day : 02/11/2018 12 results

Big change, but ‘small infill’ West Seattle Junction project at 4508 California SW gets OK to move to second Design Review phase

| Development | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Though the city’s Design Review process is just about design, it’s often the only part of the development permit path that provides a public meeting. And that often means public comments about other aspects of the project.

Such as – in the case of two commenters on the 7-story, 75-apartment, mixed-use 4508 California SW (map)’s second Early Design Guidance review last night – whether it should be built at all.

This process isn’t built for that decision. It’s up to the property owner (in this case, longtime local entrepreneur Leon Capelouto, who has completed two other projects nearby, Capco Plaza and AJ Apartments) and you could argue it goes back to the decisions decades ago that zoned the heart of The Junction for future redevelopment up to 8 stories (9 if HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning gets final approval).

So when all was said, done, and discussed, the four Southwest Design Review Board members who were present – chair Don Caffrey, John Cheng, Crystal Loya, and Scott Rosenstock – agreed unanimously that the project could move to the second phase of Design Review, three months after their first look at it. They were joined at the front of the room by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections planner assigned to the project, Allison Whitworth.

Here’s how the meeting unfolded along the path to that decision:

Share This

More Fauntleroy fish, on eve of Saturday ‘open creek’

November 2, 2018 8:02 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Salmon creating a redd in Fauntleroy Creek, photographed by Dennis Hinton)

Planning on visiting Fauntleroy Creek during Saturday afternoon’s “open creek”? Your chance of seeing salmon spawners keeps rising along with the water – creek steward Judy Pickens tells WSB that as of late today, volunteers have counted 12 fish, three times last year’s total. Again, you’re invited to visit 1-4 pm tomorrow – go to the fish-ladder overlook at upper Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Director, and a volunteer will take you down creekside. If the weather gets mega-stormy, they might have to cancel for safety results, so if that happens, check here for an update before 1 pm.

Share This

GOLF: West Seattle High School boys’ season highlights

November 2, 2018 6:52 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

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

The report and photos are from West Seattle High School golf head coach Joel Snoow:

Congratulations to West Seattle High School Boys Golf Team on a Great 2018 Season!

The West Seattle High School Boys’ Team finished the regular season at 6-4. Our record does not reflect just how competitive this year’s team has been, as 3 of our losses were by a total of 5 strokes. We had 6 players qualify for postseason play, which made the team eligible to compete for the Metro League Team Title.

The Metro League Tournament was held at Jackson Park GC on Tuesday 10/16 and West Seattle GC on Thursday 10/18. On Tuesday the boys played well, which put the team into a great position going into Day 2 at West Seattle GC our home course. On Thursday we carried the momentum from Day 1 and had 3 players shoot their personal bests for a high-school match. These great scores added to the other player scores put us into 7th place, with the top 8 teams qualifying to move on to the District Championship.

The District Championship was held on Tuesday 10/23 at Riverbend GC in Kent. Participating in the District Championship and playing against some of the best golfers in our State was a great experience for the boys. Unfortunately some shots didn’t go our way and we missed out on the opportunity to move on as a team to the State Tournament. However, we did have one player qualify for the State Tournament as an individual and that is senior and team captain Cameron Smith. This is the second trip to the State Tournament for Cameron and he played great golf during the District Championship and finished with a score of 77:

We had a great turnout for the boys’ team in 2018, which allowed us to have a JV team. This is a young, up-and-coming group of golfers and we are really excited about their future.

As a group, the Boys and Girls Teams had a great season and created an amazing team atmosphere, supporting each other during every match, especially at each other’s Metro League Tournaments.

For more information about the West Seattle High School Boys Golf Team, please contact Coach Joel Snow at wshsgolfteam@outlook.com.

Share This

TRAFFIC ALERT: Delridge/Thistle

November 2, 2018 6:39 pm

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT: Delridge/Thistle

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thanks for the tips. Southbound Delridge is blocked at Thistle because of a crash. A pickup truck hit a parked vehicle. Northbound traffic is getting by. Police are talking with the driver and awaiting a tow truck so it should clear up before too long. No report of injuries – SFD was not dispatched.

Share This

Brown water in Arbor Heights

November 2, 2018 5:28 pm

| Comments Off on Brown water in Arbor Heights

| West Seattle news

Thanks to Emily for the alert about brown water in her Arbor Heights neighborhood:

Sediment in water due to an unplanned water line issue at 108th street in Arbor Heights. May last thru day. Reminder to flush thru pipes with Cold Water.

If it happens to you, 206-386-1800 is the Seattle Public Utilities hotline to report it to.

Share This

Work at three intersections to start soon as part of SDOT’s 35th SW Phase 2

November 2, 2018 3:52 pm

| 15 COMMENTS

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

35th SW and SW Dawson, by Camp Long, is one of three 35th SW intersections where SDOT says work could start before Thanksgiving as part of the arterial’s Phase 2 of safety improvements. We first reported back in April on the SDOT plan for more work on 35th SW – primarily crossing improvements. The department is announcing that work is planned soon at three intersections – Dawson, Juneau, and Kenyon – and circulating this explanatory flyer to area residents either this afternoon or early next week:

35th/Juneau has already had some Phase 2 work done, back in summer. 35th/Dawson is the biggest project of the three that SDOT is tackling next, with a full traffic signal part of the package. (Earlier this year, SDOTs Jim Curtin told WSB that the signal has been a community request for more than a decade.) The other new signal in the Phase 2 package, at Graham, is expected to be installed next year. As for which of the three intersections in today’s announcement will be worked on first, SDOT says it will have a followup announcement soon with “detailed schedule and phasing information from the contractor.”

BACKSTORY: If you’re new – 35th SW Phase 1 involved rechannelization starting a short distance south of Morgan and continuing south to Roxbury. The original 2015 announcement suggested there would be more rechannelization north of Morgan starting in 2016, but that didn’t come to pass, and when Phase 2 details were finally announced earlier this year, rechannelization was ruled out – for now.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Early morning mail theft

November 2, 2018 1:32 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Arbor Heights | Crime | West Seattle news

The video is from Chris on Ocean View Drive in Arbor Heights:

Chris says this happened at 2:42 am today (the time stamp on the camera is an hour off). It’s an especially important reminder if you were thinking of sending your ballot via outgoing mail in an unlocked box. (Go here to check whether yours has been received.)

Share This

John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood: Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor!

November 2, 2018 12:22 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | Westwood

Today we’re welcoming one of our newest WSB sponsors: John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood. Here’s their message for you:

This John L. Scott office is owned by Scott Henry and Chantille Henry, who grew up and have worked in West Seattle nearly their entire adult lives, mostly in the real-estate industry. They believe strongly in giving back to the community, by volunteering time and donating to different organizations. Now as sole owners of John L. Scott Westwood, they are bringing that focus of community outreach to the company as well. Earlier this year, the John L. Scott Westwood real-estate agents and their clients donated to Chief Sealth International High School‘s Closet, which assists students in need with clothing, food, and school supplies.

John L Scott Westwood‘s owners together have 26 years of experience in West Seattle. While covering Burien as well with a staff of 50 agents, they remain a West Seattle-owned and -operated business. Scott and Chantille say they are always customer-focused and have worked for the past 26 years
to make sure their agents are customer-focused too.

Scott says the market is rapidly changing since the start of this past summer. There’s been a definite change. The five-year trend of Seattle being a seller’s market has come to a close and now West Seattle is becoming a buyer’s market. Right now more homes are for sale and it’s taking longer to sell. As such he and Chantille believe that their John L. Scott office’s strength is in the fact that they and their team understand the market and the neighborhood because they’ve been serving West Seattle for so long.

You can find John L. Scott Westwood online here; their office is on the breezeway on the north side of Westwood Village (2600 SW Barton); they’re reachable by phone at 206-938-5572.

We thank John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood 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.

Share This

UPDATE: If you were wondering about that helicopter …

November 2, 2018 11:37 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Helicopter | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | West Seattle news

…. seen from east West Seattle, it was a TV chopper and while there’s nothing breaking in our area right now, there’s an incident right across the Duwamish River:

Seattle Fire on scene at the 4700 Blk. of E. Marginal Way S. for report of possible suspicious package in mailroom. Building evacuated as precaution. HAZMAT team investigating.

— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) November 2, 2018

11:48 AM UPDATE: Per scanner, the package was opened, “just a bunch of brochures, no hazard,” and the situation should be winding down.

Share This

6 for your West Seattle Friday!

November 2, 2018 10:57 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Black turnstones in flight, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for the rest of today/tonight:

CANDY DONATION DROPOFF: Until 2:25 this afternoon, you can still drop off unwanted/unneeded Halloween candy at the Lafayette Elementary office to be donated to Operation Gratitude. (California/Lander)

FRIDAY NIGHT SKATING: Go rollerskating 5:45-7:45 pm at Alki Community Center! (5817 SW Stevens)

CORNER BAR: The monthly “pop-up party” at Highland Park Improvement Club starts at 6 pm. Live music with The Mews starts around 8; DJ Dr. Lehl is on hand too; all ages, no cover, more details here. (1116 SW Holden)

MEZZE: Live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), “an eclectic mix of jazz, blues, and bossa.” 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

“WELCOME TO NIGHTFALL ORPHANAGE”: Post-Halloween chance to visit the spooky homemade show on Alki Avenue with a story. Read about it at nightfall1031.wordpress.com. 7:30-10:30 pm, and tonight they have candy. Alert that it “might be too scary for younger children.” (2130 Alki SW)

ALBUM RELEASE: Dead Sonics live at The Skylark, with Sus & Mitchell Siburg, doors at 8, show at 9, $8 cover, 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

SEE WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE WEEKEND … by previewing our complete, frequently updated calendar!

Share This

West Seattle weather: Another windy forecast

November 2, 2018 9:59 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle weather: Another windy forecast

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thanks to Jim Borrow for the rainbow view from Alki! Before we get to the news and events – a forecast reminder: The wind could gust up to 30 mph this afternoon, 35 mph tomorrow night and Sunday, and with some leaves still on the trees, that’s still enough to possibly cause trouble this time of year. As always, if there’s weather trouble – outage, downed tree, etc. – wherever you are, once you’ve notified authorities, please let us know too! 206-293-6302 is our text/voice hotline, 24/7.

Share This