West Seattle, Washington
30 Thursday
Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
HOME-INVASION ROBBERY: A 60-year-old man was taken to the hospital after a home-invasion robbery around 2:45 am in the 6500 block of 24th SW. The full report narrative is not yet available but police tell us two armed men were reported to have broken into the house and assaulted two residents, including the one who had to go to the hospital. No arrests yet, nor is description information available, but robbery detectives are investigating.
CHILDREN APPROACHED: This happened Tuesday, according to the latest weekly newsletter to families from Arbor Heights Elementary principal Christy Collins, forwarded to us by a parent (thank you!):
I want to take this opportunity to let you know we are working with the Seattle Police Department to ensure our students are taught about personal safety and highlight an incident that occurred Tuesday after school where three of our students responded successfully to a stranger-situation.
Around 2:40 p.m., three of our students reported to their parents that a male and female in their early 20s, driving an older, green Toyota sedan, tried to engage them in conversation as they walked home from school. They offered the students a ride home. The students responded appropriately and remained safe. Police were notified by the student’s parents, and as of today, the Seattle Police Department is continuing to gather additional information and working closely with the District’s Safety and Security Department. Although in this incident the offer was for a ride, there was not a physical attempt to get the students in the car. We wanted to make sure parents are alerted.
The newsletter includes this link to SPD advice for children’s safety.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We made it to a new decade,” declared David Hancock, opening this year’s first meeting of the District 1 Community Network.
He’s the president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association and served as this meeting’s facilitator – D1CN rotates who leads each meeting. The group is a relatively new coalition of reps from groups and organizations throughout West Seattle and South Park, open to unaffiliated community members too; more than two dozen people showed up for this meeting, held at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center.
Participants were asked, in around-the-table intros, to mention a New Year’s goal. Hancock started with “Increase participation to bring in more voices.” D1CN is working on that, as evidenced by two agenda items:
That’s the “car fire” call on the SFD log – a Metro bus at 61st/Alki. The photo is from Kersti Muul, who says it’s “smoky” but as you can see in the photo, no sign of flames, and the fire engine is leaving.
You probably won’t see it tonight, but the then-almost-full moon was gloriously visible for a while last night – thanks to Christine Tweedy for the view above, Dan Ciske for the view below.
Now, your Friday highlights:
BINGO! Senior Center of West Seattle welcomes everyone 21+ to weekly bingo, starting at 11 am. (4217 SW Oregon)
SONGWRITERS’ SHOWCASE: Just once a month at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), and tonight’s the night! No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
ART LOUNGE: Project to work on? Bring it to Highland Park Improvement Club for the monthly Art Lounge, good space, good people. Beverages available. 21+. (1116 SW Holden)
TOM WILSON: Singer-songwriter live at the Pacific Room (WSB sponsor) on Alki, 8 pm. Cover info here. (2808 Alki SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: 8 pm, Dogstrum with Kid Leather & Sam Humans. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
EVENING BEACH WALK: 8:30-10:30 pm – with a late-night low-low tide, drop in for this family-friendly exploration at Constellation Park. (63rd SW/Beach Drive)
SEE WHAT ELSE IS UP … via our complete calendar.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:33 AM: Good morning! SDOT reported a crash on the Delridge ramp to the eastbound bridge at the top of the hour, but no word yet if that has cleared.
WEATHER ALERT: Early this morning, the National Weather Service issued this Special Weather Statement warning of cold weather starting Sunday, possibly bringing along snow.
8:58 AM: View from Joseph, as bicycle commuters wait under the high bridge while awaiting the low bridge reopening:
(WSB photo, New Year’s Day)
The man accused of attacking another man who tried to stop him from assaulting a woman in The Juncton is now charged. We first reported on the incident New Year’s Day. 39-year-old James M.Johns is charged with second-degree assault, his bail upped to $150,000. Charging documents say Johns has 10 felony convictions in 20 years, including burglary and possession of a stolen car, and 10 misdemeanors, including two DUIs. The original call on New Year’s Day reported a man beating a woman who was on the ground at California/Edmunds; they had left before police arrived but witnesses pointed their car and police stopped it. Meantime, they found the victim, who told police he had been walking from the grocery store with his wife and two children when he saw Johns beating the woman. As a third man, who apparently knew Johns, tried to break it up, the victim told Johns to leave the woman alone – and then, court documents say, Johns punched him in the face, hard enough to break a bone. As for the woman who had been attacked, police say she denied having been assaulted, and that as they took Johns away, he gave that woman his PIN number so she could get money to bail him out. The jail register shows he got out on bond after one day when his bail was set at $10,000, but when the charge was filed Monday, it was raised to $150,000 this past Monday, and the register shows he’s been back in custody since then. His arraignment is set for January 16th.
(Photo by Kersti Muul, last week at Constellation Park)
The most-recent California sea lion to wash up dead in West Seattle had indeed been shot. That’s the update we received tonight from Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
Seal Sitters just received results from the radiographs taken of our most recent dead California sea lion, towed from Constellation Park to Don Armeni boat launch for necropsy on the 3rd. This is the sea lion that had originally washed ashore on a private beach further south on Christmas Day.
The X-rays confirm that the animal was shot in the head. Projectiles will be removed from the skull and turned over as evidence to NOAA Office of Law Enforcement.
The most current Fall/Winter statistics to date of pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) confirmed shot dead in Central and South Puget Sound now stand at 9. An additional 4 deaths are suspicious, but cause was not confirmed.
For more info, go here.
As always, please report all marine mammals on shore, live or dead, to Seal Sitters’ hotline @ 206-905-SEAL (7325).
A year earlier, at least a dozen shot sea lions were found in central Puget Sound.
SDOT says it will NOT need a third weekend closure of the 35th/Alaska intersection after all. That’s part of the latest Avalon/35th/Alaska repaving-and-more project update, as follows:
West Seattle – thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we complete these necessary roadway improvements!
We are pleased that we were able to reopen the intersection of SW Alaska St and 35th Ave SW ahead of schedule on Sunday, this past weekend. At this time, we do not plan to schedule another intersection closure at 35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St.
As a reminder, for the safety of our crews and your fellow residents, please follow posted detour routes and do not disturb traffic control. As we approach potential winter weather, our posted traffic control is especially crucial to maintain safe use of the road for everyone.
What to expect this week and next week
35th Ave SW and SW Alaska St: we have restricted left turns onto SW Alaska St from 35th Ave SW. This closure will be in place for several weeks
Zone E (35th Ave SW from SW Avalon Way to SW Alaska St): we are currently working in the center turn lane of 35th Ave SW, north and south of SW Alaska St.
Zone F (SW Alaska St from 35th Ave SW to 36th Ave SW): as soon as the week of January 20, we will begin demolition of the north side of SW Alaska St.
As we begin work on SW Alaska St, please follow King County Metro’s Rider Alerts to stay up to date on bus stop changes.
We have asked SDOT for an interview to ask some big-picture questions regarding the project’s status and what remains to be done; watch for that story next week.
6:01 PM: The January 2020 West Seattle Art Walk is happening now, all over the peninsula! First venue we visited is Verity Credit Union (4505 California SW; WSB sponsor) in The Junction, spotlighting artist Jenna Hanson (above) tonight. The Art Walk has officially expanded to Admiral as of this month – more on that here, and more photos later.
6:52 PM: In Admiral, we stopped first at West Seattle Grounds (2141 California SW):
That’s artist Morgan Smaller and her puppy Vespa. Below, Emily Juarez at Zelda Zonk Consignment (2210 California SW):
The Art Walk is on until “late,” with closing hours differing venue by venue. See the map/venue list in our morning highlight list.
Lots of questions about the helicopter activity over The Junction. As we’ve answered everyone who messaged us, it’s just TV, checking out the anti-war demonstration (which we previewed here last night). So far not the size of last month’s pro-impeachment rally but participants are following the same pattern as that one, walking with the light in the Walk-All-Ways crosswalk at California/Alaska, so no traffic impacts.
(WSB photos/video by Patrick Sand)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Will we see significant snow soon?
While the forecasters keep watch on that, “We want to make sure we’re ready as a city. … we’ve got plans,” Mayor Jenny Durkan assured the media gathered for a briefing/Q&A at the city Emergency Operations Center downtown this afternoon. We were there and recorded it all on video, which includes other city/county officials:
A big theme: The “shovel your sidewalk” theme we noted earlier this week. The mayor stressed: “If we hit the snow period … check on your neighbors if you can. …. And help them shovel their sidewalks … our sidewalks are the way that people can get around in our city.” Go get a snow shovel or salt if you don’t have yours yet – flashlight batteries too, “candles and warm blankets,” her advice continued.
Sidewalk-responsibility awareness was boosted in a resolution sponsored last year by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who was also at the EOC.
Though Herbold didn’t take the podium, she spoke with reporters afterward to elaborate on the sidewalk plan: The emphasis is on arterials in urban villages, followed by arterials on other transit routes. Here’s a city memo she provided post-meeting outlining the resolution and the resulting awareness campaign:
Street-use inspectors will be out checking on sidewalks in those priority areas, said SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe. They will notify people “who aren’t taking their responsibility seriously” – if a notification doesn’t get action, a citation can follow; Herbold said potential fines range from $50 for residential violations to $250 for commercial property (the former is a reduction, also outlined in the memo above).
Sidewalks aside, Zimbabwe also said the winter-response plan has been updated. For plowing, buses’ snow routes, emergency access, schools are priorities. Protected bike lanes will get snow-clearing attention too. But whatever your vehicle, “Don’t drive if you don’t have to during a snowstorm. … Pay attention to road-closure signs.” He mentioned the SDOT map (PDF) showing which routes will be prioritized for plowing. “We haven’t radically changed the level of plowing that we’re going to do.” What they did last year regarding plowing seemed to go fairly well, he said. The current plan – subject to change as the forecast evolves – is that snow-focused staff will start deploying Sunday evening; “equipment is ready – salt, plows.”
Since the city has 35 snowplows to cover its 70 million square feet, Mayor Durkan counseled patience: “Don’t expect your neighborhood will be plowed immediately.”
“Stay informed” was the advice from Emergency Management director Barb Graff. She also pitched alert.seattle.gov and Smart 911, and reiterated getting supplies “that you might need … Go ahead and do your shopping now.” Snow is charming “for the first eighth of an inch,” she observed … after that, not so much.
The mayor also vowed that they’d be able to bring unsheltered people inside. “We will open cold-weather shelters and have more capacity.” Human Services Department director Jason Johnson elaborated: “Every winter we extend capacity of shelter capability – 85 additional beds,” and they plan to open 100 more beds at Seattle Center starting Sunday night. That’s an overnight-only shelter, he added, but the Armory will also be open during the day for people to stay out of the cold.
Regarding transit, Metro deputy general manager Terry White advised people to check metrowinter.com early to get briefed on “what services are available in your area.”
He promised, “We’re ready regardless of whatever Mother Nature (brings)” – communication consolidation is what they’ve been working on.
In closing, “Government is only part of the equation,” said the mayor. As for that patience she advised – apply it to forecasters too: “Half the time they predict it, it doesn’t come.”
Three more HALA-upzoned parcels on 41st SW in Morgan Junction have a redevelopment proposal: Two buildings totaling 56 units, according to this early-stage site plan (PDF) filed with the city this week. The parcels are 6308 and 6314 41st, plus, on the corner, 4023 SW Graham. The site plan shows a three-story, 14-unit building fronting 41st, with a five-story, 42-unit building behind it. A Texas-based company, StoryBuilt, is proposing the project, described in city files as follows:
The project is made up of 56 homes with a mixture of townhomes, flats, and split-level residences along with 33 surface and below grade parking spaces access(ed) off an alley.
There’s already an apartment proposal across Graham to the north, and townhouse proposals to the south. The latter sites, plus the parcels in this new plan, were part of the upzoning-anticipation listing we reported in 2017, but records don’t yet show a sale.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One of two major West Seattle projects funded by last year’s Seattle Public Schools BEX V levy is well into the planning phase.
The $22 million plan to expand West Seattle Elementary in High Point has cross-peninsula ramifications, as the school will be relocated to the former Schmitz Park Elementary for a year while the construction is under way.
The expansion is intended to add capacity at the school, which is currently more than 100 students past what would be a “right-size” enrollment of 320 and is expected to keep growing. This and the future rebuild of Alki Elementary were the largest West Seattle projects on the list of what’ll be funded by BEX V, approved by more than two-thirds of Seattle voters last February.
The first phase of planning, convening a School Design Advisory Team, is already over, according to the district’s project manager Paul Wight. He says the SDAT meetings – in a process explained here – concluded in mid-December. “In all we had 7 meetings and the team was made out of the Principal. staff, teachers, students, parents, and neighbors.” Attendees are listed on the minutes pages, which are linked here and go into details of what was discussed and suggested throughut the process.
Wight tells WSB that next, “The architect, Miller Hayashi, is finishing up the schematic design and we are moving forward with Design Development. We will be going through permitting this year and starting construction on the addition and renovation work in the summer of 2021. It will be approximately a 14-month construction project and school will reopen in the Fall of 2022.”
WSES will move to the former Schmitz Park Elementary (5000 SW Spokane) for the 2021-2022 school year; district spokesperson Tim Robinson says portables (which proliferated before the SP program moved to the new Genesee Hill Elementary) will be added to handle the full WSES population. District projections show the school is expected to have about 437 students enrolled that year. The move is a change from the original plan, which was described in 2018 as something that would be done without requiring the school to temporarily vacate. Schmitz Park currently houses a preschool program.
We start your Thursday highlights with a new map/venue list for tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk:
(Or see it here in PDF.) The WSAW (co-sponsored by WSB) has expanded to The Admiral District! So you have more places to go tonight, starting at 5 pm – not just places showcasing artists, but also food and drink specials for Art Walk-ers. Here are this month’s highlights.
Also from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (which is experiencing some technical flutters right now, so the full calendar might not be available immediately, but individual pages are):
ANTI-WAR RALLY: 5 pm, a “no war with Iran” demonstration is planned in The Junction. (California/Alaska)
AVIATION PROGRAMS OPEN HOUSE: Thinking about going (back) to school to learn a new trade? Learn about these programs at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), 6-6:30 pm.
(SSC photo)
Details are in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
WORDS, WRITERS, & SOUTHWEST STORIES: 6 pm at Southwest Library, hear from the authors of “To War in a Rubber Duck.” (9010 35th SW)
STONE HOUSE @ PARK BOARD: As previewed here, the city Board of Park Commissioners‘ meeting downtown at 6:30 pm is scheduled to include a presentation on the “concept” of relocating the 1123 Harbor SW “Stone House” to Alki Beach. The meeting includes a public-comment period. (100 Dexter Ave. N.)
READ THE KORAN IN 4 WEEKS: The latest series of classes by Rev. Ron Marshall starts at 7 pm at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle. Details here. (4105 California SW)
AT THE SKYLARK: Beast Folk, Obol, Reality Check, 7 pm live music at The Skylark in North Delridge. $8 cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
From the city’s twice-weekly bulletin, applications are in for three West Seattle projects, opening two-week comment periods:
(Rendering by Cone Architecture)
5616 CALIFORNIA SW: This is the site immediately south of C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor). 8 townhouses are planned, in 3 buildings, with 5 offstreet-parking spaces. The notice, linked here, explains how to comment. It’s not the first public-comment period for this proposal.
9224 20th SW: The city describes this as a “cottage-housing development,” five 2-story houses with six offstreet-parking spaces. Here’s the location. The notice is linked here.
(corrected address) 9020 15th SW: This too is planned as a group of single-family houses, six 2-story houses with six offstreet-parking spaces. Here’s the location. The notice is linked here.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:56 AM: Good morning! No current incidents/alerts in our area.
You might see a few flakes early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service says, but don’t panic. Its newest forecast update is out, and while we might see a bit of snow, the more-serious potential still doesn’t show up until late in the weekend – Sunday night or later. Also note that Tuesday’s high is predicted to be in the 20s! As we mentioned yesterday, the city has invited media to a preparedness briefing tomorrow, and we’ll be there.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
STOLEN PURSE WITH KEEPSAKE RING: From Jennifer:
My good friend lost her husband suddenly and unexpectedly not that long ago. She is raising their two young children alone. She was picking up her child at school and only ran in for less than 5 minutes. Her car window was smashed and her purse stolen. She carried her husband’s wallet, driver’s license and most importantly, his wedding ring around with her to keep him close. It was all in the purse. We are asking everyone to look out for the purse with the hopes that it was dumped somewhere. It could be in the Gatewood area or near either the Westwood or Junction QFC, as that is where they attempted to use her credit cards. If anyone knows anything about these items, please return them no questions asked.
Description:
Purse- black ‘shorty love’ purse/backpack
Wallet- light pink Kate Spade
Ring – tungsten carbide
We will add the police report # when we get it.
STOLEN CAR: From Conner:
Sometime in the early morning of 01/08/19, my dark blue 2002 Land Rover Discovery was stolen from my house in the Shorewood area. Last seen on 26th Ave. It was parked right in front on the street in a well-lit area, so it’s concerning. A neighbor was walking her dog around 5am and said that my car was still parked there when she walked past the house. Please post about my stolen vehicle and hopefully it will turn up!
STOLEN BICYCLE: From Chris:
Crime occurred Monday 1/6 approx 9:00 pm from 7100 block of Woodside Place SW.
As the video shows, the thief is a heavy-set bearded male wearing dark pants, a letterman’s or baseball-style jacket with lighter colored sleeves, and a baseball cap.
Bike stolen was a black men’s Raleigh Tokul 2 with gumwall tires and no reflectors. Police report has been filed.
For the second time in less than a month, a nationwide day of protest will include a demonstration in the West Seattle Junction. Activists say they will rally at California/Alaska at 5 pm Thursday to protest the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the prospect of war with Iran. The announcement says the demonstration’s intent is to “urge restraint and that the United States avoid yet another unnecessary, costly war of choice in the Middle East.”
Two restaurant biznotes this afternoon:
PHORALE LOCATION CONFIRMED: That sight in the window at 9418 Delridge Way SW connects the dots on two things. The closure of the Vietnamese restaurant Hoang Kim last week (as reported here) and the announcement that Phorale – known for its food truck since closing in South Park – was opening “in White Center.” The Eater report that broke the latter news did not specify a location, nor did Phorale respond to our followup, but we went to South Delridge to check on our suspicions and indeed, the windows are now papered over with Phorale’s distinctive logo.
WESTWOOD VILLAGE MOD PIZZA: On our way back from that run, we went through Westwood Village and noticed this:
The signage for West Seattle’s second MOD Pizza is up. We first reported last March that city permit files showed MOD would move into the ex-Baja Taco and ex-Giannoni’s Pizzeria spaces. MOD declined comment as recently as August, saying they were still negotiating the lease; we’re checking back with them now to see if they have a projected opening date.
ADDED 4:50 PM: They’re hoping to open “end of March.”
As first reported here last Saturday, starting next month, the Westwood Village post office (2571 SW Trenton) will start closing at night next month, as the West Seattle Junction post office has been doing for almost two years. Since the signage at Westwood didn’t cite a specific reason, we followed up with regional U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Ernie Swanson. Here’s what he tells WSB:
Homeless people began sleeping in the lobby of the Westwood Village Station, harassing our customers who came in to check their mail in the evening. The homeless people also left trash behind including syringes and human waste. With regard for the safety of our customers, the decision was made to close the lobby from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each night. This problem has become more prevalent in the city as we feel the need to close our lobbies during night-time hours.
An online-news search confirms this is happening in other cities – a quick search turned up reports from Medford, OR, to Kokomo, IN.
From the “you asked, so we asked” file: The case of the “Admiral Way tree massacre,” as it was described by Doug, who sent that photo. We’ve received numerous inquiries about the half-cut trees, which are on Seattle Parks-owned land on the slope over the downhill side of Admiral at 34th [map]. So we asked Parks, whose spokesperson Rachel Schulkin researched it with the department’s forestry staff and tells WSB:
Those trees were removed as they were either dead or declining and were posing unacceptable risk.
That project is not complete. Winter storms have interrupted a lot of our planned work, including this project. Our plan is to return in the next couple weeks to reduce most of the remaining tree stems to ground level. A few appropriately placed stems will be left as wildlife habitat. Performing this remaining work will not need traffic control like the previous work did.
Besides the site’s high visibility along Admiral Way, it also attracted notice given its proximity to the city-owned land where ~150 trees were illegally cut four years ago.
3:17 PM: Schulkin has just sent this update: “We had time today and finished this project. We lowered all the stems except a few that we left for wildlife habitat.”
Two Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
EARLY-MORNING SEARCH: Several people have asked about an early-morning search – around 2:40 am – in the Fairmount Park area, including a K-9 team. SPD tells us it was related to a domestic-violence case (which is why no related incident # shows on the 911 map/tweet log), and that officers did not find the person they were looking for.
CAR PROWL: Thanks to Anna for the reader report:
I wanted to share my car prowl report on 47th Ave SW and Murray Ave SW. At around 2AM, someone parked across from our driveway, opened our car doors and took miscellaneous loose belongings. I filed an online report with SPD (T2000390 tracking number). Just wanted to let others in the neighborhood know so that they can take preventive measures.
GATEWOOD FOLLOWUP (added 12:05 pm): Moments after we published the above two items, SPD Blotter posted a followup on the Gatewood incident we covered yesterday afternoon, so we’re adding it:
Officers arrested a 23-year-old man and recovered a handgun and small amounts of narcotics Tuesday after they found a man slumped over in a running vehicle in a West Seattle alleyway.
Shortly after 2:30 PM, police responded to a report of a man slumped over in running white, orange, and black Honda Civic, which was blaring loud music, in the 6900 block of 37th Avenue Southwest.
When officers arrived, they peered through the car’s tinted windows and saw a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of the running vehicle, and noticed a pistol protruding from in between the car’s front passenger seat and console.
Officers unsuccessfully attempted to rouse the driver, and found the car’s doors were locked, so they broke out the vehicle’s passenger-side window. The driver eventually woke up and was ordered to exit his car. As he did so, a baggie of narcotics fell from his lap onto the ground.
Officers then found small amounts of heroin, meth, Xanax, marijuana and pistol and two loaded magazines inside the vehicle. A loaded magazine was recovered from the front passenger seat. Another loaded magazine was recovered from inside the glove box. The vehicle was secured and left at the scene.
Officers arrested the 23-year-old man and booked him into the King County Jail for narcotics possession and DUI.
Reader report/tip for Crime Watch? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 voice/text – thank you!
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