day : 24/04/2017 11 results

WEST SEATTLE REPAVING: City says it might move Roxbury up to 2019, as it kicks off outreach for 2 projects including Avalon

In our recent reports on West Seattle roads in need of repaving, and the ensuing comments, 35th SW and Delridge Way SW dominated the discussion. Tonight, we received SDOT e-mail announcing the start of “outreach” for two other repaving projects, including “fact sheets” with maps for each.

One is SW Roxbury between 15th SW and 35th SW – originally in the city plans for 2021, but now described as “as soon as 2019”:

The other is SW Avalon Way and three blocks of 35th, still on the list for 2019:

We’ve already mentioned Avalon, when the repaving plan was noted on a map related to the upcoming Harbor/Spokane/Avalon/Manning Improvements project. But news of a potentially earlier timetable for Roxbury repaving is somewhat out of the blue. Tonight’s e-mail from SDOT communicator Dan Anderson says a postcard about Avalon has been sent, and one for Roxbury “is coming soon.” Avalon also has an online survey, and each project, says Anderson, will have “a public event” in the next month or so.

We have a lot of followup questions and couldn’t ask them tonight since all this arrived fairly late. But we wanted to get this info out for starters, and we’ll be following up tomorrow. In the meantime, Anderson also mentioned e-mail addresses you can use for questions or comments:

avalonpaving@seattle.gov
roxburypaving@seattle.gov

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SOCCER: West Seattle HS wins crosstown-rivals match against Chief Sealth IHS

April 24, 2017 8:52 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

The sun showed up this afternoon for the only regular-season boys-soccer match of the year between West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School. The Wildcats got the win, 1-0. It would have been a bigger gap if not for the hard work of Sealth goalkeeper Levi Erdman:

That one Wildcats goal by Alex Coronado (#4, below) came after Erdman was knocked down – and he stayed down for a while, but got up and the game resumed.

You can see both goalkeepers in action in our short clip:

WSHS is now 6-2-5 overall; Sealth is 4-8-0. The Wildcats’ next game is at home (Walt Hundley Playfield, 34th SW/SW Myrtle) at 4 pm Wednesday vs. Lakeside; the Seahawks also have a 4 pm home game on Wednesday, at SWAC vs. Seattle Prep.

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YOUTH SOCCER: Highline Premier FC tryouts continue this week

April 24, 2017 7:36 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Soccer player(s) in the house? Highline Premier FC (WSB sponsor) continues tryouts for new age groups this week, starting tomorrow. Here’s the update from HPFC:

Highline Premier FC has had fantastic tryouts for all age groups up to this point and formed some solid teams for the 2017/18 season. Next up are those girls and boys born in 2006 and 2007 with tryouts set for Tuesday, April 25th; Wednesday, April 26th; and Friday, April 28th, @ Walt Hundley Playfield (Girls 5:45 – 7:15 pm and Boys 7:15 – 8:45 pm).

Also, because of strong demand, we are holding additional supplemental tryouts for our 2009 age group on Tuesday, April 25th, and Wednesday, April 26th, also @ Walt Hundley, from 5:45 – 7:15 p.m.

Take this opportunity to register your child by clicking here and having them showcase their skills with some of the best talent in the surrounding area and receive some amazing coaching to boot. See you on the pitch!

Walt Hundley Playfield is in High Point, at 34th SW and SW Myrtle.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two burglaries

April 24, 2017 5:04 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two burglary reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

BREAK-IN WHILE RESIDENTS WERE HOME: A scare this morning for residents of a house in the 10200 block of Marine View Drive SW. They called 911 this morning just after 8 am to say someone had just broken into their house – while they were home. They thought there were two people and that they took off in a vehicle, but had no description. This is all SPD could tell us when we called at midday; we have requested the full report but it wasn’t available then and despite followup requests, we haven’t received it yet. Whenever we do, we’ll add any additional details.

THE BURGLARS WHO LET THE CAT OUT: Over the weekend, we featured a lost-cat notice from Julia in Highland Park, who had come home with her husband to discover a break-in, with their dog injured – apparently tearing a ligament chasing the burglar(s) out – and their cat missing. After he was found, we asked if she would share details for Crime Watch:

Friday evening around 5:30, my husband and I went out to grab some dinner. We were pulling out of our driveway and my husband noticed that there was a younger man with a gray sedan parked across the street fiddling with a broken passenger-side mirror. My husband said that he thought that the guy looked suspicious, but he dismissed it (I was messing with the radio and missed the guy entirely). We got home at 7 or so and the back door was unlocked and the dog was going crazy. The screen on the window above the sink was missing and all of the stuff surrounding or under the window was displaced and, when we got into the bedroom, there were dresser drawers pulled out and suitcases open. The burglar took a jar with some cash and a jewelry box with some cheap (albeit sentimental) jewelry, but no portable electronics, so we think the dog must have woken up and charged him before he got far. Unfortunately, the dog, who is a sweet old girl, hurt herself (or was kicked), and the cat was let out (But found! Yay!) during the escape. A police report has been filed (Many, many props to the extremely kind officer who came by and helped us out. When we were leaving for the ER on Saturday night, we noticed that he was sitting outside in his cruiser. We went up to see what was happening and he said he just wanted to make sure that the burglars knew the police were now watching our house! What a sweetheart!).

NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME CONCERNS/QUESTIONS? See these two opportunities for talking with police in the next week and a half.

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BIZNOTE: Alchemy opening date delayed

April 24, 2017 3:38 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages

If you were hoping to be among the first to try the cocktails and small plates at Alchemy, you’ll have to wait a little longer. We were first to report last month that the new bar/lounge was planning to open in the West Seattle Junction on April 28th; since that’s this Friday, we checked in today with spokesperson Sara Ryan to see about a preview, and she told us the opening had been “pushed.” No new date yet. It’s one of two new enterprises that F2T Hospitality is opening at Junction 47 (California/Alaska/42nd), as first reported here last June.

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MEET YOUR LOCAL POLICE: West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network tomorrow; Coffee With a Cop, ’round 2,’ on May 3rd

April 24, 2017 2:35 pm

| Comments Off on MEET YOUR LOCAL POLICE: West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network tomorrow; Coffee With a Cop, ’round 2,’ on May 3rd

| West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two upcoming opportunities to hear from and talk with local police:

WEST SEATTLE BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK: 6:30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday, April 25th) is the next monthly meeting of this local group, which just announced that the new Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Burbridge will be the special guest. You’ll also hear about crime trends and updates at the start of the meeting. All welcome – you don’t even have to be involved with a Block Watch. It’s at the precinct, 2300 SW Webster.

COFFEE WITH A COP, ROUND 2: As reported here last week, the first Coffee With a Cop at Junction Starbucks was a bit underpublicized due to some date confusion, but the rescheduled event has just been confirmed for 1-2:30 pm Wednesday, May 3rd, same location. Burbridge tells us she’ll be there, as will Community Police Team Officer Todd Wiebke, the precinct’s point person on homelessness-related matters, as well as others from the precinct. All welcome to drop in with questions and comments, or just to say hi, at California/Alaska.

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Airbnb host? Renting short-term some other way? Here are the revised rules the City Council will consider

April 24, 2017 1:11 pm

| 22 COMMENTS

| West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

After big pushback to proposed regulations last year, the City Council is ready to consider a revised set of rules for people who rent short-term via Airbnb, VRBO, and similar services, as well as potential bed-and-breakfast operators.

Today’s Land Use Information Bulletin includes official notice of the new proposal, with this description:

The legislation would establish a new definition for “short-term rental” as a type of lodging use and establish standards for short-term rentals, including a limit on the number of dwelling units that an individual may operate as a short-term rental. The legislation would also modify the definition of “bed and breakfast” as a type of lodging use and modify the standards for bed and breakfasts as an accessory use in residential zones, allowing existing “bed and breakfast” uses to continue but regulating new bed and breakfast uses as short-term rentals.

The legislation adds a requirement that all short-term rental uses have a short-term rental operator’s license from the City and that all short-term rental platforms have a short-term rental platform’s license from the City, and establishes a process for the enforcement of licensing requirements. The legislation includes a one-year compliance window for anyone currently offering nightly or weekly rentals of a residence within the City of Seattle.

According to a news release from City Councilmember Tim Burgess, who officially announced the revised rule-change proposal, the aforementioned limit would mean “anyone may provide their primary residence and one additional unit as a short-term rental, without limitation of nights per year.”

Burgess is quoted as saying, “Under my revised proposal, a family can still rent out their home when they go on a weekend vacation, or a homeowner can rent out their second property to help pay the mortgage. All this while preventing a mass turnover of existing rental housing stock into short-term rentals. I think we’ve struck the right balance, and I look forward to more review in the weeks ahead as the Council considers this ordinance.” The news release says the next step is for the council’s Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods, and Finance Committee to consider the legislation in early June. (Burgess chairs the committee, and its vice chair is West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold.)

You can read the full proposed ordinance by going here. Today’s notice also includes the city’s determination that the proposed rule changes are environmentally non-significant; you have until May 8th to either comment on that contention, or appeal it, and the notice explains how.

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Kahler Law Office: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor

April 24, 2017 11:43 am

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| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we’re welcoming Kahler Law Office as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what attorney Amy K. Kahler would like you to know about what she does:

Based in West Seattle, Kahler Law Office represents parents, families, and children: “Working with me is often intertwined with an important life event – from the difficulty of a divorce to the joy of an adoption, and everything in between. I most often hear that I helped make the process ‘less scary’ and offered reasonable solutions to my client’s situation. They appreciate that I’m proactive in my communications, a strong advocate for their case, and that I’m ‘pretty nice … for a lawyer’!

“My personal philosophy as a lawyer is to represent my clients with integrity and compassion. Today’s modern family looks a lot different than the generations before us, and they present unique challenges. I respect the circumstances that bring my clients to me, and am mindful of their need to move on to the next chapter of their life with empowerment and dignity.”

Kahler Law Office is online at kahlerlaw.net, where you’ll find a form to request a consultation; you also can e-mail amy@kahlerlaw.net or call 206-841-6343.

We thank Kahler Law Office for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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3 hospitalized after early-morning Harbor Avenue crash

April 24, 2017 10:37 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

If you noticed that damaged van east of the Harbor Avenue 7-11 this morning, with car parts and tire tracks nearby, it’s the aftermath of a crash that happened around 2:15 am. According to Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Lt. Harold Webb, the van, parked on the north/westbound side of Harbor, was hit by another vehicle whose driver careened up onto the sidewalk and into a tree:

(SFD photo)

Lt. Webb says “three male adult patients” were taken to Harborview Medical Center by private ambulance, one man who had been asleep in the van, two men from the car that hit it, all in stable condition when transported.

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What’s ahead on your West Seattle Monday

April 24, 2017 9:13 am

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Corey Scherrer for the photo, taken around 6:30 pm Saturday from a flight on approach to Sea-Tac. At ground level, here’s some of what’s up today/tonight in West Seattle:

BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: 10:30 am at Neighborhood House High Point, free drop-in monthly meeting for moms, offered through the Family Center – more info in our calendar listing. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)

MONDAY AFTERNOON AT THE ORCHARD: 3-5 pm, the Community Orchard of West Seattle on the northeast end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus welcomes you to visit, learn, and help out, as explained in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)

SOCCER: Chief Sealth International High School hosts crosstown rival West Seattle High School at Southwest Athletic Complex, 4 pm. (2801 SW Thistle)

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND FAMILY SAFETY: 5 pm workshop at Roxhill Elementary, offered by Seattle Public Library, Colectiva Legal del Pueblo, Seattle Public Schools, and ACLU of Washington, offered in English and Español; details in our calendar listing. (9430 30th SW)

TINKERLAB: Free drop-in STEM craft/activity session, 6-7:30 pm at Delridge Library. Tonight: “Learn to program BB-8™ by Sphero, a small app-enabled droid inspired by ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘.” (5423 Delridge Way SW)

HALIBUT 101: Seafood-cooking class at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm. Check ASAP to see if there’s still room – info’s in our calendar listing. (1936 Harbor SW)

EVEN MORE … happening today/tonight – just check our complete-calendar page.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: April’s last Monday

April 24, 2017 6:43 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:43 AM: Good morning! No incidents in, or outbound from, West Seattle so far this morning. Notes:

SPRING BREAK OVER: Everybody’s back in session this week.

BUS STOP ALERT: In case you missed this story from Friday – starting today, the southbound California/Spokane bus stop will be used by Microsoft Connector employee shuttles as well as Metro buses.

STADIUM ZONE: Nothing going on today/tonight – the Mariners are on the road; the Sounders’ next home game is Saturday night.

8:35 AM: SFD and SPD are responding to a crash reported at the Harbor/Spokane intersection.

8:43 AM: No word on how the crash is blocking the intersection, but SFD has already closed out its part of the call.

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