUTxdkt
— seattledot (@seattledot) January 21, 2015
ROADSIDE-WORK REMINDER: Today is scheduled to be the second and final day of SDOT work on the medians near Admiral Way Viewpoint, 8 am-3 pm, with inside lanes closed on both sides.
99 OVERNIGHT WORK NORTH OF DOWNTOWN: Again tonight, 8 pm-6 am, there’s work on 99 north of downtown – here’s the WSDOT alert.
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