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CHS Year in Review 2022 | The Year’s Most-Read Stories: park sweeps, guerilla crosswalks, Love is Blind, M2M, ice storms, and Tiffany Smiley’s B.S.

 

In the end, we remember only what we pay attention to. Here is a look back at 2022 around Capitol Hill, the Central District, and nearby neighborhoods through the prism of CHS’s most-read stories for each month of the year. Thanks for reading!

JANUARY

  1. January 25th — It’s like combining Seattle Smoke Season with Seattle’s Coldest Day in 23 Years — Air stagnation advisory issued: 2022 started with apocalyptic winter skies as Seattle and the region were socked in with cold, smoggy fog.
  2. January 18th — With 49 buildings at highest risk across Capitol Hill and Central District, Seattle pushes for 2022 progress on mandatory earthquake retrofits: Seattle’s 40-year quest to shore up unreinforced masonry buildings continued.
  3. January 23rd — ‘We have decided to end our tenure on our terms’ — Cafe Pettirosso to close after 27 years on Capitol Hill: CHS broke the news that owners Miki and Yuki Sodos were shutting down the much-loved hangout.

FEBRUARY

  1. February 23rd — Capitol Hill’s Sam Hill mansion is back on the market for $16M but this time its new story rivals its history: Unusual homes on the market always make interesting news. The Sam Hill mansion backstory made very interesting news.
  2. February 6th — No injuries as Capitol Hill shootout leaves shattered glass and bullet holes around Pine and Melrose: A shootout that left damaged businesses and frazzled nerves was part of a string of nightlife gun violence in this area of the Hill in 2022.
  3. February 16th — Suddenly a flashpoint in mayor’s new response to Seattle homelessness, Capitol Hill’s Seven Hills Park to be cleared of encampment Thursday: The debate over sweeps continued in 2022 with the new Harrell administration upping efforts to clear out camps large and small.

MARCH

  1. March 4th — Man found beaten to death behind Broadway Rite Aid identified: Brent Wood was one of two gay men living on the streets of Capitol Hill murdered in a span of a few weeks.
  2. March 18th — After 46 years, The Canterbury’s Capitol Hill reign is ending: The Cant is dead. Long live the Cant. A new restaurant project continues to take shape to put the former tavern back into motion.
  3. March 9th — Macklemore’s Bogey Boys ready to close shop on 10th Ave as rapper tees up as co-owner at new Capitol Hill virtual golf bar on 11th: Capitol Hill’s favorite rapper turned resident duffer moved his golf fashion shop to, gasp, University Village while joining the ownership group behind the arrival of the Five Iron virtual golf bar chain on Capitol Hill.

APRIL

  1. April 23rd — SPD locks down area around 10th and John after reported gunfire: A long police standoff lasted hours in one of the busiest areas of Capitol Hill after a man reportedly fired a gun from an apartment building.
  2. April 20th — QFC is now locking down ice cream on Capitol Hill — more security including ‘access control gates’ coming: In its latest move alienating customers, QFC began placing more of its most sought after merchandise behind lock and key.
  3. April 15th — M2M: After years of H Mart dreams, Capitol Hill Station’s grocery finally arrives: Capitol Hill finally got its H Mart — though it came in the form of the company’s “urban convenience” concept M2M.

MAY

  1. May 6th — Looking for love on Capitol Hill, Seattle season of Love is Blind reality show has been busy in neighborhood: Another reality show put Capitol Hill to use as a set and CHS readers — and a lot of readers from around the country — came looking for spoilers.
  2. May 3rd — Seattle abortion rights rallies and protests planned in response to Supreme Court leak: Hundreds marched the city’s downtown streets calling for protection of reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court leak of its Roe v. Wade decision.
  3. May 24th — A Pike/Pine IPO, Capitol Hill apartment building lined up to be first in Seattle to go public: In a first for Seattle and Capitol Hill, the “ultra-luxury, ultra-sustainable” Solis at 13th and Pike was lined up for an initial public offering.

JUNE

  1. June 16th — QFC welcoming Capitol Hill shoppers with new plexiglass grocery maze, its latest Broadway retail innovation: The latest indignity from the Ohio-based grocery chain made Capitol Hill shoppers feel like rats in search of cheese.
  2. June 7th — As Seattle questions block by block preservation, Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row already has its place on the National Register of Historic Places: Preservation efforts took a few punches in Seattle in 2022 as pro-development advocates made the case that much of the historic preservation as the city knows it is based in inequity and redlining.
  3. June 28th — Checking in with Coastal Kitchen after another blow to Capitol Hill brunch: A driver’s unfortunate crash that shattered the restaurant’s entrance closed down Coastal Kitchen for the summer and set the stage for a complete overhaul.

JULY

  1. July 11th — Citing crime concerns, Starbucks closing five Seattle shops — including E Olive Way and 23rd and Jackson cafes: The Seattle-based coffee giant made a stink when it announced it was closing locations in its home city because of public safety and crime concerns. Meanwhile, critics called it union busting.
  2. July 8th — Crystal Clean — the last laundromat on Capitol Hill — has closed: Destined for wrecking ball, the laundry’s management says increased vandalism and ripoffs at the business made it difficult to stay open. Theft of the $200 a pop laundry carts was also a factor.
  3. July 17th — Gunshot victim shows up at Harborview after another shooting outside Capitol Hill’s Mint Lounge: Another shooting incident on lower Pine added to a string of gun violence in the area. This time, somebody got hurt.

AUGUST

  1. August 4th — Owners of Elliott Bay and Queer/Bar take over Oddfellows — More Pike/Pine consolidation as Linda continues to unwind her Capitol Hill holdings: Pike/Pine’s 2022 was a story of mergers and acquisitions with this late summer deal a highlight for the growing Burgess/Hall business family.
  2. August 13th — Man killed in Cal Anderson basketball court shooting: 32-year-old Mercer Roy was shot dead in a beef over a pick-up game.
  3. August 10th — Capitol Hill’s latest grocery indignity: The Madison Trader Joe’s no longer sells booze: National corporations just weren’t the neighborhood’s friend in 2022.

SEPTEMBER

  1. September 2nd — This company just bet $60M against the future of business travel to convert a hotel at the base of Capitol Hill into apartments — meanwhile, down the street, Seattle is expanding its Convention Center: CHS’s audience sometimes grows when we turn our attention downtown. In this report, we broke the news on the plans to convert the Homewood Suites by Hilton into apartments just as the massive $2 billion convention center expansion — and its big bet on corporate travel — is hoped to reshape the connection between downtown and Capitol Hill along Pike and Pine.
  2. September 22nd — ‘So much crime that you can’t even get a cup of coffee from the hometown shop on Capitol Hill’ — Republican Senate candidate takes on Murray over E Olive Way Starbucks closure: CHS called B.S. on a MAGA-friendly Senate challenger’s cheap shots at Capitol Hill, Seattle USA and pushed the issue into the national spotlight in a fall election race that never should have been close.
  3. September 17th — One shot after gun battle erupts in Capitol Hill’s Rancho Bravo parking lot: Nightlife gun violence also erupted in Pike/Pine’s core.

OCTOBER

  1. October 19th — Business owner shot and killed at MLK and Union: D’Vonne Pickett, Jr. leaves behind a family and the Central District postal services shop The Postman.
  2. October 19th — Somebody is throwing bags of poop in Kshama Sawant’s yard and SPD reportedly doesn’t give a shit: There have been no arrests on the gross assault on the city’s longest serving — and most controversial — city councilmember.
  3. October 13th — Should Washington fight the Bolt Creek Fire to protect Seattle’s air? With Seattle again facing an unhealthy “smoke season,” CHS examined the ramifications of the state’s wildfire policies on urban environments like Capitol Hill.

NOVEMBER

  1. November 15th — While SDOT waits for funding, somebody painted a guerilla crosswalk at E Olive Way and Harvard: A rogue crosswalk painted at one of the Hill’s busiest unmarked crossings got quick attention from SDOT as citizens gave the department’s new director an earful about how quick the city was to remove the markings but how slow it is to implement features like bike lanes and pedestrian safety measures.
  2. November 7th — Officials backpedal on Capitol Hill Superblock plan: City officials and the Capitol Hill community advocacy group behind the initiative backed off a report that any plans for a so-called Capitol Hill Superblock pedestrianization for Pike/Pine were moving forward. Something like it still might happen — just not necessarily on Capitol Hill.
  3. November 4th — 6,800 without power reported on North Capitol Hill: Power outages are rare enough these days around Capitol Hill that they can be big news. This Friday afternoon outage drew a lot of attention. But then City Light suffered another even larger Hill outage at the end of the month.

DECEMBER

  1. December 2nd — Here’s what it will cost for you to reopen the Capitol Hill Gaybucks: With a rate of around $60 per square foot, your monthly rent would come in around $20,000. Then there are the utilities. You’ll also be on the hook for triple net reconciliation — real estate taxes, building insurance, and maintenance.
  2. December 8th — INSERT COINS — Capitol Hill’s Time Warp arcade bar is ready to play: The project from buds and business collaborators Joe Ricci, Sean Bray, Tim Uomoto, and Greg Larson fired up its highly anticipated arcade and cup noodle offerings just in time for a late 2022 opening.
  3. December 23rd — Icy Capitol Hill open thread: The headline was not very exciting but Capitol Hill became a slippery and dangerous place to get around as freezing rain covered streets and sidewalks with a slick, icy layer.
 

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