ALKI ELEMENTARY REBUILD: Hearing ends after 3 days. Here’s the decision timeline

(Past and future Alki Elementary site, WSB photo from last week)

Our full recap won’t be ready until later, but for those following the situation, we want to let you know right now that the Alki Elementary rebuild appeal hearing has just wrapped up after a third day of testimony. All three days, two lawyers representing the district and one representing the appellant have made their cases before Deputy Hearing Examiner Susan Drummond in the Seattle Municipal Tower hearing room downtown, with a city Department of Construction and Inspections planner also at the table (she finally got a brief chance to speak today). The only issue to be decided is whether to uphold the city’s decision to grant a zoning exception to Seattle Public Schools for building the new, expanded Alki Elementary (capacity 500+, up from the current 370, 100 more than current enrollment) with fewer offstreet-parking spaces than the 48 required – the district originally proposed zero, the city said OK, nearby residents successfully appealed, the district drew up a new plan with 15 spaces, the city said OK again, and another group of residents appealed. It was agreed when testimony concluded a short time ago that both sides will present their closing statements in writing (20 pages max) by June 27, and Drummond expects to issue her ruling on July 1. Building permits can’t be issued until this is resolved; the old school was demolished shortly after last school year, and some other site-prep work has been allowed. Here’s our recap of the first day of testimony last Tuesday; here’s our recap of Day 2 last Thursday; our report on today’s testimony will be ready tonight or tomorrow.

Unfortunate June 3, 2024 (5:02 pm)

The number one lesson this has taught me the quality of the education is much less important than the quality of the parking. These people have some wildly messed up priorities.

Sam June 3, 2024 (6:48 pm)

Agreed. Complete waste of time and resources.

Fin June 3, 2024 (5:12 pm)

Great taxpayers money going to build a brand new school when the district is planning on closing schools.

JM June 3, 2024 (5:43 pm)

Thank you for voicing my thoughts exactly!
Melissa Westbrook June 4, 2024 (2:00 pm)

Here’s the thing – the district started planning these new buildings long ago. They knew they would be closing buildings and needed some place to put kids from closing buildings. So they needed bigger buildings. I’m just wondering why not the bigger space at Lafayette and not the Alki space?
Greg June 4, 2024 (9:52 pm)

It’s almost like the state’s operational school budget is different from the city’s voter approved levy to invest in building schools.

on board June 3, 2024 (5:14 pm)

Having lived 2 blocks from there for nearly 18 years I think all this debate over parking is missing the real issue. The real issue is the pick up and drop off that occurs before and after school. You’re never going to have a couple hundred parking spots so each mom or dad can park for 5 -10 minutes at the same time each day. What the school really needs is a solid drop off and pick up area that keeps people moving like the airport and that has room for the bus. What I observe on 59th is a consistent behavior of blocking the road in each direction, parking up on the grass and generally bringing all movement to a standstill. This is a problem both of engineering, as well as school management or the lack thereof. These studies and subsequent discussion have failed to examine the real problem.

Sam June 3, 2024 (6:47 pm)

Visit any school in any neighborhood at pick up and drop off, and you’ll see the same. It’s what happens in school zones. Drive around. If you live on the street, that was your choice to live there. You should know the 30 minutes NOT to come and go each day.
West Seattle Citizen June 3, 2024 (8:23 pm)

Instead of Alki now I pick my kid up at Schmitz Park and it’s the same situation. I also live close to Genessee Hill Elementary and I avoid the area at pick up and drop off for the same reason.
G June 5, 2024 (9:29 am)

Yes, that is what happens when you live near a school. Anywhere.

Marie June 3, 2024 (9:13 pm)

Given that the city is going to close elementary schools, will this one ever be built?

Alki Jack June 3, 2024 (9:35 pm)

All teachers will now be required to take a bus, ride a bike, get dropped off or Uber to teach at Alki Grade School…. or if they get lucky, they can take the few spots in the neighborhood when the people that live there, leave for work.

Happy Jack June 4, 2024 (4:14 pm)

But why would residents leaving for work open up street parking? Are you telling me they don’t all park in garages?! Gosh. Imagine that. So concerned about off street parking for others, and yet there they are…

Ray June 3, 2024 (10:45 pm)

There are really only two sensible options for the District.

1. Create enough temporary parking spaces on neighboring lots to handle pickup and drop off, so neighborhood traffic is not inconvenienced. This should be done through eminent domain of the neighboring blocks, thus providing the necessary parking and decreasing demand for street parking. Everyone wins.

2. This will be more controversial, but I think everyone reading the blog is thinking it: convert the site to pickleball courts. Again, I think everyone wins.

Two very good options, I wonder how Susan will determine the winner?

Humk June 4, 2024 (12:02 am)

You’re forgetting option #3: establish Healthy Streets around the school by removing parking to install protected walk/roll lanes. That way kids can safely get themselves to school on under their own power, parents won’t need to pick up /drop off, and neighbors won’t have to worry about traffic!

Anonymous 1 June 4, 2024 (11:39 am)

It truly seems like chaos will be abound. Why not keep the other neighborhood school open rather than placing all the eggs in one basket so to speak? Imagine admiral way with 500 students (at capacity) being dropped off in the morning and then picked off in the afternoon. Mayhem! The small close knit school it once was will now become an institution. I don’t understand what the benefit of having so many students at one school gives. Especially in such a tight neighborhood that struggles with parking when school is closed for the summer!!

Bunk June 4, 2024 (12:13 pm)

If neighborhood traffic/parking is worst in summer and on weekends, then I’ve got good news: those are not times when school is in session. There is no problem.
G June 5, 2024 (9:31 am)

OK, but at one point Alki had 400 students. Was it mayhem then?

anon June 4, 2024 (12:34 pm)

A major question is how many buses would be required? Let’s say 500 students, 100 walk or bike, 200 get a ride, leaving 200 who arrive via bus. This is a guess: maybe five or six buses needed? Is there space for that many buses? Looking at an aerial map, maybe part of the playfield could be turned into a parking lot or drop off/pickup area. Maybe teachers could use remote parking and the only cars that could be parked at the school would carry three teachers.

Math Teacher June 4, 2024 (4:23 pm)

@Anon – to get this project approved, Seattle Schools assured the examiner that only two buses will be needed. Forever. That was one of about a dozen questionable claims or promises that were made to bypass normal rules.
- anon June 4, 2024 (5:23 pm)
  
  If only two buses, each carrying 40 students, plus 100 students who walk/bike, we get to 180. I don’t know if 100 is realistic or not. In a way, it is not averages that matter as much as peaks, in winter or heavy rain, fewer will walk/bike for safety reasons. (plus how many bike racks will there be?). So, 500 – 180 = 320. For round numbers, assume 2 kids per car. That means 160 cars. If the cars are 14 feet long, (Toyota Prius), with only one car at a time because of width constraints, that is 2240 feet, then add some buffers between the cars. This works out to about a half mile backup. If there are only 1.5 kids per average car, then we have 240 cars and a back up of nearly 3/4 mile. This seems wildly implausible.

Community Matters June 4, 2024 (7:56 pm)

https://westseattleblog.com/2013/03/happening-now-alki-elementarys-centennial-celebration/

Poor Decisions June 4, 2024 (10:40 pm)

Yes, community matters. The problem with the Alki Rebuild is poor decision making by SPS to stuff a mega sized school on the District’s smallest 1.4 acre site, doubling student enrollment from 271 to 542+ students, increase staff from 32 to 75, reduce on site parking so 60+ staff park on neighborhood streets reducing parking availability, increase congested traffic circulation problems, increase demand for limited parking supply and propose a transporation management plan that funnels nearly 300 cars during drop off and pick up over the school’s 2 main crosswalks at 59th Ave & SW Stevens. How safe is that? SPS’s decisions will impact students, families and staff at Alki Elementary AND the Alki Community AND not in a positive way. SPS needs to build a smaller school at the Alki location but that doesn’t fit into their current model. Why should the Alki community have to endure the lasting negative impacts because SPS wants to build this sized school at this location? SPS knew for years a consolidation of schools was eminent and they planned to use this school in that plan. So yes, community matters and the proposed school by SPS does not take that into consideration.

Jeff June 5, 2024 (9:51 am)

They should because of the kids. That’s why. Sorry you will have minor traffic to the beach but we need this. FOR THE KIDS!

Sorry, comment time is over.