April 2017

By Lora Swift

As spring is struggling to blossom through the rain, the merchants at the Junction are busy getting ready for a couple of charitable events – Rock the House & Day of Giving.

People with memory loss, their family and friends, and all who support a dementia-friendly community are invited to attend a fun social gathering called “Rock the House.” Organized by local business owners, organizations and neighbors, the event takes place from 3 – 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27 at Shadowland in the West Seattle Junction.

Along with a chance to enjoy food, drinks and good company, the event features MC Brent Amaker (of Brent Amaker and The Rodeo) and live music by Jay Cates (of The Bend). Happy hour menu will be available. Event is free other than the cost of menu items ordered.

Rock the House
Thursday, April 27th/ Shadowland/3pm – 4:30pm

________________

Joining the trend of an improving business climate in White Center, and opening later this year is the community's first LGBTQA bar The Lumberyard at 9619 16th SW.

Owner Nathan Adams provided the following information about the new bar:

"Michale and I moved to the neighborhood 5 years ago, and have enjoyed watching it change and grow. The amazing diversity and acceptance of the community made choosing White Center a great choice for our adventure, THE LUMBER YARD BAR. The Lumber Yard Bar is a dream my husband (Michale) and I have had for several years. After much searching we chose the location at 9619 16th Ave Sw, and have started the building process.

The Lumber Yard will use a mix of different woods and industrial lighting to make a warm and inviting space for all to gather. The space is much larger than it looks just over 2000 square feet, boasting a main floor upstairs and a down stairs! So, what do we want to make of the space? The Lumber Yard will be the first and only LGBTQA bar in White Center. WE are creating a space that will be all inclusive to the entire community.

It’s just 4 weeks until the West Seattle Food Bank’s biggest fundraiser, the 10th Annual Instruments of Change Dinner/Auction on Saturday, May 13th at the Seattle Design Center.

The West Seattle Food Bank plays an important role in our West Seattle Community. This fundraiser will ensure that the programs they provide to those in need will continue. Programs like their new “Shopping Model” distribution that better meets the needs of the diverse population that they serve; their Mobile Food Bank which brings nutritious food to the homes of homebound seniors and disabled individuals; their Backpack Program that provides school children at risk of hunger with kid-friendly meals for the weekend; their Baby & Child Corner that distributes diapers, formula, baby food and other important items to help infants & toddlers get a good start in life; or their Community Connections that helps families access additional information and services from dozens of partner organizations.

By Lindsay Peyton

Captain Pierre Davis, of the Seattle Police Department’s Southwest Precinct, doesn’t want to simply fight crime.

His goal is to prevent incidents from even happening in the first place.

“We’d like to get ahead of things,” Davis said.

He provided a brief overview of crime issues in the area at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce April Luncheon on Thursday, April 13.
 
Davis explained that property crimes – car theft, burglary, larceny, theft, shoplifting, and vandalism – are the top concerns for West Seattle.

Arresting repeat offenders – and making changes to the system to keep suspects in jail are ways to create a positive change, he said.

“When my officers make an arrest, we don’t want to see those individuals right out on the street again before we even finish writing our reports,” Davis said. “That is totally not acceptable to us.”

Crimes associated with the homeless population of the city are another area of concern, he said.

Both property crimes and homelessness have ties to heroin use, Davis added.

Coming up May 4 at 8pm a Design Review Early Design Guidance application will be reviewed in a meeting at the West Seattle Center proposing one, four-story structure containing 63 apartment units, 4 live-work units and retail at street level located at 4800 40th SW. Parking for 44 vehicles would be provided below grade. It is owned by Braseth Construction and is being designed by the Clark Design Group of Seattle. It is project No. 3024332.

From the proposal:
"The proposed project consists of 63 residential units located on 4 levels above grade and 4 Live-Work Units.
The lobby, live work and commercial uses are located on L1, residential units on L2-L4, and one level of below
grade parking located on P1 accessed from the alley. There is a roof terrace and green house for residential
amenity use."

MEETING

Date: Thursday, May 4, 2017
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: West Seattle Senior Center
4217 SW Oregon Street
Hatten Hall

The project at 1250 Alki Ave SW has been through some changes since it was first announced. Back in December of 2015 it was going to be a 5-story apartment complex with 125 residential units. Parking for 188 vehicles was planned. Then it changed again to be 100 apartments with 150 parking spaces, with some retail space below.

Now the Alki Beach Residences, up for its third Early Design Review in a meeting May 6, will be a six-story structure with 44 condominium residential units with parking for 66 vehicles to be provided below grade. They have changed the excavation plan and eliminated the retail space and added a pool deck. It is project No. 3020640.

This is a voluntary resubmittal with this list of changes:

• A change in program from 100 apartments to 44 condominiums, and from 150 parking spaces to 66.
• A shallower excavation for parking due to a high water table.
• A correction to the previously errant F.A.R. calculation and code interpretation.
• Elimination of retail component.
• Addition of resident amenity spaces, including level 2 pool deck within the courtyard space.

The West Seattle Artwalk as a community event began nearly a decade ago and faced several issues right off the bat. First, the geography of our Peninsula in West Seattle. The event was always meant to be more than just the Junction and for some time, venues in the Admiral District, and elsewhere would take part and see people out to enjoy the evening but getting around to all of them was a challenge. Second, was the weather. In colder rainy times the desire to walk outside at night was inhibited. Third, the changeover in businesses around the community meant the tradition would have to be reintroduced to each place. Fourth, restaurants were not seeing a lot of benefit since it's hard to show art and have people enjoy dining at the same time. Lora Swift, Executive Director of the West Seattle Junction Merchants Association said, "We probably saw a 50% drop off in the past two years so it needed to be refreshed."

information from Seattle Parks Department

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) is happy to announce that the design for the resurfacing of the West Seattle Stadium track is nearly complete and construction will begin this summer. During construction, the stadium track will be closed. SPR and the contractor hired for the project will work to minimize impacts to the neighborhood.

SPR hired DA Hogan as the lead design and engineering consultant for the project, which is located at 4432 35th Ave. SW, adjacent to the West Seattle Golf Course. This project will replace and resurface the existing rubberized track at the stadium.

The Seattle Park District provides $950,000 for this major maintenance project. Approved by Seattle voters in 2014, the Seattle Park District provides more than $47 million a year in long-term funding for SPR including maintenance of parklands and facilities, operation of community centers and recreation programs, and development of new neighborhood parks on previously acquired sites.

The Fauntleroy Boulevard Project, the result of planning that began as early as 1999 and approved by Move Seattle levy voters in 2015 is running into some tough questions. Project planners anticipated that the $20 million safety and traffic improvements creating a new “gateway to West Seattle” would require a lot of explanation and have met with businesses, stakeholder organizations, and residents, taken feedback at community walk throughs and anticipate completing design work next fall with construction to follow.

But in the meantime, a lot of questions remain unanswered. While the need for safety and even modernization are obvious, access, parking and more are causing a lot of anxiety.

That’s why a community meeting has been set for April 19 in the YMCA Rotary Room - 3622 SW Snoqualmie St, Seattle, WA 98126 at 7:30.

The meeting sponsored by the relatively new Fauntleroy Way Neighborhood and Business Association will see SDOT and many people who understand the safety goals of the project but harbor doubts about the process.

information from SDOT

Seattle is kicking off Pothole Palooza on Monday, April 17, a campaign to aggressively repair potholes across the city. Beginning today, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is asking community members to report neighborhood potholes so we can map them out as our Pothole Rangers move throughout the city.

There are three ways to report potholes:

• Calling our Pothole and Street Repair hotline 206-386-1218
• Using the Find It Fix It App
• Filling out our online Pothole Report form

During the campaign, SDOT crews will be assigned to specific districts around the city. SDOT Crews will be joined by crews from Seattle Parks and Recreation who will assist with these efforts.