Monthly Archives: October 2016

As voters ponder Sound Transit 3, Central District light rail station takes shape

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The entrance from 23rd Ave. (Images: Sound Transit)
Wind barriers and solar panels on the station platform.
There is a 60-foot difference in elevation between the station entrances.
The pedestrian bridge access point on Rainier.
The station entrance on Rainier.

screen-shot-2016-03-21-at-9-26-11-pmWith a transformative light rail expansion measure now in voters’ hands, Sound Transit offered Central District residents an opportunity this week to see the fruits of passing the measure’s predecessor in 2008.

Judkins Park Station is slated to open in 2023 along with the rest of the 10-stop, voter initiative-funded East Link light rail line that will dramatically expand Sound Transit rail service in the region. The Judkins station open house Tuesday at the Northwest African American Museum served as an unofficial unveiling of the (nearly) final designs for the project. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | 5,000 hours volunteered at Lifelong Thrift — a thank you to our Capitol Hill Community

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IMG_5727-2Lifelong Thrift has called 312 Broadway East home for nearly two years. With a hand-full of locations over more than 20 years, Lifelong Thrift has always had its heart in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. At the new location, the store has thrived with generous community donations and an expansive new storefront.

The staff at Lifelong Thrift is proud to announce that the community’s overwhelming support has brought us to over 5,000 volunteer hours so far in 2016.

From college-aged service learners, retirees, and long-term Lifelong supporters to our philanthropic neighbors, Seattleites have come together to give the greatest gift of all — their time. Continue reading →

Police investigate second October shooting at 23rd and Union

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(Image: @drewgillett via Twitter)

(Image: @drewgillett via Twitter)

A 49-year-old man was shot multiple times and sustained injuries to both legs in another shooting incident at 23rd and Union Thursday night.

Police and fire units rushed to the scene around 6:30 PM to a report of a man down and a shooter fleeing the scene.

According to Seattle Fire, the injuries are not life threatening.

Thursday night’s incident follows another shooting at 23rd and Union at Earl’s Cuts on October 6th. In that incident, a male in his late 20s was shot in the leg. A barber’s chair from inside Earl’s was amongst the evidence taken by police that night.

The search for the suspect Thursday night centered on the area around the Midtown Center parking lot and on E Union where the suspect was spotted walking casually from the scene. There were no immediate arrests.

A gang unit was called to the scene.

UPDATE 10/28/2016 9:05 AM: SPD has posted a brief report on the incident which police say took place inside the barber shop:

A 49-year-old man was wounded in a shooting Thursday evening at a barbershop near 23rd Avenue and East Union Street.

Police received reports of a shooting around 6:30 PM and arrived to find the 49-year-old victim sitting in a chair inside the business.

Witnesses at the scene didn’t provide much information about the incident, but it appears the suspect entered the business, shot the victim, and then fled. Several men were also reportedly heard arguing on the street near the business around the time of the shooting.

The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries to both his legs.

The suspect–described as a black male with a short beard, wearing a Seahawks beanie, leather jacket, light colored shirt and khakis–walked away from the scene. Police searched the area but were unable to find the man.

SPD Gang Unit detectives are investigating.

44 spookiest Capitol Hill Seattle posts… ever

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Here are some of the best tales of mystery and paranormal activity from around Capitol Hill from the CHS archives. Feel free to tell us any Capitol Hill ghost stories you know about in the comments.

  1. tumblr_n4ny44pncm1tnsksko1_1280-1Under protection of the Hex of Obsolescence, Capitol Hill artist creates Problem Glyphs
  2. Chalk number mystery on E Howell cobbles
  3. ‘Capitol Hill is lousy with zubats’
  4. 16th Ave E’s ‘haunted house’ comes down
  5. Why is this black metal box at 10th and Pike?
  6. Meet the Klineburger Brothers and Capitol Hill’s taxidermy past
  7. Stranger Things: What are you wearing this year for Hilloween?
  8. Pikes/Pines | Gypsy moths are on the Hill
  9. CHS X-Files | #13Magnus
  10. CHS X-Files: The Joan Armatrading painting of 14th and Olive
  11. CHS X-Files | Capitol Hill drone pilot spotted, glowing orbs
  12. CHS X-Files: Mystery midnight boom rattles Miller Park and Madison

    Continue reading →

Chophouse Row to launch year-round Wednesday night farmers’ market

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Chophouse Row’s grand opening (Image: CHS)

Capitol Hill developer Dunn and Hobbes has announced a new year-round night market in Chophouse Row every Wednesday starting November 2nd.

Described as a “weekly farmer market” from 4 to 8 PM, the project will be “organized and curated” by Upper Bar Ferdinand owner Matt Dillon.

The market will feature “seasonal produce and other fresh farm products” in collaboration with the Puget Sound Food Hub farmers cooperative, according to the announcement. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | City Light to Repair Damaged Conduit in Capitol Hill

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From Seattle City Light

Starting in mid-November 2016, Seattle City Light plans to repair a segment of underground electrical conduit at the southwest corner of 10th Avenue and East Union Street. The conduit at this location is damaged and repairs are needed to maintain electrical reliability.

The attached flier and map are included for your reference. No action is required on your part as customers are receiving the same information.

Highlights from the flier:

  • Construction will begin on Monday, November 14, 2016 and last approximately one week. Daily work hours are from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Crews will be breaking sidewalk pavement at the corner of 10th Avenue and East Union Street.
  • Traffic will be limited to one lane on 10th Avenue during construction. Flaggers will be present at all times to assist traffic and pedestrian access.
  • There will be parking restrictions as trucks are staged on site during work hours. Excavated areas will be covered over with steel plates during non-work hours.

Media inquiries can be directed to Scott Thomsen, External Communications at (206) 615-0978 or[email protected].

Customers can contact Kristy Tibbetts, Crew Coordinator at (206) 684-3043 or [email protected].

Visit Seattle City Light’s construction website for the latest updates on this project:
http://www.seattle.gov/light/atwork/release.asp?RN=375

Madison Valley not saved just yet: PCC mixed-use development kicked back for another review

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Save Madison Valley brought its own presentation
SMV members line up for their joint statement

The East Design Review Board agreed Wednesday night that the E Madison side of things look mostly solid. It is the part where Madison’s density seeps onto the single family home-lined Dewey Place East that’s the big problem.

In less a vote and more of an admission of the challenges in merging increased density into Madison Valley, the board Wednesday ruled to kick the 75-unit, mixed-use PCC grocery and apartment building destined for site where City People’s stands today back for a third round of early design review.

“You would think something as engineering-like as measuring walls wouldn’t be so elusive,” said one board member summing up the body’s uncertainty with the presentation from developer Velmeir and architects at Meng Strazzara.

The decision is a blow to the project’s timeline with City People’s already planned for an end of the year closure. Continue reading →

With plans for seven stories next to Optimism Brewing, developer scores one of last available chunks on backside of Pike/Pine

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Back in the day… but not quite auto row era day (Image: King County)

E Union’s next mixed-use development above an old auto row property won’t bother with preservation.

American Classic Homes has purchased the old Complete Automotive garage in the 900 block of E Union for $1.8 million with plans to develop a seven-story, mixed-use apartment building on the site.

“This is our first Capitol Hill project and we’re excited about the location and being part of the neighborhood,” John Shaw of American Classic Homes said in a statement sent to CHS. “We’re starting to think about the design and how we’d approach the retail — our goal would be to add a restaurant at the ground-level, which will complement the existing mix of great local retail.”

The parcel is one of the last chunks of land available in this area on the backside of Pike/Pine that has seen a rapid wave of development creating giant preservation-incentive boosted projects and some smaller, but equally incredible investments in auto row-loyal overhauls that have created homes for the area’s burgeoning food and drink scene. Continue reading →

SPD’s East Precinct approval ratings improve, still lowest in Seattle

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screen-shot-2016-10-25-at-9-43-08-amThe East Precinct may still has the lowest approval rating of the five divisions that make up the Seattle Police Department, but public perceptions of the Capitol Hill-based officers are improving significantly.

A Department of Justice study released this week found 62% of residents in the East Precinct approve of police, up from 52% in 2015, and 49% in 2013. Citywide, SPD’s approval rating jumped to 72% from 64% last year. Approval ratings have also increased substantially among all surveyed racial groups, including a 14 point bump among African Americans. Continue reading →

CHS Pics | Poster harvest time in Pike/Pine

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img_9503Earlier this month, we reported on the seasonal paring of the shoes from the utility wires above 11th and Pike. Tuesday afternoon, CHS witnessed what appears to be a new Pike/Pine harvest. Workers were spread out through the neighborhood using various implements of destruction — including hammers, chisels, and, in one case, a fireaxe and a boombox soundtrack — to remove layer upon layer of old rock show, club night, help wanted, and lost dog posters from corner utility poles. A few of them identified themselves as workers for Poster Giant. A few of them told CHS to get lost. Continue reading →