day : 25/08/2024 9 results

UPDATE: Seattle Fire ‘full response’ on Alki, quickly downsized

11:27 PM: Seattle Fire has a full response on the way to a possible apartment fire in the 3000 block of 60th SW. [vicinity map] Updates to come.

11:30 PM: Firefighters say it appears to have been a small fire extinguished “by occupant,” and they’re downsizing the response.

BIZNOTE: Westwood Village. What’s ahead?

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

This afternoon, Westwood Village hosted free family-friendly activities in its central breezeway as part of what was announced as an “End of Summer Bash.”

The announcement of this event, sent by a PR firm on behalf of Westwood Village owner ShopCore, was the first one of any kind we’d received on behalf of the center in a long time. We had tried previously to get comment from the ownership/management on various matters with no reply, but this seemed like an opening, so we asked the PR firm if perhaps they could arrange for us to talk to a WWV rep.

They said they couldn’t arrange an interview, but would route our questions to a mall spokesperson. The answers weren’t hugely revelatory but it could represent a start toward more communication from ShopCore. The responses, received via email, were all attributed to Westwood Village asset manager Kori Murphy.

We asked if ShopCore has any long-term redevelopment/infrastructure improvement plans for the center. Murphy replied, “At Westwood Village, the primary focus at this time is on securing exciting new tenants that will continue to elevate the shopping experience for our guests. And while we do not currently have plans for significant capital improvements, we have recently made a number of important aesthetic changes that include repainting the center, giving it a fresh new appeal.”

We also asked if ShopCore was considering selling or redeveloping the often-empty northwest area of WWV’s 1,286-space parking lot. Murphy said no: “At this time, rather than focusing on redevelopment, we are working to fill any unused retail spaces with desirable and coveted new tenants. Doing so will make use of the under-used parking spaces for the timebeing. We are currently in negotiations with a number of potential new tenants for the northwest part of the property and hope to be able to share some news with you soon.”

Specifically, we asked if there’s any hope on the horizon for a permanent tenant in the former Bed Bath & Beyond space, where the temporary store Spirit Halloween has just opened for a third year of a two-month-ish run.

Murphy said the leasing team is “busy assessing new offerings … We are in discussions with a number of potential new tenants at this time, including prospects for the former Bed Bath and Beyond space, and we hope to be able to share some exciting news with you in the near future.”

What about sit-down restaurants? That topic often comes up, with the center’s current offerings takeout-focused.
Murphy’s reply: “Westwood Village is continually assessing its tenant mix and is interested in adding what our community wants and needs. We have heard that our guests would like additional dining options, and our leasing team is taking the request for more dine-in, sit-down restaurants to heart. If there are specific requests that the community has for restaurants and eateries, we encourage them to share those requests by direct messaging the center through its Facebook and Instagram pages.”

With the decision to host a family event today, might ShopCore be considering bringing back some of the events that were staples under previous ownership/management, such as trick-or-treating and Santa photos?

Murphy didn’t address those two specifically but said that “we do expect to provide even more fun-filled activities in the coming months. In fact, our marketing team is hard at work right now putting together our holiday event, which will take place on December 14th. Those details will be shared with the public when they are available.” That will include, they promised, listings on their website calendar.

Last but by no means least, we asked how the owners are addressing crime/security issues. The last line of Murphy’s reply suggested ShopCore intends to step it up somewhat: “The safety and security of our shoppers, retailers and employees is very important to ShopCore and to Westwood Village. As a result, there are a number of security measures already in place that may not be visible to the general public and that we do not discuss as doing so could impact the effectiveness of those measures. What I can tell you is that the center’s on-site security team has a very strong working relationship with local law enforcement and, together, we continually assess and update our security procedures to ensure we are in lockstep with one another. We regularly hold on-site meetings that include our own on-site security team, local law enforcement and tenants so each entity is aware of our procedures and prepared to enact them should an incident occur. Additionally, as we approach the fourth quarter, we will be implementing a more visible law enforcement strategy and relying more heavily on the use of new state-of-the-art CCTV cameras.”

According to Shopcore’s website, they have properties in 15 states, mostly on the east coast.

ROAD-WORK ALERT: Admiral Way Bridge half-closure expected to start this week

August 25, 2024 7:17 pm
|    Comments Off on ROAD-WORK ALERT: Admiral Way Bridge half-closure expected to start this week
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Reminder that the next phase of the Admiral Way Bridge earthquake-strengthening project is expected to start this week, potentially as soon as tomorrow: As announced by SDOT, its contractor plans to close the north side of the bridge and route westbound traffic onto the other side of the bridge, which will be one lane each direction. This is likely to last a few weeks, and then the crew will switch, closing the south side and having the north side carry both directions. As we’ve reported, NO full closures of the bridge are planned. But the full closure of Fairmount Avenue beneath the bridge will continue for the duration of the project, likely into early next year.

BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Origins moves into new West Seattle location

Two years after its parent company bought the former Than Brothers Pho building at 4822 California SW, Origins Cannabis (WSB sponsor) has moved its West Seattle shop there. They weren’t expecting the regulatory green light for another week or so but, management tells us, they got it and made the move this weekend. Origins has been renovating the space for months, and told WSB in May that the intent was to create “a space that would allow for a more open and interactive shopping experience for our adult-use consumers.” They also worked to beautify the space, with a mural by Seattle artist Glynn Rosenberg. Watch for the grand-opening celebration next month; hours are 9 am-9 pm Sundays, 8 am-10:30 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 8 am-11:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. As for its now-closed 40th/Edmunds location, Origins was a tenant there; its owners have been pursuing redevelopment proposals for a decade, currently what city files describe as a five-story mixed-use building with 86 residential units.

VIDEO: Festival Centroamericano 2024 at Westcrest Park

The cultures of seven Central American countries – Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama – are at the heart of a festival happening right now in West Seattle. Festival Centroamericano has returned to Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW), with performances, food, art, and more, until 6 pm. It’s all on the big field at the north end of the park.

Among the performers who have already taken the stage (video above and photo below) were Los Rebeldes de la Cueca (Chilean):

Folklore de Costa Rica went out into the audience to dance with spectators:

It’s a beautiful afternoon in the park – you can bring a chair and enjoy it all:

Here’s the performance schedule for the rest of the afternoon:

2:35 pm – Folklore Guatemala de Seattle
2:55 pm – Abuty Band
3:25 pm – Bailes y Alegria Panamá
3:50 pm – Karaoke
4:15 pm – Espiritu Libre
5:00 pm – Orgullo Cuzcatleco del Salvador
5:20 pm – Don Remo
5:50 pm – Blue Morpho

The festival is presented by Organizacion Centro Americano.

UPDATE: Missing woman found safe

4:06 PM UPDATE: Missing woman says she’s been found and is safe.

EARLIER: This image and the information in it are from this missing woman’s family:

(image removed)

Though the graphic mentions the non-emergency number, if you find a person reported as missing, please call 911.

‘ALMOST LIVE!’ TURNS 40: West Seattle journalist/historian tells the show’s story

Shortly after we moved here in 1991 so your editor could start work at a local TV station, we happened onto a local comedy show on a different station – and for most of the rest of that decade, it was a regular part of our Saturday nights, as it was for so many people back then.

(September 1994 TV Guide page kept by Tracey Conway, used with Now & Then permission)

The show, “Almost Live!“, was almost midway through its 15-year-run on KING TV by the time we first watched, a half-hour that made fun of current events as well as specific Seattle-and-vicinity neighborhoods – with sketches like “Ballard Driving Academy,” “Cops in Wallingford,” “East Side Story,” even “The Making of Studs of South King County,” as well as lampooning life in the Northwest – the timeless tale of “Seattle Summer”, for example.

We’d heard The Seattle Times was looking back this weekend on “Almost Live!” to mark 40 years since the show’s debut, synergizing with a Museum of History and Industry exhibit that opens next weekend. What we didn’t know was that a West Seattle journalist/historian wrote the stories comprising a package that figures prominently in today’s print edition of The Times, especially its Pacific Magazine, until that writer, Clay Eals, mentioned it while visiting our booth at Saturday’s Admiral Funktion street festival.

The “Almost Live!” exploration is in the spirit of the “Now & Then” columns that Clay co-produces for the newspaper’s weekly magazine, but much more in-depth. And you don’t have to be a Times subscriber to see the results of the three months Clay spent diving into “Almost Live!” – the Now & Then website has even more. And Clay mentioned two West Seattleites who factor into it – more on that in a moment. First, some links: The main Times story is here; as Clay writes, the show “proved that a major city could laugh at itself with universal appeal.” Even if you were an “Almost Live!” superfan, his story will likely tell you a lot you didn’t know about its history and origins. And if you’ve ever wondered what happened to the performers – who were among the 30+ people Clay interviewed – here’s that story. Then there’s the story about the MOHAI exhibit’s champion, and a related Now & Then column. Oh, plus “Where to find more ‘Almost Live!‘,” including YouTube.

If that sounds like a lot, consider that Clay says it’s only a fraction of what you’ll find on the Now & Then website – start here and wander at will. (If you can’t see the Times stories because of the paywall, Clay’s site has free-to-view versions of them all.)

Now, as for the West Seattleites who factor into this: First, one of the regular performers on “Almost Live!”, Tracey Conway, is a WS resident. Here’s a video she produced with some of her favorite characters:

And here she is in a recent photo by Clay:

He notes, “She’s quoted in the cover story and shown in 14 photos therein. But she also is part of the sketches sidebar” – best and most-overlooked sketches – and the material on Now & Then includes excerpts from his interview with her.

A West Seattleite playing a smaller but memorable role, Clay points out, is Aurora Bennett, who runs John Bennett Properties. “At age 8, she stars in one of what I say in the sketches sidebar is an ‘overlooked’ sketch, ‘Totally Realistic Barbi’ (no typo), just 1:40 long, from 1994. Quite timely given last year’s Barbie movie phenomenon. Tracey Conway plays her mom.” You can see it here.

If you get the print edition of The Times, Clay says “Almost Live!” stories and photos comprise 18 of the magazine’s 26 pages, as well as “a significant chunk of The Mix,” the arts-and-entertainment section of the paper itself. Meantime, the MOHAI exhibit opens August 31st and is expected to be on display for six months – here’s more about it.

WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: Here’s what’s happening today/tonight

(Western Tanager photographed in Gatewood by Mark Dale)

Here’s our list for the final Sunday in August, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you’ll find even more):

SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT OPEN: One more reminder – this weekend’s planned resurfacing-project closure was canceled because of rain, so the bridge between Highway 99 and I-5 is open. We’ll get an update Monday on the coming week’s closure plan.

MARATHON SWIMMERS’ RELAY: As announced earlier this week by the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association:

An all-female relay, supported by a female pilot and a female observer (local marathon swimmer Stephanie Zimmerman) will swim an unprecedented route for NOWSA from Alki Point Lighthouse, around Blake Island, and back to the lighthouse. Melissa Kegler, a Triple Crown marathon swimmer (English Channel, Catalina Channel, around Manhattan Island) spearheads the relay, which includes women covering all decades from 30-70: Becky Smith, Carol Horowitz, Guila Muir, Emily White, and Shea DeWald. They are all “Notorious Alki Swimmers” who you will find swimming regularly from the Alki Bathhouse, and Carol, Emily, and Shea are West Seattle residents. Boat support will be provided by Seastr PNW, an organization dedicated to inclusive access to waterborne activities for people who have been historically excluded from the maritime industry and water sports. They will be starting from the Alki Lighthouse at 8 am, and returning back sometime in the afternoon.

Once their swim begins, you can track their progress here.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST: Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) is cooking one up for you today, 8 am-noon – details in our calendar listing.

BIG BLUE TRUCK: Fourth weekend for the West Seattle return of the Northwest Center‘s donation-dropoff truck (WSB sponsor)! You’ll find it outside WaFd Bank (4102 California SW). Our calendar listing has info on what items the truck will accept. 9 am-5 pm.

SWIM IN THE SOUND: Ready for a much shorter Puget Sound swim than the one we mentioned above? At 9 am, you can join the weekly group plunge into Puget Sound off Alki – meet at Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st/Alki).

WESTIES RUN CLUB: 9 am, the Westies meet up at Dough Joy Donuts (4310 SW Oregon) for this week’s Sunday run.

WORSHIP AND PICNIC IN THE PARK: You’re invited to join Peace Lutheran Church for outdoor worship followed by a potluck picnic, at Lincoln Park Picnic Shelter #1 (south end of park), 9:30 am, more info on the church website.

DEEP SEA CONSERVATION FESTIVAL: As previewed here, a West Seattle student and Girl Scout is on a mission to help you learn about and appreciate this amazing ecosystem – so if you can get to the UW Fisheries Science Building between 10 am and 5 pm, that’s where you can do it!

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, midsummer produce, plus beverages, baked goods, flowers, cheese, fish, meat, prepared food, nuts, candy, more. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon) P.S. Market managers are asking shoppers to take an online survey.

SUNDAYS IN THE ALLEY: Pop-up shopping experience – apparel, art, music too – behind Carmilia’s, in the alley behind the east side of the 4500 block of California SW, 10 am-3 pm. More info in our calendar listing.

TROLL ANNIVERSARY: First anniversary of Bruun Idun‘s dedication at Lincoln Park. You can visit, but the 10 am restoration work party in her honor has maxed out on participants, so it’s too late to join that.

YOUTH BALLET AUDITIONS: Reminder, today is tryout day for “The Magical Doll Maker” – presented by West Seattle-based Seattle Civic Dance Theater, with auditions this afternoon in Burien. Info’s in our preview; tryout registration is here.

FESTIVAL CENTROAMERICANO: Free all-ages celebration of Central American cultures, noon-5 pm at Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW). Live music, dance, art, food, more.

COLMAN POOL: The outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) is open to the public today, noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.

LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Elsewhere at Lincoln Park, if it’s open today (check 206-684-7796 after 9 am), you’ll find this 7-days-a-week city wading pool, noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.

SOUTHWEST POOL CLOSED: Maintenance and repair work continues.

ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Second-to-last chance this season! U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers are at Alki Point Lighthouse today for free tours starting at 1 pm; get there by 3:45 pm for the last tour of the day. (3201 Alki SW)

WESTWOOD VILLAGE END-OF-SUMMER BASH: 1-4 pm in the breezeway north of Big 5 and Fitness 19, free activities – details in our calendar listing.

CLASSIC NOVELS (AND MOVIES) BOOK CLUB: August gathering, 3 pm at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) – our calendar listing has info on this month’s discussion topic.

HEALING CIRCLE: 4-6 pm at Nurture Wellbeing (6307 California SW) – pre-registration required.

FREE OUTDOOR COMMUNITY YOGA: 6 pm at Lowman Beach Park (7017 Beach Drive SW) – details in our calendar listing.

GONG BATH & NATURE MEDITATION: 7 pm at Lowman Beach Park (7017 Beach Drive SW) – ticket link’s in our calendar listing.

JET CITY IMPROV @ ARTSWEST: Sold out!

LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Enjoy Sunday night music with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW) – 8-10 pm.

Organizing and/or publicizing something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basics – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Assault investigation on Harbor Avenue

3:57 AM: Details are few, but police are investigating how two men with apparent assault injuries wound up abandoned in the street-end parking lot south of Salty’s on Alki. Seattle Fire medics are treating the men, believed to be in their 30s, one described as “going in and out of consciousness.” Police also have found a car in the lot that they told dispatch has a “spent casing in the back seat,” a “live round,” and what appears to be “fresh bullet damage,” but they don’t know whether the gunfire happened there or elsewhere. The men were found about half an hour ago. We’ll following up with SPD and SFD later this morning.

10:54 AM: SFD says the men, 22 and 26, were both taken to the hospital in stable condition.

4:09 PM: SPD has provided us with this summary of what their investigation has determined so far:

The victims were pulling out of the Salty’s lot located at the 1900 BLK of Harbor Ave SW and there was a vehicle collision. The suspects exited the vehicle and made threats to assault the victims. The suspects assaulted the victims, and they suffered head, arm, and waist injuries. The victims both possibly have concussions. The suspects were (gone) upon officers’ arrival.

If you have any information, the incident # is 24-239692.