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Flowers, candles and messages for Ben Hills decorate the Comet this morning in a tribute to the musician who died in Wednesday's tragic 11th Ave fire. A second man injured in the fire was treated at Harborview with non-life threatening injuries.
County councilmember Larry Phillips (Photo: Jeff Romeo special to CHS)
With an agreement in place between the city and Sound Transit to move forward with the project and a change about to take place in the mayor's office, the political maneuvering and public process to define the route for the new streetcar line that will run from Union Station through First Hill to Capitol Hill is taking shape.
Central District News reports that King County councilmember Larry Phillips, whose district includes Capitol Hill & First Hill, is one of the first politicos to take a stance on the route.
According to CDN, Phillips sent a letter to mayor Greg Nickels and city councilmembers back in October advocating for the 12th Ave option -- specifically for a loop route that would run on 12th Avenue in one direction and Broadway in the other -- to be included in the city's study of viable routes:
The proposed 12th Avenue and Broadway loop is a promising concept for serving a greater number of residents, creating a north-south public transit option on currently unserved 12th Avenue, and catalyzing economic development on vacant and underutilized properties in the area. Further, as you know, King County government owns and operates the Youth Services Center - King County's Juvenile Court and Detention facility - a significant regional facility located along the 12th Avenue corridor. Currently the site is highly automobile-oriented, featuring a large parking lot which the community is interested in seeing re-devleoped into a denser, more pedestrian and transit oriented facility.
The recommendation should have impact. Phillips is also a member of the Sound Transit board of directors and chair of the Central Link Oversight Committee. While the city will be in charge of planning and building the line, Sound Transit is paying the construction bill.
First Hill advocates have already voiced their opposition to a 12th Ave loop alignment saying it would decrease the utility of the line for First Hill residents and workers. Some in First Hill say a Boren alignment would best serve their community. Here's a look at some other possible alignments for the new line.
A final decision on the streetcar route will be made by the city council in early 2010 with a goal for the line to be operational by 2013.
While the design process gets started for one Pike/Pine mixed-use redevelopment at 11th and Pine, another development at 12th and Pine is about to open its doors to those uses, mixed. Word from last night's 12th Ave community meeting is that the Packard Building Apartments will be open on January 1, 2010 after just over a year of construction. The 56 apartment units are listed from between $1,200 and $2,300 according to the info we received from the meeting.
The development also includes about 5,000 square feet of retail space on ground level and more office space above. Now word yet on businesses opening up in the Packard but we'll see what we can find out.
4 gorgeous retail spaces Large storefronts, HVAC, great signage, 17’ ceilings, garage rollup doors, and heavy pedestrian traffic both day and night. 714 - 3,877 RSF.
5 mezzanine office spaces Creative, flexible spaces, large windows, HVAC, and patios. 718 - 1,234 square feet; suites can be combined for a total of 4,704 square feet.
Rates | Retail $26-$28/SF/NNN | Office $22/SF/NNN
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It's a federal holiday -- enjoy the free parking.
- Most government offices and banks are closed but the liquor stores, thanks to gosh, are open
- Metro is running many routes on a reduced weekday schedule
- Washington State turns 120
- And, yeah, the parking is free
Also, it's my little sweetie's second birthday. Happy birthday, buddy. Let's go play.
Fast Food Lloyd Wright, originally uploaded by rutlo.
It is our sad duty to inform you that the Madison branch of the Taco Time fast food restaurant chain is about to serve its last batch of Mexi-Fries. CHS received the following tip from neighbor Westley:
I saw a sign on Taco Time. I don't remember exactly what it said, but I think it either said they are closing or moving. Not quite sure.
Note the panic -- Westley was so distraught he was unable to recount even what he had read on the heartbreaking sign.
A quick phone chat with manager Rodney Keith confirmed the worst.
The Madison Taco Time will close its doors on Sunday. Keith says he's moving on to a new gig. All other questions were referred to company HQ so no word on whether this was a surgical closure or part of a widespread downsizing for the chain.
According to the Taco Time Web Northwest site, the Madison location is one of 75 in the state. Wikipedia says the chain has more than 200 franchises in the US and another 75 in Canada and Japan.
The departure is also the latest in a long, slow exodus from the Hill for national fast food chains. Hill outlets of Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and Kentucky Fried Chicken have all closed within the past three years.
The Stranger's Lineout blog -- where they still write about things Seattle -- reports that Sonic Boom's new location down on Melrose isn't going to be ready in time for its planned mid-November opening. SB says in its latest e-mail newsletter that it is now targeting a December 7th opening. Sonic Boom recently closed shop on 15th Ave after six years. We reported back in June that the move would both make way for Olympia Pizza to expand into the Sonic Boom space and allow SB owner Jason Hughes to be neighbors with his girlfriend Tes de Luna's also-soon-to--open shop on Melrose, Velouria.
capitol hill fixie, originally uploaded by banter.
Like my dad used to follow me from room to room turning the lights out behind me, the city's parks department is pinching pennies this winter by turning out the lights on Seattle's tennis courts. Luckily for Capitol Hill, Cal Anderson's courts will be one of five in the city that remain lighted through winter. Earn it, fixie bike stunt guy. Earn it.
MOST PARKS TENNIS COURT LIGHTS GO OFF FOR THE WINTER TO SAVE ENERGY
As an energy-saving measure, for the winter months Seattle Parks and Recreation lights the tennis courts only at five major locations:
• Lower Woodland Park, Aurora Avenue N and N 59th Street, 10 courts
• Bobby Morris Playfield at Cal Anderson Park, corner of 11th Avenue E and E Pine Street, two courts
• Rainier Playfield, 3700 S Alaska, four courts
• Solstice Park (formerly Lincoln Park Annex, 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW, six courts
• Meadowbrook Playfield, 10533 35th Avenue NE, six courts
Lights will return to all lighted courts when Daylight Savings Time returns on Sunday, March 14, 2010.
Parks offers indoor courts at the Amy Yee Tennis Center, 2000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S, from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Please call 206-684-4764 to make reservations, or visit the web at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Athletics/Tennisct.htm for information about the Tennis Center.
Capitol Hill, this might be our happiest holiday travel season... ever. By way of fellow community news site B-Town Blog covering lovely Burien, CHS has learned that we'll all get a great present from Uncle Google this year -- free wireless Internet at Sea-Tac:
When you’re traveling this holiday season, you can enjoy free WiFi at 47 participating airports and on every Virgin America flight. Just bring a WiFi-enabled laptop or mobile device and stay connected to family and friends for free while you travel now through January 15, 2010.
We also talked to Bruce Gray of Sound Transit about the start of light rail airport service which is scheduled to happen 'late in 2009' according to the airport link project page. Gray says the announcement on the start of service will come later this week and said the trains will be continuing through to the Sea-Tac stop "in time for the holidays." "Which holidays?" CHS asked. Just wanted to be sure. Gray said we'll find out this week.
Call Your Mom, She Worries,
originally uploaded by avitania.
Capitol Hill do-gooders -- that's you, right? -- have two options to contribute to society tonight.
One is easy, one is hard:
- Easy first. Sustainable Capitol Hill presents Greendrinks tonight. It's your opportunity to network with young, sexy types who enjoy recycling, bicycling and every kind of cycling you can possibly think of.
We will feature Sierra Nevada beer, a result of our having raised the most money of all the neighborhood Greendrinks in the last event in January. We'll also have some tasty snacks from Madison Market and some special treats from Bluebird Ice Cream! That's right, there's free ice cream as well.
As with all Greendrinks events, we'd appreciate it if you can help keep this a low-impact event by bringing your own glass for beer or other beverages and, since we have ice cream, a spoon as well.
5:30-9:00 PM at CHS partner OfficeNomads (Boylston at Pine)
- And now hard. Results from this survey and meeting process from the summer will be examined and discussed tonight as the city's planning commission takes steps toward leading Seattle neighborhoods to develop new 10-year plans.
During June and July, many neighbors joined in meetings and many other hundreds participated in on line questionnaires to review the Draft Neighborhood Status Reports and comment on changes— good, bad, and unexpected —that have occurred since Seattle’s Neighborhood Plans were written in the late 90's. We explored growth, transportation, housing, economic development, utilities, neighborhood character, open space and parks, public services, public safety. The Planning Commission’s reports on comments can be reviewed at http://www.seattle.gov/planningcommission/
The Neighborhood Plan Advisory Committee (NPAC) and the Seattle Planning Commission want to report back to you on the trends that emerged so far and to get your help to identify the continuing priorities and new issues that should be emphasized in the final Status Reports and a State of the Neighborhood Report that will be presented to the City Council and Mayor. These reports will contribute to policy decisions including decisions about whether or how to updates neighborhood plans. Your input will also be important as NPAC shapes its recommendations on conducting, prioritizing and funding updates to the neighborhood plans listed below.
Tuesday, November 10th/ Seattle Central Community College, 1701 Broadway – Room BE 1110/11 6-8 PM Directions http://seattlecentral.edu/maps/
- Queen Anne
- Uptown
- Belltown
- Pike/Pine
- First Hill
- Eastlake
- Capitol Hill
Central Area
CHS received this warning tonight in an e-mail forwarded to us from the Madrona Moms mailing list:
just want to give a heads up, one of my friends was mugged at Pine between 23 and 24th just two nights ago. copys say it's been a string of muggings in the area. a group of teenage boys and one girl hide in the bushes and then knock down the victim.
We'll see what we can find out about the report of a 'string of muggings' -- did find this incident at the end of September in which a pizza delivery employee was robbed near the location of this report.
