August 2013

So, we all know that construction of the Burke Gilman Trail through the Missing Link is going to take a while, in light of the latest Environmental Impact Statement process.

In the meantime, the Seattle Department of Transportation has begun work on its "advisory bicycle lanes." Advisory bike lanes are used when the streets are too narrow for two full car lanes and two bicycle lanes, which is the case on NW 45th St.

So far SDOT has spray painted a line of dashes on the east end of the Missing Link on NW 45th St, which acts as kind of a sketch for what's to come. The outer lanes mark bicycle priority lanes while cars are supposed to use the inner lane, which will have no center divider. Motorists may go over into the bicycle lane after yielding to any bicycles to avoid oncoming traffic.

Above is what the advisory bicycle lane will look like when it's completed.

The fledgling Delridge Grocery, which began as purely as a co-op and continues to evolve is seeking new members. Without a health list of participants the group can't make their dream of a community owned grocery store on Delridge Way SW a reality. They've sent out a request for anyone interested to attend their next meeting, coming up Monday, August 26.

"We know so many of you, your friends, and neighbors want to learn more about the Delridge Grocery. A co-op grocery can only happen if the community embraces it and joins together to make it happen.
You have already shown your support by signing up for our mailing list. Many of you have also began the process of contributing towards your share in the future grocery store. If you have not already done this, now is the time. We need 500 founding members to start to bring this grocery on the road to reality. We can do this by contributing and then sharing information so your neighbors and friends can consider becoming an owner of the co-op, too.

UPDATE 9/6/13
Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed Sunday, September 8th “Harbor Seal Day”. Included in the proclamation is the message to all Washington residents across our state to join Governor Inslee and help keep our waters free of trash and toxins, and to “share the shore” with harbor seals and all wildlife. Mayor Mike McGinn has joined in and done the same with a city proclamation.

A number of businesses are making special offers to honor the upcoming dedication of the "Sentinels of the Sound" sculpture on Alki Beach.
Hotwire Coffee has a "Seal Sitters Mocha" and will donate $3 to the marine mammal organization for each one sold. Alki Subway (recently opened) will donate 50 cents for any footlong sub on Sept. 8, and Bamboo Bar & Grill will donate a dollar for any 25oz draft beer sold on Sept. 8. And Alki Spud will donate a dollar to Seal Sitters for every cup of chowder sold Sept. 7 and 8.

Original Post 8/22/13

No, it's not a country band's name.

A new apartment complex planned for 4433 42nd Ave S.W. called “Junction Flats” by developers will have its design review meeting at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 S.W. Oregon St.) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Developers plan to build a four-story structure with 78 residential units, two live-work units and below-grade parking for 52 vehicles.

Three existing homes (at 4433, 4437 and 4441 42nd Ave. S.W.) will be demolished to make room for the new building.

The project passed an early design review in January of this year. If the design review board gives them the OK once again, the path is cleared to apply for a master use permit and begin building once they get the city's blessing.

You can view the design packet here.

Three young men, ages 19,20, and 21, are in custody after police said they robbed three different people in the span of 90 minutes - two of those in West Seattle - in the evening hours of Aug. 21.

Here are the details from SPD Det. Mark Jamieson, from the SPD Blotter:

Three men are now in custody following a series of robberies that stretched from Holly Park to Fauntleroy to Arbor Heights last night in a span of about 90 minutes.

In a recent Slog post, The Stranger asks an important question, "Is Ballard DOOMED?"

The question comes in response to the new Stoneburner restaurant and the building that it is housed in, Hotel Ballard. When The Stranger published a review of Stoneburner, commenters apparently had a bone to pick with the building -- itself hardly a subject in the review.

To wit:

"This particular new building, the Ballard Hotel, is hideous, looks like it belongs in Vegas next to the fake Eiffel tower."

"You don't see any problems with a behemoth of yellow stucco punctuated by air conditioning vents and balconies that wandered in from a Southern Plantation mail-order catalog? You have no qualms about archways of chalky, chunky sandstone on loan from the Magic Kingdom collection? The entire Hotel Ballard facade (and the hotel interior, I'm told), screams of money without context or taste."

UPDATE:
The new Subway location on Alki had been set to open Aug. 24 but that did not happen and for now, the store is still closed though decorations on the tables and above the counter show it was ready to celebrate the Seahawks. A sign in the window promises Opening Soon but so far attempts to reach the owners for an explanation of the delay have been unsuccessful.

Original post

The Alki Beach Subway store that took over approximately one third of the space in the building at 2758 Alki SW will open Saturday Aug. 24 at 7 am.

The store is owned by a family operation including Ray Kajani, and will be managed by Candace Bogue.
This is the seventh Subway store for Kajani, his brother and another partner. The others are in Madison, Maple Valley, Bellevue, Puyallup all in the south sound.

Bogue has worked for the company for 16 years and is charged with getting each new store in their franchise chain opened and running properly.

The company also owns a chain of espresso shops called Bigfoot Java and Yeti Yogurt with locations in Queen Anne and the U-District.

This year the Helmstetler Christmas Spectacular will have a NEW Master Of Ceremonies…a talking and singing 8 Foot Tall Snowman!!! And right now we are having a contest to name our snowman. Contest details and rules can be found at http://westseattlelights.com .

On Saturday, November 30th, West Seattle Lights will have their 5th Annual Lighting Ceremony at the home of Corey and Taylor Helmstetler at 3908 SW Charlestown. The public is invited free of charge, but attendees are asked to bring a food or cash donation for either West Seattle Food Bank or NW Parkinson’s Foundation.

Last year West Seattle Lights collected nearly 1100lbs of food for the West Seattle Food Bank and over $2500 for both the Food Bank and NW Parkinson’s Foundation.

By Ken Robinson

Beginning with the issue of Sept. 6, your local paper will take on a new look. We are combining all the elements of your community paper with those of neighboring communities in a package called The Westside Weekly.

For many decades, the West Seattle Herald , White Center News , Ballard News-Tribune and Highline Times have provided essential news to their communities. Inside The Westside Weekly, you will find news, features, photos, columns and advertising from the community in which you live along with coverage from adjacent communities west of I-5, from Des Moines to Ballard.
Robinson Newspapers have been serving this community for more than 60 years, and we thank our readers and advertisers for supporting us throughout that time. We have been able to bring you many hours of news and entertainment custom-tailored to your community, which has always been our goal.

Katie Long and her husband John Plaza found their dog Handsome Bob online as rescue dog (as often happens these days) but in an unusual place. He's from Beverly Hills, California. "We found him on Pet Finder and made a special trip to go and pick him up," Katie explained, " and he actually picked us. There was a litter of four pups and we went just wanting to find the dog that was right for us. We met all of them and they were all excited but then he just came and sat down in front of us right at our feet and we were like, 'He's the one.'"

Now they even plan their vacations around the little guy.

"He's a mutt, but he's a Pug and a Poodle," Katie said. Handsome Bob is 3 1/2 years old now, and they got him when he was just 8 weeks old.

They feed him a dehyrdrated dog food called Honest Kitchenthat they get from Mud Bay in the Admiral District.