Green thumbs up! Capitol Hill urban farming just got a little easier. And we already have the fashion to make it work. You still have to till your own p-patches and clean your own coops but the Seattle City Council has loosened restrictions on urban gardens and farming as part of what the City of Seattle is calling the Year of Urban Agriculture.

Council Bill 116907 comes as a response to the increasing popularity of urban agriculture. Urban farmers may now keep up to eight chickens with some exceptions allowing for more on larger lots. However, new roosters are prohibited. Your old rooster? He’s grandfathered in.

“These code changes will strengthen our community food security,” said City Council president Richard Conlin in an August 16 press release from the city. “This is one more action that supports the goals of the Local Food Action Initiative: increases opportunities for Seattle residents to purchase and grow healthy food in the city.”

Other new rules include a height exception to allow rooftop gardens to add green houses, looser restrictions on small urban farms and farmers markets that will allow them in residential areas of the city and city residents will now be allowed to sell their produce.

The Seattle Department of Transportation last summer decided to get some dirt under its nails too. Permits are no longer required to plant parking-strip (that patch of grass between the sidewalk and the street) gardens where previously, planting anything but grass seed in the strip would cost you an average of $225. However, hardscaping like adding stepping stones still requires a permit from SDOT but there is no charge.

Last year, SDOT granted 22 parking-strip garden permits and this year 52 permits have been granted for hardscaping alone, as reported by the Seattle Times.

The Feds have also given a nod to the Seattle farming community in the form of a $300,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture to support further expansion of urban agriculture and increasing access to healthy food in low-income communities. Produce from new gardens created under the grants will support both gardeners and local food-banks.

Two local groups are primed to be part of the friendlier environment for urban farming. The Howell Collective (http://howellcollective.wordpress.com/ ) is ready to unveil their p-patch project as part of the grand opening of Seven Hills Park later this week and alleycat acres (http://www.alleycatacres.com/ )continues its work at 22nd Ave and Union to create a sustainable urban farming collective.

Seattle City Council approves urban farm and community garden legislation improving access to locally grown food 

Seattle – As part of the 2010 Year of Urban Agriculture, the Seattle City Council approved Council Bill 116907that supports the rapidly growing local food movement.  The ordinance updates the City’s Land Use code governing urban agriculture uses, including allowing “urban farms” and “community gardens” in all zones, with some limitations in industrial zones.  Also, residents will now be able to sell food grown on their property. 

“These code changes will strengthen our community food security,” said Council President Richard Conlin, sponsor of the ordinance.  “This is one more action that supports the goals of the Local Food Action Initiative: increases opportunities for Seattle residents to purchase and grow healthy food in the city.

“This is an exciting time to be an urban farmer,” said Nicole Jain Capizzi, owner of Amaranth Urban Farm in Rainier Beach.  “I recently moved to Seattle to start an urban farm and am encouraged by the City’s on-going actions that strengthen Seattle’s food system.”

This legislation formally recognizes Farmer’s markets allowing them in more areas of Seattle. The ordinance also allows dedicated food production on rooftop greenhouses with a 15 foot exemption to height limits in a variety of higher density zones.

“The code changes related to rooftop greenhouses are a bold step toward high-yield food production in an urban environment,” stated Branden Born, Associate Professor of Urban Design and Planning at University of Washington.  “The Seattle City Council is again on the forefront of initiatives that show a true commitment to improving access to healthy food.”

The legislation improves the number of chickens allowed per lot from three to eight, with additional chickens allowed for large lots associated with community gardens and urban farms. The legislation prohibits new roosters and sets boundaries for chicken coops, ten feet away from primary residential structures.  Existing chicken coops built prior to the code changes will remain legal.

More information on raising chickens in the city can be found at:  http://www.seattle.gov/council/urbanagriculture/chickens_in_city.htm

Burglaries and break-ins are a regular component of city living and summer often marks an annual peak in this category of criminal activity as thieves find more homes than usual empty and ripe for picking. Our crime coverage this month touched on a few business break-ins but there were also about two dozen residential break-ins in August. Here’s a selection of recent activity:

Tobacco theft: A man living on the 1500 block of Belmont Avenue reported August 11th that a one pound bag of tobacco was stolen from his room, which he left unlocked when he left to use community space in the residence. He had already contacted the building manager about the burglary but there was no video evidence of anyone entering the man’s room.

Wallet theft: Nearly $400 and a leather wallet was stolen from an apartment on the 1700 block of Summit Avenue August 18th. The victim had left his apartment unlocked and returned shortly after leaving to find some of his belongings had been scattered across a table, a bag had been opened. Only his wallet and the cash appeared to be missing.

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Computer theft: A woman returned home to her apartment on 300 block of East Olive Way the at one in the morning August 16th when she realized her desktop computer was missing. The screen of her kitchen window was left ajar and the screen was cut. A polo shirt was found on the couch, which the victim said was not hers. The shirt was dirty with small blood stains.

Jewelry theft: A woman and her husband returned from a five day out of town trip August 9th to find some of her jewelry missing. The victim reported she had let a friend stay at the home on the 500 block of 19th Avenue East and the friend had invited her niece and niece’s boyfriend over for dinner one night. Housekeepers also entered the residence during the couple’s absence. The victim was not sure which party might have taken the items.

Forced entry: On August 10th between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., the door to a residence on the 1400 block of East John Street had been forced open. The door was intact but SPD estimated the frame had sustained $400 in damage. A Dell laptop, $20 in change and camera were stolen. The victim said he suspected a person who had previously entered his home who had claimed he lived there might have been the burglar.

Theft from vacant home: A contractor working on the remodel of a foreclosed home reported that a water heater was stolen from the property near 400 Summit Avenue. He also reported items were left behind and a sliding door was left ajar on August 11th.

Garage burglary: A man reported his detached garage was broken into August 6th, The garage door was slightly open and lifted slightly off its tracks and two mountain bikes, tools and several fishing poles were missing. SPD said there were possibly multiple suspects because of the number of items stolen.

Attempted silver theft: The victim noticed a light was on in his detached garage the night of August 17th and went to investigate. A man was standing in his garage, rummaging through a box of antique silverware. The suspect said, “You scared the shit out of me,” and then left the garage. Nothing appeared to have been stolen.

Home burglary: A home on 33rd Avenue was burglarized August 8th. The victim returned home to find three laptops and two iPods had been stolen. The responding officer could find no evidence of forced entry.

Burglary through basement window: A basement window from a home on the 2700 block of 11th Avenue was pried open and a suspect stole an iPad, among other items. The responding officer was able to take prints from the scene.

The Seattle Knights will show off their combat skills at the Medieval Country Faire. Photo by Peter John Hill.

If you come across fairies and knights in full armor in Volunteer Park this weekend, don’t worry, you aren’t suffering hallucinations induced by the last of the summer heat.

This weekend marks the first annual Medieval Country Faire hosted by the Friends of Ernest Hemingway with an appearance from the Seattle Knights, a group of professional performers who teach and participate in armed combat choreography. Villagers are promised good food, music, games, an appearance from the king and queen and more.

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CHS has asked the city’s Department of Neighborhoods what their involvement with the fair is as the organizers list them as a sponsor of their website. We haven’t yet heard back from the city and the neighborhood coordinator for Capitol Hill is on vacation. But we have learned that the group applied for DON grants last year and was denied and a search of 2010 grants does not include any money provided to the E. Hemingway Society group that is organizing the event. We’ve tried several times this week to get in touch with the group but they have not returned our e-mails and the only phone number listed on the site is for a fax machine. This all might not mean much — the group is likely busy getting ready for the weekend’s fun; it takes awhile to lace up corsets and don plate-mail armor.

We couldn’t find an official list of events from the organizers but the Guilded Quill, a purveyor of quills and wands summed up what to expect at the faire best:

It is a feast day and Volunteer Park abounds in excitement! Today, there shall be a circle of bards, trained in the ancient ways, gathered in competition for renown and sacred honor. We will play chess, view archery, enjoy

wrestling matches, water balloon fights, 5 horse drawn carriages to promenade the park and of course, The Seattle Knights “Battle Royale”. Today, merchants and arti-sans have gathered to purvey their brightest and finest to the people of the town! Actors, juggles, choristers, musicians, gamesters, fools, knights and ladys, our King and Queen, and many others have traveled to this happy place to ply their noble trades, and we abound in shamans, conjurers, and sages of all varieties.

And there is yet more! Today, the wise man Merridwyn ( or “Merlin” , as the later ages will know him) has visited, perhaps to advise the highborn nobles and knights who’ve come to visit. There will be sword fighting! Drama and Adventure! High action and low comedy, learning and gaming, and fun for all. Honest tradesmen, wise teachers, dashing rogues, cunning herbalists, ambitious squires, scurrilous scoundrels, and many more characters will greet and interact with you dressed in ancient garb.

Welcome! Relax and enjoy our many entertainments throughout the village. Take an enthralling and educational nature walk. Read omens with our own auger. Take enjoyment in fine foods and drink! Enjoy the sun gleaning on our beautiful water reservoir.

So, enjoy the old timey glory September 4th and 5th from 12 pm. to 6 p.m. Lords and ladies need not dress in period garb to be granted entry. 

A protester argues with a police officer about trust.

A protest of approximately 30 people gathered at Seattle Central Community college at noon Friday in response to the killing of John T. Williams by Seattle police officer Ian Birk and ended without incident unlike a similar protest in April where light-bulbs filled with red paint were thrown at mounted police officers.

Despite two protesters’ repeated attempts to argue with police officers on the scene and another protester’s comment that he “hoped to see some brick throwing,” protesters kept a safe distance from the 20 or fewer officers on horseback or bicycles and there were no threats of violence. 

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A protester who said he is an employee of Seattle Public Schools claimed Capitol Hill elementary school T.T. Minor would not have been closed or leased to a private school if the city didn’t have to pay police officer salaries. Protesters asked how much money the city was spending on police presence for the demonstration. Officers did not respond to the taunts. 

A protestor passing out leaflets said the purpose of the protest was to continue the dialogue about the August 30th killing of Williams, a 50-year-old homeless man. 

“It’s important people keep talking about this,” she said. “People are allowed to feel rage about this.”

The event ended with a march to the East Precinct SPD office at 12th Avenue and Pine Street. Protesters dissipated around 2 p.m.

Though the September AIDS Walk and 5K Run is hosted by Lifelong AIDS Alliance, for the third year in a row it is being sponsored by MOMS Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy with two locations in the Capitol Hill area (one inside Lifelong and the other at 1120 Cherry Street) and 13 locations nationwide. The pharmacy specializes in providing medicine and support to people living with HIV and AIDS.

“[The pharmacy in Lifelong] is kind of a unique location,” said Andrew Nichols, MOMS Capitol Hill community liaison. “When you walk in it’s kind of like a livingroom setup, we’re not like a Walgreens. A lot of clients sit and hang out. We’re considering putting a computer lab in. We have a couple consultation rooms.”

The MOMS adherence pack helps patients keep track of pills.

Much of their efforts have turned to helping their clients with adherence to their drug regimen because living with HIV or AIDS often means taking a lot of pills each day. To make taking multiple medicines each day, MOMS developed an adherence pack (Nichols calls it a “bubble” pack) that looks similar to daily vitamin packs commonly found in health supplement stores. Nichols, a client of the pharmacy himself, personally testifies for the packs’ success.

“It helps people psychologically,” said Nichols, who said he felt like he was reminded of his illness every time he took his prescription, which became taxing. “You think of [the adherence packs] almost like vitamins, it’s an aesthetic thing.”

While the adherence packs present support at a national level, MOMS is sponsoring the Seattle AIDS Walk to show support at a local level.

“We’re sponsoring the AIDS walk because we want to put our resources back into the community,” Nichols said. “The more people use us, the more we can put back into the community.”

The walk will begin in Volunteer Park at 9 AM on September 25th. Donations and participants will be accepted up to the day of the event. This year, Lifelong hopes to raise $500,000 to fund their programs with 3,000 walkers. Lifelong spokesperson David Emerson said they just passed the six figure fundraising mark this weekend and have more than 1,300 walkers and runners registered so far. You can register and find more information at www.seattleaidswalk.org.

After receiving almost $100,000 in grant money from the city in June, the group Queer Youth Space has spent the summer deciding how to use those funds to activate the community. The group has been mostly in planning stages throughout the summer but members hope to amp it up for the end of the year, starting with the Saturday September 11th Big Queer Jumble Sale.

“One of the things we found problematic about the queer community is a lot of events take a lot of money,” said group spokesperson Kyle Croft.

Croft wasn’t joking when he noted drag costumes as being a particularly high cost for queer youth looking to explore other parts of the queer community. He’s right. That gear is expensive. Queer Youth Space hopes to use the sale as a way to offset costs for youth with little or no money.

If the group receives enough donated items, much of the rummaged clothing will be provided for free. Croft said they are only looking to cover costs; any additional proceeds will go toward the group’s project fund to put on more events in the future. They want the capital to return to the community.

“The more money we have [for future events], the lower prices we can charge people,” Croft said. “It’s meant to make events more accessible.”

The event is currently scheduled to be held at the People’s Parking Lot on Pine and Belmont but there have been some issues with securing permission from the lot’s owner, development company Murray Franklin.

Though the primary focus of the event will be a clothing rummage sale, there will also be food and maybe even live performance.

“The idea is that people will come and share their ideas and to make it more a speaking space and an open space, people can perform in it if they want to,” Croft said. “We want it to be a community event.”

Queer Youth Space still hasn’t finalized on a permanent space for the group’s headquarters but group representatives said they have almost completed talks about leasing a currently undisclosed Capitol Hill location to use as the permanent home for Three Wings, as was reported by Seattle Gay News.

Community members who want to contribute goods to the rummage sale are encouraged to either bring them to the sale or e-mail [email protected].

The T.T. Minor school building at 18th Avenue and Union Street has been closed for more than a year but with the start of a new school year, the Seattle Public Schools-owned building is about to re-open… as a private school.

Hamlin Robinson, a school for children with dyslexia and other language difficulties, will lease the building from the Seattle Public School District until 2017. T.T. Minor closed after the 2008-2009 school year during districtwide budget cuts. According to the lease, this year’s rent will cost $104,400 and will go directly to the school district.

“We avoid having an empty building that is a target for vandalism and having it deteriorate from non-use,” said public schools Teresa Wippel, explaining why the district feels the lease will be beneficial. “We will save money because we won’t be paying maintenance costs and we will receive rental income.”

 Despite the financial and safety advantages to the seven year lease, some local parents were not satisfied with the decision and were concerned by the fact that the school charges tuition and might not reach children in the nearby Central District who might benefit from the school’s services. A commenter on the Central District News said:

It’s a bit sad that Seattle Public Schools couldn’t make a school that worked for the community, vs. decades of the worst school in the area. Instead the replacement is a school for the rich, like Giddens, Seattle Girl’s School, etc. It’s great, if you have the $$ to afford the tuition, which the great majority of neighborhood residents do not.

Hamlin Robinson spokesperson Rob Harahill said that the school is aware of the needs of the community around T.T. Minor and that it hopes to begin programs that will be beneficial to that community. 

“We feel honored to be a tenant in this building, so part of our luck of being here is being involved in the greater community,” Harahill said.

Harahill said that the school is looking to aid students outside of the children who attend the school full time. They want to provide after-hours tutoring for students with language-related difficulties who cannot attend the school full time. The school has not yet decided whether the tutoring will be free but Harahill said the school’s main goal is that all students should have access to their programs, regardless of financial background. So, if there was a fee that went along with the tutoring, there would also be a scholarship program, Harahill said.

“[The space] is absolutely ideal,” Harahill said. “We have a core philosophy that great teaching can be done in any environment, but in this space we can do many things that we could never do before.”

This summer, the school got a $663,00 roof job that the district said was part of planned maintenance and was paid for out of the district budget. Beyond that, the only renovations made to the building were topical fixes like painting, carpeting and putting up artwork — including a mosaic mural — from the old school building.

Hamlin Robinson school officials plan to take advantage of the building’s architecture to accommodate some of the school’s more unique programs. The large room on the first floor, which has already been nicknamed “the learning center,” will be used for all-school activities (which happen more frequently at Hamlin Robinson than other k-8 schools) as well as community programs like after school tutoring and parent learning nights.

Faculty and students alike are ready to move into the building Sept. 8 despite the commute it will take to get to the Hill. Hamlin Robinson was previously located in South Seattle and some of the students commuted from as far as 50 miles away. The school has set up two bus routes to ease the travel burden.

Though the lease will last seven years, Seattle Public Schools officials still hope to reincorporate the T.T. Minor building into the public school system sometime in the future.

“We set the term of the lease so that at the end we will have the option to reopen the building as a school,” Wippel said. “There is no certainty to this, but we want to preserve that option.”

The weather cleared Saturday afternoon for the “giant” rummage sale hosted by the parents of Stevens Elementary. The sale was complete with tables full of children’s shoes, classic board games and ’80s style Cosby sweaters. All proceeds from the sale went to the Stevens PTA. If you’re looking for something to do on Sunday, by the way, check out our weekend calendar highlights here.

Later Saturday night, bikers and bike-friendly people gathered in Cal Anderson for the Northwest Film Forum’s 5th Annual Bike-in. Here are some pictures from Staton DuBois taken before Pee Wee’s Big Adventure started screening as Concours d’Elegance rocked the park.

 

A dog drools over his owner’s pulled pork sandwich from Maximus/Minimus.

The first ever Mobile City brought Capitol Hill residents out to the parking lot behind the Bank of America on Broadway for live music, food fun and local art. No estimates on attendance yet and a few rain drops were dodged but it was nothing that taking refuge inside the back of the Disco Truck couldn’t take care of. Here are some photos from the festivities. The associated summer* sale continues through weekend. We’ve listed the published discounts at the bottom of this post. Pick up a copy of the Mobile City map at participating merchants.

* yes it’s still summer

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Kids prepare to make bike-powered spin-art.

Via Tribunali’s mobile pizza oven.

Writers from Pilot Books wrote spontaneous poems for party goers.

Rancho Bravo taco, a Capitol Hill favorite

Two pulled pork sandwiches from Maximus/Minimus are left unattended.

A drag queen from the Le Faux show at Julia’s jumps in for double dutch.

Summer Sale Roster

Babeland *
20% off featured waterproof toys

Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream *
$1 off all ice cream sundaes with map

Oddfellows Café *
$1 off coffee drinks with map or zipcard

Laughing Buddha
20% off jewelry with map

Pilot Books
10% off with map

Pagliacci Pizza
FREE fountain soda when 2 slices are purchased from 2pm – 5pm

Gyro World
Buy any Gyros sandwich and get a FREE medium fountain drink.

Speckprint *
25-50% off all shirts, posters and hoodies!

Ada’s Technical Books
10% off everything in the store with map. Receive a $10 gift certificate towards a future purchase with a $100 purchase.

Gold’s Gym *
$0 enrollment $29.99 a month special during the Summer Sale

Julia’s *

Panache

EDGAR The Store
20% off regularly priced merchandise on purchases of $20 or over with map. ALSO 50% off selected furniture and other items.

Marigold and Mint
Spend $50 and get a free bouquet of flowers

Feedbag
40% off any dog or cat toy. Limit two

Utrecht
20% off with map

8 limbs Yoga Centers *
20% – 40% off selected yoga items

Café Vita
10% off with map

Kaladi Brothers Coffee
10% off with map

City Home Store

Emerson Salon *
Show your map to get 25% off any service

Retrofit Home *
10%-40% off with our ever popular pull your discount from the hat!

Bluebird Ice Cream and Tea Room
$1 off beer float, OR free second scoop when you buy a scoop, with map

Old School Frozen Custard *
10% off with map

Veridis *
10% off with map

Throwbacks NW *
25% off all merchandise PLUS a $10 and $5 bin! Extra 10% off w/can of food.

Via Tribunali

Atlas Clothing *
10% off any clothing purchase. Accessory Sale- belts, shoes, scarves and slips starting at $3.

Gamma Ray Games *
Closet of Wonder sale featuring a massive range of used, rare and out of print board, card & roleplaying games all at ridiculously reasonable prices.

Cake Spy *
10% off all purchases $50 or over with map

NuBe Green *
20% off back to school items and 40% summer clearance

Bootyland Kids *
Summer Clothing Sale

Century Ballroom
Free cha cha, tango, waltz, mambo & lindy lessons on the broadway steps during the weekend sale

Copper Vine
20% off all containers. Discount applies to special orders as well.

MOE BAR
50% off drinks from 3pm- 7pm with map or zipcard

BIG MARIO’S
50% off all pizza’s and 50% off drinks from 2pm-5pm

Homegrown
$5 off a Homegrown t-shirt with map

Simply Frames
25% Readymade frames

Whimsy Home Decor
10% – 20% off summer accessories

Brocklind’s Formal Wear

Urban Outfitters *
10% off with map

Salon Armand
Cut-a-thon on Friday and Saturday August 27th and 28th. 10% of all service proceeds will go to Lifelong Aids Alliance.

Flora and Henri
Take an additional 10% off summer sale items with map

Edie’s Shoes
25% off all shoe summer stock with map (excludes already marked down items)

Zaw Pizza
Free salad with a purchase of a large pizza and bottle of wine, 6 pack of beer, or 6 pack of soda.

Sal’s Barber Shop
50% off a haircut for new clients with map
The sale participants are also doing a food drive for Northwest Harvest so bring your non perishable food items and drop off at locations with an * asterisk