They formed as the Delridge Produce Cooperative, but the co-op plan has moved beyond that, working toward taking the commercial space in the future DESC building to set up a neighborhood grocery store. The project needs lots of community help, so you’re invited to a meeting tomorrow, as announced:
The supermarkets may not want us but we can give our community something better that can be a benefit to all of West Seattle and its surrounding communities! Keep the money and the jobs where it belongs – local cooperative ownership can be good for all, especially in these economically difficult times.
Please join us and share your talents and ideas regarding a grocery store on the Delridge corridor! Our next meeting is Monday, January 28th at the Delridge Public Library from 6:30 to 7:30. We have come a long way but have much to do!
The library is on Delridge just south of Brandon (map).
2:47 AM: Police are investigating a stabbing in the Delridge/22nd SW area (map) right now. According to radio traffic between medics and Harborview Medical Center, the victim is a 27-year-old man described as having a “single stab wound to the left flank.” He is being taken to HMC; no other details so far.
3:28 AM UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams says officers “are currently attempting to gather information as to exactly what occurred” – so far they know that the victim himself called 911 to report that he had been stabbed by someone he didn’t know, but didn’t make the call until about 15 minutes after it happened. They found him near Delridge and Graham. Early information from medics, Lt. Williams says, is that the stab wound was not life-threatening.
11:13 AM UPDATE: A few more details this morning via SPD Blotter – but what happened remains a mystery. (For the commenter who asked, police clarify the wound location as “lower left back.”)
Three notes this afternoon from North Delridge, and two relate to that photo. It’s an aerial view of Youngstown Flats, the 26th/Dakota apartment building whose developers (who provided the photo) now say the almost-200-unit project is 90 days from expected completion in the first week of April. “It’s almost over!” wrote Legacy Partners’ Steffenie Evans in a note to area residents. The crane is expected to come down “within a few weeks,” she adds; workers are currently painting and installing fixtures to finish the apartments’ interiors. Youngstown Flats also will incorporate 14 local artists’ work inside and out, from sculptures to lobby decoration. And sidewalks and landscaping is getting under way along Dakota.
In the lower right of the photo, you see part of the city-owned grassy area known as the Dakota Street Right-Of-Way – an undeveloped street end. As reported here last month, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is getting a $52,200 city grant for improvements, to make it more of a mini-park and to enhance its access to Longfellow Creek. Area businesses are contributing to the project – including maintenance promised by Youngstown Flats – and now NDNC needs something from you. The city wants the group to ask for community input on the mini-park’s design and materials, so if you have any thoughts on it, now’s the time to speak up! Here’s the park plan for your review. NDNC says even simple comments of support would be great. And if you don’t want to post a comment here, you can also have a say at one of two meetings this week at which it’ll be discussed: NDNC’s monthly meeting tomorrow (Monday, January 14), 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), or the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council on Wednesday (January 16), 7 pm, same building.
Speaking of tomorrow’s NDNC meeting – you’re invited, as always. Other agenda items, according to NDNC’s Kirsten Smith, include the council’s support for other community-grant applications, a visit from School Board rep Marty McLaren, and community crime issues. The meeting room is near Youngstown’s north entrance.
Two days till the start of the Delridge repaving project – and tonight SDOT has sent another reminder, with even more details about the southbound detour that will take effect when work starts on Thursday:
Beginning Thursday, January 10th, southbound Delridge Way SW traffic will be detoured at SW Trenton Street in West Seattle for Phase 1 of the Delridge Way SW Paving Project. Traffic will be directed:
*West on SW Trenton Street
*South on 25th Avenue SW
*East on SW Barton Street
*South on Delridge Way SW.
The detour will be in place until early March 2013. Northbound Delridge Way SW traffic will be maintained.
To assist westbound turns from 25th Avenue SW to SW Barton Street, temporary stop signs are being installed for east- and westbound traffic on SW Barton Street at 25th Avenue SW. Local access and access to businesses will be maintained during project work.
This is a five-phase project. At the completion of Phase 1 the construction activity will move to the Phase 2 section of Delridge Way SW, between SW Trenton and SW Thistle streets. Please visit the project website for more information.
The Delridge Way SW Paving Project is funded by the “Bridging the Gap” transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in November 2006.
Road-work reminders tonight as 2 big projects get ready to begin:
2 RAMPS TO WESTBOUND WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE CLOSED ALL WEEKEND: From right about now till 5 Monday morning, WSDOT is closing the ramps to the West Seattle Bridge from southbound I-5 and from Columbian Way (Beacon Hill). It’s the start of the Spokane St. Interchange Vicinity Special Bridge Repair project, which will close different parts of the Spokane/I-5/Columbian Way interchange during 10-plus weekends over the next few months. (Next weekend’s closure will only affect the ramp from Beacon Hill.)
YEAR-LONG DELRIDGE REPAVING STARTS THURSDAY: In case you missed the first announcement of the start date two weeks ago (here’s our December 21 story), SDOT sent the announcement around again late today – to make extra-sure everyone knows that Thursday is Day 1 for the mile-and-a-half-long repaving project on Delridge from Orchard to Roxbury. The basics are here; even more background is here – most important thing you need to know is that northbound traffic will be maintained along the entire stretch, but there will be southbound detours. The work will be done in five phases lasting 2 to 3 months each; the first phase will be Henderson to Trenton, and the southbound detour is shown here:
The official construction notice has work-hours details for residents in the affected area, among other information.
In the North Delridge neighborhood of Cottage Grove, a new tradition was born on winter-solstice night – a neighborhood parade. Led by neighbors Tanya and Patrick Baer in illuminated costume, as you can see in our video clip (that’s Tanya you hear explaining the parade just before it began), they brought lights and good cheer to walk the Longfellow Creek trails while celebrating both the longest night of the year and the brighter days ahead. West Seattle has a burgeoning tradition of neighborhood holiday parades – in the summer, there’s the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade, while at year’s end, the Highland Park Not-So-Silent Night Parade (coming up on New Year’s Eve) – and now, there’s this.
Just announced by SDOT – the date work will start on the yearlong Delridge repaving project:
Delridge Way SW Paving Project SW Orchard St to SW Roxbury St
Construction to begin January 10 – Expect Southbound Detours
The southern portion of Delridge Way SW is an important West Seattle arterial that has deteriorated over time. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will rebuild Delridge Way SW between SW Orchard and SW Roxbury streets to improve travel conditions and promote safety.
Project Description
· Construct new concrete and asphalt paving surfaces
· Install drainage detention pipes and inlets
· Provide upgraded curb ramps
· Reconfigure lanes between SW Myrtle and SW Kenyon streets
Project Work Hours and Schedule
Construction is expected to begin January 10, 2013, and be substantially complete by the end of 2013. Normal work hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with some weekend work and possible night work.
(WSB photo of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, from February 2012)
City Council President Sally Clark and Councilmember Nick Licata were among the guests at this month’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting – the holiday edition, held at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center instead of the usual Delridge Library – and Youngstown’s new manager was on the agenda too.
Karene-mailed after getting a notice yesterday regarding a planned power outage in her North Delridge neighborhood. We checked with Seattle City Light, which confirms that about 50 customers (homes/businesses) in the 26th/Juneau (map) vicinity will be affected by the work to be done tomorrow between 8 an and 6 pm. City Light’s Scott Thomsen explains, “We’re moving some wires and three transformers to comply with updated spacing standards from NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation).” Again, everyone affected should have received a notice at their home/business.
FIRST REPORT, 8:24 PM: Police are investigating a shooting in the 9200 block of Delridge Way. Per the scanner, a man around 30 years old was shot in both legs. They’re looking for at least three people reported to have fled the scene.
8:55 PM UPDATE: Just back from the scene, which cleared fairly quickly once the medic unit left to take the victim to Harborview Medical Center. We talked with James from Greenlight across Delridge, who told us he heard what sounded like six gunshots and went outside and saw the victim in the small triangle mini-park across the street by the bus stop. We also talked to a sergeant who remained at the scene while other officers fanned out – no word of any arrest so far, but police are searching.
9:17 PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter says the victim is 17 years old and was shot after two “unknown male suspects” approached him at the bus stop. (No mention of a female who was reported in initial scanner traffic to have fled the scene.) Here’s their update, which also describes the victim’s wounds as non-life-threatening.
(WSB photo, taken this morning)
Two months after demolition of the old houses on the site, construction work is now ramping up at the site of DESC’s future 66-unit Delridge Supportive Housing complex in the 5400 block of Delridge Way, north of SW Findlay. As noted in the project FAQ, onstruction is expected to last about a year.
And tonight, the nonprofit that is likely to open a co-op grocery store in the DESC building’s retail space has its next monthly meeting – with big issues including: How about a new name?
Name the Co-op!!! The Delridge Produce Cooperative idea has evolved from a plan for a co-op produce stand to a small, but full-service, community-owned multi-stakeholder grocery store! This means the store will not only be a source for healthy food, including meat, eggs, dairy and seafood but a support network and financial opportunity for large, small, and backyard farmers. The Co-op’s employees will also have an equal stake in the store. Our current name is misleading for some and we have received feedback regarding a name change. We wish to make another round of reusable strawberry bags and founding member t-shirts!! So, we need to choose our name! Please help.
They’re taking suggestions via their Facebook page. And whether you have an idea for a name, or not, you’re welcome at their meeting tonight:
We invite anyone with the time and inclination to join us at this very exciting step of the grocery store creation. We are welcoming founding Board Members and still looking for core volunteers to help at this stage.
Our November meeting is this Monday evening! All interested volunteers are needed to help plan our next steps. Teresa Young, Organizational Development Specialist from the Northwest Cooperative Development Center will join us to find out how the NWCDC can assist us at this stage. We are making final edits to our business plan and reviewing the first draft of our bylaws. This special meeting will be from 5:30-7:30pm, Monday November 26th at the Delridge Library.
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand) 6:31 AM: We’re checking on a house-fire call in the 9000 block of 16th SW. It appears to have been fairly short-lived, with an investigator called just a few minutes after the original call at 5:09 am, but we’ve gone to the scene to find out.
6:41 AM: According to the investigator on scene, this was another case – like Saturday night’s fire on 14th SW – of an “illegally occupied” house, across the street from the Salvation Army center. Neighbors told fire crews that transients are frequently seen at the site. The front of the building shows significant fire damage; nobody was hurt. Official word of the cause isn’t expected until later.
8:03 AM: Also like the Saturday night fire scene, this house has a record of city-code complaints, including a case listed as “not resolved,” with problems including “vacant, open to entry, overgrown, outdoor storage of junk.”
9:33 AM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB this was an accidental fire: “Transients inhabited the house and created a cooking fire in the living room which resulted in the fire to the vacant home. The estimated dollar loss is $151,000.”
If you’re interested in the Delridge Greenway – a city project to designate a stretch of road through North Delridge as a bicycle/pedestrian-safe alternative to braving Delridge Way – but couldn’t go to Thursday night’s open house, here’s a recap on the North Delridge Neighborhood Council site, by NDNC’s transportation chair Jake Vanderplas. Jake writes that about 30 people showed up to discuss ideas with city reps and each other. The city is scheduled to return on January 15th with a proposal, as first announced last month.
As first reported in our coverage of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting this past Monday – and information we found online afterward – the contract for next year’s big Delridge repaving/road-rebuilding project has been awarded. And now that the city knows the price, it also knows how far the paving will stretch – SDOT had said that depending on the bids, it would be able to add more of Delridge, and possibly even some of 16th. As noted in our earlier story, the contractor is Gary Merlino Construction, and the winning bid includes the “first additive” – which means Delridge will be repaved from Orchard all the way to Roxbury, but 16th will not be included. Read on for the official city announcement:Read More
(UPDATE: The bid just awarded will include Delridge all the way to Roxbury, but not 16th)
Roads, raingardens, greenways, beautification, and elections comprised the topics tackled at Monday night’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting – starting with an update on the big paving project in the works for the south half of Delridge Way:
Earlier this month, SDOTreps told the North Delridge Neighborhood Council (WSB coverage here) that the process of creating a “neighborhood greenway” – a walking/biking-safe zone, proposed for 26th SW – was slowing down a bit, and that community open houses would be the next step. Today, the West Seattle Greenways group shared the news that the dates have been set for those open houses. As outlined on this SDOT webpage, the first one is at 6:30 pm November 14th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), to look at these questions:
How is the experience of walking and biking in North Delridge?
What locations are the most challenging for people when they walk or bike?
Where do people want to walk and bike?
What should be the goals of a Delridge Neighborhood Greenway?
There *will* be a presentation (6:45 pm) as part of the open house. The second one will be on January 15th, featuring city recommendations and information on what happens next.
10:35 PM: In South Delridge, crews are at a house fire in the 9000 block of 21st SW, just reported as under control and almost out.
10:39 PM: According to SFD, the fire started “in a wall,” according to the first report they got. They’re still checking on some possible hot spots in the attic. SFD says no injuries have been reported.
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: SFD public-information officer Kyle Moore says they’ve determined the fire was accidental:
The occupant of the home was working on plumbing when the heat from the plumbing work ignited the wall and extended into the attic space.
At 10:10 p.m., a call came in the Fire Alarm Center reporting flames coming from the wall of a home in the 9000 block of 21st Avenue SW. Engine Company 11 arrived to find smoke coming from the roof of the two-story home. The firefighters used an attack hose line to knock down the flames while the first in Ladder Company searched the residence for occupants and then headed to the roof to cut holes in order to vent the smoke and heat.
Firefighters discovered the fire inside the walls of the home. The flames extended up the walls into the attic. Crews removed two walls and brought down ceilings in order to completely extinguish the flames. It took approximately 30 minutes to completely knock down this fire.
Three occupants safely evacuated the home and there were no reported injuries. The damage estimate is $65,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents.
Cider time! Join North Delridge neighbors under a tent at the Delridge P-Patch (accessible from either Delridge or 25th, 5000 block) till 4 pm. When we dropped by, Cooper was one of the young helpers. BYO apples – washed – and give the cider press (on loan from the West Seattle Tool Library) a try! More info here.
The third Southwest Design Review Board meeting for 9051 20th SW isn’t until October 25th, as we first noted two weeks ago, but the “packet” is already available through the city Department of Planning and Development – you can see it here. According to the packet, the project is now proposed for 41 units, three of them live-work, and 3,300 square feet of commercial space. Along 20th SW, it is proposed for four floors, and along Barton on its south side it is proposed for three, as shown in this design from the packet:
This project, on a site where two boarded-up and vandalized houses now sit, had two “early design guidance” meetings because the design changed dramatically after the first one, into one building instead of two. Its next meeting, which could be the last if the board gives its blessing, is scheduled for 6:30 pm October 25th at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California and Oregon in The Junction).
Thanks to Chris for the tip via Twitter – most of the “rechannelization” striping is in on the north end of Delridge Way SW, basically between the south side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and the West Seattle Bridge. Above, our dashcam view driving the northbound side just now; next, the southbound view:
The rechannelization was announced as part of a plan announced last spring to speed up Route 120 buses – we just happened to wind up behind one while our camera was rolling on the southbound side. As you might notice in the video, some painting remains to be done – bike lane and bus lane stenciling, for example. Here’s the county’s explanation of what was changed (see the link in that page’s sidebar).
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:46 PM: On a routine check of the city-permit files, we noticed something unusual a few days ago: Permits issued for a Delridge site to include “boarding houses.” Also catching our eye besides that seldom-seen term, the fact that the permit applications were filed more than three and a half years ago, and granted just now – not unheard of, but not common, either. The permits issued last week are for 4546 Delridge Way and 4548 Delridge Way, the overgrown site in our photo (between two houses); there is a demolition permit for a foundation at the latter address, and a construction permit for each address, described as “establish use … as single-family residence, construct boarding house.” (The one for 4546 is here; the one for 4548 is here.) A city website featured the boarding-house classification back in June, as a new “director’s rule” was implemented by the Department of Planning and Development. Seeking specifics about this project, we called the architect listed on the DPD pages as a contact, Novion; they noted that the project – as the DPD pages show – started several years ago as townhouses, and “the use has changed” because “the economy changed” – the idea is indeed, according to Novion, that the design would be “providing multiple bedrooms within a dwelling” and “the potential is that they would be rented or leased by the bedroom.” The architecture firm didn’t know about the current timetable for construction; the permits are good through 2014, so it could be soon – or could be a while.
6:40 PM UPDATE: We just heard from a neighbor who says a handwritten note was delivered yesterday saying construction will start on Monday.
If there were a co-op grocery store on Delridge Way, what would you like to see it carry, and how would you like to see it operate? If you can spare six minutes, Delridge Produce Cooperative is still accepting responses to a survey it launched a few days ago – short, anonymous, but extremely helpful to an up-and-coming organization that is in talks for the retail space planned in the 5400 block of Delridge Way when the DESC supportive-housing building opens – not just for produce, but for a co-op grocery store that would carry much more. The survey is here.
One year ago, the idea of a 26th SW “Greenway” through North Delridge was mostly just a dream. Now it’s edging closer to reality, and that was the biggest topic at Monday night’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting:
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