West Seattle, Washington
30 Wednesday
Thanks to everyone who sent tips about a search around the Link site (38th/Fauntleroy/Alaska). It was breaking up when we arrived; one officer still on the scene told us there was a report of an intruder. We just confirmed that with Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says the big response was because it was a big site to search, but “no sign of entry, theft, damage found.”
By Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
More than 25 people filled a room at the Senior Center of West Seattle last night for a special meeting about the RapidRide “C Line” bus service’s potential effects on the West Seattle Triangle area.
This topic brought together members of the West Seattle Triangle planning advisory group, Metro Transit, Seattle Department of Transportation, project architects, local business owners, community leaders, and neighborhood residents.
A big concern for many is the potential elimination of street parking on SW Alaska between Fauntleroy Way SW and 35th Ave SW; that topic became the main point of discussion.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It started with a simple question published here at WSB last April: Anybody interested in an organic, vegetarian restaurant in the under-construction Link in the West Seattle Triangle?
More than 200 mostly-wildly-enthusiastic responses ensued.
That response was “the tipping point” in Chaco Canyon Organic Café‘s decision to choose West Seattle as its second location, owner Chris Maykut told WSB, as he announced, “We’ve signed the papers,” as we chatted inside his U-District restaurant.
While there, we talked with Chris and his current U-District (and future West Seattle) general manager Sarah Coyle (in our photo, from left, are Chris, Sarah, and chef Lois Blanford) about what’ll be different in West Seattle and why they are so excited about joining this community – read on:
(Artegos Design crew winterizing the Liberty Bell Printing planters this week – photo courtesy Michael Hoffman)
They’ve talked about the future of area streets, and tonight the West Seattle Triangle advisory group is scheduled to look at land use and zoning, 6 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle … The City Council Budget Committee is getting closer to final decisions about potential changes, and the fate of West Seattle’s Southwest District Coordinator and the Neighborhood Service Center in The Junction are scheduled for discussion again today, as are Crime Prevention Coordinators (here’s the long agenda; the meeting’ll be live at seattlechannel.org and on cable channel 21 starting at 9:30 am) … 2 councilmembers speak to our area’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats, when they meet at 7 tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy — the agenda includes Councilmembers Sally Clark and Sally Bagshaw plus State Sen.-elect Sharon Nelson, State Rep. Eileen Cody, and State Rep.-elect Joe Fitzgibbon … Following up on OrcaFest 2010, tonight The Whale Trail presents an orca research update at the Duwamish Longhouse with NOAA’s Brad Hanson, 7 pm ($5, more here) … Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) has an open house for prospective students and their parents, 6:30-8 pm … As previewed here last night, three West Seattle authors present “Literary Fires” at C & P Coffee, 7 pm … At Chief Sealth International High School, it’s PTSA meeting night in Room 222, with a guest speaker discussing the state of education funding.
You might have missed this tidbit of news, since we rolled it up along with a semi-update on the future West Seattle Trader Joe’s: The former Redline Music and Sports on 35th south of Avalon will become The Bridge. As noted in our brief mention Friday, we sent out an inquiry to its proprietor. And we’ve now heard back from Rita Dixson, who says she and her business partner hope to open in mid-December, depending on how renovations go:
Trevor and I are both longtime West Seattle residents and are relishing the opportunity to breathe new life into an underutilized West Seattle feature.
I’m currently working at Talarico’s. Taking over the old Redline building gives us both an opportunity to put our own (hopefully) unique stamp on the nightlife industry.
Some key features of the Redline will remain, such as on-site parking and a large outdoor patio. We aim to add a satellite bar and fire pit in the summer months. Inside we are looking to to create an intimate, welcoming environment with an emphasis on good drinks and good, simple food.
EX-REDLINE SITE: Just a month after Redline Music and Sports closed at 4439 35th SW, we got reports of work at the site, and we wondered if perhaps it was related to the development proposal that was reviewed last year. Nothing on the city docket – but perusing the liquor-license applications, we discovered we’d missed something last week: A new establishment seeking the license under the name The Bridge. We’ve got an inquiry out to one of the prospective owners in hopes of finding out more.
FUTURE TRADER JOE’S: At the end of September, we contacted site spokesperson John Wunder of Associates West Real Estate to ask why nothing had happened yet with the plan announced in June to remodel the old Huling Buick showroom at 4545 Fauntleroy Way into a new Trader Joe’s. He in turn checked with Trader Joe’s development department – which has been fairly impenetrable from the media front – and reported back that they expected to apply for a permit “within a month.” Now that the month’s come and gone, and because someone asked us about a rumor of trouble, we checked back with Wunder. He says Trader Joe’s is expecting to file the official application next week: “It’s taking a little longer than we thought, but it’s still going to happen.”
First, signs went up offering the forthcoming commercial space for lease. Now, scaffolding’s up on the east side of the stalled 35th/Avalon building, four months after news that it had been purchased by an area company, after being caught up in the Mastro Properties problems. The leasing is being handled by InCitySpace, described in the listing as “2415 (square feet of) retail/office space in shell condition awaiting strong tenant for build-out contribution by landlord,” $28 per square foot, potentially divisible into two 1,200-sf spaces. We have an inquiry out to ask about estimated completion and whether anybody’s signed on yet. (Thanks to everyone who sent tips about both the leasing sign and scaffolding sightings!)
(View of The Hole, photographed in September from atop the unrelated Link project)
We’re in King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead‘s courtroom downtown, after finally confirming today that what’s on her calendar as Ledcor Vs. Aero Construction is indeed the trial for the major legal fights over the stalled Fauntleroy Place development – aka The Hole. Judge Craighead’s staff told us by phone earlier today that the trial – two years in the making – was projected to take about two weeks, though they also noted that, after two days, it was running ahead of schedule. On the witness stand right now: Dan McTaggart from BlueStar, the original developer of the project, which was supposed to bring a Whole Foods Market and new Hancock Fabrics store, plus residential units and underground parking, to the 39th/Alaska spot that had previously held the old Hancock and a Schuck’s Auto Parts store.
Though we’ve just parachuted into the ongoing testimony, we’ve been following the paperwork online since the first two lawsuits were filed in March 2009 – as of right now, online records show 417 separate filings since the cases were consolidated in April of last year, some with triple-digit page counts, like the 100-plus-page list of evidence filed just before trial. One of the key points of contention – did construction work really ever start on the site, and who owes what to whom? (There was a ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2008; demolition work began weeks later – but work idled on the site later in the year, and it was finally revealed that the project had fallen apart and was headed for court.)
Meantime, the site’s future ownership – and ostensibly, future development – is linked to the outcome of this; a potential new owner has been seeking “judicial foreclosure” for more than a year, but as we understand it (at least pending a review of all the latest court docs), nothing will change till some of the key issues are settled – particularly liens for key project figures who say they’re owed money. We’ll track this as best we can during the trial (and of course, beyond).
Compare: Fauntleroy Way as it looks now, through The Triangle …
… and Fauntleroy Way as it might look, in a concept proposed as part of the ongoing West Seattle Triangle planning discussions:
Almost two years after a touchstone meeting that “started (the) conversation” about The Triangle’s future (2008 WSB coverage here), concepts like that one are progressing as part of an official city-involved process. It’s part of the presentation (see it here) given to the Seattle Design Commission last Thursday by architect David Hewitt, a consultant working with the city Department of Planning and Development and a citizens’ advisory group, as they try to envision how The Triangle could evolve with purpose as more development moves in among the existing businesses, large and small, in the next decade-plus. The Design Commission gave unanimous approval to this first round of concepts, which hasn’t yet been formally presented to the Advisory Group, whose next meeting has just been set for 5:30 pm October 27. Read on to see a few more concepts from the presentation, and how they were initially received:Read More
(All photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
You can see downtown from the roof of Harbor Properties‘ under-construction Link – and when it’s done, from the same spot, you’ll also see a stretch of green.
No, not more of that green wrap: A rooftop garden (and sizable deck) will be atop the 195-apartment, plus ground-floor commercial, building along 38th SW north of SW Alaska (map) in The Triangle. Construction is about two-thirds done – it started in late November last year, and the building is scheduled for residents to start arriving in late March of next year.
After the project marked a milestone recently with the departure of its big crane, we requested a hard-hat tour, and Harbor obliged, with Steve Yoon and Emi McKittrick as our guides:
Starting at ground level, we could see the commercial part of the Link building taking shape.
That’s the spot along the alley (east side of Link) where a day-care provider plans to take a sizable space, about 12,500 square feet – and its operation will include an outdoor play area. The rest of the commercial space? For one, vegetarian restaurant Chaco Canyon Café is close to a deal, says McKittrick (you might recall the much-commented-on WSB story six months ago, asking you about potential interest).
(Rendering provided by Trader Joe’s with the June West Seattle announcement)
With three and a half months having elapsed since Trader Joe’s announced it was finally, really, truly coming to West Seattle – but no sign of construction on the site yet – some local TJ’s fans are starting to get nervous. We’ve received several notes in the past few weeks asking if we know why work hasn’t begun. The official online project page on the city Department of Planning and Development site hasn’t changed since shortly after the announcement, and DPD spokesperson Bryan Stevens says Trader Joe’s has not yet turned in the formal application for the building permit – so we talked with the local point person for the project: John Wunder from Associates West, who represents Huling-owned properties around the area, like this one. He says the project is still progressing, and that his Trader Joe’s contact told him today that they plan to file the official application within a month, to get permission for the remodeling work at the former Huling Buick showroom (as detailed in our post-announcement followup in June). According to Wunder, Trader Joe’s currently expects to be open here in “late spring of next year.”
SIDE NOTE: While talking with Wunder, we asked him about a rumor that Whole Foods – which as reported here in July has formally dropped out of the idled-and-court-knotted Fauntleroy Place project across the street – had reportedly signed a letter of intent for another Huling site. He says that is NOT true. He acknowledges they’ve spoken with Whole Foods, but suspects they’re far from the only local landowners/property managers who have done so.
Thanks to Sharonn Meeks in Fairmount for noticing this morning that the big crane at the Triangle construction site for Link (38th south of Fauntleroy) appeared to be coming down – we went over to take a look (another crane is there to help dismantle it), then confirmed with Harbor Properties‘ Emi McKittrick that’s indeed what’s happening, seven months after the crane’s arrival. We asked McKittrick for other project updates: Link is scheduled to open around the end of March, and will start pre-leasing apartments in January, she says. They have a letter of intent from vegetarian restaurant Chaco Canyon Café – remember the big reaction to word that Chaco Canyon was looking at Link? – and are negotiating with them. As for the two other retail spaces in Link, she says “a day-care provider” has signed up for one space and will make its announcement soon, while they’re still negotiating with a potential tenant for the third space. McKittrick tells WSB they’re also really excited about the plans for Link’s rooftop garden – they’re planning “urban agriculture” with an edible garden that’ll grow lettuce, carrots, and other types of produce that residents can “take care of, and harvest, and eat!” There’s more Link info online at linkapts.com.
Covering tonight’s Feet First–organized Walk and Talk Tour of the West Seattle Triangle with Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, photojournalist Edgar Riebe of Captive Eye Media reports participants braved the weather to visit spots from West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park (above) to an inside look at the under-construction Link, below:
We’ll add Edgar’s video report on the tour later tonight. Meantime, the city-led Triangle Advisory Group meetings continue later this fall, according to information received by group members; the next meeting’s been set for October 27th, with a public open house planned on November 10th.
11:58 PM UPDATE: Here’s Edgar’s video report:
ORIGINAL 11:58 AM REPORT: This morning, we got an e-mail tip from Mike Heavey about a broken window at Zebra Print and Copy (35th and Fauntleroy) – police were just arriving as we got there, so while we were able to get photos, we were waiting to hear from them regarding what happened. But in the meantime, we have just heard from the business – Idris Noor at Zebra says it’s the second time they’ve been victimized this month:
I just wanted to let you guys know that our store Zebra Print and Copy.com has been burglarized for the 2nd time this month. The first incident occurred on July 2, and the second one last night.
The first time they attempted to break in through the back door. They tried to pry the door open but were unsuccessful . They ended (up) smashing the front door and leaving.
Today’s break in was caused by a brick being thrown at the window and smashing it while also destroying our neon sign. They seemed to have walked around and looked for stuff but nothing seems to be missing except strangely our candy vending machines. Yes, candy vending machines!
A local ADT employee seems to be the first person to have noticed it this morning and called the police immediately. He also stated that there was another coffee shop in West Seattle that was broken into with their register taken.
We are really starting to worry about the safety of our store and also of our employees. I would like to ask everyone to stay vigilant at night and if anyone might have seen anything last night today or early in the morning going past our store to contact us or the police to let us know what they saw
We aren’t sure if the “coffee shop” case is actually the smash-grab at The Swinery that we reported last Friday; we’re checking with police on that too.
12:01 PM UPDATE: Right after publishing this, we got a reply to that, from Lt. Norm James, who confirms the coffee-shop mention – he says a window was broken at Freshy’s Coffee, triggering its alarm. (added) Layne confirms this in the comment section – saying the stolen register was recovered nearby.
Thanks to the tipsters who shared the news that West Seattle firefighters are out by 35th/Fauntleroy in The Triangle, near the bridge entrance and Starbucks drive-through, taking donations for the annual “Fill the Boot” Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraiser campaign. They’re from nearby Station 32 – that’s Ladder 11’s Capt. David Pagan in the photo – and tell us they’ll be out till about noon. ADDED 11:07 AM: One more photo – MDA rep Alaina Miller with SFD’s Paul Hansen – and Ladder 11 itself!
As part of the ongoing West Seattle Triangle Planning Project, the city has come up with a draft list of businesses in The Triangle – and is asking for your help in making sure it’s accurate and complete. Take a look at the list here (PDF) – and if you see anything missing, or wrong (for example, we noticed that OK Corral should now be Jones Barbeque), here’s who to e-mail. Meantime, if you happen to be a Triangle business owner, the city now has an online survey they’d like you to take; the city’s point person on the Triangle project, Susan McLain, says, “We are asking business owners to complete a short survey providing information and opinions about business-related issues. The idea for the survey emerged from recent meetings sponsored by the West Seattle Chamber and involving businesses in the Triangle planning area.” If you’re a Triangle business owner, start the survey here. McLain says the results will be out this fall. Tuesday night, she spoke to the Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting – read on for toplines:Read More
That’s the staff at Tom’s Automotive Service in The Triangle, one of our newest WSB sponsors. Tom’s Automotive Service is run by Tom Smith and Kandie Jennings, who say their success has been built on treating people like family and talking to their customers in a plain, straightforward way. Tom says his whole staff works at making people feel comfortable by knowing that each car will get only the work it needs, and nothing more. Tom’s Automotive first opened up in 1971 at a location near Morgan Junction and moved to their current location near the West Seattle YMCA (also a WSB sponsor) a couple of years later. Their current building was completed in 1994. Over time, Tom’s has assembled a staff that’s stayed put for many years, so when you come to Tom’s, you can get the same service from the same people who have been taking car of your car and who have come to know you as well. Tom and Kandie belong to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce; Tom’s was the Chamber’s 2008 Business of the Year. Tom and Kandie are on the South Seattle Community College Automotive Technical Education Advisory Board. They’ve been longtime sponsors of teams for West Seattle girls’ pee-wee softball, and supporters of both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts in West Seattle. Next time you take your car to Tom’s Automotive Service, bring three or more cans of food as a food-bank donation, and you’ll get $20 off. You’ll find Tom’s Automotive Service online at tomsautomotive.com, or call 206-973-0737.
We thank Tom’s Automotive Service for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
(Photographed right after West Seattle’s new Jones Barbeque opened: Shyla Jones & Charelle Love)
ORIGINAL 12:30 PM REPORT: Just checked on Jones Barbeque in The Triangle – drove by and saw signs of impending business – they tell us they’ll be open in a few hours. Here’s our last update, from June 18th, mentioning their hopes for curbside service – we’ll ask about that once they’re open later today.
2:59 PM: Now open. Saw the sign while driving back from the Viaduct South End groundbreaking event (story on that, to come).
3:33 PM: Added a photo. Address is 4417 Fauntleroy, if you haven’t passed the storefront before. Couple notes: You can’t call in orders yet – the phone won’t be in until Thursday. Hours: 11 to 9 Monday through Thursday, 11-10 Friday and Saturday. They haven’t decided yet about Sundays (including the 4th of July) – we’ll check back in a few days. That curbside service WILL be offered, 11 am-4 pm and 6 pm-9 pm Mondays-Fridays, not during 4-6 because of peak traffic.
Ever since our first report 3 weeks ago about Jones Barbeque planning a West Seattle location, we’ve been chasing down more details. Finally just got them, in a phone chat with Andreque Jones, as more signage continues going up at the storefront. He tells WSB they’re hoping to open as soon as next week in their new location at 4417 Fauntleroy (between Aikido of West Seattle and Tervo’s Mini-Mart, and previously, briefly home to OK Corral), if “the rest of the permits come through.” At the very least, he says, “we’re looking to have a grand opening on the 1st week of July.” We asked him about hours – and learned about plans for “curbside service” – read on:Read More
Last month, a spokesperson for the company that holds the note for “The Hole” – the stalled site that we now can describe as “across 39th SW from the future West Seattle Trader Joe’s” – met with local leaders and listened to their concerns (WSB story here); it was a response to the letter sent by the Southwest District Council, which then, two weeks later, received an official written reply (WSB story here). Today, crews were back at the site making good on some of the promises in that reply – as you can see in the “aerial” view shared by an area resident who wants to be anonymous, they’re putting a concrete barricade around the site. We got this view on the ground:
Our anonymous tipster adds, “We got a letter from Chinn yesterday stating that they would be doing this until next Tuesday and that the alley that skirts the west side of The Hole would be periodically closed until then.” Meantime, as for the status of the site itself, the consolidated lawsuits involving a variety of parties continue proceeding toward an October trial date if there’s no settlement before then; the number of actions in the case in the past 14 months, as recorded online, has almost hit 300.
(City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen at the meeting Wednesday night; DPD’s Susan McLain is at right)
They’ve talked about parking, streetscapes, and more … and Wednesday night, the West Seattle Triangle Advisory Group, assembled and convened by the city this spring, was to take on land use, though the meeting ultimately sprawled across broader ground.Read More
During the very first meeting of the special West Seattle Triangle Advisory Group (WSB coverage here), it was clear that parking was one of the hottest issues regarding the area’s future. City planner Susan McLain promised a special meeting would be devoted to that topic – and today she’s sent the agenda for that SDOT-hosted meeting, coming up this Thursday:
I. Introductions (10 min) Casey Hildreth, SDOT
II. Review of 2009 West Seattle Junction parking project (20 min) Danté Taylor, SDOT
III. Discussion of key issues (30 min) All
a. Employee parking
b. Residential (RPZ) parking
c. Hide-and-ride, park-and-ride
d. BRT parking impacts
IV. Next steps (5 min) Casey
V. Q & A (25 min) All
(BRT refers to RapidRide – “Bus Rapid Transit.”) The meeting’s at 6 pm Thursday, Senior Center of West Seattle, and everybody’s welcome. Meantime, the city has posted documents and graphics from past Triangle Advisory Group meetings here.
This Saturday, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle is putting on its first Charity Motorcycle Poker Run and Bike & Classic Car Show – and they just sent word, they’ve still got room for more cars:
Calling All Cars!
Do you have a cool car, custom ride, monster truck or electric vehicle you want to show off? We have space available for you to join us on Saturday May 15th from 11am to 3pm, at the 1ST ANNUAL CHARITY MOTORCYCLE POKER RUN, BIKE & CLASSIC CAR SHOW.
On May 15, 2010, the Kiwanis of West Seattle will host its first annual Charity Motorcycle Poker Run & Classic Car Show. Proceeds from this event go to the non-profit 21st Century Scholarship Fund that provides education and leadership opportunities for the youth in our community.
Sign-in for the motorcycle poker run starts at 8:30 am at the former Huling Brothers Buick Dealership at 38th Ave SW & Fauntleroy Way SW in West Seattle. Following the Poker Run, riders, passengers, and the general public is welcome to join us for a BBQ and to view the Classic Cars on display. Poker Run day-of registration is $30 per rider, plus $5 per passenger. The cost of the BBQ for the general public is $10. There is no charge for participants of the Car Show.
Commemorating this special event, T-shirts will be available for sale. Contact the Kiwanis at westseattlekiwanis@yahoo.com with questions or to let us know you are bringing your car to display to the public.
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