West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
Many – but not all – community councils take a break from meetings in December. The Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s every-other-month meeting, however, is ON for next Tuesday (December 11th), 6:30 pm at a different location – Admiral Congregational Church. From ANA president Larry Wymer, here are the agenda highlights:
1) Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
Director Andrés Mantilla will provide an update and overview of Seattle’s ‘Department of Neighborhoods’, including recent changes under our new mayor, with an opportunity for Q&A with the neighborhood to discuss how best to work with their department.2) Admiral Congregational U.C.C. Property
Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom will present information on the various services the church provides for our neighborhood beyond inclusive worship, as well as informing us of some near-term changes the church is planning to make. Admiral UCC is considering re-purposing some of its property, and wants to keep the neighborhood connected to and informed about the possibilities.3) ANA Officer Elections (& 2019 Priorities)
We will be holding elections for all ANA officer positions including:
● President
● Vice President
● Secretary
● Treasurer
We will also be discussing YOUR priorities for ANA for 2019, and offering opportunities for you to volunteer in whatever capacity suits your time and interests.
Admiral UCC is at 4320 SW Hill.
Our area’s two biggest transportation topics were at centerstage as the Junction Neighborhood Organization met last night. First, light rail:
SOUND TRANSIT UPDATE: Stephen Mak, the project’s West Seattle lead, provided background, including where on the timeline the project is – with planning continuing until 2022. But the most distinctive part of the briefing he led with Andrea Burnett was the Q&A, with a heavy focus on questions from people wondering if they would lose their homes to light-rail construction.
Mak also recapped how the process got to where it stands. We recorded this on video but the house lights weren’t brought down, so the graphics aren’t all that visible, so it’s mostly usable as audio – the slide deck is above.
The presentation included a quick look at the three “end-to-end alternatives” with which the third round of route review has begun (unveiled at the Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting we covered two weeks ago).
There are variables within each of these options, as Mak recapped; for example, the one that would tunnel to The Junction includes three potential tunnel locations.
And there’s the possibility of crossing the Duwamish River north of the West Seattle Bridge instead of south of it; that would include the rail bridge crossing over the West Seattle Bridge’s Delridge ramps, Mak said in response to a question.
The third end-to-end alternative, which would be elevated going into The Junction, envisions an elevated station at 41st. “I think it would be helpful for you to give (people) the elevation,” an attendee said. “Isn’t it true that it would be 140 feet?” Mak said he didn’t have that information. Does an elevated track go over houses? No, the houses would be demolished “to clear a path,” someone else responded. Another person said, “Is there a Ballard tunnel option? If Ballard gets a tunnel, West Seattle is going to want a tunnel.” Other questions included, what does ST mean by “exploring tradeoffs” in certain locations?
Also: Is there any option that would mean no one would lose their homes?
Right now, Harbor Avenue SW is a street without a stop sign or stoplight, from its south end at the bridge, all the way until its end where the street becomes Alki SW (which continues stop-less until 63rd).
The Alki Community Council wonders if a three-way stop might enhance safety at the intersection with California Way. That was one topic at the ACC’s November meeting.
Big topics tomorrow at one of the last community-group meetings before many go on hiatus for the holidays. The official announcement from Junction Neighborhood Organization director Amanda Sawyer:
Do you know how your bus will access downtown Seattle after the January 11, 2019 Alaskan Way Viaduct closure? Or maybe you have questions about the transition from viaduct to tunnel? SDOT, WSDOT & King County Metro will discuss how this transition will affect West Seattle at the next JuNO meeting. In other exciting transit news, Sound Transit will present the latest level 3 Light Rail recommendations that have moved forward in the process! Please join us for JuNO’s next meeting on Monday, November 19th in Hatten Hall at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 SW Oregon St) from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. We hope you can spare some time before the holidays to learn about these very important issues!
Agenda
6:30 – 6:40 pm – JuNO Updates about RPZ parking moving forward, HALA/MHA and more
6:40pm – 7:20 pm – Sound Transit will discuss Level 3 Route & Station Alternatives
7:20pm – 8:00 pm – SDOT, WSDOT & King County Metro will discuss January access to downtown during 99 tunnel transitionJuNO meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. Working together to make our West Seattle Junction and Triangle Neighborhoods a better place to work, live, and play!
If you want a refresher first – here’s our most-recent coverage on the three transportation topics:
–Viaduct-to-tunnel (8-week countdown briefing at south portal last Thursday)
–Light rail (announcement of three “end to end alternatives” for final review phase, two weeks ago)
–RPZ (SDOT’s October announcement that they’re moving forward in developing a proposal)
Toplines from tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting:
POLICE: Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand presented updates. Person-to-person crimes such as assaults and robberies are dow in the Fauntleroy area, while auto theft is up. Squatters were cleared from a vacant house. Some reports have come in about camping in Lincoln Park but police haven’t found anyone yet. One board member mentioned an uptick in car camping near the park and Lt. Strand said they’d investigate, as it was a problem toward the north end of the park a few months back. Though it’s not in the Fauntleroy area, he mentioned that Myers Way, where campers were cleared earlier this fall, will be revisited as there are reports that campfires are being seen in the area.
And a reminder: The Public Safety Survey conducted by Seattle University to assess attitudes on crime, safety, and policing, is still open – go here to answer it before November 30th.
(WSB photo, Fauntleroy ferry dock, last month)
FERRIES: With Gary Dawson‘s retirement from the board, Frank Immel is now the point person on Washington State Ferries issues. WSF is working toward its next Long-Range Plan, with a comment period on the draft version earlier this fall. Immel suggested FCA should work on its talking points regarding the ferry system’s future. He’ll summarize the major issues and suggested positions the board can discuss at its next meeting.
(WSB photo, Fauntleroy Fall Festival, last month)
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: Though FCA doesn’t organize this, it provides major support, and the board heard tonight that the October 21st festival (WSB coverage here) was a big hit. Attendance was estimated at 2,000 people. The supplies of 800 pumpkins for decorating and 200 kits for birdhouse-making were both fully utilized. New features – “Elvis” (Bret Wiggins) and a pie-eating contest – were hits too. And $800 was donated to help with future festivals.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, January 8, 2019, at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse conference room (9131 California SW).
Multiple quick updates at the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting this past week.
MORGAN JUNCTION PARK EXPANSION: It’s now been more than four years since the city bought and “landbanked” the site north of Morgan Junction Park to expand that park. Planning of the expansion is expected to continue into next year; soil testing is under way too, to see what remediation might be needed considering its past, including the years a dry cleaner was on the site. About 200 people commented on the park’s future when feedback was collected at the Morgan Junction Community Festival in June.
LOWMAN BEACH PARK SEAWALL: The next step in this project determining the future of the park’s failing seawall is to get to the 60 percent design phase; a county grant for $150,000 is helping fund the work. Seattle Parks expects to hold a public meeting in January about what happens next.
LITTER LEAGUE: Speaking of grants, Jill Boone, who’s been organizing volunteer community cleanups in Morgan Junction, is applying for a Seattle Public Utilities grant. She told MoCA that cigarette butts comprise a large part of the litter that volunteers have picked up in the past year.
AFTER THE VIADUCT: Chris Arkills from King County briefed MoCA about bus-route changes, both right after the Alaskan Way Viaduct is permanently closed January 11th and beyond. (We published the information here.) He also reiterated plans for the Water Taxi to add boat and shuttle service as well as Pier 2 parking during the three-or-so-week Highway 99 closure post-viaduct/pre-shuttle.
ABANDONED BUILDINGS: MoCA president Deb Barker talked with City Councilmember Lisa Herbold about beefing up the city’s monitoring and enforcement of rules regarding vacant buildings. (Herbold focused on the program in this online update.) MoCA’s Tamsen Spengler pointed out that there’s an e-mail campaign now to let the council know about support for funding that increased monitoring and enforcement.
The Morgan Community Association meets quarterly, third Wednesdays in January, April, July, and October, 7 pm at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Community group meetings are often excellent ways to learn a little about a lot of things – and not just about what’s happening in the group’s home neighborhood. So it went at the October board meeting of the Fauntleroy Community Association on Tuesday night, with 10 topics of note:
BUDGET MEETING WITH COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD: FCA president Mike Dey said City Councilmember Lisa Herbold convened representatives of at least a dozen neighborhoods a night earlier to talk about the budget. They are being invited to sign on to a letter supporting increases in fines/fees to support SDCI monitoring vacant buildings proactively. Also discussed: Funding for paving. SDOT might delay some West Seattle repaving (Roxbury and part of 35th) until 2023 because the Avalon repaving is going to stay on track (Delridge repaving also is in the works); Herbold wants support for pressing to keep all the repaving on track. Dey said they also talked about the need for more police but Herbold felt that would be tough because of the back pay in the new police contract; he said Herbold suggested that they should focus on recruiting now and depending on how that goes, come back in the second half of the year and talk about more staffing.
SCALE HALA MHA EIS APPEAL: The citywide coalition challenging the environmental impact report for Mandatory Housing Affordability upzoning has raised almost $200,000 and needs about $20,000 for the lawyers who are handling the appeal, to which FCA is a party. The Hearing Examiner’s ruling is due before Thanksgiving.
HISTORIC BUILDING? There’s talk of investigating a landmark designation for the commercial building that holds Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor), the Original Bakery, and other businesses. They’ll be talking with Historic Seattle. The 1926-built building is more significant for its history than its architecture. The idea is in a very early stage.
(WSB photos and video by Patrick Sand)
Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s visit to the Highland Park Action Committee finally happened last night – 7 months after she accepted the invitation extended by HPAC’s Gunner Scott during her February “town hall” at the Senior Center of West Seattle. We got it all on video – first, the mayor:
And in our second clip, the department heads who accompanied her, mostly to address homelessness-related issues such as the Myers Way east-side cleanup – interim Human Services Director Jason Johnson (a West Seattle resident), HSD’s Navigation Team manager Fred Podesta, as well as Seattle Parks and Recreation leadership, introduced by HPAC chair Charlie Omana:
Other top city staffers were there too, including new Department of Neighborhoods director Andrés Mantilla – a Highland Park resident – Seattle Public Utilities‘ Mami Hara, Parks interim superintendent Christopher Williams, and deputy SDOT director Elliott Helmbrecht.
If you don’t have time to watch the video and weren’t among the ~50 people at the Highland Park Improvement Club for last night’s event, here are the toplines:
She opened by talking about the budget proposal she unveiled on Monday (here’s our coverage, from attending a media briefing at the mayor’s office) and pitching for the Families/Education/Preschool/Promise Levy that’ll go to city voters in November.
Regarding homelessness, she touted her plan for hundreds of additional shelter beds and the need to close “gaps” in regional behavioral-care services. She said the city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance in southeast West Seattle “is being managed well.” And she said the Myers Way east-side cleanup had finished ahead of schedule.
Regarding police and crimefighting, she promised that she and SPD Chief Carmen Best would figure out how to “do better.”
In Q&A with the mayor, local community advocate Pete Spalding opened by mentioning how former Mayor Murray had cut ties with community groups such as neighborhood-district councils and asked Durkan about renewing a commitment to working with community groups. She declared that her presence last night was a “signal to you” that she has made that commitment, and she added that she believes in “community-based government,” that solutions come from communities. “You’ll see me back here,” she promised.
Another neighborhood advocate, Kay Kirkpatrick, brought up the Highland Park Way/Holden roundabout that neighbors have long been seeking. Is it in the city budget? Can money from other on-hold projects (such as Fauntleroy Boulevard) be diverted to it? The mayor’s answer (about 19 minutes into the video) was that “it’s clear that a roundabout is the best result” for the intersection, and that the city is planning in expectation that it’ll get a state grant to fund it – but if not, the city will find a “Plan B.” In the meantime, the mayor said they’re looking at “other ways to slow traffic down” there.
Another transportation issue brought up: Bus service to Highland Park, particularly Route 131. (While buses are managed by King County, the city has had an increasing role as it’s “bought” additional service hours on some routes, and more of that is proposed in Durkan’s new budget.)
In crime and safety, a neighbor from the 13th SW area shaken by home-invasion burglaries earlier this year said they still feel the response might have been better in a more-affluent area. “We want to feel safe in the area … and more has to be done for people to feel more trust in the Police Department.” The mayor acknowledged that she was aware of the community’s concerns and said she hopes that they are doing better now. “We know we can do better in parts of the city.” She again mentioned that her budget calls for more officers – 10 more citywide next year, 30 more the year after that, above attrition (though where they’ll be assigned isn’t clear, and the budget shows the Southwest Precinct overall staffing level not changing). Assistant Chief Adrian Diaz also addressed the concerns and mentioned safety/self-defense training to “empower” community members.
And one more question before the mayor left was from a South Delridge resident who spoke of the dozens of derelict/abandoned properties in the area, wondering why it takes so long to get them addressed. The mayor mentioned a South Park property that had been handled but invited the resident to get her more specifics so they could “work on (it).” (A p.s. on that, Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s been working on the issue and is scheduled to talk about it at next week’s Southwest District Council meeting, 6:30 pm October 3rd at the Senior Center of West Seattle.)
We will add notes later this afternoon from the conversation with Human Services Department leaders that followed the mayor’s departure; you can watch the 30-minute video above in the meantime.
Toplines from this month’s Alki Community Council meeting, covered by WSB’s Patrick Sand:
NOISE ENFORCEMENT: So now that the city ordinance has changed, what’s the plan? An ACC subcommittee is talking with police about that. Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Steve Strand said traffic and patrol officers had gone through training related to the change, including what a 75-foot distance looks like. How many citations have been issued so far? He didn’t have any numbers. Meantime, the community subcommittee hopes to be able to gather data to quantify the problem, maybe with the help of the entrepreneurs who have long been talking with the ACC about their new technology addressing this issue.
ALKI STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAZA: Shortly after the plaza’s 10th anniversary, the agreement for its upkeep is expiring.
(Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, WSB file photo)
The fundraising campaign for the plaza’s creation still has a legacy of $65,000 in the bank for maintenance. The ACC plans to talk with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society about partnering for the plaza’s future; the next agreement would have to be drawn up before January.
KUDOS: This was the first ACC meeting since thousands of people swarmed Alki on August 11th for Sub Pop Records’ 30th-anniversary megaparty SPF30. The music company had been sending reps to ACC and other community meetings for months. Verdict: It all went very well.
The Alki Community Council meets on second Thursdays most months, 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds).
The Admiral Neighborhood Association is looking for a new president and will be formally asking for nominations at its next meeting in October.
That’s part of what was discussed at ANA’s summer meeting Tuesday night, after a tour of the Admiral area’s biggest project since the Safeway rebuild seven years ago – Aegis Living of West Seattle (4700 SW Admiral Way; WSB sponsor), which now has its first residents.
ANA attendees were escorted throughout the property, which already has 20 residents. 50 units are assisted living, 33 – on their own specially designed floor – are memory care. Amenities span the floors from a plush-seated movie theater on a lower level to a rooftop deck with a big movie screen. In a courtyard with a walking path, you’ll find the tugboat we mentioned earlier this month (top photo).
The nautical/seacoast theme is carried throughout the building, from decor to art to the color palette. To the point of hosting the neighborhood group, managers said that if nearby residents have any concerns at any time, they want to hear about it. Aegis bought the site that had previously held Life Care Center until 2013.
After the tour, ANA had a short business meeting. As mentioned above, the next meeting will include a call for candidates for the presidency – Larry Wymer‘s term is almost up – and other positions. Wymer, meantime, said he’s been focusing on increasing membership, including talking to local businesses about getting involved. He’s also still hoping to drum up interest in Admiral District holiday decorations..
He also read an update from Stephanie Jordan, organizer of the ANA-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series. Attendance seems to be up from last year; this week (6:30 pm Thursday on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center) will feature The Service Providers, and next week’s series finale, starring Caspar Babypants, is expected to be massive as always.
Speaking of concerts, one attendee had big kudos for last Saturday’s SPF30 mega-music festival at Alki, presented by Sub Pop Records, which had sent executives to multiple ANA and Alki Community Council meetings with advance info. She lauded SPF30 as a very well-run event.
NEXT ANA MEETING: Tuesday, October 9th, 6:30 pm, back at the usual site, The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd/Lander).
The city has announced the winning projects in this year’s round of “participatory budgeting.” From the announcement:
The results are in! More than 7200 community members voted for their favorite park and street projects and 51 projects have been selected. It’s all part of the city’s Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks & Streets, a participatory budgeting program in which community members democratically decide how to spend a portion of the City’s budget. …
The projects were selected from more than 1,000 ideas submitted in February by community members across Seattle. These ideas were evaluated and honed by more than 500 volunteers who participated on Project Development Teams that met in each Council District. This spring, Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Parks and Recreation provided cost estimates for the proposals. Then beginning in June, community members ages 11 and above voted by Council District for their favorite projects online and at in-person polling stations at Seattle libraries.
With $3 million available, a maximum of $285,000 was allocated for each City Council District. The remaining $1 million was designated for funding projects in the City’s Equity and Environment Initiative Focus Areas—geographic areas where communities of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, Native peoples, and limited-English proficiency individuals tend to live. Overall, 20 projects located in these Focus Areas received awards.
Many communities embraced the voting process, especially Districts 1 and 2 whose residents cast nearly 40% of the total votes received. “Programs like Your Voice, Your Choice are important,” observed Kim Schwarzkopf, District 1 resident and Your Voice Your Choice Steering Committee member. “It is a simple way for people to get involved, connect with their neighbors, and make a positive impact in their community.”
Here are the winning projects in West Seattle and South Park:
DISTRICT 1
Riverview/Puget Ridge: Pedestrian Lighting Improvements at SW Morgan St bus stop near South Seattle College (Cost: $90,000, Total Votes: 287)
South Park: Intersection Improvements at Dallas Ave S, 12th Ave S, and Thistle St (Cost: $3,500, Total Votes: 290)*
South Park: Walkway Improvements on S Cloverdale St under SR-99 overpass (Cost: $90,000, 60% design only, Total Votes: 364)*
South Park: Signage Improvements at S Henderson St and 12th Ave S. (Cost $2,000, Total Votes: 208)*
North Admiral: Crossing Improvements on California Ave SW and SW College St (Cost: $90,000, Total Votes: 277)
North Delridge: Improvements to basketball courts at Delridge Community Center (Cost: $7,000, Total Votes: 367)
North Delridge: Equipment Refurbishment at Puget Boulevard Commons/Cottage Grove Park (Cost: $90,000, Total Votes: 271)
Fauntleroy: Benches in Lincoln Park (Cost: $15,330, Total Votes: 355)
Roxhill/South Delridge: Trail Improvements at Roxhill Park (Cost: $88,800, Total Votes: 305)*
Those 9 projects were among 11 that went up for a vote in our area back in June. (Our June story also linked to individual infosheets on each proposal, if you’re looking for more details on any of them.)
(WSB photo from last month)
Many neighborhood/community groups skip August meetings. This month, the Admiral Neighborhood Association is an exception. But it’s not a regular-format meeting – ANA president Larry Wymer has announced that the ANA will meet at newly opened Aegis Living of West Seattle (WSB sponsor), and you’re invited to join the sneak-peek tour (including the tugboat shown in our top photo from its July installation), in advance of the August 25th grand opening. Be there – 4700 SW Admiral Way – at 6:30 pm Tuesday (August 14th).
6 PM: Hundreds of West Seattle block parties for Night Out start now, with “street closed” signs all over the peninsula, We’ll be making some stops and we also appreciate a photo from your party – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:17 PM: First pics in are from Ben via Twitter:
#neighborhoodnightout in #ArborHeights featuring community art project and #balloonanimals from #clownbuggie @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/DpCnyZf1bv
— Ben Weagraff (@weagz) August 8, 2018
6:24 PM: Our first stop also happened to be in Arbor Heights:
JoDean, who invited us to stop by, says this is the eighth year they’ve had a Night Out party and it’s the biggest turnout ever!
6:38 PM: We’re in Sunrise Heights right now, at Julie‘s party, where the food is of special note:
Julie won the contest to have West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) cater a Night Out party. What’s in our pic is just part of it. This is also just part of the turnout – more people are on the way after they get home from work:
6:52 PM: Thanks to Norm for sending pics from his block’s party on 51st SW:
At right above is Helen – Norm says this is her 30th block party with neighbors on 51st!
7:02 PM: We’re now in a Gatewood neighborhood that invited us to stop by. Look who else is visiting:
If you register your party and get your request in early, police and firefighters do make some stops on Night Out. This block is always one of the area’s biggest parties – here’s the group shot, Mounted Patrol visitors included:
They’ve got a band, too!
7:15 PM: Thanks to Laura for the photo from her Night Out party in North Delridge at Dragonfly Park:
7:24 PM: We just left Gatewood, where we also made a stop at Naomi‘s party:
Like just about everyplace else we’ve visited, lots of kids enjoying the night with their parents and neighbors!
7:35 PM: We’re now west of The Junction, where Sara invited us to stop by. Bouncy house for the youngest block-party’ers!
7:51 PM: And on the east side of The Junction, thanks to Stephanie for the invitation to stop by and say hi:
It’s about time for us to switch to Election Night mode, but we’ll add any more block party pics that come in – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text to 206-293-6302 – thank you!
9:07 PM: Thanks to the folks in the 8800 block of 17th SW for texting a photo:
9:27 PM: The 41st/Portland block party in Gatewood, photographed by Long Bach Nguyen:
11:17 PM: Added photos from the Pigeon Point party, courtesy of Pete Spalding:
Pete’s at right in the photo below, with SW Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis at left.
Below, former SWP commander Capt. Steve Paulsen, and Community Police Team Officer Ken Mazzuca.
As of the last time we checked with Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner, more than 260 block parties were registered for tonight for our area. Night Out is a nationwide tradition with more than 30 years of history.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: Jennifer says the final total was more than 300 – most ever! She shared photos from some stops she made last night – here she is with local firefighters:
And she shared this photo of Chief Carmen Best visiting a South Park party:
Night Out is always the first Tuesday in August, so next year, it’s on August 6th.
(Photo courtesy Pete Spalding. P.S. For Delridge Day info, here’s our most-recent update!)
Clever sign like that one from Pigeon Point NOT required – but if you want to close a (non-arterial) street for your Night Out block party tomorrow night, you have until 5 pm today to register it. Just go here. And you can go here to find templates for street-closure signs and neighborhood invitations. If you won’t be at your own block/building party – remember that as of last count, more than 260 parties were registered in this area, so be mindful of many closed side streets between 6-9 pm tomorrow!
All set for a block (or building, or …) party to celebrate Night Out? It’s exactly two weeks away – Tuesday, August 7th. If you want to close the street for your party, you need to register with Seattle Police, and Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner provides the link – just go here. Side note: Though the SW Precinct is the smallest in the city, Jennifer says it had the second-highest number of parties signed up as of a few days ago!
P.S. We’ll be out stopping by Night Out parties as always – if you wouldn’t mind us stopping by yours for a photo, please e-mail us the location, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
By Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
With Sub Pop Records’ 30th-anniversary party bringing thousands to Alki Beach three weeks from tomorrow, it was a primary topic at last night’s Alki Community Council meeting.
Sub Pop CEO Megan Jasper opened discussion by thanking community members for asking questions and offering feedback that have helped guide efforts to minimize impact on the neighborhood.
“You share your neighborhood with so many of us,” said Jasper, “and I want to be respectful of that.”
Following Jasper’s opening remarks, Sub Pop Operations Manager Gabe Carter introduced the topic of street closures, with a reminder that Alki Avenue will be completely closed to traffic between 56th SW and 63rd SW. There will also be a “soft closure” of 59th SW from Alki Avenue SW to SW Stevens Street.
From the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting, which just wrapped up at The Kenney, itself a major agenda item:
THE KENNEY’S NEWEST REDEVELOPMENT PLANS: John Shoesmith from Shoesmith Cox Architects (based in Madison Park) explained what’s on the drawing board now. He explained that the site remains a mix of zones – LR1 and LR3. The three duplexes on the property’s southeast corner will be taken down and replaced with five rowhouses, two facing Fauntleroy, three facing Othello. They will range 2,000 to 3,000 square feet, with attached garages, master bedrooms on the main floor, and are aimed at attracting a “more independent” and somewhat younger (65ish) resident. They will be 1 1/2 to 2 stories high. A driveway off the SW Othello cul-de-sac west of Fauntleroy will lead to the garages of the units facing that street. The exteriors will include some brick, “cement wood” siding; street trees are planned on 46th, Fauntleroy, and Othello. The corner will be highlighted by an “amenity space” as required by zoning – landscaping, a bench, etc.
They’re currently in the Master Use Permit application stage with the city, seeking land-use approval, and filing soon for a building permit. They will be part of The Kenney rather than offered for sale. We asked a couple followup questions, recalling the meeting almost two years ago at which this same architecture firm discussed concepts for site redevelopment; no rezoning proposed right now, and the idea of an apartment building further west on the site is still out there, but nothing formal being pursued right now.
35TH SW PHASE 2 UPDATE: SDOT’s Jim Curtin was here to talk about 35th SW Phase 2, which we first detailed back in April. He said there’s been a “modest reduction in crashes” since Phase 1 was complete in fall 2015, and they’d like to see more of a reduction. He acknowledged that the signal timings have been less than optimal. They’ve been tweaked and “we’re seeing a pretty good flow out there” now, he said. He also acknowledged that before the timings were changed, they saw some diversion to side streets, and that, he said, has since eased.
Thanks to Mary for the photo and report:
An energetic group of neighborhood volunteers came together on this sunny morning to clean up the Delridge Triangle at Delridge Way SW/18th Ave SW/SW Barton St, and to clean up surrounding blocks. The clean-up was a joint effort between the South Delridge Community Group (SDCG) and Friends Of The Delridge Triangle (FDT). This is one step of a greater project in the works to redevelop the Triangle into a safe and usable community space where the neighborhood can play. The Delridge Triangle project was a Your Voice, Your Choice 2017 award recipient. The project is now moving forward and hopes for a boost from the 2018 Neighborhood Matching Fund.
The next Delridge Triangle clean-up will take place on Saturday 08/11 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. All are welcome to join us. It’s a great way to start the weekend, keep our neighborhood clean, meet neighbors, and build community!
Contact the South Delridge Community Group @:
sdelridgecommunitygroup@gmail.com
Or visit our website:
southdelridgecommunitygroup.wordpress.comContact Friends Of The Delridge Triangle @:
delridgetriangle@gmail.com
Or visit our website:
Friends of The Delridge Triangle
(WSB photos)
Until 7 pm, fresh flowers and vegetables await you at the High Point Market Garden‘s first farmstand of the season … steps from where they were grown:
What we saw during our brief stop included beets, onions, carrots, zucchini, and greens. Also under the tent at 32nd SW and SW Juneau, other fresh-grown produce, including fruit, brought in by ROAR (Roots of All Roads):
You can shop the High Point farmstand every Wednesday through September.
If your Saturday’s already set but you’re looking ahead to tomorrow, Sunday brings your next chance to make a big difference with a little of your time, in the next Morgan Junction-area community cleanup organized by Jill Boone:
Join us Sunday, July 8, from 9:30 – 11:00 to pick up litter along California and Fauntleroy, our little business area! We meet at 9:30 at the ATM lot in front of Domino’s and by the Shell station. I’ll be parked there with litter grabbers, bags and vests. Bring your own gloves. Bring a bucket if you want one. For kiddos, I have small vests, a few small grabbers (for toddlers) and some small buckets.
Bring the family! It’s fun and it’s a way for small kids and big kids to do something to benefit their community. Pups are welcome if well-behaved and leashed.
We need adults or teens who can walk to C&P and back or from the start to the UU Church and back and up and down Fauntleroy from the intersection! Families with small kids do the immediate area and bus stops. Kids are amazing at grabbing cigarette butts with those small grabbers!
Jill’s been organizing these periodic cleanups for more than a year now.
Just got word that the traditional end-of-school neighborhood concert near Ercolini Park is on tonight – featuring the band DAD, 6:30 pm-9 pm. Neighbors are invited to the concert – BYO chairs and food/drink (an adjacent pig roast is not a public event). Kids will be playing in the park during the concert; all ages welcome. Free but if you care to donate, it’ll go to support the Genesee Hill Elementary music program.
That’s a view of the Delridge Triangle (18th/Barton). We’ve reported before on community plans to give it a brighter, safer future, and now there’s a simple, fast way to show your support. From Kim Barnes:
Did you know the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition is working in partnership with Highland Park Action Committee and South Delridge Community Group to improve one of our community public spaces in South Delridge?
On June 25th, The Friends of the Delridge Triangle will submit its application to the Neighborhood Matching Fund. The goal? To get the Delridge Triangle (9200 Delridge Way, across from Burger Boss and 2 Fingers Social) redesigned to create a space that is safe and usable for the community.
The Delridge Triangle lies at the center of the South Delridge community. With Highland Park to the east and Westwood-Roxhill to the west, the public right of way is central feature to the South Delridge corridor. The space has a long history of negative social behaviors that have created fear and avoidance and the surrounding community is in desperate need of easily accessible outdoor space. Your pledge to participate in the redesign project over Fall 2018-Spring 2019 is a critical step toward filling the need for easily accessible green space in South Delridge.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
For the grant application to be successful we need your pledge of interest to participate as the Community Match to the grant award over the October 2018-April 2019 period. Can you spare two minutes today and complete the volunteer pledge form here?
For project information along with online pledge form, you can go here: DelridgeTriangle.org Your details will not be shared beyond the Delridge Triangle team, and you’ll be updated on the progress of the application submission starting at the end of June.
Can you help with getting more pledges? Would you like to consider pledging cash, materials or have questions? Email the steering committee at DelridgeTriangle@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting our community!
Toplines from last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting:
COMMUNITY SURVEY: Every two years, FCA surveys the community to be sure the group is in tune with what people care about, among other reasons. This time, 430 responses came in – upward of a third more than the 300 responses from last time. The hottest topics were traffic/parking, followed by HALA upzoning and police/crime-related issues. Crime was the top topic of concern last time around. In fourth place, environmental stewardship, which fell from number two in the previous survey. Overall, the survey yielded a wealth of information, including how much community members value events such as the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, and the FCA board will develop an action plan to address community concerns.
POLICE UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith was in attendance for the last time, as his retirement is imminent, and the board told him he would be missed. He said both property crime in general, and auto thefts in particular, are way up in the Fauntleroy area vs. this time last year. Auto thefts totaled 6 by this time last year but are at 15 so far in 2018. He said the precinct is actively working on both issues.
One issue brought up: Plant vandalism along Fauntleroy Way between the south parking lot of Lincoln Park and the ferry dock – tree limbs have been cut and plants ripped out. Lt. Smith said the Community Police Team is on it. Another issue: Parking problems and street congestion when it’s time to pick up students who commute via ferry to Vashon schools, usually around 4 pm. Lt.Smith said he would send parking enforcement around.
The Fauntleroy Community Association board meets second Tuesdays except August and December, 7 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW). Watch fauntleroy.net for updates between meetings.
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