‘Transforming the Triangle’ and more @ Fauntleroy Community Association

fauntdown
(WSB photos)

Traffic-calming changes ahead for the Fauntleroy/Endolyne Triangle in Fauntleroy were unveiled at a briefing that preceded last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting. The Triangle is a confusing, sometimes dangerous multi-point series of intersections between 45th, Wildwood, and Brace Point, and SDOT‘s Jim Curtin came to the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse to review plans with community members. “Transforming the triangle,” is how he described the changes, a long time coming, discussed in forums including FCA’s 2014 community gathering about traffic and a walking tour last year with then-City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.

fcamap

Features shown in the schematic design include back-in angled parking on the south side of the commercial heart of the triangle, two painted curb bulbs along the Brace Point Drive side of the triangle (paint colors haven’t been chosen yet), and a bicycle corral in front of Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), where a parking space needed to be removed anyway to improve visibility from the parking lot south of the restaurant.

fcagroup

One point yet to be worked out: The stop sign on the northeast edge of the area. The city wants to remove it; community members want to keep it. Curtin plans to bring out city traffic engineer Dongho Chang for a firsthand look, at the behest of FCA. As for the timeline overall, the work could be done in one day, March or April. It’s funded because some other area projects have come in under budget, Curtin said.

Then it was on to the board meeting in the schoolhouse’s smaller conference room, led by vice president David Haggerty:

ANNUAL MEETING/FOOD FEST: Next month, FCA throws its biggest party of the year. Lots has happened since last time, as Marty Westerman pointed out – Cove Park is open again and better than ever, Endolyne Triangle is being beautified (as part of the work mentioned above) and made safer, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival is getting more support from FCA than ever – so there is much to celebrate. This is also a time for residents to come renew their FCA memberships. The group works on a variety of advocacy issues and even has welcome bags for new area residents. Along with local restaurants and food purveyors (including Tuxedoes and Tennis Shoes, which has its exclusive event venue in the schoolhouse), the meeting also brings out local-interest organizations to distribute information.

As part of the annual meeting, officers will be elected. Haggerty is not planning to run for re-election as vice president. A few other positions are open.

CITY LIGHT PROPERTY: FCA has been given a year to come up with a way to buy the former substation property at 46th SW and Brace Point Drive. Surveys were distributed to about 60 neighbors and almost half turned them back in; a team of four talked with other neighbors. Most support keeping it as greenspace; a few were interested in housing: “I feel like we got a good read now and what folks around there want. Now we have to try to figure out the next step … I don’t know how many (neighbors) would actually be willing to pull out their wallets.” Still a work in progress.

SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES PUMP STATION PROJECT: We had just heard about this, before the meeting, and we’re gathering information from SPU. Some work will be under way to upgrade a pump station that’s on the south side of the Fauntleroy ferry dock, timeline TBA, and it will encroach to some degree on the small parking lot on the southeast end of the dock – more info to come.

NEW FAUNTLEROY UCC MINISTER: The group spent a few minutes talking with recently arrived Rev. Leah Bilinski at the meeting’s start. In her fifth month leading Fauntleroy UCC Church, she’s continuing to work on getting to know Fauntleroy and Seattle.

The Fauntleroy Community Association has board meetings on second Tuesdays, 7 pm, in the conference room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Watch fauntleroy.net for updates between meetings.

12 Replies to "'Transforming the Triangle' and more @ Fauntleroy Community Association"

  • Natalie February 10, 2016 (9:36 pm)

     If driving west on Barton,  this proposed change would cause me to go  several blocks out of my way to get home on 46th Ave. SW.   It works fine the way it is by slowing down, turning on left turn signals and stopping for eastbound cars if needed.   Traffic is cautious at this point with an eastbound stop so why change it? 

    • Steve February 11, 2016 (5:56 pm)

      Natalie -I’m not sure how this could add several blocks to any commute.   At the most it would be one additional block.  I’m pretty sure that’s how triangles work.  :-D Frankly, if everyone behaved the way you described there wouldn’t be the need for these changes but the reality is that traffic heading downhill barrels across the yellow center line when turning left onto SW Brace Point Drive.  As someone who must make the right onto 44th Ave SW from SW Wildwood Place the sight lines are terrible and, frankly, you take your life into your hands if you assume those making that (rather straight) left will yield.

  • Fiz February 11, 2016 (8:23 am)

    It looks like those angle spaces will have parked cars backing out into traffic to leave.  Or am I reading that wrong?

    • WSB February 11, 2016 (8:26 am)

      The angled spaces are back-in, so will be leaving head-first. City rules, apparently.

  • ArborHeightsGirl February 11, 2016 (9:06 am)

    Many thanks to all  those who are involved in these proposed changes. They’re badly needed! 

  • Kate February 11, 2016 (9:35 am)

    I like this a lot.  Removing that stop would really improve that intersection.  Most people that are traveling west on Barton and then turning left on Brace Point treat that intersection as if they have the right-of-way because it’s a straight shot at that point.  They don’t, they’re making a turn (which is obvious if you look at how the road is striped).  I can’t count how many times I’ve sat at the stop sign, heading east, and waiting for all the oncoming traffic to clear just to make sure that no one is going to make a turn right in front of me.  Looking at the design, it appears that Brace Point will become a one-way street, flowing from west to east, correct?  Anyway, I live about a block away and go through that intersection several times a day.  I’ve always been amazed there aren’t more accidents.

  • Alan February 11, 2016 (10:36 am)

    I think these changes make perfect sense. I am puzzled as to why anyone would want to keep the stop sign on eastbound Wildwood Pl. It would mostly serve to impede traffic as there isn’t that much traffic traveling on Brace Point Dr and those drivers could easily see traffic and enter safely after their stop.-I agree with Kate that the left turn off of Wildwood Pl is an uncomfortable one and this will fix that. It is a dream though when compared to the left turn off of SW Holden onto Highland Park Way. I wish this effort would go into fixing that intersection before someone gets killed.

  • wetone February 11, 2016 (11:55 am)

     What’s the reason behind angled parking direction ? as accessing it would require one backing across opposite direction lane of traffic or trying to back into using both lanes, seems dangerous.  And taking a parking spot away for bike parking ? why not incorporate bike parking into bulb area or wide parking strip areas. But I guess that’s Kubly’s signature when SDOT’s involved.  Sure makes area look very busy, seeing traffic issues coming soon with this plan.

    • WSB February 11, 2016 (12:01 pm)

      The parking space had to go anyway due to sightlines, as mentioned in the story – this fixes two problems.

      • wetone February 12, 2016 (11:06 am)

        How is “sightlines” at this spot different than any other driveway or parking lot entrance ? already having setbacks,  not to argue but find this excuse a bit puzzling as load zone or parking has been there long as building . To me this is strictly SDOT agenda and unsafe one, when other options/areas are available for bike parking. That don’t put people next to moving traffic while unloading/loading. Same thing  SDOT did in junction Alaska & Cali., replacing load zone with bike parking that is rarely if ever used. Hard on local businesses as parking goes away so do customers.  Also Alan mentioned 1 block area of Brace Point Drive might be one-way eastbound is this true.

    • Alan February 11, 2016 (1:30 pm)

      Wetone – I don’t see it spelled out, but I believe they are making Brace Point Drive one-way eastbound (between 44th and 45th), which eliminates people turning left (going straight?) onto it from westbound Brace Point Drive. That is the only way the back-in parking makes sense as drawn.

  • KISS February 11, 2016 (2:26 pm)

    I am assuming this new plan prohibits curbside parking on the south side of the street on SW Brace Point SW between 45th Ave SW and 44th Ave SW to make room for thru traffic to get around people stopping in the middle of SW Brace Point SW to back into the back-in angled parking on the north side of the street, and to create better site lines for people pulling out of those back-in angled parking spots so they don’t pull into thru traffic.  Otherwise the plan looks great.

Sorry, comment time is over.