West Seattle, Washington
16 Friday
Last night at the West Seattle High School gym, we spotted that familiar-but-not-seen-for-a-while smile in the stands, someone especially familiar to those involved with local neighborhood groups – former longtime Neighborhood District Coordinator Stan Lock. Four years ago, in a round of Department of Neighborhoods changes/cuts, Stan was moved to the Central Area; earlier this month, a DoN rep told the Morgan Community Association (as reported here) that Stan had just retired. Last night, he confirmed it, saying he has no plans right now except to enjoy his first grandchild – a girl born to his daughter on New Year’s Eve. Stan told us he misses everybody he knew and worked with in West Seattle. He was at the game with his brother, a Garfield fan.
From a new Little Free Library, to bike racks, to development updates, and more – here are our toplines from the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting:
Thanks to Southwest District Council co-chair David Whiting (president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association) for sharing the city’s announcement confirming which Neighborhood Park & Street Fund projects are funded for this year. See the full list of projects citywide here; below, see the excerpts showing West Seattle projects (the city considers WS to be two neighborhood districts, Southwest and Delridge):
The citywide total for all projects funded this year is almost $2 million. In some cases, the grant money is applied to a larger project – for example, this will be the case with the Boren crosswalks, a project confirmed earlier this month. We don’t have full details on all the projects but they will certainly be topics at the respective district council meetings, including Delridge, 7 pm tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (as previewed in our daily highlights list).
P.S. A similar amount, about $2 million, is set aside for this year’s NPSF – and the application deadline is approaching.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Should the Fauntleroy Boulevard project include undergrounding utilities – considering that could cost an extra $6 million or so? That’s the question Councilmember Tom Rasmussen raised at this month’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting.
The undergrounding cost was first mentioned publicly a week earlier, at the Southwest District Council meeting (WSB coverage here), with SWDC’s immediate past co-chair Sharonn Meeks reporting on a conversation with Rasmussen. This is the first time he had subsequently discussed it publicly with a West Seattle group. Taking utilities underground, he noted, “can be … transformational,” but the project has to be designed that way, and it’s now at a crossroads, with about two-thirds of the design completed: Should it be designed with underground utilities or not? The councilmember says he’s looking for community feedback. A few points to consider:
Don’t know whether Santa lost his smartphone or picked up because he knew someone was calling in with a Christmas wish, but we caught him in the British-style phone booth in the lobby at The Sanctuary at Admiral, where the new-this-year Holly Jolly Holiday Fest continues until 4 pm, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association.
In the heart of The Sanctuary – a city landmark that was once a church – you’ll find free treats plus a mini-bazaar with local businesses/organizations including the new Seattle Farm School and WSB sponsor Mode Music Studios, which brought some students for holiday music:
You’re also invited to come talk to neighborhood reps over cookies and mulled cider. ANA is the same group that brings you Summer Concerts at Hiawatha every year as well as meeting most months (resuming in January, second Tuesday, 7 pm, at The Sanctuary) to focus on issues/concerns. They support the 4th of July Kids’ Parade, too, whose co-organizer Jackie Clough of Alki Party Treasures (WSB sponsor) was spotted chatting with Mr. Claus:
Stop by before 4 pm, 42nd and Lander, across from the northeast corner of the park adjacent to Hiawatha CC.
Major changes proposed for some of the city’s Neighborhood Matching Fund grants will be discussed in West Seattle again this Wednesday, this time in a presentation to the Southwest District Council. Meantime, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, which got the presentation last month, has followed through on its plan to send city leadership a letter opposing the changes. More on both of these updates – including the full text of that letter – ahead:
Tonight’s fall-quarter meeting of the Morgan Community Association drew more than 20 people to the basement meeting area at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) and covered a wide range of topics, as usual:
MURRAY CSO PROJECT UPDATE: Excavation is going “fast and furious,” said Hannah from King County Wastewater Treatment, as the space for the million-gallon combined-sewer-overflow-storage tank is dug across from Lowman Beach Park. It’s about halfway to its expected depth – 30 of 60 feet – she said. It’s still likely to be completed by early November, which means up to eight truckloads per hour, plus the added Saturday work that started just last weekend.
(October 9 photo by Christopher Boffoli; suspect Daren Atwood at center, khaki pants)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The man arrested after last Thursday’s gunfire incident near Fairmount Ravine was booked into jail this evening and is charged with a misdemeanor.
That case topped crime updates from Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores during tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, held at Hiawatha Community Center (a last-minute move because of a conflict at regular venue The Sanctuary at Admiral).
We had been checking on the suspect’s status; as reported during our coverage on Thursday, he was initially taken to Harborview for a 72-hour mental evaluation. That has since ended and as of this evening, King County Jail records confirm that the suspect, 30-year-old Admiral resident Daren Atwood, is there, charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, a gross misdemeanor. No bail amount is listed on the jail register so far, but Atwood is due in the city’s Mental Health Court tomorrow, according to online records.
Ahead: Other crime incidents/issues discussed at the meeting, plus two other major topics, including presentations on both preschool-related measures you’ll see on the November 4th ballot:
Two notes from tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting:
NEW OFFICERS: After tonight’s elections, Jake Vanderplas and Michael Taylor-Judd are co-chairs, Nancy Folsom is co-secretary, Lisa Taylor-Whitley is beautification chair, Kirk Lauckner is outreach chair, Parie Hines is community design/land-use chair, and Taylor-Judd also serves as streets/pedestrian advocacy chair. That still leaves three open positions – co-secretary, treasurer, and public-safety chair.
POLICING PLAN: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske was a last-minute cancellation but the draft neighborhood-policing plan for North Delridge – one of at least half a dozen under development for local neighborhoods (as part of a process under way citywide right now) – was circulated, same one originally linked from the NDNC website last month:
If you’re interested in shaping the final plan, a neighborhood walking tour with Capt. Wilske was announced for 4 pm October 27th – please RSVP to Kirsten Smith, NDNC’s point person for the policing plan, so you’ll get info on the meeting point when it gets closer.
NDNC meets second Mondays, 6:30 pm, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, and is online at ndnc.org.
Busy week ahead for community council/coalition meetings. Highlights for those from which we’ve received agendas/previews:
MONDAY – POLICING PLAN @ NDNC: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske guests at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting tomorrow night (Monday, October 13th). NDNC says he’ll be there “to discuss the precinct’s draft policing plan for North Delridge as well as any other issues you would like to bring to the table.” 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
TUESDAY – CRIME STATS @ ANA: Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores is on the agenda for Tuesday’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, along with reps from the two preschool-money measures on November’s ballot. Here’s the official flyer. 7 pm, The Sanctuary at Admiral. (42nd/Lander)
TUESDAY – WILL WSTC ENDORSE THE BUS-MONEY MEASURE OR NOT? That’s the big question on the West Seattle Transportation Coalition‘s agenda for Tuesday night. Since WSTC includes reps from community groups around the peninsula, they wanted to give members time to get the sense of their organizations before voting on whether to endorse Seattle Transportation Benefit District Proposition 1. A vote is expected during the meeting, 6:30 pm Tuesday at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
WEDNESDAY – FOUR GUESTS FOR DNDC: The second community-meeting appearance of the week for precinct commander Capt. Wilske is the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting, 7 pm Wednesday at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. He’s one of four guests; also scheduled are guests talking about the city budget, Neighborhood Matching Fund, and the SDOT Freight Master Plan. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
WEDNESDAY – LONG LIST FOR MORGAN: The quarterly Morgan Community Association meetings at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) are always info-packed, and there’s a big list of topics for this one at 7 pm Wednesday; see it on our calendar listing for the meeting. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
Also meeting this week, though we don’t have agendas/previews yet – Fauntleroy Community Association (7 pm Tuesday, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, 9131 California SW) and Alki Community Council (7 pm Thursday, Alki UCC, 6112 SW Hinds).
(Photo by Suzanne Krom – goats with visitors before the feeder was removed last month)
You might recall the saga of the Jacobsen Road goats – Bama, Deli, and JJ – who would come say hi to visitors who put a quarter in a food dispenser and rang a bell to summon them. As reported here in June, the feeder went away in late spring after the goats’ owner acquiesced to a neighbor’s complaint. Then, encouraged by community support, he brought it back. Now, it’s gone again, as explained on this sign:
(September 25th photo)
This time, the feeder was removed under order of the city Department of Planning and Development, because of a zoning complaint – the feeder apparently turned the goat display into a “petting zoo.” We started asking DPD for comment last week, and finally received a response last night. Spokesperson Bryan Stevens told WSB, “We inspected the site (Wednesday) and found it to be in compliance with what the code allows in the single-family zone. The owner has been very cooperative and removed the elements that created the ‘petting zoo’ use. The feeding signs, bell, and 25-cent feeder have been removed, but the three goats remain.”
We asked Stevens about what appeared to be a new beef in the goat site’s file: “The more recent complaint that you’ve referenced was regarding the number of animals kept. Someone was claiming that there were more than three animals on site, but upon inspection from the sidewalk, only the three goats were observed … so the service request was closed. Up to three small animals are allowed on each single family property.”
Your friendly neighborhood local librarians want to remind you that, one week from today, all five southwest-area Seattle Public Library branches are closed, for an in-service day for the people who work there. That’s Wednesday, October 8th; the “closed” sign will be up that day at Admiral (West Seattle), Delridge, High Point, South Park, and Southwest Branch Libraries. Book drops will still be open. Other libraries in the city will remain open – this year they’re staggering the “in-service day” regionally rather than doing it citywide all at once.
As a draw for people from around the region, Alki Beach poses a unique challenge for local police. It’s one of six areas of West Seattle for which Southwest Precinct leaders are drawing up neighborhood-policing plans, so Operations Lt. Ron Smith came to this month’s Alki Community Council meeting in search of comments on the draft. He was one of two guests, along with a city rep working on the revised Shoreline Master Program.
ALKI POLICING PLAN: The ACC had circulated the draft policing plan along with the meeting agenda:
Live/work in Admiral? Tomorrow you can join the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s quarterly Adopt-A-Street cleanup, with rewards – treats before/after from the Admiral Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor). Meet your fellow volunteers outside the store at 9 am Saturday. Don’t worry about bringing bags or equipment – it’s all provided. Young volunteers welcome, too.
The Adopt-A-Street cleanup is part of what was on the agenda at this past Tuesday’s ANA meeting. Centerpiece item: The long-requested, soon-to-be-installed 47th/Admiral traffic signal.
Toplines from that discussion, and more, ahead:
It’s September, and the community groups that took all or part of the summer off would usually be getting back to their normal schedules. But two of them have a different plan for this month. Tonight, the first Tuesday, would usually be the regular meeting night for Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council, but here’s what’s on the schedule instead, as announced by Joe Szilagyi:
One more month of a slightly different WWRHAH schedule!
No meeting tonight as we’ve mentioned — the next one will be a joint meeting with the Highland Park Action Committee at their meeting space on Wednesday, September 24 at 630 pm. This meeting will be dedicated to and focusing on Seattle Police across our two areas and South Delridge. Bring your questions — we’ll have all the key staff from the Southwest Precinct there!
Meeting: HPAC & WWRHAH joint SPD meeting
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Time: 630 pm-830 pm
Location: Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW HoldenHere’s the Facebook event if you want to join that or share it.
If you live in one of those areas and have concerns/questions for SPD, that meeting will be particularly crucial, as the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has canceled its September meeting because of health challenges among its leadership.
Thursday night was the last of this year’s six Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, presented for the sixth consecutive year by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, whose president David Whiting shares this wrap-up:
“A Big High-Five to Our Sponsors!”
The Admiral Neighborhood Association would like to thank all of our sponsors that contributed to make the Hiawatha Summer Concerts possible. We especially want to acknowledge Metropolitan Market, who, in addition to their support, handed out treats at every one of the six concerts. Christian Heilman, our sound engineer this summer, did a great job and we were fortunate to have his expertise.
Gold Sponsor
Metropolitan MarketSilver Sponsors
Associated Recreation Council
Bank of America
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate
The Cask
Curious Kidstuff
Emeritus Senior Living at Admiral Heights
Menchie’s Admiral
Ranger Chicken – Draper Valley Farms
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Weitzel Construction
West Seattle BlogBronze Sponsors
Alki Mail and Dispatch
Brent Amacher State Farm Insurance
Bob and Dawn Brown
Flower Lab
Head to Toe Day Spa
Little Gym of West Seattle
Kayle Shulenberger Speech Pathologist
Stuffed Cakes
Thunder Road Guitars
Wiseman ApplianceNearly 3,000 people listened and danced to musical acts that ranged from rock, country, funk to kid friendly pop. If you enjoy concerts and similar community events your local neighborhood association or community council needs to hear from you. The West Seattle Blog announces all West Seattle community councils’ meetings and their activities. The ANA is planning a December holiday event and could use your participation. Learn more at our upcoming meeting, 7:00 pm Tuesday, September 9th, at The Sanctuary.
ANA launched the concert series in 2009, and we’re proud to have been a sponsor every year since the start.
After months of discussion, the West Seattle Land Use Committee is about to become reality. The seed was planted as local community-group leaders discussed the fact that there is no West Seattle-wide group looking at development and zoning/land-use issues – they only come up in response to/conjunction with particular projects. Other neighborhoods have land-use committees that get involved early on, so why not West Seattle, with so much growth and change? So here’s the agenda for the first meeting, set for next Wednesday (one week from tonight):
WEST SEATTLE LAND USE COMMITTEE
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 – 6:30 – 8:00West Seattle Senior Center – Nelson Room – 4217 Southwest Oregon
__________________________________________________________6:30 – Welcome and Introductions of Land Use Committee Members
*Introductions of attendees from the public6:45 – Recap of the joint meeting of the Southwest District Council and the Delridge District Council – Sharonn, Vlad and Matt
7:00 – Additional issues to be added to the summary document – All
7:30 – Additional possible solutions to be added to the summary document – All
7:50 – Additional topics to be discussed at our next Land Use Committee meeting
8:00 – Adjourn
All are welcome. Helpful homework if you’re planning to be there – the official notes from last June’s joint meeting of the Southwest and Delridge District Councils with City Councilmember Mike O’Brien to talk land use:
We covered the meeting; our as-it-happened coverage is here.
FIRST REPORT, 6:03 PM: Night Out is on! We’re visiting block parties around West Seattle again this year and will add updates here. Since we can’t get to them all, we’d love one from yours if you care to share – editor@westseattleblog.com (or Twitter/Instagram, where the hashtag is #SeattleNightOut and we are at @westseattleblog) – thanks; updates ahead!
FIRST STOP, ARBOR HEIGHTS – in the block where we attended a Seattle Police Living-Room Conversation at Block Watch Captain JoDean Edelheit‘s home two years ago. (That’s JoDean in the back row, third from right.) This block is getting busier, as it’s near the undergoing-renovations future home of Westside School (WSB sponsor) at 34th/104th.
SECOND STOP, SUNRISE HEIGHTS: Carole invited us to stop by; her husband Michael is Block Watch Captain and has also recently gone through a round of preparedness training, so he’s leading the neighborhood in getting everybody organized to start working on a neighborhood plan. That’s why there’s preparedness info at their party:
They’re hoping not only to be, well, more prepared as a result, but also to inspire other neighborhoods. (Have we mentioned lately – lots of preparedness info at westseattlebeprepared.org, including the location of your nearest Emergency Communication Hub.)
7:20 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Marcia for tweeting this photo from her neighborhood’s party:
@westseattleblog the 9000 block of 13th Ave SW is having a blast tonight for #neighborhoodnightout! pic.twitter.com/E888uKnSxg
— Marcia Ventura (@marciaventura) August 6, 2014
Via text, more preparedness, at 23rd and Cambridge, including this photo:
The texter (206-293-6302 any time!) says neighbor Patty Doty got a grant to “put together emergency kits to distribute tonight to our neighbors!” Meantime, back onto our travels:
OUR THIRD STOP, GATEWOOD: Sue‘s neighborhood has an annual “flags of all nations” display:
The biggest flag there in the middle synergizes with the sign – the flag is for Hawaii, the sign says No Ka Oi (Hawaiian for “is the best”) Party. We also discovered while visiting that Jeff is an award-winning amateur winemaker:
As we continue our travels, we’re noting MANY side streets closed off for block parties – way to go! And closing streets takes some logistics – and signage:
OUR FOURTH STOP, HANSEN VIEW: The sign above is from Hansen View just south of The Mount, where Night Out always means a big party. Including bluegrass band The Mighty Fallen.
We just missed visiting firefighters. Lots of neighbors having a great time!
Hansen View is home neighborhood to West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network leaders Deb Greer and Karen Berge, who we’ll see again – and you should come too! – at Delridge Day this Saturday. Meantime, a photo texted from Gatewood:
The band is Woodland, playing near 35th and Rose – thanks for the photo!
OUR FIFTH STOP, FAIRMOUNT: We were leaving Hansen View, headed to Junction Plaza Park (stop #6), when we noticed two Seattle Fire vehicles at a block party, so we pulled over, and got a group shot including the visiting firefighters:
This is Fairmount, south of The Triangle, not to be confused with Fairmount Park or Fairmount Springs. Then it was north to …
OUR SIXTH STOP, JUNCTION PLAZA PARK: The re-activated Junction Neighborhood Organization threw a party in the park … we didn’t arrive until it was almost over, but caught the small spirited group that remained:
West Seattle Bike Connections joined JuNO for the party. Police and fire had visited earlier too, as had City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who was making West Seattle rounds. JuNO had water balloons, too … now THAT is a party. JuNO’s director René Commons says they hope next Night Out will bring their SECOND annual party in the park.
ADDED 9:23 PM – OUR SEVENTH AND FINAL STOP, SEAVIEW: 5900 block of 44th and vicinity – thanks to Kelli for inviting us. A 1970 El Camino was a canvas for chalk art:
Heather from Sparklez Face and Body Art was creating art too:
And the group:
(added) WE STOPPED HERE TOO: Thanks to Sarah for kindly pointing out in comments that we had neglected to publish anything from one of our stops, 6000 block of 37th – and this was actually the first invite we’ve received, from Aaron. Found the pic!
(back to Tuesday night in-progress report) Next: Photos from the inbox – thanks for sharing! First:
That’s from Steve at 16th and Trenton. One block over, at 15th and Trenton, a party photo from Chris:
Next, from Leslie on Canada Drive SW:
Tweeted by Jason in Admiral:
40th Ave SW block party! (Hanford/Hinds) @westseattleblog #SeattleNightOut pic.twitter.com/65xuyLGRWa
— Jason G (@jgrotel) August 6, 2014
Lots of kid activities at tonight’s parties. Even a bouncy house in Belvidere, on 36th SW – thanks for this e-mailed photo:
Further south on 36th SW, here’s the group photo from Jenny‘s neighborhood (“between Findlay and Brandon, best block EVER!” she declared):
Also very proud of their block:
We love our neighborhood and thought you might like a glimpse of our amazing gathering. 61st Ave SW – between Hinds and Spokane St.
Mary Pyper and Janinne Brunyee, Block Watch Co-Captains
Pigeon Point always has a big bash, and Pete Spalding shared photos – here he is with Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske:
Deputy Chief Mike Washburn also stopped by, as did a Seattle Fire engine:
But neighborhood mingling remained the big draw, as it was with parties from north to south, east to west:
Next, we head all the way to the other end of West Seattle – Jim Edwards of West Seattle Big Band and West Seattle Grand Parade fame shares a photo from North Shorewood:
A first-time event in North Shorewood on 102nd SW. The west end of the block is the City of Seattle. The east end of the block, unincorporated King County. From 28th SW to 30th SW. We are also participating in an informal radio net with the West Seattle Radio Club.
Next year … maybe a band appearance? If you live out that way, keep watch for flyers next summer! Heading back north, to Gatewood again, Long B. Nguyen photographed his SW Portland neighbors:
From the 6300 block of 41st SW, Fairmount Springs vicinity, Jenny explains the next photo as “not everyone at our block party, but still a picture of neighbors enjoying each other.”
From the 3400 block of Belvidere Avenue, Erika shares a photo of the youngest neighbors, noting, “We had another fantastic night of community gathering with our neighbors and the gang of kiddos had so much fun riding bikes and scooters, as well as jumping in a bouncy house! We love National Night Out and look forward to it all year!”
From 46th SW between Walker and Hill in North Admiral, a photo texted earlier in the night:
And from Rutan Place SW, John shares a photo of his well-attended block party:
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: Two more – first, from Diane, the late crowd on 45th SW between Alaska and Edmunds:
The block party had double this amount in attendance earlier, with games, bubbles, a balloon artist, & sidewalk chalk for the kids. Most had headed home by this late hour to get little ones to bed and missed the photo. The block party also had 2 musicians who sang for them through the evening, accompanied with a guitar and double bass cello. A great block party for 45th Street!
And Don‘s neighborhood in Fairmount Springs had visitors who brought goodies – the Ben & Jerry‘s truck that’s making Seattle rounds this month:
Thanks again for sharing glimpses of awesome West Seattle neighborhoods.
Live in The Junction? There’s a “block party” for you tomorrow night during Night Out. René Commons from the local community council, the Junction Neighborhood Organization, shares the announcement:
JuNO – The junction Neighborhood Organization is staging the First Annual JuNO Neighborhood Night Out Block party at Junction Plaza Park. The event is open to all and we are looking for talented musicians from the neighborhood to perform in the park. JuNO will be roasting hot dogs – kosher and vegan – and staging contests. This is a potluck and we are asking people to bring a side dish or dessert. We will have tents set up and will feature information on crime prevention and emergency preparedness.
Neighborhood Night Out at the Park welcomes all to show their neighborhood STYLE:
Best Hat
Best Dressed Dog
Best Kids costume
Best Decorated Bike (Yay! We have a bike corral in the Junction!)
Best YodelAdult Balloon Toss
Kids Balloon TossOpen call to all neighborhood musicians, dancers and magicians to perform; please contact event coordinators!!!
Looking for volunteers to help set up and stage gamesEvent Contact: Lilah Gael – lilahgael@gmail.com – & René Commons – wsjuno@yahoo.com
The park is on the northwest corner of 42nd and Alaska. Any other neighborhoods having a party open to those beyond the immediate block, let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
Transportation issues dominated this quarter’s Morgan Community Association meeting – with information of interest beyond Morgan’s borders.
SPEED CAMS: In addition to the two new ones that will be activated on Roxbury (by Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School) this fall, dozens of other locations remain under evaluation around the city, according to SDOT‘s Brian Dougherty. Since the first one to be activated in West Seattle is on Fauntleroy Way near Gatewood Elementary, and since a flashing (cameraless) beacon recently went in on California SW near Gatewood, Dougherty was asked if the latter location would likely get a speed camera. He said he thought that 35th SW by Our Lady of Guadalupe – frequently staked out by the flexible-location “speed van” – would be a more-likely priority for another West Seattle speed cam. Once there’s a new list of proposals, they would require City Council approval, and you’ll recall that the money generated by the cams is all slated to go to school-safety projects. One such project is in the works for the aforementioned Fauntleroy crossing by Gatewood, at Myrtle – bulbs to shorten the crossing.
FLASHING BEACONS ON FAUNTLEROY: Dougherty also mentioned that new flashing school-zone beacons will go up on Fauntleroy Way before newly expanded Fairmount Park Elementary reopens this fall, so look for that work soon.
The meeting included even more transportation info – regarding the Fauntleroy/California intersection – click ahead: Read More
Thornton Creek did it – can Roxhill Bog do it too? That’s one of the neighborhood issues on the agenda for today’s featured calendar highlight, the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting. Live/work in any of those neighborhoods? Go check out WWRHAH at 6:15 pm, Southwest Branch Library (35th/Henderson). See the agenda in our calendar listing, and the calendar itself has many more events for today/tonight, including nightlife!
(You don’t HAVE to have a bouncy toy, but Hillcrest does – 2010 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Be part of the year’s biggest night of block parties, the 30th annual Night Out, on Tuesday, August 5th. Sounds like a long way away, but our area’s SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon sends word that registration is open NOW. If you sign up, you can close your street to traffic that night (provided you’re not on an arterial and a few other caveats) – go here as soon as you’re ready. Early party-planning also offers the chance to apply for a Department of Neighborhoods matching-fund grant – the deadline is June 23rd; find out about it here. More than 1,400 neighborhoods around Seattle had block parties last year – this year, join ’em!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Morgan Community Association is now officially on the record as supporting the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene‘s proposed six-townhouse plan for land it owns south of the church and its parsonage at 42nd and Juneau.
The vote came at the end of last night’s meeting, after a return appearance by developer and area resident Joe Paar (above), who said he and the church – planning to sell the townhouses but retain ownership of “park” open space on the rest of the site – wanted MoCA’s blessing since they are about to take the first part of the rezoning proposal to the city. The room was full of church members/supporters, about triple MoCA’s usual turnout in the lower-level meeting area of The Kenney (WSB sponsor).
They had a multipage glossy color handout with renderings and Q/A on the project. (Previously, they set up a website.) A sign and painted-on-the-ground outlines are now set up, said Paar. He said they’re still working out where to put the park on the open space that will be left between the townhouses and 42nd SW. He said they’ve been designed to look like “Craftsman-style townhouses,” not the “modern” design that is prevalent in new construction today. The community will be asked to vote on color schemes.
He noted that he and church leadership already have made three appearances at MoCA and will be back often as the proposal proceeds – “you’re going to get sick of us.” A community garden and movie screen are proposed as part of the park section of the site. The project will require a zoning change, as noted previously. The townhouses will have a private porch transitioning into a semi-private yard, then a public path, and the community park area. Their garages won’t be connected to the homes – residents will have to walk to their homes, “which is intentional,” Paar said.
They propose 12 spaces of parking for the townhomes, in addition to 11 parking spaces for the church. The biggest townhomes will have 2 bedrooms and 2 baths in addition to basement space that could be used for a bedroom or office. It was reiterated that these will be sold, not rented, townhomes on fee-simple land. “Would somebody be allowed to buy them for an investment and rent them out?” an attendee asked. “That’s not what we’re looking to sell these for,” said Parr. The church retains ownership of the “park” portion of the land, as well as the parsonage house between the “park” site and the church building.
One attendee said “I commend you on how these buildings look; the buildings they’re building now, they look terrible.” Parr reiterated that he lives nearby and he was afraid a “bad-guy developer would get a hold of the site and build something (we didn’t want to see).”
He outlined a timeline:
*May 2014 – rezoning proposal going to City Council
*May 2015 – response expected from council
*Construction not expected until 2016 or even 2017
It’s a two-step rezoning process, he said, and it requires community support. So far, he says, they have 33 letters from neighbors voicing support, but they all but pleaded for MoCA’s support. The brochure they circulated even included a public accounting of what the church would do with the expected $760,000 revenue, including $200,000 work on the church’s exterior.
MoCA president Deb Barker stressed that the comprehensive-plan amendment being proposed here to facilitate a contract-rezone proposal would only affect the lots on the site. And Parr noted that what they were presenting involves the public benefit they would be required to provide. MoCA’s Eldon Olson said the “park” portion of the site – which would be open to the public but remain church-owned – was attractive, as urban areas are supposed to have more of those.
In the end, MoCA went on the record as voting unanimously to support the comprehensive-plan amendment proposed to change the zoning from single-family to Lowrise 1 on the site. Since MoCA allows anyone present to vote, those who came to show support were part of the vote too.
Earlier in the meeting:
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