West Seattle, Washington
29 Monday
You’re invited to nominate somebody – and/or someplace – for this year’s Westside Awards, to be presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on May 4th.
The categories again this year are:
Westside Business of the Year
Westside Emerging Business of the Year
Westside Not-for-Profit of the Year
Westsider of the Year
The nomination form is online, here. It includes more information on the criteria for each category. Nominees do NOT have to be WS Chamber members, nor do those sending in nomination(s). You can see who’s won in recent years by going here. Nominate someone/someplace (yes, you can send in multiple nominations) by March 6th!
Topline from tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, which just wrapped up at Highland Park Improvement Club:
HOW CAN COMMUNITY GROUPS & NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS HELP LOCAL SCHOOLS? That question led to the guest appearance of James Bush from Seattle Public Schools. Chair Mat McBride, for example, said that while he tends to compartmentalize “community stuff” and “school stuff” in his mind – he’s an SPS parent – “they’re the same stuff.” Read More
(As of 8:22 am Thursday, story now contains full details from both hearings)
(WSB photo: Hamm Building, March 2016)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Hamm Building – built in 1926, currently anchored by Easy Street Records – was designated a city landmark by a unanimous vote of the Landmarks Preservation Board tonight at City Hall.
(WSB photo: Campbell Building, March 2016)
And its across-California neighbor, the Campbell Building – built in two phases a century ago and currently anchored by Cupcake Royale – is halfway on the road there, with the board voting unanimously tonight to approve its landmark nomination. Next step: An April 5th hearing on finalizing landmark status
We were at City Hall for both votes, five months after the Southwest Seattle Historical Society formally proposed landmark status for the buildings; details to be added to this report later tonight.
ADDED 11:11 PM AND 8:22 AM: Details, as promised, starting with the Hamm Building hearing (then Campbell): Read More
(TOPLINE: Highland Park Way hill will be closed “through Thursday” per SDOT)
(WSB photos: First two taken ~12:30 pm)
1:14 PM: SDOT now says the Highland Park Way hill is likely to remain closed at least “into tomorrow.” That’s the newest development in connection with the early-morning slide that shut down the busy road between West Marginal Way SW and SW Holden.
Here’s our morning report (thanks again to everyone who texted us when it all began around 5 am); we just went back to the top of the hill for another look, and as you can see in our photo above, there’s lots of activity. Here’s the newest information from SDOT spokesperson Sue Romero:
SDOT continues to work with Seattle City Light at the site of the slide that occurred on Highland Park Way SW. A slide came down this morning above Highland Park Way SW, then a second slide came down, pushing material about 500 feet further, over Highland Park Way SW.
SDOT has cleared some of the material from the lower slide so SCL trucks can gain access. SCL is working to clear some trees that are pushing on some power poles. Geotech engineers are assessing the situation.
We expect Highland Park Way to remain closed through today and into tomorrow as more rain is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow.
Meantime, the power outage caused by the slides, which peaked at more than 2,000 homes/businesses, is over for all but two customers, according to City Light’s outage map, which also has been fixed.
We’ll be updating this story throughout the afternoon, including any related traffic advisories for the pm commute – again, expect Highland Park Way to remain closed TFN, and plan your alternate route and travel time accordingly.
3:13 PM: Bus reminder: “Metro Route 131 continues to be rerouted off of a portion of Highland Park Way SW between SW Holden St and West Marginal Way SW, until further notice.Use the stops on Highland Park Way SW south of SW Holden St or east of West Marginal Way SW.”
Whichever route you plan to use to get home, be aware that the heavy rain has continued this afternoon, lots of water on the roads, so be patient. The WSB Traffic page has cameras for various routes, and you also can check the video feeds accessible from the lower right of the city Travelers’ Information map – browse the feeds on the West Seattle and Greater Duwamish pulldown options.
3:47 PM: We asked City Light’s Scott Thomsen for the assessment of how the slide had affected their installations along HP Way: “The slide toppled some trees. At least one went into the lines, causing the outage. We didn’t lose any poles, but some are leaning over. We plan to monitor the hillside to make sure it has stabilized before we reset the poles. We might have to install some small retaining walls to protect the poles.”
7:04 PM: SDOT just tweeted that Highland Park Way is expected to remain “closed through Thursday.” So DEFINITELY plan morning options, and we’ll track the status during the day.
Highland Park Way SW will remain closed through Thursday btw SW Holden St & W Marginal Way SW due to a landslide. Plz use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/fhZp2ZWC6u
— seattledot (@seattledot) February 16, 2017
And the National Weather Service says this is the seventh-wettest February on record.
9:40 PM: Still closed. We checked the top of the hill again after leaving a nearby meeting about half an hour ago; no lights visible down the hill, so crews apparently had quit work for the night. We will start morning traffic coverage extra early tomorrow (5 am Thursday) because the road will still be closed.
THURSDAY MORNING: Our AM updates are here through at least 9 am.
This morning, internment-camp survivor and military veteran Atsushi Kiuchi spoke at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), as part of the school’s annual Day of Remembrance event. Next Sunday, February 19th, marks 75 years since President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which sent 120,000 people to internment camps. Kiuchi is 87 years old and was in a camp from age 12 through 15. But he had many other memories to share today:
You can also reflect on this chapter of U.S. history through an exhibit in the campus library, “Fred T. Korematsu and the Pursuit of Justice.” Photos, documents, and quotes comprise the exhibit, telling the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient’s “story of challenging the WWII exclusion and confinement order,” as described in the SSC announcement. It will be on display through March 3rd. The exhibit was created by Seattle University for the launch of its Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, which filed an amicus brief in our state’s challenge to the Trump Administration’s immigration ban.
P.S. The next Words, Writers, West Seattle presentation by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Barnes & Noble/Westwood will also spotlight Mr. Korematsu, as Lorraine Bannai speaks at B&N 5-7 pm March 3rd about her book “Enduring Conviction: Fred Korematsu and His Quest for Justice.”
Thanks to Maggie for the tip: The long-laid-up cargo ship that was the latest Matson vessel to carry the name Lurline is off on its final voyage. From downtown, overlooking foggy Elliott Bay (photo at right), she spotted it being towed this morning from West Seattle’s Terminal 5, where it had arrived six weeks ago, as reported here, and we subsequently confirmed with the Port of Seattle that it had departed. It’s off to be scrapped. This report from last year says Matson has new vessels on order, including one that will be the sixth to carry the name Lurline.
We’re continuing to cover the Highland Park Way slide. But we’re also moving on to other news and info too – including what’s big for today/tonight:
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AT SSC: Speakers from 10 am-noon at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of President Roosevelt signing of Executive Order 9066, which sent 120,000 Japanese and Japanese-American people to West Coast internment camps. An ongoing exhibit continues until March 3rd. Details are in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
LANDMARKS BOARD DOUBLEHEADER FOR JUNCTION BUILDINGS: 3:30 pm at City Hall, the Landmarks Preservation Board meets, with an agenda including a final decision on possible landmark status for the Hamm Building in The Junction and whether to formally nominate the Campbell Building for landmark status. The timing of the items on the agenda is in this recent update. Public comment will be taken and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is hoping for a show of public support. If you’re interested in going downtown for the hearing, Crystal Dean from the SWSHS “We Love The Junction” task force (SWSHS photo at right) will be at the RapidRide stop at California/Alaska at 3 pm to lead interested West Seattleites to the hearing. (400 Fifth Ave.)
TAP TAKEOVER AT THE WESTY: The monthly Tap Takeovers at The Westy Sports & Spirits (WSB sponsor) return starting tonight: “Join us from 6 pm – 9 pm for a Georgetown Brewing Barrel-Aged Tap takeover. We will be tapping 4 small batch & limited barrel-aged beers, plus an additional Triple IPA.” (7908 35th SW)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, this month’s meeting will spotlight how the community can help its schools, with this featured guest:
James Bush, Director of School and Community Partnerships (Seattle Public Schools). The 7th Strategic Goal of the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council is “Strengthen our Schools”. Recognizing that some members of our community will spend 12 (or more) scholastic years within the borders of our District, it is our desire to build those schools up. Because they’re shaping our future. We are excited to host James for a collaborative conversation about how we can best do that.
(12th SW/SW Holden)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: FCA’s monthly board meeting was rescheduled to tonight, 7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: The monthly writers’ showcase at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, features Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick
(TOPLINE: Highland Park Way hill between SW Holden and West Marginal Way SW is closed because of a slide that happened around 5 am)
5:35 AM: A big Seattle Fire response is checking out a slide reported on the Highland Park Way hill near Holden. So far, they’re reporting no vehicles or structures involved, but some of the slide material is actually on the road. One texter reported a power outage; none has shown up on the Seattle City Light map yet. More to come.
5:42 AM: We have a crew headed that way. Meantime, more outage reports, mostly from Puget Ridge. And traffic is being kept off the hill. SFD crews are assessing the slide and whether it’s moving.
5:51 AM: Our crew has arrived and confirmed the road closure. Via scanner, we’ve heard that multiple power poles are “leaning” but intact. The slide is across most of HP Way at at least one point and though most of the SFD units are being dismissed because no rescuing is needed, the closure continues.
6 AM: City Light info for residents says 2,000 customers (homes and businesses) are out.
6:20 AM: SCL and SDOT are at the slide. If you are using Roxbury as an alternative, be aware that the 8th/Roxbury signal is reported to be out – and remember that intersections with nonfunctioning signals become all-way stops. Metro Route 131 is rerouted since it otherwise would use the HP Way hill. Some have reported their power’s back.
6:43 AM: Our crew at the scene has been told the closure will likely last at least through the entire morning commute – City Light is still working to locate the downed live wires, and until that’s done, engineers can’t assess the slide, which will have to be done before cleanup.
7:32 AM: City Light says via Twitter that the peak of the outage was 2,008 customers (homes/businesses) and that service has been restored to all but 380 customers. The hill remains closed.
7:49 AM: For those who asked about Sanislo Elementary on Puget Ridge, our crew went over to check. It does NOT have power but it IS open – the principal tells us that word of the outage didn’t get around in time for any other decisions to be made, and students started arriving. They’re hoping it won’t be too much longer. Now we’re headed back to HP Way hill to see if there’s an update on operations there.
8:26 AM: We’ll have some daylight photos shortly – the slide is out of cameraphone range but co-publisher Patrick Sand is headed back with images taken via long lens. He reports that it looks like a “tangled mess,” mostly across the uphill lanes, though somewhat obscured by fog. No update yet on how long it will take to clear – they’re still in assessing mode. Meantime, remember that having Highland Park Way hill unavailable is continuing to back up other outbound routes.
9 AM: Photos added – here’s how it looks from the top of the hill, with a long lens. (Note the streetlights at top left.)
We’ll continue to update here for now – if it looks like this is going to last for hours longer, we’ll switch to a midday update at some point.
10:03 AM: The power outage is finally on the SCL map. (Screengrab above)
10:23 AM: Thanks to commenters for reporting that most of the rest of the outage has ended – the SCL map confirms that. What we’re awaiting now is an update on how long the Highland Park Way hill is likely to remain closed.
11:59 AM: Still no new info from SDOT, only a reminder of the closure. We are headed back to the top of the hill to see what is (or isn’t) happening.
12:19 PM: Update from SDOT, which we’ll move to a new update soon as we get a new look at the slide zone:
SDOT continues to work with Seattle City Light at the site of the slide that occurred on Highland Park Way SW. A slide came down this morning above Highland Park Way SW, then a second slide came down, pushing material about 500 feet further, over Highland Park Way SW.
SDOT has cleared some of the material from the lower slide so SCL trucks can gain access. SCL is working to clear some trees that are pushing on some power poles. Geotech engineers are assessing the situation.
We expect Highland Park Way to remain closed through today and into tomorrow as more rain is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow.
1:15 PM: We’ve now launched a pm report and that’s where we’ll be updating this afternoon and into the pm commute.
Three weeks ago, after city Hearing Examiner Sue Tanner ruled against the neighbor-filed appeal in the Admiral tree-vs.-house case, appellant Lisa Parriott was still considering what to do next. Now, she tells WSB she’s taking the case to court. And she revealed she’s reached a settlement with the city regarding the fees they sought to charge related to her appeal.
First, the basic backstory if you haven’t been following this: The tree is a 100-ish-foot Ponderosa Pine growing at 3036 39th SW, on what the neighborhood had long seen as the side yard for the house next door. Real-estate investor Cliff Low bought the property – house, tree, and all – in late 2015 and sought a city opinion to confirm that the side with the tree was a buildable lot. The city said it was. He filed for permits to build a two-story house with a two-vehicle garage. Neighbors launched a save-the-tree campaign. When the city formally said OK last October, both Parriott and the Seattle Green Spaces Coalition filed appeals, though ultimately Tanner only allowed Parriott’s case – and only in part – to proceed.
A hearing was held on January 12 (WSB coverage here); the ruling came in January 25th (WSB coverage here).
That is considered the city’s final say in the matter, so any challenge has to be taken to Superior Court, and that’s what Parriott has done, filing a Land Use Petition and Complaint. You can read the document in its entirety here; the contentions include the same argument at the heart of the case taken to the Hearing Examiner, that the site doesn’t qualify for a Historic Lot Exception because there is nothing on record suggesting it was considered a separate building lot. Parriott’s action also seeks an injunction to keep the tree from being cut and house from being built while this plays out; city files show the building permit for the house was issued two weeks ago, on February 2nd.
Meantime, with that court fight looming, Parriott reached a settlement with the city precluding a fight over fees charged for the interpretation she was forced to seek because the Hearing Examiner threw out her other potential avenue of appeal even before the January hearing. Here’s the agreement:
She paid the required $2,800 to cover staff time the city said would be spent on the “code interpretation,” and then the city sent a bill for more than $10,000, saying that was the cost of additional hours its staff spent on the case. As a result of the settlement, the Department of Construction and Inspections will waive that fee.
Next steps in Parriott’s land-use petition will likely be a hearing for both sides to argue before a King County Superior Court judge.
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