day : 12/09/2024 12 results

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Every chair was filled, and open wall space was lined with people standing, by the time SPD’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite convened last night’s quarterly community meeting in the precinct meeting room.

The major topic was encampments – particularly the one on SW Trenton between Westwood Village and Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex; gunfire was a topic of concern too. But before the attendees got to ask questions, they listened to District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka for more than half an hour. Here’s our video of his speech, with a few minutes of Q&A toward the end (he had to leave the meeting early for a conflicting commitment described as “tribal”):

He summarized what he and his council colleagues have been doing in the nine months since he took office, focusing on public-safety-related matters (he is vice chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee). First accomplishment Saka mentioned was the Seattle Police Officers Guild contract agreement. Lack of a contract had been considered one hindrance to police hiring; Saka said he helped address another via action he said would “streamline and simplify” the process. And he contended that the council’s approval of a plan to pay for space at the regional SCORE misdemeanor jail would also help with police retention, as he called it “demoralizing” for officers if they make an arrest but have to let the suspect go if there’s nowhere to book them. Saka also touched on expansion of police use of automated license-plate reading technology, and the ordinance allowing the city to demolish certain dangerous vacant buildings.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire on SW Brandon

September 12, 2024 10:40 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Crime | West Seattle news

This was unfolding just as the Delridge incident (unrelated) was winding down, so we’ve gone back into the emergency-radio archives to catch up. 911 got multiple reports of suspected gunfire along SW Brandon between 26th and 30th just before 8:30 pm. Officers told dispatch they four 9mm casings. No reports of injuries.

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UPDATE: About the police response on Delridge

September 12, 2024 8:30 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

8:30 PM: For those asking about the big police response along Delridge Way just south on SW Thistle – police were dealing with what was logged as a person-in-crisis situation at an apartment complex. The man at the heart of it was armed. He’s been taken into custody and police recovered the gun. He’ll be taken to Harborview for a mental-health evaluation, according to emergency radio.

ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: From the SPD summary of the incident:

At (6:44 pm), Officers responded to a crisis call located at the 8400 BLK of Delridge Wy SW. The details of the call indicated that there was a male in crisis with a firearm saying that he can see clowns and ninjas and that he wanted to hurt them. Officers arrived and contacted the subject on the phone. Officers contained the apartment building. The subject was initially inside of his apartment, but he decided to exit and continuously knock on his neighbor’s door. The subject damaged his apartment windows. Officers also contacted the complainant to determine if a crime was committed. … The subject eventually came outside, and he was placed in handcuffs. Officers recovered three BB guns that looked like real firearms. The subject was transported to the hospital on an (Involuntary Treatment Act commitment).

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VIDEO: West Seattle Art Walk, September edition

September 12, 2024 6:22 pm

| Comments Off on VIDEO: West Seattle Art Walk, September edition

| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

6:22 PM: Evening sunshine is making this a great night to get out on the West Seattle Art Walk!

Our first stop, the West Seattle Art Tour preview at NOR Design and Construction (5953 California SW). Above is Carolyn Autenrieth, one of the artists who’ll be hosting a studio stop on the September 21 tour (#6); below, milliner Izzie Lewis, who will be participating in another stop with her hats:

Other artists we met included Linda Voelker:

And Daniel Bernunzio:

The space at NOR is full of artists and samples of their work, plus snacks, so stop by tonight and find out more about the Art Tour! We’re on our way to other spots – this post on the Art Walk website has shortcuts to the venue list and map for tonight. More to come!

6:47 PM: You still have another hour to go see one, two, or even all three of tonight’s Art of Music mini-concerts. We just stopped in at Great American Diner & Bar (4752 California SW, venue change) to listen to the Toujaise Flute Duo:

Jennie Goldberg and Jaime Cornutt comprise the duo (perhaps you’ve seen/heard them during “Flutes in the Forest” concerts at Schmitz Preserve Park). They’re playing until 7:45 pm, as are Trevor Ras at Welcome Road Winery (3804 California SW) and McPage & Powell at Pine Lake Cellars (5405 California SW). Art receptions elsewhere along The Walk are continuing until at least 8. P.S. Bonus music in The Junction – Johnny Nails in-store at Easy Street Records (4559 California SW) starting at 7!

ADDED: We’ve added two more artist photos above from our visit to the Art Tour preview. Later, while in The Junction, we also visited Jet City Labs, hosting Robin Jordan, who is this quarter’s featured Art Walk poster artist:

You can see her poster here. Set your calendar for next month’s Art Walk – October 10! (And the West Seattle Art Tour, a week from Saturday, on September 21.)

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More new school-zone traffic calming: All-way stop at 49th/Spokane

September 12, 2024 5:27 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks for the texted tips and photo. SDOT has installed more school-zone traffic calming, this time adding an all-way stop at 49th SW and SW Spokane, near the former Schmitz Park Elementary (currently in its second of three years as temporary home to Alki Elementary). Tipsters thought we’d want to let you know, as this might take some people by surprise. We found it mentioned as a “current project” on the same SDOT webpage where we found a mention of the speed cushions installed last week on California SW near Gatewood Elementary. The mention says simply, “Install all way stops near Schmitz Park – SPS interim site (expected in 2024 or 2025).” We’ll check again with SDOT on any others with imminent installation.

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UPDATE: Two crashes on east stretch of Highland Park Way

September 12, 2024 4:24 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

4:24 PM: Avoid Highland Park Way east of West Marginal for a while. As shown in the traffic-camera screenshot above, there are crashes on both sides of the street near 2nd SW – the eastbound one involves a school bus, but officers have told dispatch there were no children on board. No serious injuries reported in either crash.

4:51 PM: The eastbound crash has cleared and the live-camera view shows the westbound one should clear soon, with a tow truck on scene.

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WHALES: Transient orcas passing West Seattle

September 12, 2024 2:29 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Whales

Thanks to Kersti Muul for tips that transient killer whales are in the area again today. A short time ago, she texted that “T65A5, the lone guy, is close to Alki Point SB,” which potentially means at least one whale in view from west-facing West Seattle. Let us know if you see any!

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WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Final Environmental Impact Statement out early

September 12, 2024 12:31 pm

| 86 COMMENTS

| Sound Transit | West Seattle news

As happened in 2022 with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Sound Transit has published the Final EIS for West Seattle light rail ahead of its official release date (September 20). We’ve been watching the ST site for the likelihood this would happen (as explained in 2022, “early” publication relates to the Federal Register); thanks to Joe for the tip that it happened since our last check early today. We haven’t started reading it but are publishing links for those ready to dive right in. You can start here – that page has links to more than 50 chapters and appenndices. If you want to skip right to the key points, you can start with the 44-page Executive Summary, find that here. This is all a prelude to the Sound Transit Board making its final decision on routing and station locations; the date for that is not yet set.

ADDED 1:30 PM: If you’re interested in seeing more renderings (the one we featured atop this story was from the Executive Summary), tipster Joe reminds us that the 268-page Visual and Technical Aesthetics section is where you’ll find them – go here and scroll ahead to page 73 (titled Attachment N.2A: Key Observation Point Analysis). You’ll find dozens of images, such as this one showing what the light-rail line’s new dedicated bridge might look like:

More to come. Meantime, we also should remind you that ST has announced in-person informational sessions for September 25 and October 1 in West Seattle, October 2 in SODO – details here.

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FOLLOWUP: Homestead Community Land Trust chosen as affordable-homeownership developer for ex-substation site at 16th/Holden

September 12, 2024 11:59 am

| 16 COMMENTS

| Highland Park | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

11:59 AM: Above, that’s what the southwest corner of 16th/Holden looks like today, a 9,425-square-foot former Seattle City Light substation originally declared as “surplus” more than a decade ago … and below is a “massing” rendering of its potential future with newly chosen prospective “affordable homeownership” developer Homestead Community Land Trust.

The city Office of Housing has just announced that it’s chosen Homestead CLT – which is also working on the Admiral Church project – to develop “permanently affordable” homes on the site. We’ve been following this process; most recently, the city told us in June that two developers were in the running, and one would be chosen by summer’s end. From the city announcement:

The City of Seattle’s Office of Housing (OH) is proud to announce a significant investment of up to $3 million in the future of affordable homeownership in West Seattle. This funding will be awarded to Homestead Community Land Trust (Homestead CLT) for the redevelopment of the former Dumar Substation site at 1605 SW Holden Street and will support the creation of 21 permanently affordable homes, marking a critical step forward in the City’s ongoing efforts to provide affordable housing options for low-income families.

Homestead CLT, partnering with the Cultural Space Agency, submitted a winning proposal through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process that not only increases the supply of affordable homeownership units but also integrates ground-floor commercial space to enhance community vibrancy.

Homestead CLT’s proposal garnered strong community backing, with local organizations like the Highland Park Action Committee and the Highland Park Improvement Club voicing their support. Once complete, the development will feature a four-story building with a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom homes, all of which will be available to buyers earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In addition to providing affordable homeownership opportunities, the development will also include ground-floor commercial space.

The commercial space is something that community groups long had advocated for, as well as supporting zoning at the site – at an intersection with businesses on two corners and a fire station at the third – so it could support a project like this. We’re following up with Homestead regarding timeline and what happens next.

ADDED 1:03 PM: Here’s the response we received from Homestead CLT’s CEO Kathleen Hosfeld:

First, I want to give big props to [former City Councilmember] Lisa Herbold, because making sure this property was set aside for affordable housing was one of her top priorities before she left office. This was something I’d been hearing about for years directly from community leaders, and she got it done. Let’s make sure we give credit where it’s due.

In terms of opportunities for community engagement….The City has already engaged in a lot of outreach to determine what people want for this site. We don’t want to contribute to “process fatigue” by asking community to keep repeating the same feedback they’ve given before. But we typically host one or more community open house opportunities for engagement on projects before we submit our permit application. We intend to submit the permit application in May of 2025. We have not yet scheduled those events.

We hope to have full funding for the project by the end of 2025 and start construction in early 2026. However, if we are not fully funded, the timeline may get pushed to start construction in 2027.

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ALL-WHEELS IN MORGAN JUNCTION: ‘Skate dot’ plans take shape as volunteer team reaches a major goal

September 12, 2024 11:11 am

| 11 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Leaders from the Morgan Junction All-Wheels Association (MJAWA) met online to discuss the latest plans for an all-wheeled “skate dot” space (for activities like skating, scooters, and biking) in the south part of Morgan Junction Park when its expansion is built. The team also shared that they had reached a major goal with regard to volunteer hours (more on that below).

The meeting last week was facilitated by Matt Johnston and other MJAWA members, and the most recent design concepts (such as the screenshot above) were presented by team members including James Klinedinst, project manager for Grindline Skateparks (headquartered in West Seattle). The complete set of designs are summarized in this PDF, focused on the roughly 1,500-square-foot skating area within the larger park.

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West Seattle Art Walk, Words/Writers/SW Stories, Mode’s under-21 Open Mic, more for your Thursday

September 12, 2024 9:40 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

We start today’s highlight list with tonight’s biggest event:

WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: It’s the second Thursday of the month, which means West Seattle Art Walk night! From North Admiral to Morgan Junction, you are invited to visit dozens of businesses offering art and/or music and/or food/drink specials. Here’s the list:

You can preview specific venues and participating artists here; most receptions run 5 pm-8 pm. Among the highlights is one we’ve already previewed, the West Seattle Art Tour preview at NOR Design and Construction (5953 California SW, 5-8 pm).

Also during tonight’s Art Walk, the September Art of Music! Three free mini-concerts scheduled for 6-7:45 pm – the Toujaise Flute Duo (have you seen them playing in the park?) at (LOCATION CHANGE) Great American Diner in The Junction (4752 California SW), Trevor Ras at Welcome Road Winery in South Admiral (3804 California SW), and McPage & Powell at Pine Lake Cellars (5405 California SW).

Here’s the rest of our list for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: Shop late-summer-and-beyond plants at the center, open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Annuals, perennials, sun, shade, natives, edibles, ground covers … wide variety!

WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com for info on where they’re playing today.

NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room/wine bar open Thursdays-Saturdays 1 pm-6 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Food too – stop by to sip and nosh!

STRONG BODIES, STRONG BONES: 2:30 pm yoga class at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).

HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: Every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s C. Davis Texas BBQ at HPCS.

(updated) HIGH-SCHOOL SPORTS: Two home contests on the schedule – in girls’ soccer, Chief Sealth IHS hosts Nathan Hale, 4:30 pm at Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), and in volleyball – the West Seattle High School Wildcats host Lakeside, varsity at 7 pm (3000 California SW).

UNDER-21 OPEN MIC: Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) presents this special monthly Open Mic next door at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), signups at 5 pm, performances at 6 pm. This month’s optional theme: Beatles songs!

VISCON CELLARS: The West Seattle winery’s tasting room/wine bar is open 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) for wine by the glass or bottle, as well as participating in tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk!

B.J. BULLERT @ WORDS, WRITERS, SOUTHWEST STORIES: West Seattle historian, author, and documentary filmmaker B.J. Bullert has the spotlight tonight in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s monthly speaker series, online at 6 pm. Our calendar listing has the link you can use to register to attend.

WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy for a group walk in Lincoln Park – details in our calendar listing.

HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: 6:30 pm, meet at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) for a 3-mile run through the neighborhood. (Walking option, too!)

BLUES NIGHT: 6:30-9 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), every Thursday it’s blues night.

TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet (9614 14th SW).

‘GUARDS AT THE TAJ’: Opening night for the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW), 7:30 pm.

Planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER, ROAD WORK: Thursday info

September 12, 2024 6:02 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, September 12.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Today’s forecast: Cloudy, possible pm showers, high in upper 60s. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:43 am, while sunset will be at 7:26 pm.

SPOKANE ST. VIADUCT, AND OTHER ROAD WORK OF NOTE

*Again tonight, work on the Spokane Street Viaduct resurfacing project is focused on the westbound side – the two left lanes are scheduled to be closed 8 pm to 7 am, then no work Friday-Sunday nights.

Other projects:

*For the Admiral Way Bridge seismic project, the north half of the bridge remains closed, with one lane each way on the south side; Fairmount Avenue remains closed under the bridge.

*The Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.

*Beach Drive gas-line work continues.

TRANSIT NOTES

Water Taxi today – Regular schedule for both routes.

Metro buses today – Regular schedules. Note that the twice-yearly service change is this Saturday, September 14 – Routes 60, 125, 131, and 132 are the ones in our area that will see changes.

Washington State Ferries today – 2 boats on the Triangle Route. The “unscheduled third boat” should be back.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:

High Bridge – The Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low bridge: Here’s the main view:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

South Park Bridge – Looking east:

Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.

If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

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