Tag Archives: south lake union

South Lake Union neighborhood leader to challenge for Mosqueda’s seat on Seattle City Council

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(Image: McQuaid for Seattle)

A South Lake Union community leader and public affairs executive is opting to pass on tangling with a crew of political upstarts in one race for the Seattle City Council and instead will take on incumbent Teresa Mosqueda for her citywide “Position 8” seat.

Mike McQuaid, head of public affairs firm McQuaidUSA Strategic and a leader with the South Lake Union Community Council, announced his candidacy last week, from a neighborhood point of view.

“All of our neighborhoods including downtown are facing historic challenges with the combined effects of the pandemic, job loss, ongoing civic violence and the unchecked public health crisis of homelessness,” McQuaid said. “We must be laser focussed on emerging from this pandemic and rebuilding the trust and promise of our city.”

UPDATE 2/26/2021 9:00 AM: The 2021 campaign seasons first scandal has emerged. The Seattle Times reports McQuaid copped to a deferred prosecution agreement after being charged with assault and harassment in a 2015 confrontation at a construction project outside his Westlake condo:

After the two separated, police said, McQuaid picked up a gas-powered chop saw, tried to start it and said “I’m going to cut your head off.” When the saw wouldn’t start, police said, McQuaid picked up a rock, and threw it at the man, from 8 to 10 feet away, hitting him in the lower back and leaving a red mark. The other man picked up a shovel to defend himself, police said, but did not use it, and a witness called 911.

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Mayor Durkan’s $143M ‘Mercer Mega Block’ deal: Tons of new development, some affordable housing, and a new South Lake Union community center

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Mayor Jenny Durkan has a $143 million deal in place that will create 175 affordable apartments and a new 30,000-square-foot community center as part of a massive sale of city property in South Lake Union:

Mayor Durkan has transmitted legislation to the City Council to move ahead on the agreement with potential buyer Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.,  the first and longest-tenured which owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life sciences campuses in key urban innovation clusters. Alexandria has supported the Seattle life science cluster for more than 20 years with a number of notable office/laboratory properties, including the Lake Union Steam Plant at 1201 Eastlake Avenue East, the Juno Building at 400 Dexter Avenue North, and its most recently completed development at 188 East Blaine Street.

The nearly $300 million in public benefits that the City of Seattle would receive from Alexandria include: Continue reading →

Broadway’s Tacos Chukis expanding off Hill to South Lake Union

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Tacos Chukis is a Capitol Hill legend. The little taqueria has made a solid go of it inside one of the quirkiest commercial opportunities on Capitol Hill — and now it is ready for expansion.

“It’s going to be the same concept but a little more polished,” owner Roberto Salmerón tells CHS of a second Chukis planned to open this summer on Dexter Ave N on the edges of the hypergrowth South Lake Union neighborhood.

As a commercial resident in the soon-to-open Juxt Apartments building, Salmerón will be opening his second Taco Chukis in new construction allowing for a much different investment than his original venture made when it opened in a cramped space with old equipment inside the Broadway Alley in 2011.

But even with the challenges, Chukis has thrived on Broadway and added improvements over the years. Along with opening a second taqueria, Salmerón said he is also ready to continue to upgrade his original with kitchen renovations planned for this year.

“As long as people keep showing up, we’ll keep that little space going,” Salmerón said.

The new Tacos Chukis will allow the crew to “try some new items and try some different things” at both locations Salmerón said.

Tacos Chukis is located at 219 Broadway E on the upper level of the Broadway Alley and, soon, at 810 Dexter Ave N. You can learn more and follow progress on the new opening on the Tacos Chukis Facebook page.