West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
-Guess who’s surfaced in the growing push to keep Charlestown Cafe from being replaced by a standalone Petco store: Former City Councilman Charlie Chong. His letter to the current council members is in one of the latest posts on the Our Town/West Seattle group site, as it moves to organize the fight.
-Also stepping up their fight: The Morgan Junction/Gatewood neighbors who say the construction across the street from Gatewood Baptist shouldn’t have sneaked through the permit process as a group of small projects instead of the one semi-big project it really is. One neighbor has just posted a new comment on this WSB page, contending the project is clearly illegal, and also wants everyone to know project updates are on the ORCA site.
-And one last reminder regarding a (so far as we know) noncontroversial project: As we mentioned Sunday, tonight’s the third and final public meeting to talk about what’s going to be done to transform the “Ercolini property” (photo below) into a park.
We were just reminded that it’s been exactly a year since the developers of Fauntleroy Place east of The Junction announced they’d signed Whole Foods. Six months since their land-use permit application. Looks like they’re not through the red tape yet — another Design Review Board meeting is tentatively set for the project in a month. Seems somewhat behind schedule, since the developer’s own fancy PR sheet suggested (page 11) groundbreaking ’06, completion mid-’07.
A great, informative discussion in the comments here, after the Charlestown Cafe site/Petco project Design Review Board meeting, has led to action. Admiral Neighborhood leader Mark Wainwright has set up a Yahoo! group (with a cool logo) as a rallying point for those concerned about the development (and the way things are going around here in general). Go sign up!
We mentioned last week that work has begun across the street from Gatewood Baptist Church, where land sold by the church is turning into “townhomes” (first noted here almost 3 months ago, then re-noted when multiple permits were issued just before Thanksgiving for four addresses all assigned to the one site – 7200 Cali, 7202 Cali, 7206 Cali, 7208 Cali). Now, with yet another permit JUST assigned to a fifth address at the site (7204 Cali) and the heavy equipment having arrived (photos below), neighborhood watchdogs have uncovered the magnitude of the project — contending this is ONE semi-big development that should have been subject to public hearings and a more intensive review process, instead of sliding through under the guise of multiple small projects. They’re conferring frantically about what they can do to get construction put on hold. They also say the work has opened “a natural spring” that’s causing water trouble at the site and may be reason alone for city review. They’d be interested in hearing from any land-use experts with thoughts on all this. (Side note, the house hidden in the trees at the upper right of the top photo is described by neighbors as an old “hunting lodge.” Who knew?)
Remember the exotically named, misleadingly marketed Verge Condos on Harbor? Six months to the day after we muttered about the peculiarities of their website, seems at least a few remain available, since today a soggy sign-waver was stationed nearby:
Things are going to be busier along Cali Ave just south of Morgan Junction — construction has begun on the townhomes-to-be across from Gatewood Church (this land was sold along with the church, which is still up for re-sale, though its listing now says “subject to inspection”) — the building on the north end of the property is already gone and the heavy equipment’s moved in.
If we can have NoMo and SOA, why not JuNo — north of The Junction? Anyway, an e-mail tip alerted us to empty storefronts we hadn’t previously noted. Emerald City Locksmith is gone, but window postings promise they’ll unlock a new location on Harbor Ave in March; Fringe salon is just plain gone, with FOR LEASE signs outside the space (which has had other names), as well as a land-use alert (townhouses, of course) dating back to last August.
One day after the Tempest in a Pizza Box, the P-I’s got another story that appears ripped from the pages of West Seattle Blog (but with a few new details, such as, who’s trying to buy, and build on, that big front yard).
Looks like at least one of the big east-of-Junction mixed-use projects is about to accelerate: Got an e-mail tip that Hollywood Video at Alaska and 41st had announced it would be closing Feb. 11; went over to check it out, and before we could even approach the counter to inquire, we heard the clerk say it loud and clear to three different sets of customers. Apparently they expected more warning, but then suddenly, this weekend, the owner gave them two weeks’ notice — or so went the clerk’s version. This is the project that supposedly will include a QFC, just a few blocks west of the future Whole Foods, practically across the street from Safeway … wonder how soon the wrecking ball will show up?
We couldn’t go to last night’s Design Review Board meeting but WSB reader Sage Wilson did and offers this detailed report (thanks, Sage!), after the jump:Read More
… is in the Letters to the Editor section: The Charlestown Cafe folks say they may be staying months longer than they thought. (Their letter includes a reminder of tomorrow night’s Design Review Board meeting on the site’s future project, reportedly the relocated Petco.)
Reader “The House” tells us the Design Review Board meeting for the project (described as a “one-story retail building”) proposed at the Charlestown Cafe site is coming up next week. The applications with the city say this architecture firm is involved. If you’ll recall, the P-I hinted this maybe possibly might be the mystery Trader Joe’s site, but we haven’t seen anything public about what’s planned for the project — should find out at this “early design guidance” meeting, if not sooner. (As for the Charlestown operators, one site visitor mentioned an unverified report they might have been seen checking out the Alki space next to Cactus; anybody got more on that?)
Once the wind stops and the (allegedly looming) snow melts … here are 2 things to look ahead to, maybe even look forward to, this coming Thursday: First and foremost, the folks at Divina confirm the monthly Junction Art Walk is indeed on for Thursday night; starts at Divina at 6 pm – maps of participating businesses and artists will be provided – wraps at West 5 with complimentary champagne. Also on Thursday night, if you’re not in the artsy mood, how about the Design Review Board meeting on the project proposed for the burned-out Schuck’s site at California/Charlestown? (6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct, just south of Home Depot)
After months of watching land-use applications, we’ve noticed they mostly fall in the categories of “build something new,” with the occasional “put antennas on building.” However, a couple hit the city site a few days ago (but dated 12/4, so it’s not windstorm backlash) for a plan to “remove vegetation,” including more than a dozen trees (center of the photo below, just to the left of the street light), on a lot over Beach Drive. The house on the property is on Atlas so one of the applications is for that address; the other application has a Beach address even though that part of the lot is steep slope, inhabited only by the birds. Seems too steep to safely get rid of the trees and brush without a major mudslide threat, but does the city ever say no to these things?
Usually we just bring you pre-weekend “here’s what’s happening” blurbs. But so much is going on this week before the weekend, besides basic holiday stuff, so here goes:
–TUESDAY NIGHT: An e-mail tipster reports that West Seattle’s own Mac “Santa Mac” Macdonald is producing “Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas,” a benefit show at 7:30 pm @ McCaw Hall, and promises it’s “the most fun to be had this holiday season.”
–WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cafe Rozella hosts author Layne Maheu @ 7 pm, reading from his book “Song of the Crow.”
–THURSDAY NIGHT: The next Junction Art Walk, 6-8 pm, starting at Divina, with 12 participating locations (we’ll post artist specifics by Thursday). Then get involved in civics and meander over to the Southwest Precinct at 8 pm as the city Design Review Board makes its pronouncement on the huge Fauntleroy Place development.
While the “for (re)sale” sign flaps in the breeze outside Gatewood Baptist Church (on Cali, just before the big hill), the city has just issued a fat set of permits for the multi-family housing that’s going up on what was church property across the street: two “duplex townhouses” at 7200 Cali, two more (plus a demolition permit) at 7202 Cali, two more at 7206 Cali, and last but not least, two more at 7208 Cali. As a meditative scene, if this density disturbs you, ponder this photo of West Seattle housing some decades back.
-Last reminder that the city’s Southwest Design Review Board meets tonight @ the police dept.’s SW Precinct, with 2 projects on the agenda: the controversial apartment/condo/”park-pool” proposal for 4515 41st SW, and “mixed-use” @ 4116 Cali.
-Tipster wrote to tell us about Salon.com’s comic “K Chronicles” giving a shoutout to West Seattle. (Since Salon requires subscriptions or “day passes,” good news is, a different site has a free link to the strip here.) Further investigation reveals its author Keith Knight will be at the T(ea) Gallery (in the SOA zone) tonight for an afterparty following his appearance at Hugo House; per the comic, he’s related to the TG’s owner.
An interesting albeit accidental discovery that may be relevant to one neighborhood’s fight against a sizable development planned in their midst: While looking for something else, we happened onto the city’s 1999 plan for Junction development. It describes the area from 41st to 44th, Genesee to Edmunds, as targeted for creation of “a more compact mixed-use commercial core.” That would seem to include the area on 41st, just north of Alaska, where folks are upset about a proposed 7-story apartment/condo building with a “park-and-pool” facility (lots of interesting info in the comments on our original post); the SW Design Review Board takes up the project this Thursday night. Not sure how closely that 1999 plan is still being followed, but you can still easily find it (and plans for other city neighborhoods) from here.
-A comment just posted a ways down the site is worth spotlighting: Some folks who’ve had it with the Mars Hill guy’s misogyny are planning a protest outside MH-Ballard next weekend.
-News on two churches entirely unrelated to MH (so far as I know): Gatewood Baptist Church is moving from Cali & Othello to 35th & Cloverdale. GB has sold its land on both sides of Cali; the land on the east side (sold for $3.2M) will turn into “townhomes” (here’s a story about the company that bought it) — the west side is up for “re-sale” in two chunks, the school/office building along Othello ($800K) and the church itself ($1.8M). Meantime, with at least part of the proceeds, Gatewood is taking over the former Calvary Lutheran Church. Calvary’s signboard already reads “Welcome, Gatewood Baptist” but the person who answered the phone at Gatewood told us they’re not moving till renovation work is complete after the first of the year. As for Calvary’s future, its phone recording says that as of last weekend, it’s holding services at The Kenney.
Just east of The Junction, an all-too-familiar story is playing out in a neighborhood that is looking for support in their quest to make sure this version will not have the usual ending. Neighbors worried about a project on the board for 4515 41st SW say that even with condos and commercial development creeping closer to their block, what’s proposed for that site just doesn’t fit — a 7-story apartment/condo building. Only single-family homes and townhomes are on their block right now; adding this project would be something like going from 0 to 60. The Southwest Design Review Board will take another look at the plans when it meets a week from tomorrow (8 pm Nov. 16, SW Precinct on Delridge). One neighbor tells me he’s been trying to contact the city planner assigned to the project and hasn’t received so much as a courtesy reply. This is one of two projects on the SWDRB agenda for that night; coming up in December, the same board checks back on Fauntleroy Place.
A shiny new city land-use alert sign (the posts look like they just came out of the lumberyard) is now up in front of the Schuck’s/Hancock Fabrics parking lot that eventually will make way for Fauntleroy Place. No new milestones on its city DPD tracking page; the architect’s site (it’s craftily framed; follow “what we do” to “business/commercial” to “mixed use” and find Fauntleroy Place there) says construction will start in 2008 — we wondered, is it really that far away? Maybe so, given that several city agencies/commissions still seem to have some questions (or so you’d gather reading the last page of these minutes from last month’s meeting of the city Design Commission).
Speaking of driving … We seem to spend more and more time stuck in the right lane on The Bridge in the mornings, sludging along to get to the viaduct, then in the right lane on the viaduct in the evenings, sludging along to get to The Bridge. Problem is, more and more of us are pouring into those funnels, now that the city is granting new teardown-to-townhome permits almost daily (putting a dozen or more households where just one once sat). I totally admit to being part of the problem, in my single-occupant (albeit little) vehicle. The bus would cost me 3 hours a day roundtrip right now — 3 hours I can’t spare — and I don’t think Ron Sims’ bus tax is going to make things any better. Laugh at me if you want, but I still mourn the monorail. (I’d settle for a year-round Water Taxi.) See you in the funnel …
Months after we first got a tip that Rainier Roaster at Fauntleroy & 35th would be transformed into West Seattle’s first drive-thru Starbucks … it’s finally about to happen. After a reader wrote to tell us that RR has a sign up saying it’s closing as of this Saturday, we checked the city permits … and there it all is, plain as day. Let’s see … Alki, Admiral, Morgan Junction, Westwood Village, three Safeways, Westwood QFC, and the “half” would be WV Barnes & Noble. Don’t we need just a few more?
| 2 COMMENTS