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Ana Espinoza and husband Augustin Carbajal
It’s a good sign when your new tamaleria can barely wrap enough tamales to keep up with demand.
A & A Cafe Organic Tamaleria Cider House has hit the ground running as fast as it can on Broadway and is now setting about expanding its hours for lunch.
CHS reported on the Capitol Hill offshoot of the Everett favorite in January as Ana Espinoza and husband Augustin Carbajal expanded the organic tamale cafe to Seattle. Continue reading
A man in his 50s passed away after a medical incident inside Capitol Hill club The Cuff Sunday night.
Seattle Fire was called to the 13th Ave venue just before 10 PM Sunday night to reports of a man suffering a medical situation. A Seattle Fire spokesperson says crews attempted life saving efforts but the man was pronounced deceased at the scene. Continue reading
(Image: CHS)
Plans are in the early stages for a new development that could bring the demolition of “one of the earliest extant buildings in the Broadway business district,” according to a permit application filed with city planners.
The Wilshire Building, now home to a collection of businesses including restaurant Jai Thai and fashion and vintage retailer Revival Shop rising above the southwest corner of Broadway and Thomas dates to 1903. That is the same year Broadway was first paved.
Early development plans filed to start 2020 for real estate investors and developers Cannon Commercial call for “demolition of the existing buildings” and “construction of a new 7 story building consisting of 6 levels of multi-family over a ground level commercial with no parking.”
Empowered by a few million in funding, enthusiastic biking and pedestrian advocates, years of community meetings, piles of survey data, and a welcoming business community, the city’s Department of Transportation is set to remake Melrose Ave as a microcosm of Seattle street design circa 2020.
That means a raised crosswalk, speed humps, curb ramps, curb bulbs, and protected bike lanes in sections, repairing damaged pavement and sidewalks, and… back-in angle parking. Continue reading
Sundborg (Image: Seattle University)
Seattle University has announced it has begun a search for a new leader.
The private Jesuit university just south of Capitol Hill announced Thursday that longtime president Stephen Sundborg will step down from his post at end of the school year in June 2021.
“A comprehensive and inclusive national search is underway for the 22nd president of Seattle University,” the school’s announcement reads. “In February, the Board of Trustees approved the Presidential Search Committee to oversee a process that will actively engage, and seek input from, the university community. The next president of SU will guide the institution in its strategic directions and continued emergence as one of the most innovative and progressive Jesuit and Catholic universities in the world.”
The school employs more than 500 full-time and another 200 or so part-time faculty.
Continue reading
With colors, murals, game tables, and art that make the new facility feel like a cross between a new high school and juvenile hall, King County is showing off its new Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center on 12th Ave.
It is also designed, officials say, to slowly transform.
“As we move toward zero youth detention, how we can repurpose space?” one official said during a tour of the new facility’s detention area. “As our population decreases,” she said in the middle of one of the center’s living halls designed to look like dorms but secured for incarceration with electronic locks and state of the art surveillance systems, “we can move our secure perimeter.” Continue reading
Swatting away ethics concerns, Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant unveiled her proposal Wednesday morning that would raise $300 million for housing and environmental initiatives with a tax on Amazon and Seattle’s largest payrolls.
“On behalf of our movement, I’m excited to put forward this bold, transformative proposal,” Sawant said. “We know that big business, the wealthy, and the political establishment will staunchly oppose this, and that we will need a powerful movement. If we win, this will not only transform the lives of Seattle’s working people, it will set a historical marker for cities around the nation.”
The online giant remains in Sawant’s crosshairs. Sawant’s official Seattle City Council press release on the announcement calls her proposal the “Amazon Tax Legislation.” Continue reading
CollinsWoerman’s designs for 901 Madison
Madison Street’s next contribution to Seattle’s ultra-green Living Building program could be a 21-story apartment tower set to rise in unique fashion on First Hill. The development takes its first bow in front of the East Design Review Board Wednesday night.
Plans for the 901 Madison project detail a more than 170-unit building — around 45 of those units will be affordable using two housing programs, MFTE and Mandatory Housing Affordability — with new street level retail, and, yes, even though it will be super green, underground parking for 40 vehicles.
Developers Sustainable Living Innovations and architect CollinsWoerman plan to make use of the city’s Living Building incentive program that will allow two additional floors of height in exchange for meeting ecologically friendly building standards. The two floors, by the way, would boost the total units in the building by about 12%
The building is planned to generate 105% of the power it uses through a mixture of wastewater heat recovery (using the heat from hot water that goes down the drain), efficient heat pumps, and solar panels. They are also exploring the idea of using wastewater heat from nearby buildings. Continue reading
Chopp at the 2014 debut of 12th Ave Arts
Frank Chopp has represented the 43rd District in Olympia since 1995. Though he stepped aside last year from his role of Speaker of the House, Chopp isn’t ready to end his run at the capitol. Tuesday, the 66-year-old announced he will seek reelection for another two-year term.
“I initially ran for the legislature to be an advocate for housing, working families, and health care,” Chopp said in the announcement. “I am proud of the thousands of homes that I’ve worked to fund and see built, but there is so much more to do, in a crisis that demands focus and experience. I’m excited to continue working hard for the people of the district and our state. I’ve identified real sites where we can and must invest in safe, affordable housing to help our neighbors in need. I’m energized and organized for the opportunities ahead.”
Chopp’s recent run of election victories could be a model for establishment Democrats facing an onslaught of challenges from the left. In Chopp’s last race, he faced tepid competition from a Republican challenger who could only claim around 10% of the vote. But before that, he has twice fended off Socialist Alternative challengers. In 2014, he demolished the group’s campaign for Jess Spear. And in the 2012 election, he defeated upstart candidate Kshama Sawant in what for Chopp was a squeaker — a 71% to 29% victory. Continue reading
Upper Bar Ferdinand when it debuted in 2015
It is time to turn over the dirt and grow new things inside Capitol Hill’s Chophouse Row. Chef Matt Dillon’s last Capitol Hill connection has been severed. Bar Ferdinand is no more. But a new wine-focused project is already being lined up to take its place. The group of food and drink experts taking on the venture include two of the now dearly departed wine bar’s staff. They are ready for new things moving beyond hand wringing over the state of the city’s dining scene.
“As far as speaking eloquently about how Seattle is changing, that has been litigated,” chef Eli Dahlin tells CHS.
“We’re not trying to change Capitol Hill,” he said. Continue reading
