West Seattle, Washington
27 Saturday
Even as the apartment-building boom proceeds in the Junction/Triangle area, a different type of construction project is on the drawing boards: The new Fire Station 32. This has been in the works for a long time, but is just now moving closer to reality; this week, the city applied for permits for the Fire Levy-funded project. The plan is to demolish the current station and build a new one on the same site (38th/Alaska), described in the city’s online files as “a new 3-story structure with basement, elevated parking deck and site walls.”
We took a few followup questions to city spokesperson Katherine Schubert-Knapp, who replies that (a) there’s no design yet – “we’re in the schematic design phase with our architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson“; (b) the interim site for relocating the station during construction has not yet been chosen; (c) the timeline envisions demolition around “the end of 2014-beginning of 2015. The station construction is expected to be complete by first quarter 2016.”
While Station 32 is already key to responses in West Seattle, as home to an engine, ladder truck, and Medic 32, the city’s summary of the project says, “As part of the rebuild, Station 32 is slated for major improvements and conversion to the lead station for Battalion VII, which covers all of West Seattle, southwest Seattle, and Harbor Island, and the industrial areas lining both sides of the Duwamish River.”
If you noticed the Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) sign in the window of the former West Seattle Motors/Bob Ochsner Cars site along Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle – here’s what’s up: The West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) is taking over the space. It’s already being used for extra parking – 18 more spaces, as announced to Y members a few months back, says Josh Sutton at the Y, adding, “We’re on track to start using the space for fitness classes (quantity/type still to be determined) in the next month or so. Right now we’re cleaning it up and getting it ready – so stay posted. Big thanks goes to Potter Construction for donating a chunk of the renovation costs.” (Proprietor Gary Potter is on the Y’s board.)
The first phase of the West Seattle Triangle Parking Plan has been finalized after the last round of neighborhood input.
(Click to see entire mailer as a PDF)
Thanks to Sharonn Meeks of the Fairmount Community Association – that’s the neighborhood just south of, and uphill from, Alaska in The Triangle – for sharing the news that SDOT has sent a final mailer to residents in the area – see it here. There are two differences from the “proposed plan” sent around last month – as reported here – and one is a big one: Fairmount neighbors appealed a proposal to allow parking on both sides of 37th SW in Fairmount, explaining that the two sides of the street were developed 30 years apart, with different lot sizes/shapes, which means driveways don’t align – for the homes who have them – and allowing parking on both sides could hamper fire-truck access. The other change is that SDOT “will evaluate potential sites for additional bike parking at the beginning of 2013,” according to the city’s project manager Kiersten Grove, who says the plan overall is meant to “facilitate better parking turnover for West Seattle Triangle businesses and provide additional parking for the residents of the area.” It’ll be sent to the City Council for review next month, as explained here.
There’s a new proposal for changes to parking in The Triangle and in the Fairmount neighborhood to its south – see the map above. It’s being circulated after the city’s followup conversations with the Triangle Advisory Group and other neighbors. So far, the postcard above has only gone out to homes/businesses in the immediate area – but it’s certainly of wider interest, so we are sharing it here. An online survey is open right now (go here), and/or you can send comments by Monday, November 26, to kiersten.grove@seattle.gov.
Thanks to everyone who has pointed out that branding work has been proceeding quickly on the new Fauntleroy Shell station at Fauntleroy/Alaska (that’s its official name, according to the city business license). We’ve been working to find out when they expect to open, and finally reached someone today by phone – they say it could be as soon as this Friday, depending on how “network installation” work goes. For those wondering “why two Shell stations at the same intersection?” – please remember that the pre-existing one is going to be part of the 4755 Fauntleroy Way mega-project. That does not mean it’s closing any time soon – but eventually (though the land deal for that project won’t be done till next year, according to the developers, and construction may not start till 2014).
Another stolen vehicle to watch for: From Brady via Twitter, “My black ’99 Subaru Outback Sport was stolen last night outside of the Link Apts (38th & Alaska)! WA license 045VTO.” As Seattle Police note in their @getyourcarback tweets – if you see a known stolen car, call 911.
Almost a year and a half after it closed during a conversion from 76 to Arco, the gas station/mini-mart on the east side of the Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection appears to be on the way to reopening, under new ownership. We checked its status after a tip from Paul of PB&J Textiles (WSB sponsor); he noticed the fence that had ringed it for a year was down and the site appeared “cleaned up.” It was fenced off last January and then listed for sale; county property records show the $1.3 million sale to PacWest Energy LLC closed a week and a half ago, and city online records show an application for a sign permit – under the Shell brand. What we’ve found online so far indicates that PacWest is a joint venture between Shell and Idaho-based Jacksons Food Stores. Does this mean anything for the also-Shell-branded station across the intersection? We’ll be checking on that, and on the timetable for this one.
We’re at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction (northeast corner of California/Oregon), where the big upstairs meeting room is the site of the first open house for the Fauntleroy Way Green Boulevard proposal 
(official city website here). Five SDOT staffers are here, answering questions and talking with people at two identical tables, each of which is set up with a long rectangular map showing the area under consideration, Fauntleroy between 35th SW and SW Alaska. There are also stacks of forms on which you can write your thoughts. Also here, Brian Hawksford from the office of City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, the West Seattleite who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee. What SDOT is hearing from participants so far includes questions about : They’re asking about a water line under the road. Some have suggested trees and raised planters. A concern was voiced about the safety of people walking over to Trader Joe’s, including from Link Apartments across Fauntleroy. Would this mean no bus service on Fauntleroy? planners were asked. Some are also asking about bicycle access (Seattle Bike Blog asked the question in this story). And there are questions about whether the “boulevard” concept could continue further south on Fauntleroy. The open house continues till 6 pm – just drop by, ask a question, write a comment (or e-mail one later – contact info’s at the end here).
5:17 PM UPDATE: We asked what happens next – answer, in addition to taking comments, here and via e-mail, SDOT is also doing traffic/pedestrian studies in the area, to see which of the potential alternatives might work best. Then they’ll come up with the “10 percent conceptual design concept” by the end of the year, before this proceeds further; right now, as was pointed out to us last week, that’s all the funding this project has ($250,000) – more funding would have to be budgeted for full design, let alone construction. As for whether more public meetings are planned – that’s still up in the air; this is the only one they originally planned, SDOT says (though it was not officially announced till this week, aside from postcards that arrived in some nearby homes last week, which is how we indirectly found out about the meeting last Friday).
(Rendering of potential Fauntleroy Way ‘green boulevard,’ from June 2011 Triangle open house)
FIRST REPORT, 10:05 AM: Thanks to Sharonn Meeks of the Fairmount Community Association for sharing a photo of a postcard she just received in postal mail at her home, so we can share the info with you – we have not seen any other mention of this yet, and it’s less than a week away: The city has scheduled its first open house on the Fauntleroy Way “Green Boulevard” concept – after including $250,000 in this year’s budget to study the idea of turning Fauntleroy Way into a “boulevard,” with a treed median, through The Triangle, between 35th SW and SW Alaska. Love the idea? Don’t like the idea? Want to know more? We’re asking SDOT when some kind of formal announcement is forthcoming, but the postcard Sharonn received says the open house is at 4 pm next Thursday (July 19th) at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). It also includes a city website address that as of this writing doesn’t appear to be working yet. We’ll update when we get more info from SDOT.
4:41 PM UPDATE: Some more info from SDOT re: the open house:
The open house will provide community members an opportunity to provide input on conceptual design alternatives for the Fauntleroy Way SW Green Boulevard Project. The project itself is between 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska Street on Fauntleroy Way SW and seeks to transform this section of the corridor into more of a gateway into West Seattle. The alternatives could include elements such as a landscaped boulevard, planted medians, better pedestrian zones, lighting and better crossing movements. This is all part of a larger plan that originates from the West Seattle Streetscapes Concept Plan.
We are inviting community members to come to the open house to review the alternatives, share their thoughts on the conceptual design plan and generally let us know what is most important to them about this section of the corridor.
SDOT’s Marybeth Turner also points out that “funding right now only allows for a conceptual design (10 percent) and a proposed alternative to be selected this year. Funding would still need to be secured to move this project into a design greater than 10 percent and then into physical construction.”
Josh Sutton from the West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) caught this view of an unusual sight at the development site across the street from the Y’s HQ in The Triangle – a spiral staircase being hoisted into place. The 62-apartment development at 36th/Snoqualmie is Harbor/Urban‘s Nova, one of three major developments under construction in West Seattle right now, along with Youngstown Flats (26th/Dakota in North Delridge) and Oregon 42 (where the recent 3-home demolition is over and excavation is beginning) at 42nd/Oregon in The Junction.
Next chapter in the saga of the shuttered, fenced-off gas station at a very prominent spot, Fauntleroy/Alaska in The Triangle: It’s now officially up for sale, asking price $1.4 million. Back in August, its former owner told us – months after closing it while in the process of changing brands – that he expected it to be taken over by a bank, and the new listing confirms that (“property is being sold as-is through receivership”). They’ve put out a “call for offers” with a March 21st deadline. (Here’s the brokers’ website, photos and all.)
The folks at Chaco Canyon Café, the organic vegetarian/vegan restaurant at Link (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle, are inviting artists to come show their stuff. Here’s the invitation we were asked to share:
Call to West Seattle Artists! Chaco Canyon Café is looking for your art to display on our walls!
Criteria:
1. West Seattle and White Center artists preferred.
2. Paintings preferred and we welcome pieces with a bright and vibrant color palette.
3. Artists must be willing to keep their work here for a minimum of 6 months and to host at least one Art Walk event during that period.
4. Have approx. 12 large pieces, or an equivalent number of small or medium pieces available for display.
5. Have all work neatly and appropriately framed with the ability to hang from a single hook provided.
6. Be ready and able to put up art during the week of March 19th.For those interested, please e-mail photographs of your works to anise@chacocanyoncafe.com. We hope to come to a decision by the beginning of March.
Just four months after opening, the Corner Store and Deli in The Triangle is closed. The white and red posted flyers on the left side of the door are eviction notices and court documents that just turned up.
As some WSB’ers had pointed out in notes asking about the store’s status, it hadn’t been open much, if at all, lately; we don’t recall seeing its doors open for at least a week and a half. The space at 4415 Fauntleroy Way SW had previously long been known as Tervo’s Mini-Mart.
The fate of the ex-76 station at Fauntleroy/Alaska has entered a new phase: A fence went up this afternoon, with a “No Trespassing” sign and a note directing anyone interested to contact a California company for information. You might recall that the station was being converted from a 76 station to an Arco station about a year ago, and then abruptly shut down. Back in August, after notes from neighbors upset that the site was continually being trashed in ways big and small, we reported that it had been cleaned up – and that its owner told WSB he didn’t expect to reopen it, and thought it would soon be “taken over by a bank.” (Here’s that story.) We can’t find any evidence of that in public records, but we have a message out to the company whose number is on the sign on the new fence. This gas-station site, incidentally, is part of what the City Council just rezoned to 85-foot-maximum-height development (20 feet higher than before).
Meantime, you might have noticed the land-use sign up on the kitty-corner Shell station; it was briefly up for sale last year, but is now in the process of getting approvals for underground tank replacement.
Two reader reports to share tonight – first, a stolen car resembling the one in the photo sent by Rob, who hopes his car will be found:
Stolen from my driveway near 37th and Alaska on Tuesday (12/27/2011) between 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM.
The car is a 1998 Subaru Legacy GT Sedan (not the ubiquitous wagon). It is a lovely dark-green color with some minor dents in the right-rear corner. It has Washington truck plates (so the license# begins with an “A” and ends with an “F”). It has a distinctive hood vent and a tasteful rear spoiler, as you can almost see in (the) photo. I have filed a report with the police.
Second, A shares the story of a car whose driver was taking an odd path early today:
Approximately 0530 Wednesday morning, my partner noticed a white Nissan with license plate number 200-Z(xx) pulling in and out of driveways along 35th avenue SW before the turn onto Marine View Drive SW. After being noticed, the car then drove back up 35th to 106th and made a right heading towards White Center. Police were notified, please be on the lookout and report further suspicious behavior.
2:07 PM: Click the “play” button and you’ll see the live video stream of this afternoon’s Seattle City Council meeting, which has just begun, with two items of particular note on the agenda: West Seattle Triangle rezoning (approved by the council’s Committee on the Built Environment three weeks ago) and the plastic-bag ban. We’ll add updates here if and when the public-comment period at the meeting’s start includes Triangle comments, as well as when the Triangle and bag-ban items come up.
2:22 PM: The public-comment period ended with no one stepping up to the podium to talk about Triangle rezoning, which is a few items away on the agenda. Most of the commenters talked about the plastic-bag ban, including, as seen in our framegrab above, the “Bagmonster Singers,” who serenaded councilmembers with a song to the tune of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
2:31 PM: And here’s the Triangle item, which is actually two items – rezoning/changing development standards, and recommending a parking study for the area. Councilmember Sally Clark opens by saying it all dates back to the closure of the Huling Brothers auto properties (briefly Gee Automotive after Huling) and concern over what would happen to the area with so much vacant land. She hands the microphone to Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who as she said has been closely involved in planning for the area’s future. He says RapidRide (scheduled to start in 2012) also was a spark to get the process going, beginning with an “urban-design framework.” He notes that it included a plan for The Triangle’s “streetscapes,” including the Fauntleroy Way “boulevard” concept (the new city budget includes planning money) and SW Snoqualmie as a “festival” street. And of course, it includes rezoning – “neighborhood commercial” that “encourages pedestrian-friendly development” for much of the heart of The Triangle, which he says will also strengthen the pedestrian connection between The Junction and The Triangle. The latter was not recommended for more height, he explains, so as not to put “more pressure” for sales/development of existing commercial properties – but the Fauntleroy/Alaska/Edmunds area includes more than 2 blocks that will be rezoned to 85 feet (20 feet higher than the current zoning).
2:40 PM: Council President Richard Conlin says “congratulations” and notes the importance of the legislation to West Seattle’s future, before Rasmussen reads the list of Triangle Advisory Committee members and also acknowledges DPD and Council staffers for their work. No comments from other councilmembers. The rezoning/development standards bill (read it here) passes unanimously 9-0, as does the recommendation for a parking study. No other councilmembers comment.
2:45 PM: Now Councilmember Mike O’Brien is explaining the plastic-bag ban. You can still use plastic bags for meat and produce in grocery stores, he notes. For this too, no councilmembers are commenting or asking questions, except for Council President Conlin, who thanks O’Brien, who in turn thanks “partners” for help with the bill (including WSB sponsors PCC Natural Markets and Metropolitan Market). The bill passes unanimously; there’s applause in council chambers.
3:15 PM: The official news releases from council staff: West Seattle Triangle rezoning, here; plastic-bag ban, here. The bag ban takes effect next July 1st.
If you have anything to say to the City Council before their final vote on West Seattle Triangle (and vicinity) rezoning, Monday afternoon is your last chance – in the public-comment period at the start of their 2 pm meeting (here’s the agenda). If you’ve missed the previous coverage, the rezoning is detailed in the ordinance the council will consider. You can read it here (that’s where we got the map you see above). Two of the main points: Most of The Triangle itself is rezoned from “commercial” to “neighborhood commercial,” which means different standards for future development, particularly stipulations about street-level features; several chunks of land, including some that are west/southwest of The Triangle itself, get 20 more feet of height, to an 85-foot maximum. That includes, for example, what are currently the sites of Les Schwab Tires, Cycle U (future Highline Medical), West Seattle Produce, WSP’s former site across Fauntleroy, the two gas-station sites across from each other at Alaska/Fauntleroy, Howden-Kennedy, and more – see the map (sorry we don’t have a larger version, but many browsers can zoom). The council also will vote on a resolution asking SDOT to do a parking study for The Triangle, since the topic came up so often in the process that preceded this. Side note: Right after taking up The Triangle, the council moves to a final vote on the plastic-bag ban.
Thanks to Josh Sutton from the West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) – he took the photo as demolition began on the site kitty-corner from the Y that will become Harbor Properties‘ next West Seattle apartment building, Nova. Harbor opened Link a few blocks away earlier this year and also owns Mural in The Junction (both are WSB sponsors). Nova’s at 4600 36th SW (just north of The Grove) and is designed for five stories, 62 apartments, 36 parking spaces (it’s close to the forthcoming RapidRide, and the city now does not require parking for developments close to major transit).
Harbor’s contractor is Compass Construction; its major financing is from Bank of the West. Construction is expected to take a year.
Lots more room inside West Seattle Produce‘s new home across Fauntleroy Way SW. We reported their planned move a month ago and dropped by this morning to see how things look.
Their storefront faces north, so you will only see it from the street when you are driving/riding/walking south (and manager Brian points out it’s a legal left turn – they checked), but you can’t miss the Christmas trees right now ($10/foot):
They’ve still got a few final touches for stocking and setting up, but their non-produce food and beverage stocks include European pastries, with bagels to be added this weekend:
Other merchandise includes teas, spices, seeds, and nuts. Brian told us they got major help from fellow Triangle business Alki Lumber to get everything moved across the street. That’s also where he says they got a great deal on the wood that’s providing a lot of homey, rustic atmosphere inside the new location – with the framework over the central produce island even including old bridge timbers:
And if you look closely at the front counter when you visit, you’ll notice mechanisms hinting at its past incarnation as part of a door – right over corrugated metal that’s been treated to look older than it really is. West Seattle Produce is open 8 am daily, till 7 every night except Sunday (6 pm) .. and if you’re still having trouble placing the location, it’s the old A-1/Hertz Rentals place, immediately south of the new Les Schwab Tires.
(This is now the archived video of today’s meeting, time-coded to start when this agenda item began)
10:40 AM: Click the “play” button and you’ll see the Seattle City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment, talking about the West Seattle Triangle rezoning proposal for the second time this month. (The agenda includes links to the documents and maps they’re discussing.) They may or may not vote today; they need to vote on it before it can go to the full council. Whatever decision is made by the city will affect the face of that section of West Seattle for decades to come – part of the area, including some lots around the Triangle edges, including the west side of Fauntleroy for a stretch south of SW Alaska, is proposed for upzoning to 85 feet. We’ll note highlights and the meeting results, as this goes along. (The meeting started at 9 am, but the committee had another weighty item to get through first – a zoning change in the Roosevelt area of North Seattle – so they didnt get to the Triangle till 10:40 am.)
10:45 AM: They’ve just voted to amend the proposal to include 85-foot zoning on both sides of Fauntleroy for the stretch between Alaska and Edmunds. (See this “map amendment” here.)
10:56 AM: They’ve just approved some amendments, including extending the “pedestrian” zone to 35th, whereas previously it ended at 36th SW. As they get ready to vote on the entire bill, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw says not everyone is happy with everything, but it’s a “give and take” process. Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who’s been involved in Triangle planning for more than three years, says he’s excited, “while there are still some outstanding issues … and I don’t think we’re going to get back to that … the community was heard (relating to height issues, in that some areas will stay at 65-foot zoning).” He thanks the community for spending “a lot of time on this.”
10:59 AM: The rezoning proposal passes the committee with a unanimous vote. The committee also has approved a resolution calling for SDOT to do a parking study in The Triangle as the result of issues that came up during the last leg of the planning process. Next step: This all goes to the full Council next month.
Rezoning for the West Seattle Triangle and part of the adjacent area – including increasing some parcels to a maximum of 85-foot-high development – is back on the agenda tomorrow morning for the City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment (9 am, CIty Hall downtown). They are scheduled to discuss potential changes to the plan presented two weeks ago, and they may vote on whether to send the plan to the full council for final action. The information package, including proposed map and text amendments – with an area of Fauntleroy between Alaska and Edmunds proposed for 85-foot zoning on the east side as well as the west side – is linked from the meeting agenda, which begins with a public-comment period for anyone interested in speaking to the members about this.
7:55 PM: WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli checked out this crash that happened a short time ago at 35th/Fauntleroy. No major injuries, he reports, but it’s blocking part of the road, as you can see, so slow going till it’s cleared.
ADDED 8:14 PM: More info from Christopher, who was on the scene right after it happened: He says the BMW station wagon was just off the bridge and collided with a minivan going the other way; both drivers, who appeared to be alone in the cars, got out of the vehicles right afterward. Bystanders pushed the BMW out of the main traffic lanes but the minivan wasn’t so easily dealt with – since it lost its driver’s-side rear tire.
10:55 AM: Proposed rezoning for the West Seattle Triangle – and adjacent areas – is going before the City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment during the meeting that’s under way right now (the meeting started at 9, but they had a big agenda). You can watch the live video feed here – click “play”:
Here’s the presentation they’re being shown about the proposed rezoning, which would rezone some parts of the Triangle/east Junction area to allow 85-foot-high buildings, as well as changing an even-larger area from “commercial” to “neighborhood commercial” zoning, which doesn’t change the height but does change expectations at street level, for example. The Triangle Advisory Committee did not endorse the upzoning, as council staffers are noting in the briefing, but DPD council staff is recommending expanding that upzoning beyond what had previously been discussed. You can read their extensive memo here. It mentions a bombshell dropped recently by the Seattle Planning Commission, which suggested that the concept of a “single iconic tower of 160 feet or more” be considered for the Fauntleroy/Alaska vicinity. That is NOT currently part of the rezoning proposal, but something to keep an eye out for. We’ll add some notes once the meeting is over.
11:51 AM: Meeting’s over. Council staff will draft a bill to be voted on by the committee on November 30th if possible (the sentiment expressed was that they would “like to get this wrapped up by the end of the year” – watch the agendas here). West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen expressed concerns about zoning in the area of 40th/Oregon, where he expressed appreciation for old bungalows that have townhouses built behind them; he thought that was a more appropriate and “pleasant, unique” use of the land than changing the zoning so those bungalows are all facing demolition and replacement with what he called “schlocky townhouses.” Council President Richard Conlin said he wanted to be sure the “canyon effect” – taller buildings, both sides of the street – wasn’t going to result from changes here. Councilmember Sally Clark (the committee’s chair) said she favors DPD’s proposal and appreciated the firsthand look she got during a recent Triangle walking tour (WSB coverage here). Conlin and Councilmember O’Brien said they’ll probably come out this way for their own firsthand looks.
One other thing discussed, the issue of “hide and ride” parking – Clark said that was raised during the walking tour, and she supports the proposal to have SDOT study the area for potential parking regulation to reduce that possibility.
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