West Seattle, Washington
27 Sunday
Thanks to Meaghan for the photo and video! She says the Highland Park Elementary PTA Give & Take Sale is in full swing at the school (1012 SW Trenton) – everything’s free, take what you need, and if you can make a monetary donation, those will all benefit the HPE PTA, which organizes this every year.
It’s on until 3 pm.
(WSB photo, HPE’s 2024 Give and Take Sale)
Got stuff to recycle to someone else, but not planning a sale? The Highland Park Elementary PTA could use your help! This Saturday is their “Give and Take Rummage Sale” – here’s the announcement sent to us to share:
Give and Take Rummage Sale April 5th
8-10 am Donations are accepted, then begin rummaging at 9 am
Everything is FREE. Monetary Donations are accepted in support of the PTA.
Highland Park Elementary School Northside blacktop
1012 SW TrentonOur take what you want and give what you can event is Saturday. This event truly supports our community. Families who truly need basic clothing, shoes and housewares can get what they need. Donate your gently used books, garden starts, sports and outdoor equipment, kitchenware, kids and adult clothing and toys. NO large furniture. We will accept donated items from 8 am-10 am on 4/5 at the Highland Park Elementary blacktop playground on the north side of the school. All items will be free and donations accepted. All items left at the end of the day will go to local charities, Westside Baby and Mary’s Place. What they will not accept will go to Goodwill and Salvation Army, etc.
Any questions please see the PTA website
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
2022: RVs were cleared on Andover. A bicycle lane was installed. No RV returns.
2023. RVs were cleared on Harbor Avenue. Parking-restriction signs were installed. No RV returns.
2024: RVs were cleared on Trenton by Westwood Village. Pavement markings and parking-restriction signs were installed. No RV returns.
So, Highland Park, South Delridge, and Riverview residents asked Wednesday night, when will some sort of permanent action happen in their neighborhoods?
The question was asked because encampments – RV and otherwise – were the main topic of this month’s HPAC meeting, facilitated at Delridge Library by co-chairs Kay Kirkpatrick and Barb Biondo. With the looming concern of stormy weather on the way (thunderclaps later resounded outside the meeting room), 20 people – including city reps – showed up. In addition to reps from the Unified Care Team. CARE Community Crisis Responders, Seattle Police, two of the three members of City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s staff – chief of staff Elaine Ikoma Ko and district director Erik Schmidt.Ko said Saka has met with the mayor’s office recently to “discuss these issues.”
HPAC’s pre-meeting preview noted that the city’s assessment of how many RVs and encampments were in the area was a dramatic undercount; one neighbor did an informal survey right before the meeting. Longtime city homelessness-response rep Tom Van Bronkhorst explained what the Unified Care Team does and doesn’t. The UCT is ‘really focused on people on the streets, doing outreach to them …(and) offer(ing) them something,” he explained. “The response from the city continues to evolve as the situation changes and we learn what works and what doesn’t.” UCT also “is not a first-responding group,” he explained.”If you feel threatened, or like something bad is happening, call 911.”
Regarding RVs: “We know we’ve got a problem, and it’s a big one … the SODO neighborhood also has a big problem … With RVs, the city objective right now is not to ‘rid the city of RVs’; people living in vehicles have (legal) rights to live in their vehicles … we are not on a mission to impound every RV …. we are on a mission to keep those RVs moving … they move from area to area. Why are they here? Some of them might have family here … maybe there’s a lot of unrestricted parking … ” He paused then for questions and comments.
One attendee mentioned Find It Fix It being a “wealth of data” on which areas do and don’t have encampments, so he wants to know why there’s a problem here but not in other areas of West Seattle. … If this was to happen on Beach Drive, Admiral, Alki …” Someone else chimed in, “It wouldn’t.” He said he asks friends in such neighborhoods “where are your encampments at?” And they don’t have them. Van Bronkhorst said the city doesn’t tell people where to go. The attendee said he’s tried reporting an encampment by 18th/Trenton that “got really bad,” on a site whose owner tried to get police to trespass squatters. “They may not be pushed here, but they group here.”
Van Bronkhorst reiterated that other areas of the city – like Ballard – are heavily impacted too.
The attendee said one RV finally moved on after eight months, though he assessed its residents were more “the working poor” than “the hard-core drug users.”
If someone does not move on, Van Bronkhorst acknowledged, they don’t have consequences. Are the policies in writing? asked anther attendee. And why aren’t all parking policies – like vehicle widths – being enforced?
Van Bronkhorst described the MDAR (Multi-Department Administrative) rules, put together by a task force in 2017. Those rules spell out how to approach encampments, how they offer shelter, how they must offer to store people’s belongings, how they notify people when a removal is happening.
Why isn’t a task force convened to review those rules periodically? asked an attendee. Van Bronkhorst said he didn’t know. He then explained still more about the Unified Care Team, which has reps from all the different departments “that touch homelessness response.” He suggested referring to specific potential violations when reporting problems – like “overly wide vehicles.” He also said people might consider suggesting specifically that the MDARs be reviewed. He also reiterated that filing a Find It Fix It report is the fastest way to get something into the city’s queue for evaluating a situation and its potential hazards, among other things. Situations are assigned “points” by what they find.
What about safe lots? asked another attendee – lots that would be “truly appealing” with showers and other facilities to serve people. “I just feel like there’s no improvement … I don’t see a change.” 16 RVs, 9 vehicles, and 4 tents within walking distance of 18th and Trenton …. 9 RVs just at 9th/Henderson, said the person who’d done an informal survey just before the meeting. “How many times do we have to clean up 9th/Henderson? I want action…. I know you say you move them around … we don’t want you to (just) move them around … we want safe places where I can walk my grandkids …” She mentioned tents and intoxicated people along the pathway for which the community fought between Chief Sealth IHS and Westwood Village. Near tears, she repeated, “I want some action so people who live nearby can enjoy their neighborhood.”
The discussion continued to intensify. Everyone in the room raised their hands when asked who had submitted Find It Fix It tickets. Do more reports for a place get it more points? asked one attendee. No, said Von Bronkhorst. That attendee – who grew more furious as she spoke – talked about an encampment by Longfellow Creek and the Vietnamese Cultural Center (whose director Lee Bui was in attendance too). “They’re cutting down trees, and I would get in trouble if I did that at my house.”
Van Bronkhorst then said a problem with abating encampments was a lack of shelter, as there are “not many units” available in Tiny Home Villages. What about the completed tiny homes in storage in SODO? Van Bronkhorst said a budget issue had gotten in the way of expanding THVs. The room momentarily broke into chatter about other budget priorities. Van Bronkhorst then said things can be done to discourage RVsl someone had suggested funding for the Highland Park Way hill bikes-and-more lane be redirected, and Van Bronkhorst noted that bike lanes had been successful in discouraging RVs, just one way of “activating” space that otherwise might be re-encamped after a sweep.
So who do they suggeest “activation” to? asked Kirkpatrick, saying they’d tried making suggestions to SDOT before. Va Bronkhorst cautioned that street-side changes have to be carefully managed to avoid conflicts with residential parking needs. OK,said one attendee, then: “Why can’t they just not enforce (restrictions) for those (housed residents) like they don’t enforce everything?”
Another attendee said he was told to stop repeatedly reporting a particular situation because that would move it to the back of the queue. (Van Bronkhorst said he would look into whether that’s true.) This attendee said he had video and other evidence of drug use and production in RVs that are part of a ring. He said that outreach workers would show up and talk to the people there, and that the outreach workers were being “played like a fiddle.” What if, instead of moving one block, RV residents were told they have to move five miles?
After attendees repeated, “We want to be safe,” there were questions about what to do next, how to “take it to the next level.” Councilmember Saka’s chief of staff Ko said, “We’re bringing it to the right level – the mayor’s level.” She also said they were scheduling a “walking tour”to see “what can be done short term” for starters. They’ve also been meeting with SDOT, she said.
HPAC co-chair Kirkpatrick pressed, “We don’t want this (discussion to end here) and then we never hear again – so when are you going to come back?”
No specific promises were made, aside from a commitment that this indeed wouldn’t be the end of the discussion.
NEXT MEETING: HPAC usually meets on fourth Wednesdays; watch here for updates.
Some recent reader reports of car break-ins/thefts mentioned car seats stolen in the process. So in case this is one of them, we’re publishing this reader report from Kay:
At the entry to the PeeWee field at Riverview Playfields- Looks too nice to be just dumped!
The neighborhoods for which HPAC serves as the community coalition – Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – are also the West Seattle neighborhoods with the largest current concentration of encampments. So this Wednesday night (6:30 pm March 26 at Delridge Library) they will be discussing the city response. From the announcement:
The Citywide dashboard from 2024 Quarter 4 notes 2 tent and 3 verified RV sites contacted by UCT in Highland Park. It also gives a relational snapshot of where we are in a list of neighborhoods with unhoused residents. The numbers unfortunately do not reflect the reality what we see around us now.
If you are interested in taking action right away, a current opportunity to help out folks in need is via donation to the Westside Neighbors Shelter.
The library is at 5423 Delridge Way SW.
(WSB file photo)
Leadership of HPAC discovered this week that SDOT had posted significant otherwise-unannounced updates online regarding the Highland Park Way hill project. It’s been in planning for a while and was a named project in the Seattle Transportation Levy; the most controversial component was the proposal to rechannelize the hill with one downhill lane plus either a protected bicycle lane, or a protected multi-use path, or both. HPAC leaders contacted SDOT’s James Le to clarify, and via email today, he confirmed they’re going ahead with the plan to remove the downhill driving lane:
… The project team is continuing to develop a proposed design. Based on what we heard from community members, we have updated our concept to maintain all lanes on Highland Park Way SW at the W Marginal Way SW intersection. The updated concept will still include removing a downhill driving lane from SW Holden St to Pioneer Industries (about 600 feet from the intersection). We anticipate having the updated concept to share this spring.
The new online updates include long and short reports about community feedback on the proposal. The top “key theme” was summarized as “Many worry that removing a driving lane may increase congestion and make driving through the area more difficult.” HPAC has invited SDOT to present the plan at one of its upcoming meetings (usually the fourth Wednesday).
The fourth Wednesday of most months brings a gathering for HPAC, the community coalition for Highland Park, South Delridge, and Riverview – but not this month. HPAC leadership has announced they’re canceling the February meeting, but keep your calendar set for a meeting on March 26. No meeting doesn’t mean no activity, though; on the HPAC website, you can see the issues the group’s paying attention to right now.
P.S. If you missed last month’s meeting – which featured local beaver expert Pamela Adams revealing everything you didn’t know about beavers – here’s our coverage.
If you thought you heard a gunshot in the south Highland Park vicinity this past half-hour, it might have been the report Seattle Police are currently investigating near 16th/Elmgrove. Two men – described as white, 20s, one with a white beanie and stubble, one with dark clothing – are reported to have broken a car window in an apparent attempt to steal it. At least one had a gun and when they were interrupted is reported to have fired a shot into the air before they took off. Their vehicle is described as a pickup truck with elongated bed and canopy, possibly dark blue, blue LEDs. If you have any info on them and/or this incident, the SPD # is 25-047946.
This week isn’t as busy as last week for community-coalition meetings, but so far there’s one on the calendar: HPAC – the community coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge – meets in person on Wednesday, 6:30 pm at Delridge Library (5423 Delridge Way SW). Here’s the announcement:
While Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge sit along a ridge, we have huge environmental impacts on the watersheds to our east and west. This month our meeting will hear reports from both sides, Longfellow Creek along Delridge and the Duwamish Waterway.
We are super excited to have guest Pamela Adams from BeaverInsights coming to discuss her research and observations of the beaver families living in Longfellow Creek.
It’s easy to pass over or near this urban creek daily without noticing it’s presence, but up and down the creekbed, from Nucor Steel to the Roxhill Bog, several families of beavers, plus other wild critters, have taken up residence and are busily going about their lives. Find out more about them and learn about the benefits they bring to water quality and salmon habitat.
On the Duwamish Waterway side, we will be hearing about progress in the plans for the new West Duwamish Wet Water Treatment Facility, soon to be built near the base of the Highland Park Way hill. King County Wastewater staff will update us on the design and upcoming construction milestones.
As usual, we will have a chance to speak with representatives from the Seattle Police Department about any public safety concerns. The Southwest Precinct building sits directly atop Longfellow Creek, as it runs through an underground culvert below the Home Depot parking lot.
Our meetings are free and open to the public, please join us!
12:13 PM: Police say they’re blocking downhill traffic on the Highland Park Way hill because of a crash described as a driver colliding with a motorcycle or scooter rider. The rider has injuries and is being treated by Seattle Fire medics.
12:33 PM: In medical-assessment radio communication, medics now describe the rider as a 75-year-old man who was on a scooter when hit. His injuries are not described as life-threatening; he’ll be taken to Harborview Medical Center.
Story, photos and video by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Highland Park neighbors of all ages took to the streets on New Year’s Eve to walk in the annual “Not-So-Silent-Night Parade” organized by the Highland Park Improvement Club. The annual event has been going strong since 2009 (except for the COVID shutdown).
Neighbors gathered at the start of the parade route at the Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW), drawing a crowd of well over 100:
The group paraded to the Riverview Playfields to celebrate the end of 2024, and to welcome (complete with festive luminarias) the arrival of 2025:
Here is our full video of the paraders: Highland Park New Year’s Eve parade
Here is our full video of the post-parade gathering at Riverview Playfields: Highland Park New Year’s Eve parade at Riverview (includes the lighting and swinging of the “sage comet” in honor of those dearly departed from us in 2024)
After the parade, organizers served hot chocolate and tasty treats:
Parade organizers dressed in festive attire for the occasion:
You can demonstrate the West Seattle Giving Spirit today for a nonprofit that’s worked tirelessly for more than a century to connect and uplift neighbors: The Highland Park Improvement Club. We’ve been bringing you this special holiday-season opportunity to learn about, and support, some of our area’s nonprofits, in partnership with the Learning Communities Foundation, and today, HPIC is telling its story:
When a tragic fire was started outside the Highland Park Improvement Club (HPIC) building in 2021, the community mourned a gathering place that, in the words of one of our neighbors, “is open and welcoming to all and respects where everyone is in their life.” The club is much more than a building. HPIC has been a community-owned non-profit for over 100 years. We exist to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood by providing an inclusive gathering place, hosting neighborhood programs that celebrate the diverse arts and culture we represent, and fostering community engagement.
We are now fundraising for the HPIC Rebuild Project, which will construct a new performing arts and community event space on the foundation of the old building. The rebuilt HPIC will have an elevated performance stage with an expansive dance floor, a brand-new accessible mezzanine, an improved community kitchen, rain gardens, and solar energy generation. The new upper level includes additional gathering space, administrative offices, and storage.
Before the pandemic, HPIC hosted low- to no-cost concerts, art shows, holiday markets, dance classes, and celebrations with as many as 530 participants in a month. HPIC used the pandemic shutdown to start a vital food distribution program, while accomplishing necessary renovations. We were almost ready to reopen, only to be closed by the fire.
Even without a building, HPIC has been working hard to stay connected within the community, growing organizational capacity, and hosting community events. HPIC’s 2022 Reset Fest at Riverview Park drew over 300 people with games, arts and crafts, community speakers, and three bands, including Eva Walker of The Black Tones, who is a KEXP DJ and author of The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs that Shaped a City.
We asked Eva what she thought about the need for all-ages community arts spaces like HPIC. “As someone who was born, raised and Seattle-bred, I owe my success to the opportunities I had as a young musician performing in all-ages spaces. I was able to develop my music confidence, as well as connect with lifetime colleagues. As a new mother, my priority is to hand down music opportunities for my little girl Hendrix (yes like the guitar player). Community-led, all-ages venues like Highland Park Improvement Club are extremely valuable and necessary.”
This year, HPIC expanded the organization by adding nine new highly qualified and dedicated board members, all of whom live in the neighborhood. Four long-standing and experienced Board members remain.
In 2025 HPIC will restart programming to engage our neighborhood! We plan to offer free, all-ages community programming while opening our “doors” to partnerships with local artists and other arts and culture organizations. Please visit our website to become a sustaining HPIC member, sign up to volunteer, or donate to our Rebuild Project.
DONATE
VOLUNTEER
LEARN MORE
QUESTIONS? Emily Schauer fu*********@******19.org
We have two more West Seattle Giving Spirit spotlights for you – next one on Friday. Learn about all the nonprofits we’ve already featured by scrolling through this archive!
(WSB photo, 2022 paraders gathered at Highland Park Corner Store)
West Seattle’s only New Year’s Eve parade is back this year, two weeks from tonight, on the streets of Highland Park. This isn’t a parade you watch (well, you CAN), but rather a parade to join in – the Not-So-Silent-Night Parade, walking through neighborhoods to say goodbye to 2024 and hello to 2025, early enough in the evening that you can bring the whole family, and be done in time to go to parties. Highland Park Improvement Club is presenting it and has sent the full plan, including a call for volunteers if you can help (whether or not you plan to join the parade):
Celebrate the arrival of the New Year with friends and neighbors with an all-ages, family-friendly march through Highland Park. An annual event since 2009 (with the exception of the COVID shutdown), the Not-So-Silent-Night Parade is a community celebration to ring in the new year. All ages welcome.
5:30- 6 pm: Assemble at the Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW)
The store will be open for mingling, snacks and libations.
6 pm: Parade begins
Bring your personal noise or music makers and festive lighting, and help ring in 2025 as we parade down to the Riverview Playfields for a ceremonial goodbye to the old and welcome to the new!
Interested in volunteering to help with this event?
We need:
Hospitality table hosts and cookie makers
Parade safety monitors
Luminaria set-up help
Love to dress it up? Help lead the walk!Contact ka*************@******19.org if interested!
Tips & Info
We parade via sidewalks primarily on quiet side streets
The route is approximately one mile, with some moderate hills. Folks are welcome to join in at any point.
This is an all-weather event! Light up your umbrella, wear your snow boots, come bundled up for whatever the season brings us.
Don’t feel up to walking? Onlookers are welcome to wave and cheer us on – or meet the marchers at the end of our route to join the ceremony and hospitality table by the Playfields.
Route ends at SW Webster and 11th Ave SW
Pets may want to stay home — it can get loud!
(WSB photo, Tuesday morning)
On Tuesday we reported on city crews at 9th/Henderson for an encampment “remediation.” Unified Care Team spokesperson Callie Craighead said the city’s tally of results would be available today. Here’s what she told us:
The Unified Care Team conducted an RV remediation at 9th SW and SW Henderson yesterday morning. There were 3 RVs at the location, and 2 moved voluntarily from the area prior to start of remediation. Our teams towed the one remaining RV and removed almost 2,200 pounds of debris from the site. Offers of shelter were made but none were accepted at that time.
I wanted to note that the 2 RVs that moved voluntarily moved several blocks away, so constituents may feel like the situation was not taken care of. UCT parking enforcement works to keep vehicles in compliance with the City’s 72-hour parking regulations and they will be closely monitoring this area.
(WSB photos)
11:05 AM: Thanks for the texted tip. City crews are working this morning at 9th/Henderson [map], where RVs have camped for months. We went over for these photos after the tip. As is usual, the operation includes multiple city departments, SPD included.
The texter told us, “… The 9th and Henderson RV camp was partially moved today. The city is out there now. However they just moved from the interaction north of Henderson to maybe 75 feet away to now being on the west side of the intersection of Henderson. This encampment has in some variation been here since February. When they cleared out Trenton a few moved here.”
The texter said a car had already been towed this morning; we saw one tow truck standing by in the area. We’ll be checking with the Unified Care Team later in the day for a summary.
ADDED TUESDAY EVENING: A UCT spokesperson says info from this “remediation” – a description that suggests it was more a cleanup operation than a sweep – will be provided tomorrow. Meantime, if you’re interested, the city released its third-quarter homelessness-related data today.
(Photo by Peter de Lory)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Highland Park Improvement Club is edging ever-closer to rebuilding its headquarters, after 2021’s devastating fire.
Until then, HPIC leaders, members, and supporters are gathering in other venues – like the wreathmaking meetup at Highland Park Corner Store today (photo above), and online, which was the venue for this past Wednesday’s town hall. Here’s what we heard:
As HPIC moves into the future, it’s rebuilding in a different way too – it’s attracted new board members; more than half the board is new, it was noted near the start of the town hall. And it’s been a momentous year, as documented in this video shown after the board members’ introductions:
More milestones in the rebuild were part of it, of course, including demolition of what remained of the fire-gutted old HPIC building. Kay Kirkpatrick recapped everything else that happened this year, including hiring a general contractor.
(October photo courtesy Kay Kirkpatrick)
Now that the building’s down to the foundation, it’s time for work on the side sewer before the demolition preview can be “closed out”; then comes “civil work … where people dig around and look for plumbing lines, things like that.” Then it’s time to work on other phases:
How they move through those phases, Kirkpatrick said, depends on how funding goes. In response to a question, she said, no, the shell won’t be usable, they’ll have to get the new building to a stage where they get a occupancy permit. But they do hope to use the site as much as possible (only half of it will be fenced off for the project).
Not yet, though – so they were at Highland Park Corner Store for today’s Wreath-Making Meetup, and they’ll be moving through the neighborhood for the Not-So-Silent-Night Parade on New Year’s Eve. (Volunteers appreciated!)
(WSB photo, New Year’s Eve 2022)
Now back to the topic of fundraising. They have two needs – operations, and the rebuilding project. So far they have $1.75 million for the latter; they hope to get business sponsors and “major donors” to help cover the rest of what they need. They’re wrapping up work on fundraising strategy and planning a capital campaign. They will need to “re-introduce” themselves to the community to build connections – fu*********@******19.org if you can help and/or have ideas.
For HPIC operations, they are working on a business model, though the organization is nonprofit.
The priority will be “welcoming and meaningful and barrier-free arts, culture, and social events.” supported by member and rental fees. To get more of a handle on pursuing those, they are studying who else is serving Highland Park in that space, in hopes of forming new partnerships (and confirming that their rental rates are competitive). If you’d like to help with the resource inventory, email ga***********@******19.org.
How to get involved? There’s a link on the HPIC website. You also can follow HPIC on social media. You can become a member (with multiple levels of membership available). And/or be part of the “people power” they need from the neighborhood for all the different tasks that need to be handled. “Boosting awareness and engagement” are the focuses for 2025.
One question submitted before the town hall had to do with aircraft noise in the area. Kirkpatrick suggested that the person come to the HPAC meeting in January (fourth Wednesday, 7 pm, so January 22). Another question, sent in via chat: What about the construction timeline? Site prep is expected to go into mid-2025, but beyond that, it’s hard to say, funding-dependent – the next phase might take six to nine months IF full funding is found (at least $3 million total). Same for the “systems” phase – and then they hope to get the occupancy permit even if the building’s not quite complete. But they also recognize that there are a lot of questions regarding how costs might be affected if the next federal-government administration indeed imposes tariffs. They’ll be in close communications with their contractor, Metis (which had a representative at the meeting).
You can read about HPIC’s century-plus history here.
(October photo courtesy Kay Kirkpatrick)
What’s happening with the Highland Park Improvement Club rebuilding project since the old fire-ravaged building was demolished? What else is the group working on? How can you be part of it? Those are just some of the questions to be answered when HPIC convenes its next Virtual Town Hall, set for 7 pm Wednesday, November 20th. You can send in your own questions now – two ways:
Fill out this question form
Email your question to co*****@******19.org
You’ll find the attendance link on the HPIC home page.
Graphic courtesy of Metro: Newly revised proposed bus-stop changes for 16th Ave SW between Holden/Henderson
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
In response to pushback from area residents, King County Metro is proposing a newly modified set of scaled-back changes to bus stops and service associated with the 125/128 routes on 16th Ave SW between SW Holden Street and SW Henderson Street (see image above).
These changes, shared with us at WSB and discussed at last Wednesday night’s monthly meeting of the HPAC community coalition (serving Highland Park, Riverview and South Delridge), represent a partial rollback of the more-abruptly announced changes that caused a stir when they were announced back in February.
Metro is now looking for community feedback on these changes, in the form of an online survey that is being broadly promoted and will be open until November 22nd.
Some bus-riders have likely already noticed the new “Proposed Stop Changes” signs (including a QR code that links to the same online survey) that Metro began posting last week at various stops on 16th Ave SW:
Based on the initial feedback from HPAC attendees in last Wednesday’s meeting, the reception to Metro’s proposal seems likely to land much better this time around. “In general, this is all good news!” said one attendee. Here’s what the process now looks like, with potential implementation happening in the new year:
A complete rundown of the bus changes and the rationale from Metro is down below, but first, some other HPAC items from the meeting, which was facilitated by co-chair Kay Kirkpatrick.
After opening remarks, HPAC acknowledged last week’s passing of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand, calling it “sad news” and commending Sand for always improving morale of those around him, and “just getting stuff done.”
Next up, SPD Officer German Barreto from the Southwest Precinct provided a crime-stats update. He said that for Highland Park, aggravated assaults are trending down (but up for the past 28 days compared to 2023), and vehicle theft is down. For Delridge, burglaries have gone up (33% for the past 28 days compared to 2023). In terms of specific events, he mentioned a shooting and attempted robbery in Highland Park on September 30th (shots fired, nobody hurt), and in South Delridge a shots fired incident (no victims or property damage) on September 5th.
SW Precinct Operations Lt. Nathan Shopay was also in attendance, and he addressed the fact that neighbors told him that although crime is down in the past year, they “hear a lot of shootings in the distance.” Shopay said that there have indeed been some events “behind the greenspace” and down the hill, mostly just shots, but as one attendee pointed out there have been some significant events such as the shooting at Shree’s.
Barreto and Shopay both reiterated the importance of neighbors calling in whenever they hear gunshots (or if they experience any potentially criminal event). They said that for data collection purposes, and staffing, SPD uses that data to help make decisions and often to link together suspects and crimes at a later date. “Make the call to 911, it’s never an inconvenience.” One attendee said that they’ve typically received good response from 911 calls. Another asked about a recent robbery they had heard about, and Shopay said that SPD has “caught about half of the guys responsible for 60-70 robberies in the area,” (SPD info here) which was a big win. Another attendee thanked officers for their assistance with some specific issues in their neighborhood (such as a troublesome property near 20th and Henderson), and asked about why there would have been several people on her block that were suddenly ticketed for expired plates all at once — Shopay said that it was likely because the vehicles were flagged as part of parking regulations related to recent RV parking enforcement.
Next up was an update from Sean Blackwell from the city’s CARE Department (Community Assisted Response and Engagement), who confirmed that his team plans to expand the number of Community Crisis Responders (CCRs) from 11 currently to 28 eventually. This will include, in the first quarter of 2025, an expansion into the South Precinct and into West Seattle’s own Southwest Precinct. He said the role of CCRs is to support and complement police and fire responders, and to focus on connecting people to necessary services while dealing with crisis situations. He mentioned a YouTube video that talked about some of the team’s successes. Blackwell echoed what SPD staff said about 911 calls — always call, if you see/hear something — and said that he finds the community meetings very valuable and plans to attend more in the future.
One attendee said that they once attended a workshop about “how to make a good 911 call” by providing the right information, and asked if SPD/CARE staff could perhaps do something like that for HPAC in the future. Blackwell said that’s definitely an option, although he said that 911 dispatchers are well-trained to ask the right questions, and to get the right information. He said that one of the main complaints he hears from residents is “OK, I call 911 and ask for someone to come, but how come it took so long?” He said that SPD has staffing challenges, and steps are being taken to fix that but it will take some time. Incoming calls are prioritized: if it involves threat to life or bodily harm or is an emergency, then it’s a “priority 1” call and it gets triaged and dispatched first. If multiple calls come in with high priority, then it can lead to delays, but regardless it’s important for residents to call 911 and engage with the right people.
At that point in the meeting, the Metro bus stop discussion took center stage for the rest of the meeting. Kirkpatrick thanked Metro staff for following up and coming back to talk to the group. There were three Metro staff members in attendance: Robbie Frankel, Drew Robinson and Jessica Vu. Frankel drove the discussion and presentation, and said “we want to apologize for causing confusion in the past; we are here with a revised proposal” and look forward to hearing the public’s feedback via the online survey between now and November 22nd.
Here is the full list of changes and rationale from Metro, sent to us and also shared with HPAC last Wednesday night:
Bus stop changes proposed to create better King County Metro bus service
To improve bus service for riders in Highland Park, King County Metro is asking for public feedback on a handful of bus stop changes along 16th Avenue Southwest between Southwest Holden and Henderson streets in West Seattle.
In early 2024, Metro gathered feedback on an initial proposal to change stops along 16th Avenue Southwest for routes 125 and 128. A summary of feedback from riders highlighted that:
- For safety and comfort reasons, many riders prefer to cross the street at intersections with flashing pedestrian lights (Southwest Kenyon Street, Southwest Thistle Street, and Southwest Trenton Street) and avoid crossing at busy streets (Southwest Holden Street and Southwest Henderson Street.)
- Stops at Southwest Thistle Street are important for community access.
- Many students use the northbound stop at Southwest Trenton Street.
As a result, Metro is proposing closing only four existing closely-spaced bus stops, relocating one bus stop and installing one new bus stop. As part of these changes, Metro proposes sidewalk, shelter and ADA improvements to be built in partnership and funded by the City of Seattle Transportation Measure. This area also has seen recent service improvements with the launch of Metro Flex and added service on routes 60 and 125.
In the section of 16th Avenue Southwest between Southwest Holden Street and Southwest Henderson Street, consecutive stops are roughly 600 feet apart, compared to Metro’s target of having stops no closer than 1,300 feet. This area is a good candidate for bus stop improvements, and consolidating some stops ensures that city investments are made in stops Metro is committed to keeping. Reducing the number of stops also means each stop will be able to be made ADA-accessible.
Metro’s online survey of riders runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 22. Analysis of public feedback will take place later this year. Stops will be improved by the City of Seattle on a rolling basis beginning in 2025 and Metro will keep stops locations open until construction improvements at the remaining stops are completed.
Rider alerts with online survey links in English, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese are scheduled to be installed along the corridor beginning Oct. 24.
Proposed stop closures
- 16th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Elmgrove Street, northbound (stop #21390) and southbound (stop #22210)
- 16th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Cloverdale Street, northbound (stop #21370) and southbound (stop #22230)
Proposed relocated stop
- Southbound stop (stop #22244) at 16th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Henderson Street relocated to serve as a westbound stop at Southwest Henderson Street and 17th Avenue Southwest
Proposed new stops
- New southbound stop added at 16th Ave SW and SW Trenton St
Planned stop improvements
- Sidewalk improvements including adding bus bulbs, repairing damaged sidewalks, and rebuilding/adding bus landing pads at multiple stops
- Installing a new shelter with seating for the northbound bus stop at S Thistle St (stop #21380)
- Installing a new bench for the northbound bus stop at SW Trenton St (stop #21360)
- Improving ADA accessibility
No changes
- 16th Ave SW and SW Holden St, Southbound stop (stop #22190)
- 16th Ave SW and SW Kenyon St, Southbound stop (stop #22200)
- 16th Ave SW and SW Thistle St, Southbound stop (stop #22220)
- 16th Ave SW and SW Henderson St, Northbound stop (stop #21350)
Several meeting attendees thanked Metro for the changes, and asked for some follow-up clarifications (described in the map at the top of this article). One attendee thanked the team for keeping the Thistle stop, and for Sunday service (making it easier to do weekend grocery runs).
Others asked whether work needed to be done for certain bus stops, to make them more usable and safer — one near Kenyon, for example, has a sidewalk that’s very uneven due to tree root damage. The Metro team said that, yes, that’s something that they look at, but in many cases like that the tree is actually on private property, which makes it more difficult to manage.
Another attendee said that “I really appreciate the 125 route; it’s the fastest ride downtown on most days” and is glad that it’s been prioritized. Another attendee agreed, and added that the 125 is going to be essential to connect to the new light rail line. Frankel confirmed that, yes, the 125 route “rose to the top of all of our metrics” as the Metro team was looking at how to prioritize and optimize route changes. “We’re thrilled to offer improvements to it.”
An attendee also called out the Metro Flex service for routes 60 and 125 as a great example of a new offering that really makes a difference for residents.
HPAC meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month (with some “months off”) from 7pm-8:30pm, currently via Zoom. The group can be contacted via email at: hp*******@***il.com
Better than candy, it’s … trees! Highland Park celebrated Trick or Trees this afternoon at and around Highland Park Corner Store, centered on free trees for residents to take home and plant, but also featuring Halloween fun like a pet-costume contest:
Those were some of the contenders. Thanks to Kay Kirkpatrick of the Highland Park Action Committee (our report on their latest meeting is coming up later this weekend) and Highland Park Improvement Club for the photos!
(WSB photo from October 2023 Trick or Trees)
Every year, the weekend before Halloween is so full of seasonal activities, we’ve nicknamed it Hallo-weekend. This year that’ll be Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27. And we just got word of yet another event – the King County Wastewater Treatment Division sent word of this year’s Trick or Trees tree giveaway in Highland Park:
We are teaming up with the Dirt Corps, Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, and Highland Park Improvement Club to host our third annual tree giveaway to support community goals around neighborhood greening. Join us at one of our upcoming events in Highland Park and South Park to pick up a free native tree and learn about King County’s efforts to reduce pollution into the Duwamish River. Trees are available for community members and organizations based in South Park and Highland Park, on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. No registration is required.
Trick or Trees
When: Saturday, October 26, from noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Highland Park Corner Store, 7789 Highland Park Way SWThe event will include free trees, treats, and a Halloween costume contest for pets.
Find out more about Trick or Trees on the HPCS website.
Two days after demolition began at the 12th/Holden site of the historic Highland Park Improvement Club building, what remained of it after the 2021 fire is gone. Thanks to HPIC trustee Kay Kirkpatrick for these photos.
The foundation that you see in the photos will be reused for the new building. Fundraising for that continues. And the site will be used for community events before construction starts – timeline for that depends on how the fundraising goes.
Highland Park Improvement Club trustee Kay Kirkpatrick sent that photo from early this morning, as demolition of HPIC’s fire-gutted building began at 12th/Holden. As previewed here last night, this is a long-awaited step toward rebuilding, 3+ years after the fire. It’s still bittersweet for onlookers to see a century of history come down in a matter of hours; several were watching – including Kirkpatrick – when we stopped by less than an hour ago.
(This photo and next two by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
(added) Thanks to Scott Bessho for this video from right before we arrived, when the entry-side facade came down:
The Fed Excavation demolition crew is making fast work of the building; that’ll be followed by debris-clearing. Kirkpatrik says one challenge this morning was dealing with a ton-and-a-half steel beam. Its fate hasn’t been determined yet; some of the old timber from the building will be reclaimed. As will the site, in the interim time before its replacement is built (fundraising continues) – Kirkpatrick says a work party will be planned to clean it up and beautify it a bit once the building debris is gone.
(Photo by Peter de Lory, courtesy HPIC)
“Things are now ready for this big step in our rebuilding process.” So said Highland Park Improvement Club trustee Kay Kirkpatrick, announcing that the long-awaited demolition of what’s left of HPIC’s century-old building will finally start tomorrow (Monday, September 30). It’s now been three and a quarter years since the fire that ravaged the community-owned building, an epicenter of events for decades, even a community food hub during the pandemic. Back in July, HPIC held a farewell event, planned before they had discovered they’d face unexpected delays, “some additional asbestos found that had to be removed by Eco Environmental Services,” Kirkpatrick summarizes. But now they’re ready to get going with the teardown at 7 am Monday: “Metis Construction is our general contractor, and Fed Excavation is handling the demo.” HPIC is still raising money to pay for the replacement building, so the construction timeline isn’t finalized yet. (A city grant is helping with demolition costs and “site preservation” so the 12th/Holden site [map] can be used for events before construction.)
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