FOLLOWUP: SW Andover eco-blocks removed as new phase of cleanup begins

| Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news

12:20 PM: Thanks for the tip. Dozens of “eco-blocks” placed in the aftermath of the SW Andover/26th/28th RV encampment sweep almost two months ago are gone, and city crews are back in the area today. They told our photographer that they’re there to remove some of the soil as the next phase of the cleanup.

As our top photo shows, SW Andover is blocked in the area, and crews expect to be there until about 2 pm today. Before the sweep, West Seattle Health Club said they’d been told of a proposal to build a bike lane along that stretch of Andover; the person who tipped us today said a crew member told them about a plan for pedestrian/bike infrastructure. We’re asking SDOT if that’s true, as well as seeking further details of what’s happening today, and will add whatever we hear back.

4 PM: We’re still waiting for additional info from SDOT. Meantime, Newell Aldrich in Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s office tells WSB, “CM Herbold has been in touch with SDOT since June about potential extension of the bike lanes on Andover beyond the existing portion between Delridge and 26th. She received confirmation from SDOT that they do plan to install bike lanes there beyond 26th and Andover to 28th, and beyond. We haven’t seen a design yet. The Seattle Bicycle Master Plan includes connections on 28th, then Yancy to Andover.”

James August 8, 2022 (1:00 pm)

Thank god! Those were so hostile and ugly!

Right Said Fred August 8, 2022 (9:38 pm)

And effective.
Scott August 9, 2022 (9:39 am)

Hostile and ugly… really? So you have no problem with a bunch of rotten RV’s, heavy drug use and rampant theft?

Nate H. August 8, 2022 (1:11 pm)

I sure hope those eco blocks go back in place after the soil remediation is complete, because otherwise we all know exactly what will happen.

StupidinSeattle August 8, 2022 (2:11 pm)

Agreed Nate. If that parking lane space isn’t filled in and blocked off somehow – eco blocks, bike or pedestrian lane, whatever – the homeless camps come back and the neighborhood is right back where it was during 6 years of garbage dumping, crime, assaults, etc. Either fill it in or the city commits to constant monitoring and sweeping.
- Nolan August 8, 2022 (3:25 pm)
  
  Or, god forbid, investing in housing-first social support and helping the people that are unhoused, instead of stealing their stuff and uprooting them.
  
  Dare to imagine a world where we help our neighbors instead of choosing to kill them through a combination of negligence and active harassment.
  - wscommuter August 8, 2022 (10:47 pm)
    
    Aah, the far left weighs in … “choosing to kill them …”. No histrionics there. Your comment is as stupid as saying the homeless “deserve to die” if they’re addicted to fentanyl, which I’ve also read in comments here in the past. Homelessness is a complex problem that will require thoughtful effort and resources and will never be completely solved. But part of that complexity is recognizing that these encampments are not sustainable for a myriad of reasons and are likewise unfair to the people who have to live across the street from them.
  - Ryan August 9, 2022 (10:41 am)
    
    Nolan, feel free to open your house and property to house these people. You are welcome to push your agenda on your property if you desire but I’m not interested in your plan/belief
- AMD August 8, 2022 (5:04 pm)
  
  Hear, hear! Publicly subsidized parking is stupid. There should be no free street parking anywhere in the city, period.
  - 1994 August 8, 2022 (9:46 pm)
    
    The homeless RV dwellers would beg to differ and depend on free, no time limit, parking being available. Make the space a park and ride so people can get on the bus over at Delridge.
Agree August 8, 2022 (5:29 pm)

I couldn’t agree more. I wouldn’t be surprised if motor homes move in the minute after the City backhoe moves out. It’ll be another year to get rid of them.
- WSB August 8, 2022 (7:11 pm)
  
  Nothing there tonight.

Diane Fields August 8, 2022 (2:00 pm)

Yep, we know what will happen and how refreshing it has been to drive along there and not see all of the crap and mess that had been there for way too long.

Delridge Neighbor August 8, 2022 (2:10 pm)

A multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians along this stretch of Andover would be so great.

Eddie August 8, 2022 (4:20 pm)

Usually a big fan of bike facilities, i gotta say that a westbound bike lane along Andover there makes little sense. Sure, it’s a nice ride from Delridge to the health club, but very few riders tackle steep steep Yancy. I always just take the trail to Avalon and grind up to 35th. Spending money on bike facilities that aren’t used reflects poorly on all the rest of the good investments Sesttle make on bike infrastructure.
- Kathy August 8, 2022 (7:13 pm)
  
  Actually, if Yancy is too daunting, you can ride 28th one block south of Yancy to use Dakota St. to get up that hill, turn right on 30th to go back to Yancy and cross with the pedestrian activated cross walk. It’s a much more gradual climb and not too far out of the way. That would be a better route to get from Delridge to Avalon for all ages and abilities riders. I do this all the time.
  - Kathy August 8, 2022 (7:20 pm)
    
    Dakota also has less car traffic to contend with than Yancy, which car drivers use as a cut through route.
- Sometime Cyclist August 9, 2022 (7:54 am)
  
  Hard disagree – plenty of cyclists go up Yancy. I see them frequently when I’m huffing and puffing my way up it. And E-bikes don’t really care how steep it is. :-)
- Mark47n August 9, 2022 (9:04 am)
  
  Many cyclists tackle Yancy. I dodge them all the time during my commute…when I’m not one of them.
- Jay August 9, 2022 (1:46 pm)
  
  It’s better than Genessee and connects to the Andover St Bridge. By far the best way to get from Delridge to California in my opinion, and I’ve tried many different routes as it’s a regular trip for me.
D-Ridge August 8, 2022 (9:50 pm)

This is the only bike route for North Delridge residents to use that doesn’t take us on a massive detour, we really need it to be safer. Yancy is also where the crossing lights are, it’s the only spot to safely cross Avalon.

Also, e-bikes are easily crushing that hill.

RRR August 8, 2022 (2:12 pm)

Happy to see public space being used/adjusted for public use!

TJ August 8, 2022 (2:30 pm)

It’s sad that the eco blocks have to be used at all and take up parking spaces. But the other option is worse.

Nolan August 8, 2022 (3:20 pm)

Is the sad thing about this situation really that parking spaces are being taken up, and not that they’re explicitly being used to deny unhoused people even the slightest bit of stability?

Do you not feel any amount of shame in devaluing people’s lives that way?

KP August 8, 2022 (3:25 pm)

The area around Westcrest park has a significant increase along 8th Ave SW as well as along Henderson St between 16th Ave SW and 8th Ave SW. When the city closes down one space without an adequate sustainable plan, it just shifts the issue to a new neighborhood.

Sara August 8, 2022 (9:56 pm)

Yes, and it’s in a very dangerous location. The RVs along Henderson block your ability to see well enough to safely make a turn onto Henderson off of 10th Ave SW. The other day, I was walking with my son and my dog, and a man was yelling and swearing at a woman in front of one of the RVs. And, all the drugs, and drug selling. Every time I drive by these vehicles, I witness a transaction. I’m not sure what the solution is, but allowing drug sales to happen inside vehicles that are so large that they are hazardous to drive around can’t be it.

Sillygoose August 8, 2022 (3:37 pm)

It boggles my mind the amount of wasted tax dollars this city council is willing to spend on illegal incampments with little regard to the honest law abiding citizens of this city. These RV encampments are nothing more than organized crimminals the city council enables. Time to either put these RV in RV parks, treatment or jail!! The ground is so contaminated it now has to be removed, this is on Herbold!!! City Council is corrupt.

Spooled August 8, 2022 (3:59 pm)

That the camp impacted the environment so badly that soil remediation is necessary should be reason to sweep all camps. 72 hour parking, no exceptions, move it or loose it. (Folks who say stop subsidizing car storage, now’s your time to chime in!). I hope they put the blocks back or very quickly install whatever bike lane they have planned. If it’s vacant for even a brief time we all know what will happen.

Sherman Olsen August 8, 2022 (4:21 pm)

I am not sure understand the benefit of a block long bike path here, at least heading east, and I bike commuted this stretch daily for years. You would have to remove parking on Yancy to continue it up to Avalon, otherwise the car and bike traffic merges right at that turn–which is also where as a cyclist I want to be in the middle of the lane to make the right turn and carry momentum up the hill. I was doored heading east, though, and especially if there is traffic stacked up here it was very sketchy to maneuver between the cars.

Del August 8, 2022 (4:52 pm)

My suggestion would be have the city encourage food trucks to park there and operate food services. There’s a food desert for that area and would be nice to have some options for takeout.

Jethro Marx August 8, 2022 (10:34 pm)

You are raving; Nucor != Amazon and I expect many gym-goers would feel their workout undone by a delicious taco or whatever afterwards. At any rate, the area will not support a whole row of them. Maybe we could have a cool metal sculpture park and open the creek up there. A pond splitting Andover into two dead-ends could result in less camping, oddly.
- Dakota Resident August 9, 2022 (7:46 am)
  
  Turning Andover into 2 dead ends is an awful idea. There are already very limited entries into the neighborhood.

cjboffoli August 8, 2022 (6:27 pm)

I wonder if some ecoblocks placed behind the desks of certain city council members would motivate them to park it elsewhere.

Cozy August 8, 2022 (7:35 pm)

Do understand peoples concerns with the RV and encampments presence and environmental impacts. Also want to say to the folks living in these situations… I see you, and feel for the challenges you are having, with finding a safe and healthy and acceptable place and the help you may need to improve your circumstances. Kind wishes.

Mik August 8, 2022 (8:03 pm)

That’s great to see! But now there’s also a large and growing congregation of same just West of 26th & Brandon. Diagonal from Greg Davis Park and next to the Longfellow Creek trail right there (and further) which is now unusable.There are about 13 vehicles parked there and 6 around the corner and each week it gets bigger. Has WSB or anyone else heard of any plans to help there? It’s only going to grow!

WSB August 8, 2022 (9:06 pm)

There’s at least one neighbor who’s been in touch with various city departments (we’ve been cc’d on some of the correspondence). Our most recent direct response from the city was in this story a week ago: https://westseattleblog.com/2022/08/encampments-city-crews-at-26th-juneau-gunfire-at-26th-28th-brandon-west-marginal-place-plan/
- Ryan August 9, 2022 (3:22 pm)
  
  The city says it’s on their radar but don’t know if we’ll get remediation in a few weeks, a few months, or a year… City leadership won’t give any specifics about enforcing the rules that were put in place for all citizens to follow!! In the meantime we have to worry about much more violence, crime and drugs in our neighborhood filled with families and young children.

D-Ridge August 8, 2022 (9:58 pm)

I say make Andover and Yancy an eastbound one-way west of 26th Ave SW; cars that try to turn left onto Avalon from Yancy are very dangerous for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians there.

Mj August 8, 2022 (10:42 pm)

Nolan – enough already. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? There are plenty of jobs available, the City has offered services. If the carrot doesn’t work it’s time for accountability.

Nolan August 10, 2022 (1:31 am)

By definition, the city’s “services” are insufficient: otherwise, we wouldn’t have people trying to avoid dying by living in the streets.

Perhaps they didn’t meet your personal standard of “personal responsibility”, but perhaps that’s the difference between us: I don’t think you should starve, nor die of exposure, because you fail to meet my personal standard of conduct.

Divine August 9, 2022 (11:05 am)

I wonder how similar our current public discourse around these issues is to discussion about the Hoovervilles around the country in the 1930s, in particular New York’s Central Park. “Nobody’s askin’ us where we’re goin’. There’s not a soul thinkin’ about us” ~A tenant named “old John Cahill” during the Central Park sweep.

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