UPDATE: Following a wave of criticism, the City Council's land use committee has unanimously voted to strip out commercial zoning changes in lowrise and midrise neighborhoods from the Regulatory Reform package.

Allow ground-floor commercial uses in Lowrise 2 and 3 (LR2 and LR3) zones that are within urban centers or station area overlays (with permitted uses and standards similar to those in Midrise and Highrise zones)

"We need to do a better job of engaging with the community and having a dialogue," Council member Mike O'Brien said.

Committee chair Richard Conlin said that he supports the amendment to remove the new zoning but that he still believes the changes in commercial zoning would be beneficial and that this part of the legislation might be taken up again. He also left the door open to punting on the idea altogether. "We may be wrong in our assessment," Conlin said of the process that led to the creation of the small retail proposals.

Conlin said the remainder of the legislation will move forward.

Original Report: Capitol Hill residents again filled the City Council chambers Wednesday morning as Richard Conlin and the Council's land use committee pushed forward on Regulatory Reform legislation that would overhaul the city's development process and open up areas of multifamily-zoned neighborhoods to small commercial uses.

"I've just been in shock that my city council would even think to work this way," one homeowner who addressed the committee said Wednesday morning.

Many called for the committee to postpone any decisions on Regulatory Reform until a more complete community process on Capitol Hill can be completed.

"Have you realized yet that you have awakened a sleeping giant?" another speaker asked. "You have united the people of Capitol Hill in a way that we've never been united before," the man said.

Many speakers said they were longtime homeowners who had just become aware of the reform legislation last week as the Capitol Hill Coalition group increased its effort to spread the word about the potential commercial changes (see their flyer below) and the Capitol Hill Community Council approved a resolution opposing the measures.

Another speaker said the Council's actions could "destroy an oasis of residential goodness forever."

While the reform package is a citywide set of updates to zoning laws and regulations, some of the elements focused on areas near transit stations and within official "urban centers" apply singularly to Capitol Hill.

CHS began reporting on the sprawling Regulatory Reform legislation in March. In the time since, the council committee has attempted to shape the "corner store" elements of the package so that commercial changes would be limited to arterials, smaller retail spaces and even by restricting certain types of businesses in specific areas like banning restaurants from the lowrise/midrise commercial zones on Capitol Hill.

The proposed set of code overhauls was set in motion by a City Council resolution last spring setting up a framework for changes to Seattle's regulatory structure to boost the economy and create more jobs in the city. City planners then worked with "a roundtable of business, environmental, and neighborhood leaders" to craft seven proposals that range from raising the number of living units a development must contain before triggering an environmental review to codifying home-based businesses.

The Seattle Times looked at that "roundtable" process and documented what it calls the power of "developer interest" in driving the eased development rules. "Records show the mayor's group worked to stay out of public view and communicate "more confidential stuff," as one put it, via private email," the Times writes.

Beyond the issues around public process and the encroachment of mixed-use development into residential areas, other elements of Regulatory Reform have been lauded for its elimination of minimum parking requirements in areas served by mass transit and helping to potentially untangle the increasingly byzantine process of developing property in Seattle.

The committee is considering seven amendments that Council members hope will shape the legislation to help alleviate the fears voiced by the community members who spoke Wednesday morning:

If commercial uses are ultimately allowed in Lowrise 2 and Lowrise 3 (LR2 and LR3) zones in Urban Centers and Station Area Overlay Districts, decrease the maximum permitted floor area of such uses from 2,500 to 2,000 square feet.

Prohibit any commercial enterprises that locate in eligible LR zones from installing electric signs (non-illuminated signs and externally illuminated signs would be permitted).

Allow businesses that locate in eligible LR zones to apply for street use permits to place merchandise displays in certain portions of the right-of-way.

Require DPD staff to provide an annual report to the City Council on the number, type, and location of new commercial uses that may be permitted to operate in LR2 and LR3 zones in Urban Centers and Station Area Overlay Districts.

Require commercial uses in multifamily zones to meet the same odor standards as apply in commercial zones.

Clarify that the nightlife disturbance provisions in the Municipal Code apply to nonresidential uses located in any zone (see Item #7 on the agenda for the May 23 PLUS Committee meeting).

Allow renewals of temporary use permits with terms of up to six months to be processed as Type 1 decisions, except for renewals of permits issued for transitional encampments and facilities for light rail transit construction, which would remain Type 2 decisions. Retain all other existing rules regarding the issuance and duration of temporary usepermits.

The Capitol Hill Alano Club (CHAC) has announced that it will be shutting down by the end of the year. CHAC has provided a safe space for members of the LGBTQ community to meet and engage in 12-step recovery programs for over 30 years. The decision is "bittersweet," for the volunteers at CHAC, who are proud that the organization's original mission has been fulfilled, but have a lot of sentimental attachment to the space.

"It was a painful decision for us," said Tim Olson, CHAC's Meetings Liason. 

"The space has been crucial for me personally getting clean and sober, and has a special place in our volunteer's hearts." 

While the group has set a dissolution date for the last day of the year, the interim period also serves as an opportunity for community feedback and engagement. CHAC is welcoming the community to come up with solutions to CHAC's space issues.

"We are open to anything," Olson said, "if benefactors opened a space, we would look at keeping things going."

As Seattle Gay News first reported, the decision to dissolve CHAC is the result of two separate issues: ... (more)

There is hope -- and a plan -- for keeping the landmark Volunteer Park Conservatory open well beyond the park's centennial celebration this summer. We also have details of when the $800,000 $600,000 overhaul of the park playground will begin and what it will entail, below.

green house, originally uploaded by subsetsum.

Volunteer Park Conservatory stewards tell CHS the 100-year-old conservatory will definitely stay open -- and stay free -- through 2012. But fees necessary to keep the conservatory open are coming.

Audrey Meade of the Friends of the Conservatory says the group is feeling more hopeful about the future after the city announced last year it was preparing to cut back funding the facility. “We're getting more verbal support from the Parks Department,” says Meade.

They're also getting a plan. CHS reported on the community process to solve the Conservatory's budget woes last year. That plan was released this week. It recommends either either a $3 entrance fee solution or a $4 fee mixed with the addition of a new events tent space that could be used as a revenue driver to support the conservatory's estimated $400,000+ annual operations budget.

(Image: Seattle Parks)

Other options analyzed and rejected in the "business plan" included moving the conservatory structure to another location, turning the building into a permanent event space or mothballing the building.

The city hired an Arizona-based consultant in March to determine how to keep the conservatory open, financially solvent, and what the city's future role should be. Meade says the Friends were initially worried about the $50,000 hire, but feel confident after meeting the consultant he has the conservatory's best interest at heart.

“This guy really knows the business and we respect what he has to say. That being said, there will be some hard things to hear.”

Talk of an admission fee has circulated for some time, particularly following last year's consultant announcement. Meade says a new fee will largely depend on the consultant's final report. Either way, she says, the Friend's role in running the conservatory will likely increase substantially.

Also set to increase -- weddings. A big component of the final plan will likely include an increase in events hosted at the conservatory. The facility currently hosts around a dozen per year. The addition of a tent adjacent to the facilities could boost that number above 30. Sounds like it could be a lovely place for a wedding.

The group is still trying to raise $3.5 million for much-needed structural repairs. Meade says there has been some headway, but couldn't say how much has been raised thus far.

Parks says more than 85,000 visitors come to the conservatory each year. The report notes that if Seattle Parks chose to close the conservatory, it would be an unusual step:

The findings of this review included: (1) no other conservatory has been closed for financial reasons; (2) three have come close to closing due to financial constraints but have all remained open to the public; (3) most conservatories similar to VPC are supported largely by general revenues from their city; (4) many are trying or planning to increase earned revenues; (5) the staffing level at VPC, which accounts for most of the expenses, is reasonable by national standards; and (6) the ability of VPC to become entirely financially self-sustaining is severely limited by the size of the Conservatory and the lack of facility rental space.

The proposed fees wouldn't eliminate the need for Parks funding. Both plans would offset costs from between 40 to 75% after five years, according to the report.

The Friends group has also raised funds to place banners celebrating the centennial throughout the park (Image: CHS)

Playground overhaul update
Meanwhile, plans to upgrade Volunteer Park's play area are near complete with a project start date set for September 3.

On May 2 the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board approved the play area upgrade with no major changes. (The board had to sign off on the project after designating the entire park a city landmark last November.)

“Now we're just dotting our I's and crossing our T's,” says the city's project manager Virgina Hassinger.

The catalyst for the project was to get play equipment to meet safety standards and make the area wheelchair accessible. After the final play area schematics are in, the city's parks engineer will sign off on the plans. Then the work contract will go before the city Finance Department with RFP's going out in early June.

Due to neighborhood concerns over the play area and wading pool closing over the summer, construction on the new playground was pushed to September. The project should be complete by early November.

The wading pool, stair slide, and sculpture will definitely stay. Hassinger says the contractor has yet to provide a detailed diagram of the new play equipment. A “natural play” area will also be built along an “adventure trail” on the north edge of the park. These usually include boulders, logs, and sand pits.

Some grading work will be necessary to make the play area and bathrooms comply with ADA regulations.

The $600,000 project was originally budgeted at $800,000. Hassinger said the department lowered the budget after discovering original overgrown pathways that were less than 5 percent grade, making some grading work unnecessary. The extra $200,000 will be returned to the parks budget for future projects.

Photo CHS

Looks like if you want to occupy Seattle Community Colleges, it'll have to be by daylight.

In a decision over an issue inspired by Occupy Seattle's short stay on Capitol Hill's Seattle Central Community College campus and debated for months now, the community colleges board of trustees voted to revise rules regarding protest on campus to restrict overnight camping. A statement released by SCC Chancellor, Jill Wakefield outlines the new provisions made to school policy in detail.

One newly added provision states that college and non-college groups may only "use the campus for first amendment activities between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m." 

The Seattle Times reports that a new group has formed that believes the rules may violate the First Amendment.

Seattle Community Colleges have been the home of many protests in the past, but the Occupy Seattle encampments at SCCC last fall prompted the school to revisit its protest policies "to protect the health and safety of our campus communities," according to the statement. 

Occupy Seattle took up residence at Pine and Broadway at the end of last October and while organizers may have done their best to keep the camp functioning and maintain a "good neighbor" set of rules, introducing a settlement of dozens of tents into a constricted space meant constant challenges for the group -- and the Seattle Central campus. By November, the trustees passed an emergency rule banning Occupy's camp from Seattle Central. 

The new protest rules come after public hearings that helped shape the newly decided policy. According to the trustees, voices from the community were responsible for the repeal of a proposed revision that would limit where on campuses groups could exercise First Amendment rights to specific areas. Community input will still be a factor in future First Amendment activities regarding SCC -- a task force nominated throughout the district will meet for the first time this spring and work through December to more fully address free speech issues on campuses.

Below is the full statement from Jill Wakefield:

Friday, May 18, 2012

Changes to Washington Administrative Code 

Yesterday, our Board of Trustees approved a restriction on camping on our college campuses. This restriction was added to an existing section of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 132F-136), which has been in place since 1984.

This provision addresses issues of safety and security that were raised during the Occupy Seattle encampment last fall when the Thurston County Superior Court upheld an emergency rule prohibiting camping on our campuses. The ruling required the District to act quickly to permanently change this section of the Washington Administration Code to protect the health and safety of our campus communities.

The May 17 Board action followed a long process of review and public comment. Members of our campus community spoke out at public hearings in March and April, when an earlier WAC concerning the use of facilities for First Amendment activities was first proposed. As a result, we pulled both that WAC and its related procedure (# 270), off the table and asked the Board to limit its review to camping restrictions. The Board heard public comments on the revised proposal at its last two board meetings.

We still have work to do. As announced earlier this month, I am convening a task force to address the use of campus facilities for First Amendment activities. The group will examine our procedures to ensure we are meeting our commitment to the First Amendment as well as to the values that are integral to the delivery of education. Task force members were nominated from throughout our district. Their first meeting will be held this spring, and the group will conclude its work by December 2012. Thank you to the following individuals who have agreed to serve from the college community: Don Bissonnette, Ian Elliot, Rodolfo Franco, Kelly Grayson, Cessa Heard-Johnson, Tysen Hillquist, Larry Hopt, Hillery Jorgensen, Kenneth Lawson, Kimberly McRae, Orestes Monterecy, and Greg Morphew; as well as community leaders Al Sugiyama, Joan Weiss and an additional community member to be announced early next week.

The Seattle Community Colleges stand for both safeguarding free speech and providing excellent education. I am confident that the task force will provide us with their best thinking.

The Melrose Promenade would help more people capture some fantastic Seattle views

Four Capitol Hill area projects have been awarded $56,750 in Seattle grants to improve life on the Hill. The city’s Department of Neighborhoods Small and Simple grant program funds, more or less, any non-profit group to take on, more or less, any project that’s free and beneficial to the community. The latest round of grants reveals some important community projects in the works including a new LGBT center on Broadway and a plan to transform one of the most underutilized streets on Capitol Hill.

A total of 34 projects were awarded $534,666 after organizations pledged to match $760,123 in the latest round of grants. Contract signings and project completion dates will be set on a case by case basis. The city will award another round of grants this fall. You can learn more about the process here.

The Small and Simple grants are funded through the city’s Neighborhood Matching Fund. Grants of up to $20,000 are awarded twice a year. Groups must pledge to match at least half of the grant in cash or volunteer hours so lend a hand if you want to get involved.

Here’s what we can look forward to around the Hill.

LGBT center on Broadway
The real-estate surrounding Central Link’s future Capitol Hill/Broadway Station is shaping up to be some of the most desirable in the city. Luckily, Sound Transit has pledged been asked to carve out space for community focused non-profits. The recently formed Seattle LGBT Community Development group will use its $7,000 grant ($10,000 match) to nail down specifics on a proposed LGBT community center in the space. LGBT community leaders have been searching for new center ideas since the Seattle LGBT Center at Pike and Bored shuttered in 2008.

“Given that Seattle has the country’s second highest LGBT population per capita, we should really have a showcase center,” said the group’s co-founder George Pieper. “We want to capture our culture.”

Pieper said the group, which officially formed in January, would use the grant to gather community input and work with a developer to draft a feasibility study this summer.

Last summer, the Seattle City City Council worked out an agreement with Sound Transit to provide a framework of specific community guidelines for the process to open up development around the station. The process for securing those contracts for developing the properties will begin soon.

Outdoor movies
Three Dollar Bill Cinema will continue their 6-year tradition of public movie screenings in Cal Anderson Park (remember last year’s “Footloose” flash dance?) thanks in-part to its $10,875 grant ($7,000 plus volunteer hours match). Outgoing executive director Rachael Brister said the grant will allow the LGBT-focused non-profit to again show four family-oriented movies this summer. According to Brister, each screening costs roughly $2,000, which includes permits, an A/V contractor, staff time, and showing rights.

CHS recently reported on Brister's exit and this summer’s movie lineup.

Melrose makeover
Supporters of the Melrose Promenade Project are convinced the scenic stretch of Melrose on the western precipice of Capitol Hill is the city’s next best street. Central Seattle Greenways was awarded $20,000 ($37,000 match) to help make it happen. The grant will fund a series of community cleanups and work parties along the street and trail. The group hopes to “increase safety, and create a more vibrant and inviting public open space.” CSG members and Capitol Hill Community Council members have been formally planning the project since at least last year.  

The Melrose Promenade project would redesign the street, particularly north of Denny, so that it is more comfortable for walking and enjoying the excellent views.

CSG formed this February to represent central neighborhoods in the city’s plan to create 11 miles of walking and biking routes each year. CSG is part of the broader Seattle Neighborhood Greenways coalition.

New E Madison park
A new neighborhood park at 19th and Madison has been in the works since 2010. The Hearing, Speech, and Deafness Center was awarded $15,300 ($47,800 match) to build a public space on its property.  The center plans a “fully accessible, art-filled, sustainable park for all ages and abilities.” Project plans call for a "tranquil green oasis" in an urban patch of Madison that was once envisioned as a space for a mixed-use development. At one point, a group was also trying to build a parkour park at that location. Central District News wrote about the project here. (more)

One of the best things about capital hill is all of the great old trees we get to enjoy. Whether you live in one of the classic old homes or a spanking new condo we can look out our windows and see nature all around us. We can walk to amazing restaurants and Madison market and yet see nature out our window.

UNTIL someone moves in and decides that the house would be so much better if they ripped all the life around it out of the ground. If you buy a house buy it for the landscaping as much as the house. There are lots of houses with no trees and lovely grass. Buy that. Also trees are great screening there is a lot of us on this little hill and if you want some privacy you really need some trees.

So if you are the guy that cut down that old giant maple then I really really don’t like you.

Respect the existing landscaping.

Thanks

That's show biz. The woman who has helped fill summer nights in Cal Anderson Park with quirky, campy and queer cinema is moving on to a new role. Three Dollar Bill Cinema has announced that executive director Rachel Brister is leaving the non-profit to join the Greater Seattle Business Association. Details on her move -- and this summer's slate of Brister-inspired flicks planned for Cal Anderson -- below.

Brister, left, is moving on (Image: Three Dollar Bill Cinema)

Meanwhile, 2012 marked the 17th year for Three Dollar Bill Cinema's Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. 

As for what she'll bring to the GSBA from her years coordinating gay film and events on Capitol Hill, Brister said it has been a lesson in giving.

"I've learned how important it is to do events for your community," she said. "It's really nice to be able to just give something back."

Brister tells CHS she'll continue to be busy in the Capitol Hill community -- she currently serves on the community council among her non-cinematic activities. More from Brister on her move in a statement sent out by Three Dollar Bill, below.

For now, you can plan to celebrate Brister's new gig and outdoor cinema with this summer's Cal Anderson roster. Stay tuned for 

• PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE -- July 27th
• VIVA LAS VEGAS' -- August 3rd
• THE WIZARD OF OZ -- August 10th
• THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT -- August 17th

The theme? Road trip. Films start on the darker end of dusk in the southeast corner of Cal Anderson Park. You can learn more at threedollarbillcinema.org.

CHS is a longtime community partner of Three Dollar Bill Cinema.

"Deciding 8 years ago to move across the country to become the Executive Director of Three Dollar Bill Cinema is the best decision that I have ever made. I love Seattle and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many wonderful parts of Seattle's LGBT and film communities. I am grateful to call myself a member of those communities. I have felt welcome since my first day on the job and I can't thank the Three Dollar Bill Cinema Board and staff enough for welcoming me then with such open arms. 

It is almost impossible for me to sum up my feelings around leaving Three Dollar Bill Cinema. This decision was not at all an easy one to make. Three Dollar Bill Cinema has shaped my life in Seattle and my position has taught me so much about what it means to truly work for a community and a cause. I have worked with an amazing, dedicated, and supportive staff and Board of Directors. I have been humbled by the size and skill of Three Dollar Bill Cinema's volunteer corps. And I have been in awe of Three Dollar Bill Cinema's growing and enthusiastic audiences year after year. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to guide and grow Three Dollar Bill Cinema to where it is today. I look forward to this organizations very bright future.

I am thrilled to be joining the staff of another organization that combines a community and a cause, the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA). The intersection of business and philanthropy is something that has always been important to me. My new position of Deputy Director will allow me the opportunity to combine business development and community leadership to expand economic opportunities for the LGBT community and those who support equality for all. 

I'd like to thank the staff, Board of Directors, and volunteers of Three Dollar Bill Cinema, as well as the Greater Seattle community for the opportunity to work with an organization that I love dearly for the past 8 years. I feel so fortunate to have been given this opportunity.

 My passion for Three Dollar Bill Cinema, its mission and programs will never waiver. Thank you all for the support you have given to this organization and to me over the past 8 years. I look forward to seeing all of you in the audience at the next Three Dollar Bill Cinema screening."

In addition to vigorous debate over potential changes to the city's zoning laws around small commercial development in residential areas of Seattle, the most recent Capitol Hill Community Council meeting also revealed an important naming decision moving forward with Sound Transit's U-Link project that will bring light rail to Capitol Hill by 2016. As we see, it you have two choices -- and it's a pretty big deal as far as the long-term "brand" of the light rail line and the neighborhood go.

Should it be Capitol Hill Station -- or Broadway Station?

Here's what a Sound Transit community rep who couldn't make the meeting provided in email form to the council outlining the station naming proposals currently being considered by the agency:

All the tunneling for the projects is complete! ST will now focus on construction of cross-tunnel passages between the two tunnels for ventilation and emergency/safety exits. At some point this coming summer, the ST board will adopt formal station names for the University Link and North Link projects. The proposed station names are: Capitol Hill Station, University of Washington Station (Husky Stadium), U-District Station (Brooklyn), Roosevelt Station and Northgate Station. If the community has any comments about the proposed station names, please contact Wilbert Santos at wilbert.santos@soundtransit.org.

While the potential names for the station might seem rather dull and generic, there are some important long-term implications for the area from a "brand" perspective. In Capitol Hill Station, Sound Transit delivers a resource that embodies the neighborhood as a whole and is instantly recognizable as a general location throughout the city and region. Broadway Station would be a more focused decision and, in that focus, has the potential to help continue to lift up an important Seattle thoroughfare and the idea of Broadway as an independent entity in the city. Or, yeah, maybe it's just about picking the most clear and easy to understand name for the project. Your call. 

By the year 2030, Sound Transit project that the Capitol Hill StationBroadway Station station on Broadway on Capitol Hill will serve some 14,000 daily riders.

Keep retail off Capitol Hill's residential streets. That was the message attendees at Thursday's Capitol Hill Community Council meeting will send to city officials in the coming days.

“The development community has a interest in controlling as much space as possible,” said Hill resident Oliver Osborne at the meeting. “It has nothing to do with the needs of the community.”

Debate over the city council's Regulatory Reform package took up the bulk of the Capitol Hill Community Council's most recent meeting Thursday night. Included in a long list of tweaks, updates and economic enhancements to Seattle's development and planning code, the 67-page zoning overhaul would also enable small commercial and retail outfits to permeate off arterial roads into areas of the Hill many consider residential.

A map of zoning changes being circulated by a Capitol Hill group opposing Regulatory Reform. Click for larger version

The major complaint voiced at the CHCC meeting was that the proposed ordinance would open the door to unwanted and unforeseen commercial uses. Concerns were raised over increased noise and traffic on residential streets due to deliveries and garbage pickups.

The 30 community members in attendance unanimously passed the following resolution in opposition to the proposal :

RESOLUTION

We are deeply concerned about the proposal to bring commercial uses into the heart of our neighborhood currently pending before the Seattle City Council’s Planning, Land Use and Sustainability (PLUS) committee.

We oppose this commercialization proposal.

We ask PLUS and the Seattle City Council:

(1) Not to adopt the proposal; and

(2) To engage the residents of affected neighborhoods in an open, serious, frank discussion of the pros and cons of various options in an effort to achieve consensus.

Adopted by unanimous vote this 17th day of May, 2012.

Seattle Gay News publisher and CHCC officer George Bakan said he would present the letter at the council's Planning, Land Use and Sustainability committee meeting, this Wednesday at 9:30a. The committee will be discussing the reforms and taking public comment.

For some, part of the problems with the Regulatory Reform package has been the way the proposed changes were created -- you can hear from one member of the roundtable of developers, planners and community members right here -- and how they've been communicated to the neighborhood's they will impact the most.

At a Seattle City Council committee meeting earlier this month, land use chair person Richard Conlin said many concerns were being overstated. "I have to say, I think it is going to make some modest changes that I think will be generally positive," he said.

A group calling itself the Capitol Hill Coalition has also formed to oppose the reform package. You may have seen these flyers posted on utility poles around the neighborhood by the group. According to the coalition's web site, its goal is to eliminate the provisions around introducing commercial zoning to certain lowrise and midrise areas around the city. The long-empty John Court development retail that we looked at here -- What's wrong with the retail space at John Court? -- last sumer is one of the group's "poster boys" for why Regulatory Reform's commercial zoning changes aren't needed on the Hill.

Regulatory Reform Smaller Images

While the Regulatory Reform package's retail changes are part of a citywide set of laws, with the focus around "urban centers" and "station area overlays," Capitol Hill holds the lion's share of the land where the new zoning laws would be applicable. There are also opportunities the amendment creates that most anybody could get behind -- more cafes on the edge of Cal Anderson Park, for example. The Regulatory Reform package also has other important amendments for Capitol Hill including a loosening of the rules around temporary uses to be more "micro-business" and pop-up friendly.

A community council working group, open to all community members, is slated to meet May 31 at 6p in the Cal Anderson shelter house to discuss further action.

In other CHCC news:

• Elections: The Capitol Hill Community Council will hold officer elections during its next meeting, July 19th at 6 p.m. at the Cal Anderson Shelter House. Most current officers are not seeking reelection. Anyone who lives in Capitol Hill, as defined in the council's bylaws, is eligible to run.
• Marriage equality: The group discussed passing a resolution in support of marriage equality. It was tabled until the next meeting.

The Capitol Hill Community Council is open to everyone who lives and works on Capitol Hill. Meetings are held at the Cal Anderson Shelter House on the third Thursday of every other month. For more information visit capitolhillcommunitycouncil.org.

Yup, within a five-minute bike ride of my Capitol Hill apartment, barred owls are in residence.

Barred owl mesmerized by a potential meal in Interlaken Park

Territorial, vocal crows helped me locate both mother and father in Interlaken Park last week. Barred owls are of a mammal-like bulk (21" tall) and relatively unfazed by human presence--they will stretch, emit wisdom, yawn, gambol, sleep, be serene, faire la toilette, hunt, etc. within 10-15 feet of a person (in this case, me.)  

There is consternation and controversy regarding this species. According to the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society:

Here are details of a few issues the Seattle Fire Department and police tackled around Capitol Hill on Saturday. If you see an incident others should know about, send email to chs@capitolhillseattle.com, or call/txt CHS HQ at (206) 399-5959.

• Car vs. bike on Belmont: A bicyclist suffered injuries Saturday morning on Belmont Ave E after a reported collision with a car. No details on what caused the crash just before 11a but the cyclist's injuries were not life-threatening and the driver was not cited.
• Car vs. Puch in Central District: The rider of a Puch suffered serious injuries when the moped was struck by a car at the intersection of 25th and Spring early Saturday morning. SPD says the motorized cycle's rider showed signs of alcohol impairment when he was evaluated following the 1:30a crash. Our partners at CDNews have more details on the incident.
• Small fire at E Pike apartment building: The usual large contingent of Seattle Fire units that respond to fire alarms at multi-family structures arrived at an apartment building at 617 E Pike Saturday afternoon to find a small fire burning in a planter on the building. SFD was able to use a "deck gun" from a fire engine to quickly knock down the flames. The department says discarded smoking material was to blame. The fire did $500 worth of damage.

(Image: CHS)

The Seattle barstool urban environment theory of Liz Dunn and her Melrose Market as catalyst for development and reshaping Capitol Hill might have something to it. Or maybe Dunn just went first. The early work to create a new 115-unit apartment building with 1,100 square feet of retail behind Melrose Market got started Friday at the base of Capitol Hill. 

With construction underway at Bellevue and Pine, and the process starting on the plan to develop Melrose and Pine, the 2010-born Melrose Market will be at the center of a rapidly changing lower Pike/Pine.

Add to that mix the mixed-use 1519 Minor project the demolition is creating space for. The developers behind the seven-story mixed-use building planned to tower above PIllars dog park started filing paperwork on the project way back in 2005. With the economic ups and downs, a plan to "revitalize" the existing office building was scrapped and developer Gerding Elden moved forward with the project designed by Perkins Will architects. The project will have parking for 30 vehicles, a "green" roof and is targeting LEED Gold certification.

Following demolition, expect construction of the new project to begin in about a month with at least a year of construction time to complete the dramatically colored building.

(Yes, there are multiple parks projects in the works for our area. However as Capitol Hill, already the densest neighborhood in the NW, continues to get denser, it would be wise to capture all the Green Spaces we can)

For immediate release                                                                                  May 18, 2012

Contact:          Karen O’Connor, 206-684-8020

                        Email: karen.o’connor@seattle.gov

 ... (more)

(Yes, there are new parks in the works, but our area is the most dense in the NW, and getting denser, so we should capture as much open space as we can)

2012/2013 Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund 

For immediate release                                                                                  May 18, 2012

Contact:          Karen O’Connor, 206-684-8020

                        Email: karen.o’connor@seattle.gov

Proposal... (more)

Other things to do at CHBP. From 2011's Day One (Image: CHS)

We've been hearing a lot about changes coming for the Capitol Hill Block Party starting with this July's 2012 edition. One of the new additions apparently will take the form of an arts program at the three-day festival curated by Ghost Gallery's Laurie Kearney.

This week, Kearney began circulating information on a fundraising effort to help provide stipends to artists participating in the Block Party visual art program.

You can learn more about the drive and its $10,000 goal here: indiegogo.com/GhostArtBlockParty

We're told Kearney is hoping to be able to organize sponsorship support, grants and possibly financial support from the festival's backers to augment the artist stipends. And, while the program's components are nearly set, there will also be a need for more artists to help contribute to projects like a planned graffiti wall.

2012 marks the third year of the expanded three-day format for the Block Party. Bigger names performing this year include Neko Case, Major Lazer and Diplo. Organizers have marketed the festival as "the final" Capitol Hill Block Party with allusions to the Mayan 2012 apocalypse and, possibly, the transitioning nature of the event as it matures into a bigger business and more significant component of Pacific Northwest summer culture.

Capitol Hill Block Party 2011, originally uploaded by spratt504.

Here's the full statement on the Block Party art program fundraising effort. Kearney has her work cut out for her. The first -- and only -- contribution made as of this posting far is 25 bucks from yours truly.

Ghost Gallery has been approved to curate the first-ever, innovative visual art program for the 2012 Capitol Hill Block Party! With over 27,000 expected guests, this is a wonderful way to engage our local artistic community and provide a dynamic, interactive environment for visitors of all ages.

 

Since most of the artwork involved will be large format, and/or technological in nature, the cost of materials will be significant for individual artists. Funds raised will be used to provide artist stipends to most, if not all, participating artists. Canvas, Paint, Metal, Projectors, Paper, you name it. It gets expensive. Our goal is to help our artists create what they truly envision for the festival, without being limited by financial constraints.

 

We are creating 3 levels of perks, where donors can receive limited edition tote bags, a bottle of boutiwue wine (for donors 21+), or even your logo on the Art Map!

 

Your contribution will help our artists focus on creating the work, rather than how they are going to pay for it. The impact of integrating a unique, thriving music festival with sophisticated, engaging visual art serves to liven our community as a whole.

 

If you are unable to contribute, you can help us out by spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, and your own websites! Thank you so much for considering our project~

What follows below was written by a number of students seeking recognition and permission from their high school to form a LGBT club on campus.

I was fortunate to have interacted in and out of the classroom with a number of the kids seeking this recognition. 
If asked, I would be happy to play some minor role in advising them, or mediating with the school officials for recognition. 
I may be much more aware of what they might face as their church has taken a strong stand on their position with the gay community. On the one hand they claim to love all people, as they define gays as "intrinsically disordered." 
Not the kind of love I ever want to receive! 
Can you imagine how that feels to a teenager full of angst about just about everything in their lives!! 
The Archbishop in the Seattle Archdiocese has been appointed by the Pope to bring the nuns back into conformance with their stated positions on a number of subjects. (See article in today’s Seattle paper) They feel the nuns have... (more)

Jill Wenger is ready to unveil the new home of her Totokaelo, a Seattle-founded fashion brand and store that has just completed its move from Western Ave to Capitol Hill's 10th Ave. The store neighboring Elliott Bay Book Co. will open its doors for the first time Thursday at 2p.

Wenger told CHS last month that the new Totokaelo will expand on the fashion and style provider's years of retail experience on Western and online:

The new store will continue to represent the fashion categories and style it's become known for, along with introducing: furniture, lighting, linens, ceramics, vintage textiles, rugs, objects and art.  The brand off-shoot "Totokaelo Art & Object" launches with the opening, and will encapsulate these new non-apparel related products.

Expect the 10th Ave space to also feature a new line of furniture.

In March, Everyday Music completed a move across the street from the space now inhabited by Totokaelo. The retailer joins Elliott Bay and will neighbor Oddfellows Cafe and fellow retailer NuBe Green. Around the corner in the Odd Fellows building, Molly Moon's has put its plans to expand into the former Flora and Henri shop on hold. Meanwhile, 10th Ave lost a tenant in February when sex club Tribe/Basic Plumbing abruptly closed down.

In our recent discussion with Totokaelo's Wenger, the CEO also addressed the store's price point:

(Image: Oddfellows)

What about the CHS commenters who will say pffft to an expensive boutique, I'll never shop there, blah blah bah? Anything to say to sway them? Or just tell them to fuck off?

Totokaelo is a specialty shop. It doesn't proclaim to have something for everybody. If you can't tell the difference between a 20.00 pair of pants and a 200.00 pair, then fuck it, buy the 20.00 ones, right?

But for the person that can tell the difference, the person that wants to discuss Raf Simmons' final collection for Jil Sander, or French seaming, or the Antwerp 6, Totokaelo won't disappoint.  We love what we do.  We are enthusiasts.

In my mind, there's a commonality between enthusiasts of any kind. Whether it be coffee, farm-to-table food, fixed gear bikes, etc. I appreciate it when someone finds something that gets them excited.   Hopefully the feeling is mutual.

You can learn more at totokaelo.com.

UPDATE: CHS stopped by but were told no photos of the space until some larger fish in the global media pond get their turn (rhymes with Blue Cork Limes). Here's a glimpse of the front and a sad little sidewalk shot. Look, shoes!

Campaign signs near McCormick's geographic base of supporters (Image: CHS)

Sitting in his 14th floor downtown Seattle office, Dick McCormick pulls out packet of paper he printed and stapled himself. “Appearing on the Presidential Ballot of Washington State” is splashed across the front page.

“It's not easy running for president,” he says, dropping the packet onto his desk with a thud.

Dick McCormick isn't a wacky billionaire or egotistical blowhard – that would at least make his 2012 run as an independent candidate for president a little less confounding. Despite the odds, this 48-year Capitol Hill resident and financial adviser seems really normal, and really serious.

“Usually the first question I get asked is 'are you serious?' The second is 'do you think you can win?' And the third is 'yeah, but do you really think you can win?” His answer is a definitive and defiant yes on all accounts.

Full disclosure: CHS would not have heard of McCormick's run for the highest office in the land if not for his decision to launch a lavish CHS advertising campaign supporting his candidacy. We won't disclose his expenditure but you can see for yourself that our standard ad positions top out at $300 a month. We will say we were not paid to run this article and, in the spirit of equal time, we'll extend offers of interviews to other competitors in the race at any time.

A still from a McCormick campaign video

On June 23 McCormick is holding his official nominating convention in Volunteer Park. Seattle wedding rockers/crooners The Dudely Manlove Quartet will perform.

Apparently, you really do need a convention. Here's a civics lesson quickie for the day: In Washington state, candidates who want their name on the ballot must hold a  convention to gather verifiable signatures from 1,000 registered voters (Democratic and Republican nominees are automatically placed on the ballot). If he makes the ballot, McCormick would then have to win a majority of the vote in the general election to win the state's 12 electoral college votes.

Of course, that's just Washington state. McCormick has made no formal effort to make the ballot in any other state, meaning he would need to launch one hell of a viral video to garner write-in votes across the country.

McCormick says he's confident he'll get the 1,000 signatures, but if he doesn't he would pursue a write-in strategy in Washington. McCormick's brother, who lives in Tennessee, is running as his vice president.

McCormick, owner of McCormick Capital Management, has never run for public office, never had aspirations to be president. So why would a 65-year-old financial advisor with a secure retirement just around the corner bother with a practically impossible run for the nation's highest office? War is one reason. McCormick says opposing foreign wars have been a defining issue for him since he marched against the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

Fighting the gridlock of the two-party system is another. McCormick brands himself as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. In his personable, folksy style he touts simple, a-political solutions and admonishes the “tyranny” of the two major parties.

He supports full marriage equality for gay couples and civil rights protections at the federal level. He wants a universal health care system and cuts in social security to keep it fiscally solvent. He's a states-rights proponent and wants to take a match to the tax system (see his mock explosion video of 14 reams of paper, representing the length of the U.S. tax code).

McCormick says he hasn't voted for president since the 1980s, except his vote for Barack Obama in 2008 because of the president's anti-war position. McCormick says Obama's failure to extract the military from the Middle East was another major reason behind his decision to run. “He did not do what he said he would do. I've been very disappointed by his escalation of the wars.”

McCormick admits he's up against some heavy odds and lots of money. Since registering with the Federal Election Commission last year, his campaign has received around $6,000 in donations. By comparison, President Obama's campaign raised $43.6 million last month alone.

“My wife says if I lose, I have to pay all the money back,” he says.

Aside from some, ahem, small web advertisements, McCormick's PR has consisted mainly of videos of speeches posted to his website and a song written by his neighbor. His geographical base is primarily situated along 18th Ave., where a few neighbors have put up campaign signs.

McCormick has lived on the Hill for 48 years and is a trove of Hill history. Nearly all of those years he's spent in the same house near St. Joesph's Church at 18th and Aloha. His wife runs a winter homeless shelter out of the church basement.

“I originally moved to Capitol Hill when it was the cheapest place to buy. Nobody wanted to live there, the houses were falling down, and the houses were all condemned around us.”

Long before the Bauhaus building squabble, McCormick was fighting to retain historic charm on Capitol Hill. While on the Capitol Hill Community Council in the 70s and 80s, McCormick says one of the biggest fights was to protect the large brick apartment buildings at the southwest corner of Volunteer Park. He was also active when Broadway's electrical wires went underground and the “dancing feet” hit the sidewalks.

He recalled the story of an old man walking into a Capitol Hill Council meeting in the 1970s, asking to name the play field in Cal Anderson Park after Bobby Morris.

“You ask 'well, who the hell is Bobby Morris?' It turns out this guy's best friend at Broadway High School was Bobby Morris … and this is what he wanted to do in honor of his friend … The Parks Department said if the Capitol Hill Community Council doesn't have a problem with it, we don't have a problem with it. We were pretty easy going.”

Sometimes, the local news business is just about being in the right place. Wednesday afternoon, CHS took a few minutes to enjoy a Little Uncle lunch in the triangle park in front of the under-construction and super-green Bullitt Center at 15th and Madison. Then CHS left. Not long after, we're told, "dozens of F.B.I., secret service, and Seattle Police officers" arrived -- and so did the president of Bulgaria.

According to people familiar with the details of the visit, Rosen Plevneliev included a visit to the construction site for the greenest commercial building in the world as part of a "NATO Summit trip to Chicago." We're told he was the former Minister of Construction and is very interested in green building and spoke on the need for human behavior change to meet ambitious and important energy efficiency goals.

The Bullitt project is working toward a late 2012 completion and was most recently approved to include a massive solar array in its green plans. The University of Washington integrated design laboratory and Northwest headquarters of the Green Building Council are slated to join the Bullitt Foundation in the low energy building.

Meanwhile, if like Plevneliev, you have an interest in things "eco," you'll want to mark your calendar for May 29th's Capitol Hill Housing forum on creating a Capitol Hill "EcoDistrict" -- 

Creating an EcoDistrict:
How do we make Capitol Hill a model of sustainable development?

Capitol Hill Housing presents the 7 annual Capitol Hill Community Forum

Date:               May 29, 2012

Location:         Broadway Performance Hall

1625 Broadway

Seattle, WA 98122

Time:               5:00 PM Doors Open

                        5:30 PM Presentation and Panel Discussion

7:00 PM Reception

An  is sustainability applied at the neighborhood scale.  provide a framework for realizing advanced sustainability – increasing efficiencies, reducing pollution, restoring ecosystems, and improving communities – through behavior change, building design, and infrastructure investments.  commit to achieving ambitious sustainability performance goals, guiding  investments and community action, and tracking the results over time.

In March 2011 the Bullitt Foundation awarded Capitol Hill Housing a grant to spearhead the creation of an  on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Working with architecture firm GGLO, Capitol Hill Housing spent six months researching the establishment of an in our neighborhood. On May 29, we welcome the community to our annual Community Forum as an opportunity to present our findings and open a dialogue between local representatives, national  experts, and our friends and neighbors on Capitol Hill.

At the forum, CHH will unveil the  report, an in depth study of starting an  on Capitol Hill. An ambitious plan to create the state’s first neighborhood , the report organizes goals into six areas: Community, Transportation, Energy, Water, Habitat, and Materials. Members of the community will have opportunities to volunteer to work on  projects that match their interests and areas of expertise.

Following a presentation of the  report, there will be a panel discussion led by moderator Ron Sims, former HUD Deputy Secretary and King County Executive

Distinguished panelists:

• Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn

• Denis Hayes, President of the Bullitt Foundation and Founder of Earth Day

• Naomi Cole, EcoDistrict Program Director at Portland Sustainability Institute

• Llewellyn Wells, President of Living City Block

• Rebecca Saldaña, Equitable Transit Oriented Development Program Director at Puget Sound Sage

The event is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Press is encouraged to attend. RSVP required:  http://chhforum2012.eventbrite.com/

The  overview and full report are available online: http://capitolhillhousing.org/inthecommunity/ecodistrict.php

(Image: CHS)

The investors who swooped in after financial troubles made one prime Pike/Pine development opportunity available earlier this year have decided to double down in the neighborhood. The Arizona-based Wolff Co. announced Wednesday that it has purchased the Sunset Electric building at 11th and Pine for $6.7 million. The developers plan to continue the approved mixed-use project started by seller Pryde Johnson which faced foreclosure on the property. 

“We believe very strongly in the quality of the Capitol Hill neighborhood and are excited to be a part of the effort to bring some of its more historic buildings back into service for the benefit of the entire community,” Tim Wolff said in a statement on the purchase.

Artist renderings of the planned structure (Image: Weber Thompson)

(Image: Weber Thompson)

(Image: Weber Thompson)

The ambitious project will incorporate a facade of the old Sunset Electric factory where the 11th and Pine poster wall stands today. The Sunset Electric project will include 89 residential units above the restored auto row building with two-floor tall commercial spaces at ground level and underground parking for 33 vehicles. The building is currently *partly* empty and boarded but a cultural center in the area thanks to its wild and wide array of posters, street art and random things that get stuck to its old, masonry walls. UPDATE: Thanks to Lola for the question in comments. We're checking whether the structure housing The Crypt and Purr is, indeed, part of the development parcel. We'll follow up with Wolff to ask them about plans to work with any existing tenants. UPDATE: According to county parcel records, Purr and the Crypt are part of the adjacent building not the parcel slated for redevelopment.

(Image: CHS)

Pryde Johnson purchased the building for $2.9 million in 2006. Its development project began the public design review process way back in summer of 2009. With the six-story project's land use permit approved and valid through March 2014, Wolff can pick up where Pryde Johnson left off and carry the Weber Thompson design forward.

(Image: CHS)

The Sunset name refers to a manufacturing company that called the 1916 building home for a time. It is also known as the Spray King  building and was once home to Winton Motor Co., according to neighborhood activist  Dennis Saxman. The project was planned to be part of the city's Priority Green Pilot Program. We published this series of artist renderings of the project here.

Wolff now has two major investments at play within blocks of each other in Pike/Pine. Last month, CHS reported on the $14.9 million purchase of the old BMW facility between Pike and Pine where the developers are planning a mixed-use apartment building that will incorporate the old facility's brick facade.

Both projects are now part of what is being called an "unprecedented wave" of development in the Pike/Pine neighborhood that is putting zoning and preservation laws to the test.

As with the 714 E Pike project, the developers have again created a site intended to provide information on the 11 and Pine development and collect feedback. You can find it at 11andpine.com. (more)

(Image: SMR Architects)

There will be no such rejection tonight at what should be the final step in the public design process for, perhaps, the most well-loved mixed-use development in Capitol Hill history. Capitol Hill Housing's architects Wednesday night bring their updated plans for the 12th Ave Arts project in front of the newly re-inforced if not newly re-empowered East Design Board.

Project: 1620 12th Ave  map

Design Proposal available

Review Meeting:	May 16, 6:30 pm
	Seattle University Student Center
	901 12th Ave  map
	Room 130 - Multipurpose Room
Review Phase:	Recommendation past reviews
Project Number:	3012437 permit status | notice
Planner:	Lisa Rutzick

There are no character buildings at stake and no related development incentives for preservation to wrestle with. Instead, the project is planned to replace East Precinct's 12th Ave parking lot with a hard-not-to-love list of vitals for a new 6-story structure near 12th and Pine:

Affordable residential units for 30-60% median income households (a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units at Levels 3-6)

17,000sf of office space (Level 2) — much of the retail space will be occupied by Capitol Hill Housing, the remainder will be leased to mission driven organizations.

6,000sf of retail space, including the infrastructure required to support a restaurant (Ground Floor)

(2) performing spaces — one fixed seat theater; one multipurpose / black box space (Ground Floor)

(111) parking stalls and essential services spaces in support of the Seattle Police Department, East Precinct (Below Grade and GroundFloor)

With theater groups already lined up to manage to the performance space, the $38 million project has a 2014 opening target. The architect on the project is SMR Architects, creator of the plans for CHH's Pantages Apartments on E Denny Way.

A capital campaign to cover a portion of the budget for the project from community giving continues. You can learn more here.

The project mostly sailed through its early design guidance session in October though there was this list of feedback from the public comment portion of the meeting. You can review the entire report on the October EDG here.

We've embedded the updated plans attempting to meet some of the community requests annunciated above as well as follow the guidance provided by the design board in October. The packet also contains some of the most fleshed-out renderings yet of how the project will look and feel as the board discusses elements like streetscaping, lighting and finishing materials planned for the building. The board will also finalize guidance on the project's requests for departures to zoning rules for the area including some proposed blank wall space and larger than average parking spaces that the applicant says are required to accomodate the parking needs of the East Precinct as SPD is slated to return to the project when it is complete.

How the office space will be eventually deployed hasn't been announced. But there is at least one organization that could be in search of a new home if another planned development gets back on track. That 10th and Union project we talked about up top? The building home to Capitol Hill Housing's headquarters was part of the demolition plans for the project rejected by the design review process earlier this year.

DRProposal3012437AgendaID3604

The southbound tunnel is now bored (Image: CHS)

With the completion of the final 7/10ths of a mile segment between Broadway and the Paramount Theater, officials Tuesday morning marked the end of some of the highest risk work in the construction of the nearly three-mile-long set of twin tunnels that will bring light rail service to Capitol Hill by 2016.

Officials now say the U-Link light rail project has reached its midway milestone -- with plenty of work left to do. It's too early to start thinking about a possible early start of service for the project.

"There’s still way too much work to be done before we can start realistically talking about opening earlier than planned," a Sound Transit representative said. "Cross passages, stations (on CH, the station is currently a large hole in the ground full of conveyers and other tunneling machinery), rails, power, communications systems, testing all of the above," he wites.

Still, the milestone is worth noting -- and, to be fair, it's not like the $1.9 billion project is behind schedule.

The northbound tunnel was bored through to Pine late last year and is still getting finishing touches today (Image: CHS)

Officials say the end of boring brings to a close two of the five biggest risks for the construction process of the U-Link line. Those first two were the tunnels themselves and the risky double-pass below I-5. Remaining are the completion of cross-passages between the twin tunnels, the coordination of three sets of contractors at the Broadway site as construction of the station kicks in and, the final step, testing and coordination of the new line with the existing light rail system.

In terms of Capitol Hill's community priorities, you might add a sixth top risk. The work to shape the transit oriented development that will accompany the construction of the Sound Transit station on Broadway between John and Denny is begging to heat up again. Last summer, the City Council was banging out an agreement with Sound Transit to provide a framework for the process to open up development around the station. With those contracts coming up for bids, expect the public process to kick back into gear. By the way, Sound Transit will also be opening up a development opportunity above the construction area where the U-Link tunnel connects to the downtown transit tunnel next to the Paramount.

Tuesday also marked the second successful run for the massive, 21-foot-tall tunnel boring machine as it completed the southbound tunnel. In early December, CHS caught the 679,000-pound "Brenda" at the surface after she completed her first run boring the future northbound tunnel from Broadway. The other set of tunnel boring machines completed their run from Montlake to Capitol Hill earlier this spring. We were there in spring 2011 when the boring began at UW.

If not perilous, Brenda's journey from Capitol Hill to downtown was certainly challenging. Navigating a continuous curve that at one point brought her within 21 feet of I-5 at the surface, the machine operated by a team of contracting companies employed a team of on around 17 people to operate, five days a week, 24 hours per day for weeks at a time as it traveled from Broadway to the edge of downtown's transit tunnel. At its fastest rate, the machine was able to churn through 105 feet of soil in a day.

Along the way, Sound Transit officials say some 19,900 trucks have plied the streets of Capitol Hill hauling muck churned up by the machine away from the Broadway station site.

The end of boring for all segments of the route brings to a close at least one chapter of concern at the surface as residents along certain areas of the route experienced vibrations and noise from the boring operations. Meanwhile, officials say that Franklin Tseng's building near the Broadway station site experienced "some displacement" but that the small movement was within the "expected range."

Whether issues at the surface arise during the cross-passage work is yet to be seen. As for the start of operations, residents concerned about permanent impacts from the route have a bit of a wait. Officials say they don't plan to start testing actual light rail trains on the line and integration with the rest of the system until fall of 2016.

A former 15th Ave E video store is reborn as a yoga studio this week with, of all things, an Olympic ice skater at the helm. Below, are details on Capitol Hill studio The Grinning Yogi, a new business opened by champion ice dancer Jamie Silverstein. More from Silverstein on her new venture, below.

(Image: CHS)

The space neighbors Remedy Teas and a Subway sandwich shop at 15th and Harrison. Former tenant Video Connection left the space in winter 2010 and it has been empty until Tuesday's The Grinning Yogi, or TGY as Silverstein calls it, grand opening. Across the street, the new restaurant and cafe project from Ethan Stowell and Heather Earnhardt is nearing its opening.

Silverstein, grinning (Image: The Grinning Yogi)

We'll talk more with Silverstein about her new business and her plans to compete with larger players like this soon. From the sound of things, Grinning leans towards the more intense end of the yoga spectrum. In the meantime, here is her announcement of the new studio. You can learn more at thegrinningyogi.com.

Olympian skater-cum- acolyte Jamie Silverstein is bringing her unique spin on the ancient practice of  with her philosophy of self-love, studio community, and fun. At The Grinning Yogi (TGY) ,  is about way more than bottoms and bottom lines. Set to happening beats, The Grinning Yogi’s mission is to consistently provide accessible, affordable, AMAZING vinyasa flow classes to every friend who walks through our door. TGY dedicated to making these offerings with cheer and care.  

I realize Seattle has many amazing yoga studios already, but we have our happy unique flow: 
- All our vinyasa flow classes and are set to music.  Each class is unique but ALL are full of spirit, sweat, and sometimes even a dash of Michael Jackson! 

- We have 7 classes for under $10 including OR pay-what-you-can classes where all proceeds go towards local charitable organizations.

-  We’ve designed special 35 minute “ jolt” lunchtime classes classes to energize your mind, body, and spirit. And, yes, jolt is a complete practice that will leave you amped up with time to grab a bite before heading back to the office. 

- All students, health care professionals, wellness practitioners, and Central Co-op members receive 10% off all purchases.  Always. 

There's a secret weapon, apparently, lurking in the shadows of Capitol Hill ready to wipe out any trouble-making mixed-use project as the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District faces an "unprecedented wave of new development."

"It's very very difficult to legislate a good design," Seattle City Council's Tom Rasmussen tells CHS after his work over the years creating the legislation that makes up the district.

To back up the conservation effort in Pike/Pine, Rasmussen and Council President Sally Clark sent a letter to the East Design Board last week laying out the responsibilities of the board and backing up recent actions to push back on developers seeking to take advantage of the area's unique incentives for preservation. A copy of the letter is below.

"In the adoption of the new rules and guidelines, our intent was to make the retention of existing character and structures a strong priority," Rasmussen and Clark write, "and we certainly support your efforts to reinforce that intent through the design review... (more)