West Seattle, Washington
27 Saturday
(WSB photo: Jack Miller speaking, Ed Hewson at left, Design Review Board members Crystal Loya, John Cheng, Scott Rosenstock, Matt Hutchins in background, architect Katie McGough at right)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It was a Southwest Design Review Board meeting unlike most.
This one spotlighted the proposed mixed-use project’s future commercial anchor, whose proprietor is the property’s owner: Pre-meeting, a time-lapse clip of customers inside Husky Deli – whose next home will be inside the planned building at 4747 California Avenue SW – played continuously on the big screen.
The board and attendees heard a quick history of the iconic deli from proprietor-turning-developer Jack Miller. And even the lead architect shared a few memories.
But the business of project review got done too – and without much controversy or critiquing, the four board members voted to send it to the second phase of Design Review. Crystal Loya chaired the meeting; other members present were John Cheng, Scott Rosenstock, and Matt Hutchins, plus the designated city planner for the project, Allison Whitworth.
Here’s how things went:
ARCHITECTS’ PRESENTATION: Jenny Chapman with Ankrom Moisan Architects opened by saying Husky Deli is where she – and her two daughters – had their first ice-cream cones. Miller then stood up to offer Husky Deli history – did you know they didn’t start making sandwiches until the ’90s? – “The Junction has changed more in the past six years than it did in the first 80” of Husky Deli, he noted. The current home of his business is “tired” so it’s “time for a change,” he said. “We’re going to put a building together we’re going to be proud of.”
Photos and video by Leda Costa for West Seattle Blog
This year’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha have begun! That’s Ural Thomas and The Pain, up from Portland, shaking the stage tonight for the first of six free Thursday night shows.
The Admiral Neighborhood Association has presented the concert series since 2009, and we’ve been co-sponsoring it since the start. Lots of other community businesses support the series, too, keeping it free.
As usual, the littlest concertgoers were the most prone to getting up and moving to the music. If you missed it, here’s a snippet of sound:
OK, some grownups did dance too:
Next Thursday (July 26th), 6:30 pm on the east lawn at Hiawatha, the concerts continue with Good Quiver – see you there!
8:20 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a “full response” to what’s described as a vacant structure in the 5400 block of 18th SW [map]. First arrivals report light smoke.
8:32 PM: Some of the responding units are being dismissed.
8:52 PM: Talked to SFD at the scene. They say the fire was in a box of items inside the house. Not a big fire but the house was already in “dilapidated” shape so it looks worse than it was. The rest of the SFD units are now being dismissed.
(Photos courtesy King County Noxious Weed Control)
King County Noxious Weed Control Program specialists were in West Seattle again today – for the second time this week, removing an infestation of a plant that’s one of the most noxious they tackle: Giant hogweed.
We contacted them after two WSB readers suggested we follow up on TV reports about a patch of this weed getting removed in West Seattle earlier this week. Sasha Shaw answered our inquiry and explained, it’s not that West Seattle is a particular hotbed of giant hogweed, but rather, the TV folks contacted her looking for a local angle on a story from the East Coast about someone getting badly burned by this weed, and it just so happened that West Seattle was where their most-recent report of a giant hogweed happened to be. Here’s a photo from that first stop, in the Genesee Hill area, on Tuesday:
Shaw is the communications specialist for the program, which is part of the county Natural Resources and Parks department. She explains, “Our program has the big job of stopping the spread of state-regulated noxious weeds such as giant hogweed throughout King County, including in the cities. For the Class A noxious weeds such as giant hogweed, which are limited in distribution in the state, we offer to help people with the control work because of the huge public benefit to stopping these highly invasive and damaging plants from becoming established. Giant hogweed also poses a serious health risk because of the potential of the sap to cause burns and blisters.”
(Here’s their info sheet about giant hogweed, so you can find out more about it.)
She also clarified that the removals in Genesee on Tuesday and Admiral today aren’t the first discoveries of this scary weed in our area: “We have responded to locations of this plant in West Seattle many times. It isn’t the neighborhood in Seattle with the most giant hogweed, but we have found several hundred sites there over the past 15 or so years that we have been working on this plant. We typically find some new sites every year, but more locations are closed than opened as the plants get controlled.”
She points out that you can use the county’s map to “zoom in and see the locations of all the giant hogweed sites we have found in West Seattle, as well as other regulated noxious weeds.” Go to https://gismaps.kingcounty.gov/iMap/ – and, she advises, “turn on the Noxious Weeds layer, select ‘Most Widespread Noxious Weeds,’ zoom in to West Seattle and look for the little green icons that look like pine trees.”
She continued: “At this point, most of the giant hogweed in West Seattle, and other parts of the city, is out of sight in ravines, alleys and backyards. Typically we find new sites when people contact us either about their own hogweed or their neighbor’s plants. Hogweed spends several years as small plants and can be inconspicuous especially in areas overgrown with other vegetation like blackberry. When they flower they are 10 to 15 feet tall so that is often when people discover them. Sometimes people get burned by the sap while working in the yard and then contact us to find out what they have. That’s what happened in the case of the West Seattle homeowner that was featured on KING5 News, although they actually got burned last year but didn’t know why until they found a flowering plant in their alley and identified it online. … People do get seriously burned by this plant so getting the word out as widely as possible is very important.” Also note, this is already toward the end of giant hogweed’s season, and most of the plants are dying back.
This isn’t the only “big problem” noxious weed/invasive plant out there – “but few that are regulated noxious weeds, highly dangerous to people and very invasive,” Shaw notes. We’re going to take her up on her offer to talk with us for a separate story about other weeds you should watch for. (You can start reading about them all here!)
All of the following are from the WSB inbox:
PEEPER/FLASHER: A resident near 34th/Cloverdale reports this:
Sunday night at 12:30 after midnight I went to bring my garbage out and there was a man standing by my garbage cans, below my open window. He said something to the effect of, “oh, sorry, I was just taking a leak.” I am certain that is not what he was doing. The police agreed. There was NO reason for him to be all the way up my driveway, beyond all the darkened nooks and crannies on the street, only house on block where someone was still up – just doing dishes with the TV on, essentially at window 1.5 stories up. I had a flasher freak 2 years ago – his “flashing” illuminated by his own flashlight (as it were) while standing on my car bumper/garbage cans so that I could see him. I suspect it is the same cretin pervert.
Police suggested more motion detector lights, perhaps a security camera. Also, don’t leave windows open when retiring for the night. I never leave windows open when sleeping, and police said I never should. Criminals know on these hot nights things can get easier for them.
For what it’s worth, this freak was I’d say 6’-6’2”, medium build, Caucasian, black pants, top & hat.
CREEPER: From Halle:
Just a lookout for a man in a tan pickup truck who followed both myself and a friend home last night. Walking in opposite directions from the Morgan Junction, he followed both of us, pulling over and asking for directions to Alki. After we gave clear directions, he exited his vehicle and followed us both on foot asking for our names and saying that he wanted to “get to know us better.”
I’m not sure who he followed first but we both had the same experience which meant he followed one and then turned his vehicle around and pursued the other. We both made it home safely but the experience was unnerving and people should know that this creeper is following women in his vehicle.
STOLEN RED CAMRY: Brian reports his red “1990 Camry was stolen (last night) from behind Spud Fish and Chips. License 253-ZBX.” Call 911 if you see it.
CARS VANDALIZED: Nore reports of cars vandalized with squiggles in that same green paint we’ve shown before. Most recently, Sara says, “Overnight, someone tagged/vandalized our car parked next to our house.” That happened near 35th/Thistle.
BATTERY THEFT: This happened Wednesday morning near 37th/Webster – the victim described it as a grab-and-run:
Our neighbors saw this car pull over and take something from our yard. A check on the security footage shows it to be the battery for our camper. [Video added]
Neighbors got the license plate number, and we will report it to the police.
This happened 8:30 am with my husband and kids at home.
PACKAGE THEFT: From Heather:
54xx block of Fauntleroy. Second time someone has stolen a package off my front porch. This was a Blue Apron box so all I can hope is they needed the food more then I did and the food is being used to feed hungry children.
We hope you never have anything to send in for West Seattle Crime Watch – but if you do, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thanks!
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
Starting with tonight’s meeting for 4747 California SW, four projects are now on the Southwest Design Review Board calendar for the next two months. A September 20th date has just been added for 3201 SW Avalon Way, proposed for 7 stories, 152 apartments, and 80 offstreet-parking spaces. We first told you about this project last December, when the early-stage proposal surfaced for the site of the 28-unit Golden Tee Apartments at Avalon/Genesee. The September 20th review – which would focus on the size/shape/siting of the building, since it’s the Early Design Guidance phase – is set for 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building (4217 SW Oregon); if you have comments before that, you can e-mail Abby Weber (abby.weber@seattle.gov), the city planner assigned to the project.
(WSB photo by Leda Costa, from 2017 regatta)
Our area’s only rowing club invites you to its biggest annual event on Saturday! The Duwamish Rowing Club is hosting its third Dieter Hotz Rowing Regatta at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park, 8 am-2 pm:
All are invited to this free event which features singles, doubles, fours, and quads from Duwamish Rowing and small clubs in the area, e.g. Eastside Prep. Renton Rowing, Lake Stevens and more.
Races will include youth from all the clubs and masters (adults of all ages). Boats will launch from Duwamish Waterway Park at 10th and Elmgrove in South Park, and spectators can view the finish line of the 1000 meter races at 12th and Elmgrove.
Here’s a map to the park.
The West Seattle Grand Parade doesn’t just “happen.”
Before the 70+ entries – and hundreds of participants – roar, roll, and march down California SW this Saturday (July 21st), a lot of planning and coordination is required. Including the lineup meeting, which happened at American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle this past Monday night.
Above are key behind-the-scenes people who made that happen and who will be out Saturday ensuring it goes well – from left, standing, Michelle Edwards, Barbara Edwards, Jim Edwards, Meredith Laws, with Keith Hughes in front – plus, attending this time by phone, Dave Vague. (Michelle is leading the coordination this year, with Jim and Dave; Keith is parade chair for the parade-presenting organization Rotary Club of West Seattle, of which Meredith is the new president.)
We sat in on the lineup meeting again this year and while the parade continues to take shape in the days after it, here are some toplines so far:
*1 Seattle Fire engine
*1 classic privately owned fire truck
*Two police motorcycle drill teams (including the only U.S. appearance by Vancouver, B.C., PD, as usual)
*Two marching bands (All-City Band, which includes musicians from local public schools, and Kennedy HS)
*Three visiting floats
*Scout groups
*Youth sports teams
*Schools
*Drill teams
*Jump-ropers
*Community organizations
*Local businesses
*Cultural groups
*Candidates
*VIPs, including, as already announced, Grand Marshal Lora Swift and Orville Rummel Trophy winner Velko Vitalich
*The full Seafair parade contingent, including Pirates, Clowns, the court, and more
What’s new this year: The PAWrade (still time for you to register – or, just show up at California/Genesee with your pup on Saturday morning!)
What you won’t see: The pre-parade Float Dodger 5K is on hiatus this year.
Who’s announcing: If you’re watching in The Junction, you’ll hear the voice of West Seattle’s own longtime broadcaster/journalist Brian Callanan.
Where to watch: Anywhere along the route! You can see the map on the official parade website. (Remember that California SW along the route will be closed by midmorning, and there are parking restrictions on adjacent streets too, especially the staging streets near the start of the route.)
How long does it last? The motorcycles go first, sometime after 10:30 am. The PAWrade will start from California/Genesee at 11 am. The parade generally ends around 1 pm (sooner of course if you’re watching toward the start of the route in The Admiral District).
The VIPs out of the spotlight: Besides the parade coordinators and assistants at the start of the route – including help from Seafair – the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club will have radio operators all along the route (led by Jim Edwards, who travels the route on motorcycle) in constant communication. And the judges (led by Barbara Edwards) will be at various spots along the route – the winners are announced later in the day and as always, we’ll publish the list.
See you at the Grand Parade – a West Seattle tradition since 1934!
P.S. Saturday’s bus reroutes are linked here.
Thanks to Kersti Muul for those photos – a white-crowned sparrow getting food for nestlings. On to highlights for the rest of today/tonight:
WADING POOLS: Open today, per the Seattle Parks hotline. Check the schedules here.
SOUND TRANSIT LIGHT RAIL ELECTED LEADERSHIP GROUP: 2-4 pm at the Sound Transit board room. See the agenda and slide deck here. (401 S. Jackson)
JUNCTION PLAZA PARK AT DESIGN COMMISSION: 2 pm in the City Hall Boards and Commissions Room downtown, the Seattle Design Commission takes another look at the design concept for the new West Seattle Junction Park. Public welcome. (600 4th Ave.)
SPANISH-LANGUAGE MOVIE: 2 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle. (4217 SW Oregon)
(added) TRIANGLE TASK FORCE: This advisory committee for Washington State Ferries’ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route meets at 4:30 pm at Fauntleroy Church. They’ll hear results of a UW study of the Fauntleroy dock operations plus schedule-change options. (9140 California SW)
FIRST DESIGN REVIEW FOR 4747 CALIFORNIA SW: As previewed here last week (follow that link to see the design packet), the first Southwest Design Review Board meeting for this mixed-use project – also ~70 apartments, ~50 offstreet parking spaces – is at 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle. It will include a public-comment period. (4217 SW Oregon)
SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA: 6:30 pm, the first of six free Thursday night concerts presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association (with co-sponsors including WSB). Ural Thomas and The Pain perform tonight. Bring your own chair/blanket to the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center. (Walnut/Lander)
REPTILES, UP CLOSE: Woodland Park Zoo is bringing them to the West Seattle (Admiral) Library tonight, 6:30 pm! (2306 42nd SW)
34TH DISTRICT STATE SENATE FORUM: 7 pm at the Disabled American Veterans‘ hall, five of the 11 candidates for the open State Senate seat have RSVP’d for this West Seattle Chamber of Commerce-presented forum. (4857 Delridge Way SW)
SUB POP AT ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Tonight’s Alki Community Council meeting, 7 pm at Alki UCC, includes one last update from Sub Pop Records before their big birthday bash brings thousands to the beach on August 11th. (6115 SW Hinds)
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ GARDEN PARTY: 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy – info in our calendar listing. (9131 California SW)
MORE, INCLUDING KIDS’ ACTIVITIES! See ALL the listings for today/tonight on our complete calendar.
Back in 2015, the year she also became a Holy Names Academy graduate, Kelly Crum was crowned West Seattle Hi-Yu Senior Court Queen. Now she’s celebrating another achievement: Wednesday night at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), Kelly was announced as a member of this year’s Seafair Scholarship Program for Women court – second runner-up to Miss Seafair. Kelly is at right in the photo above with 1st runner-up Bianca Llorico (left) and the new Miss Seafair Zoraida Valdovinos (center). Their scholarships were announced at a special event hosted by the Seafair Commodores. Thanks to Kelly’s proud mom Gloria Teves for the photo and report! You will see them all in this Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade (which runs south on California from Lander to Edmunds, official start time 11 am, but the Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., Police motorcycle drill teams get going as early as 10:30 am). Kelly will be a senior at Gonzaga University this fall; she is also an alumna of Holy Rosary in West Seattle.
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