West Seattle, Washington
06 Thursday
The city Landmarks Preservation Board lawyers have called all their witnesses, and now the lawyer for Satterlee House (aka Beach Drive’s “Painted Lady”) owner William Conner is calling his, with testimony continuing before city Hearing Examiner Sue Tanner at 8 am tomorrow and 12:30 pm Tuesday. It’s already gone on for 2 1/2 days (coverage links: testimony from the house’s previous owner/namesake David Satterlee here; first full day, last Monday, wrapup here; this morning’s testimony here) and is attracting a fair level of attention in the historic-preservation and legal communities, since disputes over development involving official city landmarks almost never get to this stage (an appeal argued before the Hearing Examiner). Here’s what happened this afternoon:Read More
Just out of the inbox, from Joe:
8400 block of 41st Ave.: A black male in a red slicker hopped a fence and pried the screen off a back/side window by our neighbor’s deck facing 42nd Ave. about 10:30am this morning. He was about to break the window with the large rock in his hand when the owner banged on the window and he ran off. Their car was gone at the time and the house may have looked unoccupied. A neighbor saw him vault the front gate and sprint north toward Thistle. Both called police but he was long gone by the time they arrived (semi-quickly… they had to come from Alki).
The Police got two excellent descriptions. In this neck of the woods neighbors are VERY alert and many are home during the day, so this midday boldness (in a bright red slicker, no less) is pretty scary.
Possibly connected: Yesterday, we were canvassed by a young “magazine sales” guy who may have been a friend of the would-be robber who showed up today. I was home at the time and answered the door. He did not present himself well and I asked if he had a Seattle City License as required for door-to-door sales and he did not. I advised him to get lost and he did. All legitimate door-to-door canvassers will have that license and be willing to show it. If they don’t have it call the police… they are likely scouting the neighborhood.
I didn’t. Next time I will.
About the same time this e-mail came in, in fact, we got a message from the Southwest Precinct that they’re asking people to be extra alert about brazen daytime break-ins and attempts like this – we expect some more info from them tomorrow. (Coincidentally, we got this message while at the High Point Neighborhood Association meeting, which we left as they were segueing into a Block Watch organizing gathering. If you don’t have a Block Watch, get one — call crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow at the precinct; his contact info is here.)
The city’s latest Land Use Information Bulletin is out, with decisions including the one that will allow a new 4-story building — ground-floor retail, 12 apartments above — to move forward on the site shown above, 2310 California, north of Admiral. City project page is here; our coverage of the final Design Review meeting last August is here.
Looks like today will be the second full day of testimony in the case of Satterlee House/Beach Drive “Painted Lady” owner William Conner vs. the city Landmarks Board — it originally was set for a half-day but as we mentioned in our previous reports, the case has been taking so long, the city Hearing Examiner had to add extra time to the calendar. Backstory: Conner has owned the house since 2000. After a previous development proposal went nowhere in the early ’00s, nothing happened for a while, till he filed to subdivide the house’s huge front lawn into three separate lots. That was granted; but before anyone could build on those three lots, the city Landmarks Board had to grant a Certificate of Approval, since the house and site comprise an official city landmark. Conner took a proposal for three homes, about 3,000 square feet each, to the board, and it said no. His appeal of that decision is what is being argued now, courtroom-style, before the city Hearing Examiner, in her hearing room on the 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown. This morning’s testimony included revelations about how much Conner has spent so far — in legal fees as well as on the property — among other things:Read More
We get e-mails now and then asking what’s going on with the Pacino’s Coffee location at 5605 Delridge, which abruptly closed not long after opening. Just happened onto city permit filings indicating the building is being re-equipped as a restaurant – the filing lists Olympia Pizza and Pasta as the name.
ART WALK: The West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk hits new heights again tonight – with a record 23 participants, stretching from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) 
in Admiral, to artist Steve Klinkel on Beach Drive (4150 Beach Dr #202, “stairs around back” per Steve, here’s his website), to venues south of The Junction including C and P Coffee and West Seattle Nursery. A major centerpiece tonight is the Clementine/Sweetie/Carmilia’s fashion show at Twilight Art (just west of Easy Street) — among what you’ll see there are new I (Heart) West Seattle T-shirts by designer Todd Karam (photo left courtesy design:toddkaram.com; as you’ll see on his site, there’s a black version too). Art Walk, 6-9 tonight, list of participants here, map here.
THEATER: “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball” is in its final week at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) — with shows tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday night (here’s a full list of showtimes). Read more about it here; shown below in a scene from “Sweetest Swing,” Dana (Heather Hawkins, far right) defends her art to Karen Nelsen and Kelly Kitchens (ArtsWest photo by WSB contributor Matt Durham):
HIGH POINT SAFETY: If you live or work in the High Point vicinity and want to get involved with your neighborhood, you’ll want to be at the High Point Neighborhood Association meeting tonight, 6-7:30 pm @ High Point Library (that still leaves time for Art Walk-ing afterward!). The agenda includes Block Watch info – a vital way to help your neighborhood stay safe.
Happy crowd at tonight’s third and final public meeting about the Morgan Junction park (to be officially named later) that’s going in north of the new Beveridge Place Pub — the final design schematic, shown above, drew praise for being responsive to concerns voiced at previous meetings (including this one we covered in January, at which three design options were shown). Just one catch, revealed to the crowd of about 35 toward the end of tonight’s meeting — Parks Department project manager Virginia Hassinger — building this version of the park could cost up to $60,000 over the $367,000 budgeted for it now. ADDED 9:10 PM: what could be done to get that money — and more on what exactly the park plan involves:Read More
It’s going to be an all-Junction lineup at the Southwest Design Review Board meeting April 10 at Chief Sealth High School – we’d already told you a 6:30 pm review was planned that night for the newly proposed Conner Homes megaproject (WSB coverage here) along California/Alaska/42nd … as of this afternoon, the city just added 4550 38th SW — the Harbor Properties 200-unit building planned for the ex-Huling/Gee shop site shown above (and West Seattle Montessori) — to the agenda; that’ll start at 8 pm. (City page for the Harbor project is here; city page for the Conner project is here.)
As promised during our briefing last month with city Transportation Department managers about the upcoming Junction parking review, 
SDOT is starting to make the rounds of West Seattle meetings to outline what’s ahead and answer questions. One of the first stops: last night’s meeting of the Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO), whose members have a somewhat different take on area parking issues than people who don’t live in the Junction vicinity – they are interested in possible Residential Parking Zones (RPZs), which are marked with signs like the one shown in the photo at left (from a street near the Fauntleroy ferry dock), and require residents to pay a relatively small fee for a permit exempting them from the restrictions. Here’s a city page with more about RPZs; they’re set up to help neighborhoods besieged with a large amount of non-resident parkers for long periods of time. Right now in the residential areas surrounding The Junction, the challenges are twofold: “Park-and-hiders” — people from other neighborhoods who drive and park there to get closer to major bus routes — and construction workers coming in to work on Capco Plaza (41st/42nd/Alaska) and Mural (behind Petco), a subset of parkers that will only get bigger as other projects are launched, such as Fauntleroy Place (Whole Foods) and the California/Alaska buildings that will be presented to the Southwest Design Review Board on April 10. (By the way, the location for that meeting is now set — Chief Sealth High School – and after the California/Alaska project is reviewed at 6:30, the Harbor Properties project at 4550 38th has been added for 8 pm — more on that in our next post.) At JuNO last night, Mary Catherine Snyder from SDOT outlined the process for the Junction Parking Review and answered questions about where RPZ consideration might fit in:Read More
Tracy from T(ea) Gallery, who closed her Admiral location to focus on her newer downtown shop, sends word that her former West Seattle spot has a new tenant: Northwest Academy for the Healing Arts opens there April 1st (confirmed on its website).
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Nancy:
This morning between 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. a home in my neighborhood on 56th Avenue SW near Hanford Avenue was broken into. They entered via the bathroom window using a lawn chair to reach it. The owner thinks the window may have been unlocked. The burglar did rummage through nearly every drawer in the house, but only took cash from a purse. The police were able to get finger prints off of her bathroom window. We also had a burglary on Frater Avenue at 57th Avenue SW last week.
The burglar is still at large and seems to be canvassing our neighborhood. Please double check to make sure your windows are locked when you leave the house. Also, if possible, remove/move anything that can easily be used at a “ladder.”
Here’s a map of the area Nancy mentioned.
Just alluded to this on the original post from late last night: Eric Radovich from BlueStar, developers of Fauntleroy Place (plus the forthcoming Spring Hill), says the artwork we posted, given by a rep from his company to project neighbors who showed it at last night’s JuNO meeting, is NOT a new look for the future home of Whole Foods/Hancock Fabrics — he says it is for MASSING ONLY. That means showing the approximate size and space that will be taken up by the buildings, but not their colors, decks, setbacks, etc. — he says the drawing was done so that Whole Foods could see where its entries would be. Radovich says there is not a final, final rendering yet for what Fauntleroy Place will look like, past this one that’s on the BlueStar website now:
… but architects are “on the brink” of the next one, which he reiterates will follow what the Design Review Board stipulated in previous reviews. He requested that we take down our photo of the drawing; we are honoring that request, and we have his 24-hour phone number for comment on anything else that turns up in the future. We apologize on all fronts for the fire drill – once in a while, that’s what happens in newsgathering/reporting, in all media – you report something quickly, and it turns out there’s more to the story; we are committed at WSB to as close to a perfect accuracy rate as we can get, so we certainly can, and will, do better.
That photo was taken today by the same Westwood neighbor who sent us the one in this report, during the aftermath of the attacking-pit-bulls-shot-by-police incident on Feb. 26. (Original coverage here; victim update here; dog-owner update here.) He writes:
We’re still struggling with the loose dog problem here in the Westwood Village neighborhood where Rosie the chihuahua and her owner were attacked last month. I wanted to ask if you could post the attached photo of two dogs running loose in the middle of Trenton Street 1/4 block from busy 16th Ave SW, along with the Animal Control number. These dogs are constantly allowed to roam free in the neighborhood. They do not appear to be dangerous animals, but they share their unsanitary droppings with all the neighbors and dig in yards and garbage cans. Also, they will one day cause a major traffic accident on 16th Ave SW. They have matted fur and look neglected. I hope that neighbors will call Animal Control and report these dogs for their own safety. I called this morning, but it usually takes 3-5 calls for Animal Control to do anything. The automated number is 206-386-7387 press 7 to report a loose dog. That is the LAST choice on the menu that you have to wait through, sheesh!
Here’s a map of 16th/Trenton (about a half-mile east of where the original attack/shooting incident happened). We’re checking with the Seattle Animal Shelter this afternoon regarding further followup on that original case, and will ask about policy on something like this.
(Seafair Pirates in 2007 West Seattle Hi-Yu parade)
Time to mark more big days on your summer calendar. According to the Hi-Yu website: The Seafair Pirates’ Landing at Alki (2007 WSB coverage here) will be Saturday 7/5; the West Seattle Big Band’s Hi-Yu Concert in the Park at Hiawatha (2007 WSB coverage here) will be Tuesday 7/15; the Rotary Club Kids’ Parade and American Legion Grand Parade down California SW from the Admiral District to The Junction (2007 WSB coverage here) will be Saturday 7/19; the Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Coronation will be Monday 7/21. (As we reported last month, the Summer Fest street festival in The Junction will happen Friday-Sunday 7/11-7/13.)
Too much happening tonight for separate previews here, but it’s all laid out on the WSB Events page — from the third and final meeting on the Morgan Junction park design (see the newest design here), to the Madison Middle School PTSA helping parents understand what their kids’ techworld is all about, to the next planning meeting for West Seattle Relay for Life, and more; full list here (p.s. that page is updated multiple times daily with West Seattle events and gatherings stretching from today into the fall; let us know when you have something to add!).
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Cindy McComish:
West Seattle YMCA’s Dolphin Swim Team Wins BIG!
34 swimmers, ages 7-18, representing the West Seattle YMCA won the First Place trophy for mid-sized YMCAs in the Northwest Division Swim Championship last weekend, Friday March 7th through Sunday, March 9th. The West Seattle Dolphins traveled by chartered bus to compete in Gresham Oregon at the Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center. The swimmers are coached by Rod Rombauer, Jen Parker, and Sarah Heerhartz. This meet against swimmers from Idaho, Oregon, and Washington state precedes the National Meet being held in Ft. Lauderdale in April. The West Seattle YMCA Dolphins will be sending 5 qualified swimmers with high hopes for fast strong races.
Cheered on by families and friends, a partial list of our swimmers’ medal counts (those achieving first, second, and third place times) include: 6 by Amanda Thach, 5 by Melissa Oishi, 5 by Tommy Thach, 4 by Sarah Ameny, 4 by Maddy Morgan, 3 by Gabby Hanna, 2 by the relay team of Amanda Thach, Melissa Oishi, Maddy Morgan and Mariah Crocket, 1 by Jordy Hanna, 1 by Karen Woodworth, 1 by Lindsey Hage, 1 by Sean Tento, 1 by TJ McComish, and 1 by the relay team of Lindsey Hage, Karen Woodworth, Angela Gagliarda, and Elsa Luthi.
As an integral part of the aquatic programs at West Seattle YMCA our team sponsors for this year are Zatz Bagels, Charlestown Street Café, Renaissance Desserts, Morgan Street Builders, Millennium Kids Creative Center, Merrill Gardens of West Seattle, and Staithe Marine Services.
The West Seattle YMCA Dolphins Swim Team seeks to provide a quality competitive swimming experience to the youth of the Seattle area and is USS sanctioned. We serve over 80 youth swimmers from 17 schools. We value swimmers of all skill levels and abilities and work toward developing each swimmer’s potential. While many of our advanced swimmers compete at regional and national events, the majority of our swimmers are at the intermediate and beginning levels. For more information on our programs please contact coachrod@swyswimteam.com.
Our standard disclosure: the West Seattle Family YMCA is a WSB sponsor. By the way, you can find out more about the Dolphins at their website here.
Now the rest of the latest report highlights from the Southwest Precinct (which also included the vignette we posted earlier): We start with a suspected teenage drug dealer, spotted on local school grounds by a watchful school employee. 
He called police to say he saw what looked like 3 boys engaged in drug transactions right by West Seattle Elementary in High Point – atop the stairs connecting the campus with the nearby community center. With the detailed descriptions he provided, police stopped two suspects at 30th and Othello. While patting them down, an officer detected an odd crackling sound near one boy’s ankle; “that’s just cough drops,” the boy insisted — till the officer pulled out a cellophane cough-drop bag containing marijuana “packaged for sale.” The boy, 15, also had $120 in cash kept separately from a few dollars walking-around money (the police report notes it is typical dealer behavior both to separate cash that way and to keep the merchandise in an unusual spot like, your shoes/socks). He was arrested. Next: The case of the thirsty burglar(s), among other incidents:Read More
As announced at tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, 
the next step in the future of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (photo left, from The Hall @ Fauntleroy‘s website) is a community gathering there March 26 to talk about the general progress of plans to purchase the site, and discuss its future. The Fauntleroy Community Services Association has to have everything together by July, and so far, we heard tonight, it’s all moving forward and they say they’ve done the necessary paperwork to show Seattle Public Schools they’re serious about acquiring the site. (We recapped some backstory last weekend – the district has now declared the schoolhouse as “surplus property” which means it’s ready to sell the site, as the school board votes this month to revise its policy on handling surplus sites.) Also part of the March 26 meeting — finding out from the public how much change would be acceptable for the site, and continuing to encourage citizen involvement in the process of determining its future. A community discussion held last year is recapped on this FCA webpage. It was also noted tonight that the Fauntleroy contingent has the purchase agreement from the old Colman School (where the Northwest African American Museum opened last weekend), for use as something of a template.
(image removed at request of developer — see forthcoming post higher atop the page for new information, will be linked here when posted)
Update on the following – Eric Radovich from BlueStar explained the origin of the artwork that led to this post – he says it’s for massing, not colors or design – separate post to come atop the page.
One of the headlines from tonight’s Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO) meeting — Brian and Katie Tucker, JuNO members living adjacent to the Fauntleroy Place (aka “the Whole Foods project”) site, received and shared this new rendering from developers BlueStar, who don’t even have it on their own website, which still shows this one (FP changed architects a few months ago):
The Tuckers were told the latest plan is for these to be apartments, not condos, and that they will have fancy interior touches and rent for higher than the current WS average. More first thing in the am from the JuNO meeting, where a city rep talked more about the upcoming Junction parking review, and also from the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting, where the other half of the team is getting the latest on the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, among other things.
Just back from reviewing reports at the Southwest Precinct – the big roundup writeup must wait till we’re back from the major community meetings happening in the next few hours (as previewed here last night), but thought we’d mention this one quickly — Of all the shoplifting incidents that police handled in the past few days, this one stood out: Saturday night, 7 pm, a man was seen heading out of QFC @ Westwood Village with a cart full of “unpaid-for” merchandise, consisting of the following, according to a witness: Several large containers of Tide laundry soap, several six-packs of Heineken beer, and “numerous single cans of 211 beer.” He is described only as white and driving a 1990s Honda or Toyota, and got away before he was caught.
As you can tell from the photo, a lovely afternoon to visit Westcrest Park in southeastern West Seattle (home to the only WS off-leash area; here’s a map) — the occasion, a chance for Parks Department and Police Department to review citizen concerns about public-safety issues. Officer Brian Ballew from the Southwest Precinct Community Police Team was there, as were three Parks employees — Carol Baker, Steve Langley, and Cheryl Fraser. They say that Westcrest safety concerns are definitely high on their radar, thanks to ciizen concerns, particularly “inappropriate behavior” at the “comfort station” as well as the poisoning concern involved in the “Mo” case, though there have been no similar reports since that one. They also urge community members to continue to keep close watch, even to organize citizen walkthroughs if they’re so inclined (if you’re interested in talking more with them about that, their e-mail addresses are linked to their names above). Also a key group to get involved with if you are a Westcrest user, since these folks already are closely involved with taking care of the park, is the Westcrest Off-Leash Area group; find its Yahoo! e-mail group here, and park steward Steve McElhenney is reachable through the group, which we wrote about last year.
We reported briefly yesterday (morning update here; afternoon update here) about the start of proceedings before the city Hearing Examiner over what the owner of the “Satterlee House”/”Painted Lady” at 4866 Beach Drive will be allowed to build on the huge front lawn shown above. Testimony continues Thursday morning on the 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown; before too much time passed, we wanted to post a more complete wrapup of what we saw and heard while covering the proceedings yesterday:Read More
In addition to the two Alki Ave projects we’ve been telling you about, we just happened onto rod work that’s got flaggers in action on Beach Drive too, just south of Lowman Beach. Along Alki, the heavy equipment for this week’s paving work was just getting into gear in the 1700 block, and just a few blocks past the end of the paving zone at Bonair, the 53rd SW Pump Project crews have flaggers too – with equipment like this taking up one full lane:
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