Tag Archives: madrona

Cafe watch: Ha Ha Coffee and Cha Chak on Capitol Hill, plus four more nearby — Yoka Tea, Casa Ella, Visible Coffee Roasters, and Coffee TAB Central District’s grand opening

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The Mango Sticky Rice Sundae (Image: Cha Chak)

The cafe scenes in the neighborhoods across and around Capitol Hill have some new — and new to CHS — additions heading into fall:

Ha Ha is now open — thanks to Harry in the CHS Facebook Group

  • Ha Ha Coffee and Tea: The new owners of a 15th Ave E building have brought milk teas and smoothies to the top of Capitol Hill. Ha Ha Coffee and Tea is now open at 324 15th Ave E. CHS reported last year as book shop Nook and Cranny lost its lease for the space. The building’s new owners include Diem Le who moved the book shop space neighboring the Red Chair Salon through the city’s streamlined change of use process to open the new cafe with a menu of milk tea, fruit smoothies, and coffee. While bubble tea shops and Asian-style tea offerings have proliferated along Broadway and through Pike/Pine, the quieter edges of Capitol Hill have mostly gone unserved. You can check out the Ha Ha menu here.
  • Cha Chak: Another long awaited Capitol Hill cafe opening has taken place. Above Capitol Hill Station next to the plaza across from Cal Anderson you will now find Thai tea and dessert shop Cha Chak. CHS reported in March on plans for the cafe from Montida Lertkiatsakul and Suphanita Roumsak. Lertkiatsakul was part of opening Manao Thai Street Eats at 14th and Pine. Cha Chak debuts with treats including green tea ice cream lattes, Thai tea chiffon cake, and an incredible looking Mango Sticky Rice Sundae. Find it at 118 Broadway E next to the station plaza across from Glo’s. Follow @chachakseattle for updates. Continue reading →

‘Downscale the Proposed One Seattle Rezoning Plans for Madrona’ — How Hollingsworth’s office is handling neighborhood pushback on Seattle growth plan update

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There are petitions in Madrona and letters from angry realtors.

“We are welcoming any and all feedback,” Anthony Derrick, chief of staff to District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth tells CHS about the ongoing process the council member is leading to forge an update to the city’s comprehensive plan and new zoning across its neighborhoods. “With the law, the city is going to see some massive density changes.”

Wednesday afternoon, the Seattle City Council committee Hollingsworth leads formed to take on the nearly impossible task of reaching compromise on Seattle’s comprehensive plan update will meet.

A report on displacement, a core issue for Hollingsworth who grew up watching her Central District neighborhood struggle with gentrification, is on the agenda. But the important statistics and challenges raised in the presentation on the city’s Anti-Displacement Action Plan (PDF) might get lost.

The second half of Wednesday’s meeting will focus on public engagement around the comprehensive plan update — including the city’s meetings on the update it has been hosting since 2022.

Protests and pushback from a growing chorus of property, business, and homeowners from across the city and District 3 are becoming louder as a key February 5th public forum on the comprehensive plan update proposal approaches.

In Madrona, groups are forming to oppose upzoning in the neighborhood as Seattle leaders say more areas of the city must rise to meet state required changes hoped to address growing housing and affordability challenges.

The Madrona neighborhood, they argue, should be treated differently than the rest of the city when it comes to efforts to increase density. Continue reading →

Madison Park and Madrona part of ‘high bacteria’ beach warnings

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Health officials have issued “high bacteria” warnings for several area swimming spots including Madison Park Beach and Madrona Beach.

The high counts come from ongoing monitoring and follow a bout of unusually heavy June rains. Officials are also investigating the possibility of a related sewage spill, the Seattle Times reports.

Public Health currently recommends people should not enter the water at several Lake Washington beaches.

You can view the latest updates and alerts and a map of conditions at the area’s beaches here.

 
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Heads up! Dark Brandon inbound for Seattle

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Expect snarled traffic on I-5, 405, 520, and I-90 Friday afternoon as President Joe Biden arrives in Seattle for a fundraising stop.

520, meanwhile, will be closed for construction.

If past visits are any indication, the motorcade might also be making a pass near Capitol Hill bringing temporary roadblocks and traffic diversions to the area.

Air Force One is expected to touch down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during the Federal Aviation Administration-issued flight restrictions between 5:15 to 6:30 PM Friday. Continue reading →

Seattle Parks seeks feedback on $550K Madrona Playground overhaul

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Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking community feedback and will hold a meeting this weekend on plans for overhauling the Madrona Playground.

The $550,000 project is hoped to replace the play equipment and redesign and possibly repurpose the sandbox area to increase use, the city says.

The cherry tree grove health will be examined, and improvements made as needed. Pathway paving will be upgraded to ensure an accessible route to and through the play area. This project will also include a design to provide cover for the stage.

Continue reading →

Suspect in Madrona fire spree charged with five counts of arson

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Prosecutors say the string of arsons that damaged multiple Madrona homes in the suspect’s 90-minute spree of chaos earlier this month began the day before with a fire set at the West Seattle home where the man’s ex-partner was staying.

Tukwila man Bert Dailing has been charged with five counts of first degree arson for the August 8th fire attacks that caused no serious injuries but left a smoky trail of damage across the neighborhood including significant damage to houses.

Police say Dailing told them after his arrest that the fire spree was drug fueled, saying he had smoked methamphetamines and set out to light fires but did not intend to hurt anyone. Continue reading →

Crappy situation at Madrona Beach only part of hotter Lake Washington’s summer problems

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You can view Lake Washington’s historical water temperatures measured by the county here

The warming waters of Lake Washington off popular Madrona Beach are closed to swimmers this week after a power outage caused a sewage overflow at a city facility Monday.

Health officials have ordered the closure between Madrona Beach and Howell Park to the north “over the next several days” saying bacteria levels could make people or pets sick.

King County Wastewater says its crews responded to a power outage at the East Pine Street Pump Station in Madrona that shut down equipment Monday afternoon “and caused an overflow into Lake Washington.” Continue reading →

Suspect arrested after chaotic 90-minute string of arson fires targeting Madrona houses

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A string of fire attacks across the Madrona neighborhood area ended with police taking a suspect into custody at the scene of a fourth arson blaze after more than 90 minutes of mayhem stretching between 37th and 31st Ave Monday night.

There were no major injuries reported but some of the damage to homes involved in the melee reportedly suffered significant damage. SPD says five homes were damaged in the string.

Reports of the man walking shirtless with visible burn marks and carrying objects including a propane tank and possible lighter fluid spread after the initial fire reported around 7:30 PM at a $3 million home in the 600 block of 37th Ave. Continue reading →

CHS Pics | The corner of 34th Ave E and Douglas Q. Barnett Street

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E Union at 34th Ave E has a new honorary street name. Now, to find the former home of Seattle’s Black Arts/West Theatre, just look for Douglas Q. Barnett Street.

The new designation was celebrated last week before the Thanksgiving holiday with a ceremony at the corner where Barnett founded and led the theater from 1969 until it lost funding and was closed in 1980. Barnett passed away last year at the age of 88.

“I had none,” said Tee Dennard tells CHS of his acting experience before finding Black Arts/West Theatre. “I came out here on a bet — on an audition. And I got the part.” Denard eventually became artistic director and has enjoyed a lifetime as a working actor. Continue reading →

Mapping Sawant’s 2019 win shows continued strength of District 3’s political divide

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Sawant again performed strongly in the southwest core of District 3

It was a tale of two districts.

To the east and north were the wealthier homeowners of North Capitol Hill, Madrona, Montlake, and Broadmoor, where voters picked the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce-backed Egan Orion.

Meanwhile, in the more densely populated Broadway and Pike/Pine cores and the Central District, residents sided with the re-election of socialist Seattle City Council incumbent Kshama Sawant.

While the path to victory in 2019 included a dramatic shift from Election Night totals, Sawant’s win, in the end, looks extremely familiar.

To Erin Schultz, a consultant that worked on the Orion campaign, the voting distribution of District 3 looks like what Sawant saw in 2015 as she defeated Pamela Banks for the seat.

“The mapped results are similar to results Sawant has gotten in every election, but we were obviously hoping to close the narrow gap, especially after the Primary performance,” Schultz said in an email. She believes that Amazon’s late $1 million contribution turned the election into a “referendum on corporate influence in elections rather than solutions to addressing homelessness, improving affordability, and the many other issues our city is struggling with.”
Continue reading →