Author Archives: CHS

Capitol Hill Community Post | Sharply Menswear Opens 1st Retail Location on Cap Hill

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From Sharply

SHARPLY, a men’s lifestyle brand, will open their first full retail store on Capitol Hill on June 1st

Just after their successful pop-up in University Village, SHARPLY, a lifestyle brand of casual sportswear for men, is set to open its first full retail storefront on June 1st in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The store aims to be the destination for the regular guy to purchase essential clothing items that will make him look and feel great in what he is wearing. The store will be officially open to the public on June 1st with a store opening celebration on June 8th featuring an in-store raffle for merchandise. RSVP for the Grand Opening event at facebook.com/livesharply/events.

The SHARPLY store will feature a collection of private label shirts, as well as, carefully selected, high- quality essentials necessary for every man’s wardrobe, including shorts, premium denim, and accessories like, sunglasses, luggage, bracelets, and watches. The retail store will feature an exclusive in-store gift with purchase, the SHARPLY Growler and one complimentary fill from a local brewery, for customers who spend over $250.

SHARPLY came to life after founders Joe Blattner and Molly Kuffner noticed the significant growth in the men’s apparel e-commerce space and discovered the need to simplify the shopping experience for well-dressed and busy men. The brand was originally only available online. However, seeing the success of the pop-up market across the country and learning about the strong desire for men to have an easy, low maintenance shopping experience, the next logical step was to open a SHARPLY retail location. Capitol Hill is known for being one of Seattle’s hip and fashion savvy neighborhoods, and was a perfect match for a made in the US men’s lifestyle brand.

“SHARPLY was created to give guys a simpler shopping experience. We don’t want to overwhelm them with things they don’t need,” said Blattner. “We’re looking to create an experience for men that’s easy and fun. The approach is straightforward – essentials available at a one-stop-shop. It’s for the guy who dresses smartly, and most importantly—SHARPLY!”

SHARPLY’s goal is to create a unique and fun experience for men not currently in the marketplace. As everyone’s life becomes busier and busier, many men don’t like or have time to shop and need a destination to find essential items.

“We offer only the essentials for men who are busy living their life. Our guy is probably not shopping in his spare time, but when he does come into our store, we want to provide great value product along with an experience for him that’s low maintenance and fun! Perhaps he needs a super comfortable, sharp looking t-shirt to replace the branded polo he wears to every weekend BBQ. We’ll probably offer him a cold one or a shot of whiskey from a local brewery or distillery”, said Kuffner.

The products offered at the store range from $38 -$595 and all items are offered with free shipping and free returns.

Location: 500 E. Pike St, Suite 100B, Seattle WA 98122 Store Hours: Monday through Saturday 10-7PM; Sundays 12-5

Capitol Hill Community Post | S.A.F.E applauds the victory at Midtown Center; pledges to move forward with fighting displacement in the city of Seattle!

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From S.A.F.E.

A few months ago, Standing Against Foreclosure and Eviction (S.A.F.E.) and other community activists mobilized to defend the Umojafest Peace Center, the Black Dot and other residents from racially motivated eviction by Midtown Properties. We’re pleased to hear yesterday that Africatown Land Trust and Forterra came to an agreement with Lake Union Partners to purchase 20% of Midtown Center for affordable and market-rate apartments.

We see this as a small victory and in some ways, business-as-usual, regarding development and displacement. For Seattle to really be affordable for all, as Tyree Scott said, “there can be no separate peace” and small islands of affordability at the behest of organizations like, Lake Union Partners; instead convening partners such as, Capitol Hill Housing to build an affordable housing coalition that would be focused on empowering marginalized and low-income people.

Overall systemic change that is the goal of SAFE. Settling for 20% of a block is a kind of business-as-usual compromise that sets a distressing precedent that compromises the integrity of the peoples demand for an affordable Seattle. We need systemic policy changes and institutional change, such as, a displacement mitigation fund that is supported by impact fees from companies, such as, Vulcan and Lake Union Partners that funds affordable housing, education on their rights for low-income renters and elderly homeowners, as well as expanded rental assistance for low-income renters.

S.A.F.E. is organizing an Anti-Displacement Community meeting for Tuesday, May 30th at 7:00pm at the Hillman City Collaboratory to bring together anti-gentrification/ displacement activists to plan a new offensive against the predatory development in our communities that takes advantage of historically dis-invested communities.

The deal at Midtown Center will create a building with 50% of its units as affordable, while partnering with one of the biggest market-rate developers in the city. We recognize that 50% affordable units is higher than the MHA standard, this deal falls short of the vision that many held of the entire block being transformed from a place of trauma and exclusion to a celebration of African American culture, and a symbol of resistance against gentrification.

The issue of housing affordability is at the center of Seattle’s political discourse right now. The resistance led by the CID Coalition to fight the 14-story Hotel Concepts development in the Chinatown-International District is also inspiring.

More importantly, we are very troubled with the lack of transparency with Africatown/ Black Dot during our campaign in the Central District; therefore, we want the next steps to address displacement to be as inclusive as possible.

Capitol Hill Community Post | Some FoodArt News

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From FoodArt Collection 2017

Now on view at Cupcake Royale (1111 E. Pike St) May 11th to June 4th

95 Works of Art, 38 Artists, 2 Galleries

A R T I S T S

Michael Alm, Jennifer Ament, Ashley Armitage + Derek Erdman, Craig J Barber, Ben Beres, Cassandria Blackmore, Maria Bruzas-Zinkus, Lina Cholewinski, Samantha Corcoran, Kevin Drake, Jon Feinstein, Terry Furchgott, Becca Furhman, Aleister Gnarly, Ethan Jack Harrington, Mike Hopcroft, Claire Johnson, Kelly Lyles, Mark Takamichi Miller, Kathleen Kemly, Kristen Reitz-Green, John Rizzotto, Amy Salowitz, Lynda Sherman + Spark Awesome, Amy Simons, Genevieve St. Charles-Monet, Kellie Talbot, David Teichner, Siolo Thompson, Lara Wallace, Christie West, Supriya Wickrematillake, Keven Furiya, Rachel Maxi, Terry Siebert, Shawn Parks

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We will be keeping gallery hours at the Cassandria Blackmore Gallery on Mondays & Wednesdays from noon to 4. Feel free to stop by and say hi!The artworks in the gallery can be easily viewed 24 hours a day.

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Cupcake Royale is located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood on E. Pike Street between 11th and 12th Avenues.

HOURS
MON-THU: 8AM-10PM
FRI: 8AM-11PM
SAT: 9AM-11PM
SUN: 9AM-10PM
The Cassandria Blackmore Gallery (on generous loan from the artist) is located next door at 1115 E. Pike St.
The FoodArt Collection will be on view now through Sunday June 4.

All works are available for purchase.

Curated by Jeremy Buben

How they dust the Capitol Hill Station jets

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(Image: Sound Transit)

Since its opening in March 2016, Capitol Hill Station has helped move thousands of people through their lives in the city. Every descent to the platform has left neat freaks a little more freaked out. Jet Kiss, the work by artist Mike Ross that turned A4 fighter jet war machines into sexy pink gloss love machines, often looks like it needs a good dusting. Hopefully it will help you to relax to know Sound Transit has an expert on the case.

Meet “Art Collection Specialist” Tim Marsden:

As the person in charge of more than 100 art installations at bus and train stations and other Sound Transit facilities from Everett to Lakewood, Marsden is the chief caretaker of a collection of museum-quality work by nationally-renowned artists.

His official title is “Art Collection Specialist.” That’s a catchall for everything the Seattle artist juggles to maintain an art collection exposed to the elements, passing trains, buses and thousands of riders every day.

“In a nutshell, I am responsible for the care and maintenance of the public art collection – which to my mind is to identify problems before they become problems,” Marsden said. “I like to get eyeballs on the work and a good method for this is to schedule regular cleanings.”

More on Marsden and the special challenges of keeping Jet Kiss shiny bright here.

Station development update
Meanwhile, you will have the opportunity to see the updated designs for the development projects set to rise around Capitol Hill Station in an open house on June 6th. The projects including four seven-story buildings with a combined 427 market-rate and affordable apartment units, plus more than 59,000 square feet of commercial and community space are lined up for a second and possibly final round of design review this summer — likely in August — following a first review session last December.

The Capitol Hill Champion community group reports that lead developer Gerding Edlen is in the process of interviewing potential anchor tenants for the project. Also, Gerding Edlen and the Capitol Hill Farmer’s Market “have agreed on a tent layout that accommodates approximately 70 stalls for the large weekend market in the plaza and festival street and approximately 30 stalls for the smaller weekday market” in the project’s plaza, the group reports.

Capitol Hill Community Post | Volunteer Park Criterium 2017 is June 11th

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From Chris Soelling

Bike riding in Seattle continues after Bicycle Month with a full weekend of racing in Ballard and Capitol Hill on June 10 and 11, 2017.  Saturday marks the 24th running of the Ballard Criterium with the 50th anniversary Volunteer Park Criterium at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill on Sunday, June 11.

Criteriums are fast paced events on a closed course that is usually short, from 1/2 to a mile in length, featuring cyclists matched by age or ability, and raced to time limit, usually a half hour to an hour in duration.  They feature up to 100 bicyclists racing at the same time at speeds up to 40 mph.  They are spectator friendly because the racers come around the course up to 50 times during a single race, allowing good viewing so that spectators feel like they are in the race themselves. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Call for Visual Artists Seattle’s Pianos in the Parks

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(Image: City of Seattle)

Pianos in the Parks is a public-private partnership that uses the power of art and music to get us out to discover parks, connect with people, and have fun. This year there will be 11 artists decorating 11 pianos for 11 locations. 5 of the 11 Pianos will be “Permanent Pianos” and remain in that location for the entire run. (artists may request one of these pianos in their proposals).

Entry Deadline: Friday, May 26 2017, 5:00 pm.

http://one-reel.org/pianos-in-the-parks/

11 Pianos, painted and/or decorated by local artists

Opening Event on July 13 at Capitol Hill Art Walk, 4pm–8pm

Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Community agreement on 23rd Ave properties opens door to development, Mandatory Housing Affordability implementation

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From the City of Seattle

Mayor Ed Murray will send legislation to City Council to implement a community vision for 23rd Avenue and Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requirements at key intersections with Union, Cherry and Jackson streets in the Central District.

“Generations of families and people have called the Central District home, making enormous contributions to Seattle’s heritage and identity,” said Mayor Murray. “Our goal is to ensure we maintain the cultural character of the Central District while keeping it affordable during a time of unprecedented investment and growth. These affordability requirements will help us accomplish these goals with a shared vision for this unique community.”

The 23rd Avenue Action Community Team has been working in the Central Area to support the neighborhood’s unique identity and community character by encouraging pedestrian friendly mixed-use development that promotes new housing options, including affordable housing, while supporting existing and new small businesses to serve the diverse community.

“The 23rd Avenue ACT supports the zoning recommendations for the Union-Cherry-Jackson nodes,” said Lois Martin, chair of the group. “As community stakeholders, we have been working in the Central Area for close to six years to develop and implement comprehensive work plans to support and enhance smart growth along the 23rd Avenue business corridor.”

The 23rd Avenue Action Plan is the product of nearly 100 meetings, over 30 community-based organizations and hundreds of area residents who engaged in hands-on and interactive workshops, focus group meetings, individual workshops, in-person interviews, business canvassing, and online surveys. In addition to the proposed rezone, the City has worked with the community on several additional local investments, including support for small businesses, transportation improvements, a cultural district, and increased affordable housing – and the City will continue to look for new partnerships with the community.

The agreement would allow taller buildings in exchange for contributions to affordable housing. It is estimated that the MHA requirements implemented along 23rd Avenue will produce 50 new affordable homes over the years. The remainder of the Central District will be included in the citywide MHA rezone legislation expected later this year, and will help contribute to over 3,700 rent- and income-restricted homes in the next 10 years. The cost of a rent-restricted two-bedroom apartment for a family of three earning $52,000 would be $1,296.

Seattle’s MHA program requires multi-family residential and commercial development to either include rent-restricted homes for low-income families or make a payment to the Office of Housing to support affordable housing. For these sites, the requirements would be 7 to 10 percent of homes or $20.75 to $29.75 per square foot for residential buildings and between 5 and 8 percent of floor area or $8 and $20.75 per square foot for commercial buildings.  The proposal includes some of the City’s highest MHA requirements in recognition of the Central District’s unique history, as shown in Seattle 2035 Equity and Growth Analysis.

The increase in development capacity needed to implement these MHA requirements is an additional one to three stories.

New MHA requirements have already been implemented in Downtown, South Lake Union and the University District. The Council is currently considering how to implement MHA in the Chinatown-International District.

Capitol Hill Community Post | This Thursday: Design Commission Will Debate the Lid Study

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From Lid I-5

The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) will present an updated public benefits proposal to the Seattle Design Commission this Thursday, May 18th, 9:00 AM, at Seattle City Hall Room L2-80.

We’ve learned the proposed funding level for the Lid I-5 feasibility study is well short of our goals, so we need as many people as possible to show up and demonstrate community support! The session runs 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, but if you can only stay a short time the presentation and public comment period will be early on.

RSVP on Facebook to let us know you’re coming!

Can’t attend in person? Please send a message to the Design Commission supporting Lid I-5 via michael.jenkins@seattle.gov.

We’ll be attending in solidarity with our coalition partners supporting the Community Package. If you believe in fighting for more open spaces, safer crossings for people walking and biking, and affordable homes for working families, then come down by 9:00 AM this Thursday to show your support. The coalition will send a strong message by filling the room with supporters.

Public enthusiasm for lidding I-5 is building momentum towards a historic moment. But we must ensure the feasibility study is funded well enough to be technically robust and reflect community priorities. Stand with us as we deliver our message.

Thank you,
The Lid I-5 Steering Committee

Capitol Hill Community Post | State Representative Jessyn Farrell to Run for Mayor

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From Jessyn Farrell

State Representative Jessyn Farrell (D-Northeast Seattle), announced on Friday that she will seek the Seattle Office of the Mayor. Farrell, a Seattle native and attorney, has served in the State House of Representatives since she was elected in 2012 where she has championed progressive environmental, transportation, affordable housing, at-risk youth, and worker fairness legislation.

“Today our city faces extreme challenges related to our rapid growth and wealth gap,” Farrell stated. “Seattle needs bold and steady leadership to find solutions to these issues. With a proven track record of showing results, I believe I’m uniquely qualified to usher in a new era and achieve the quality of life we want for all those who call Seattle home.”    Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Pike People Street Returns this Summer

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From SDOT

We are excited to announce Pike People Street 2017! Every Saturday in July and August, designated blocks in the Pike/Pine neighborhood will become pedestrian-only streets from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. We’ll also be creating more space for pedestrian activity on the second Thursdays of the month to coincide with the Capitol Hill Art Walk from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Pike People Street 2017 dates:

Saturday Pike People Streets, 6 p.m. – 3 a.m.

  • July 1, 2017
  • July 8, 2017
  • July 15, 2017
  • July 29, 2017
  • August 5, 2017
  • August 12, 2017
  • August 19, 2017
  • August 26, 2017

*No event on July 22, 2017 because of Capitol Hill Block Party

 Art Walk People Streets, 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.

  • July 13, 2017
  • August 10, 2017

The concept for a pedestrian street program started from community interest in testing a pedestrian street closure in Pike-Pine. After two years of testing, observations, surveying, and hearing community feedback, we’re expanding the program to run more consistently this summer. We compiled all of your feedback into the Pike People Street 2016 Report + 2017 Work Plan and came up with the following Program Goals:

1. Provide a pedestrian environment in Pike/Pine that is comfortable, safe, accessible, and responsive to the needs of the local community Continue reading →