Some of you may have missed that Cafe Char opened last summer at 2314 East Madison and that it closed a few months after.  We are happy to report that it is once again open.  They reopened for business last Friday (3/19/10).  Photogenic Charnita, the owner’s daughter, has been replaced by friendly Teresa (business partner to owner Endanchy Girma), and the decor is a bit different (more homey, less African).  They still serve good coffee, and Teresa is currently offering $2 double shot lattes.  She has bagels and sandwiches and is trying to secure Charnita’s quiche recipe.  

Teresa is looking for feedback from neighbors on what they would like from the neighborhood cafe. Cafe Char’s hours are currently 8 am – 3 pm on weekdays and 11-5 on weekends.   As announced before, they plan on hosting monthly Ethiopian coffee ceremonies.  We will let you know when they have one scheduled.

Central District News has confirmed that Burger Central will occupy the space at 1101 23rd Avenue, the former home of Collins Gold Exchange.  Veronica De Saram, one of the contacts listed on the most recent DPD Permit Application, told us that they are hoping to open by May 1:

The name is Burger Central.  We would like to open by May 1st.   We are waiting for city inspections and natural gas to come in so it may be May 15Th 2010 . . . We want this to be a very comfortable place for every one in the neighborhood.  This is a very busy intersection and we need more places that will accommodate the Multi cultural environment we all enjoy in this neighborhood compared to most other neighborhoods.  We also own another business a few blocks away.  We have been at that location 15 years and we truly enjoy all our customers.  We are hoping that this business will also give us that same fulfillment and pleasure. Thank you very much for the inquiry and I hope to see you at Burger central.  Please make sure to introduce your self.  We are open to all comments from the neighborhood.

editor’s note: We’ve removed a reference to one of the business partner’s previous history, and a comment discussing it, pending further confirmation and investigation

As CD News readers may recall, Yesler Terrace is a 28 acre public housing development situated between First Hill, Little Saigon and the Central District.  A couple of years ago, SHA acknowledged that the Yesler Terrace buildings were crumbling and that a redevelopment was warranted.   In order to cut down costs and to abide by current urban planning principles, SHA announced that it would partner with private developers and greatly increase the density in Yesler Terrace’s redevelopment.  While the new development will continue to provide housing to very low-income people [those making less than 30% of Seattle’s median income ($17,243)], it will also allocate a significant portion in the envisioned 4000 units for market-rate and workforce housing.

In April 2009, the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) presented three concepts for the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace.  Taking a look at the concepts pictured below, you will note that none of the envisioned plans encompass areas east of Boren.  Last week, Real Change noted that SHA now plans to develop land it owns along Yesler east of Boren for the Yesler Terrace redevelopment.  In fact, SHA may use the old Pizza Time location at 12th Avenue South and Yesler as an initial redevelopment site. 

SHA Development Director Stephanie Van Dyke said the agency owns several properties along Yesler Way east of Boren, including an old Pizza Time location at Yesler and Twelth Avenue. The agency may use that site to start building replacements for some of Yesler Terrace’s residents, Van Dyke said.

Between Twelth and Fourteenth Avenues, SHA has emptied and may tear down an apartment building called the Baldwin to do the same, or it may try to strike deals with King County and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle to acquire a neighboring warehouse and office building. Any units built east of Boren, Van Dyke said, would count toward SHA’s promise of one-for-one replacement for today’s 561 low-income units. 

When it was built in 1939, Yesler Terrace was the first racially integrated housing project in the U.S.. It currently houses about 1,200 people.

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Seattle Public Schools announced the following honors for Garfield High School:

Garfield graduate Aaron Shimeles has been appointed to the Department of Education’s 18-member National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. Shimeles was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the new national committee on higher education accreditation issues. Shimeles underwent a competitive application and interview process prior to his appointment to the committee. Aaron is attending Occidental College, where he was able to gain entry with the assistance of College Access Now, the first generation college entrance program launched at Garfield and now at Franklin and West Seattle High Schools.

Garfield High Math Teacher Kelley Butler was selected as a “hero” in the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom program.  The teacher “Heroes” received several prizes, including two tickets to a Seahawks regular season game, classroom supplies and school visits and program sponsor recognition.

• CD Sponsor Bottleneck offers up Guinness-braised corned beef, served on marbled rye accompanied by the requisite cabbage and Smithwick’s Irish Ale
• If you want to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with your little ones, head over to Madrona Eatery & Ale House and split the Green Pizza
• Another family friendly place to take your kids is CD Sponsor All Purpose Pizza – where Guinness is available by the bottle
• Twilight Exit (also a CD Sponsor) offers Guinness on tap and $6 Jameson’s shots
• Have you tried the Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Pig in a Blanket at CD Sponsor Central Cinema?  If not, try one tonight even if you’re not vegan (5 stars out of 5 from this former sweet breads fan).  For an offbeat evening, try the improv from Blood Squad tonight – as a preview to the so-horribly-bad-it’s-good Leprechaun ($7 tickets)
• For a splurgy evening, head to Licorous – where $40 will buy you five green wines (i.e. organic and biodynamic wines) and accompanying bites
• If you’re looking for a more low-key way to spend your time, keep in mind that CD Sponsor Cortona Cafe just recently began serving beer – and they offer an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout – you just might like it better than Guinness

Karen O’Connor, the Senior Public Relations Specialist for Seattle Parks and Recreation, told us about a new addition to the Arboretum.  There is a guided tour available today at 5:30 and a public meeting for those interested next Tuesday March 16.  Here is what she told us about Pacific Connections Garden:

The Pacific Connections Garden is one of the key components of the Washington Park Arboretum’s 20-year Master Plan for renewal and marks the first major new exhibit in the Arboretum in almost 50 years. The 14-acre garden will be located at the south end of the Arboretum and feature five eco-geographic immersion forests surrounding a central welcoming meadow and a series of stunning entry gardens. The forests will be comprised of temperate-climate plant communities from Australia, New Zealand, China, Chile, and Cascadia.

Construction begins in late spring for the “Gateway to Chile.”  This is part of the second phase of the implementation of the Pacific Connections Garden.  

We invite you to a public tour on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. and a public meeting on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.  

Attached is the flyer with detail information.   We encourage you to come and learn about the upcoming improvements for the Washington Park Arboretum which include the removal of some native trees to make way for the planting of over 70 Chilean trees and the restoration of the overgrown Holmdahl Rockery.

We checked in with Kedra Olsen on Bar 19.  Here is what she shared with CDN:

“Yeah – I have EVERYTHING except for one spec sheet (waiting on one guy. I am headed to pick things up in person from him tomorrow). With that said, we are submitting 2 sets of plans (we are asking for a small variance to the health code requirements) – one will have all the health department requirements, and one with the variance we are asking for. These all get submitted and dispersed to the health dept, the plumbing division of the health dept, and the planning dept. Our designers says it might take a couple of weeks to wade through the bureaucracy, but likely a lot longer. We hope that we have permits by the end of April and will start construction in May — we are hoping the build is basic enough to take 6 to 8 weeks – so summer is likely. For sure before July!!”

Over fifty Central District residents packed into a Seattle University class room last night to voice their concerns and (some) to support the 22nd Avenue Re-Entry House Project.  John Hayes, the Director of Community Relations for the Seattle Police Department, moderated the meeting.  Hayes reminded attendees that they should premise the discussion on the fact that the re-entry project will happen. The audience should focus on making the project mutually agreeable to the neighbors and its founders.  New Hope’s efforts are consistent with a national movement among historically black churches to deal with the problem of a shortage in offender reentry housing.

James Kenny, an Assistant Seattle City Attorney, spoke after Hayes and cautioned the assemblage that even if a good neighbor agreement is reached between Black Dollar Days Task Force and the 22nd Avenue Block Watch and Community Group, this would be a civil agreement between two parties.  In other words, the police and city prosecutors will not be responsible for enforcing the agreement.   Click thru the main photo at left for photos of the draft good neighbor agreement (I will update with a .pdf if Kenny sends me one).

Bill Wolfe from the Washington Department of Corrections then confirmed that Corrections would not have oversight of the 22nd Avenue House in its initial stages.  When pressed by an audience member for the reason, Bill Wolfe responded that the current project had “too many issues”.

The audience was then split into five smaller groups and charged with reviewing a draft good neighbor agreement (distributed by Kenny) and offering questions and/or issues as input.  Here are some issues that neighbors had regarding the re-entry house.  Some of the issues raised echo the concerns expressed in the 2/25 Letter to Reverend Jeffrey.

• What will be the qualifications of the House Manager?
• Will the House Manager(s) be present 24/7?
• How will violations of house rules be dealt with?
• Draft agreement has language stating that Block Watch would waive its right to file a civil nuisance complaint for violations of ordinances at reentry house – is this necessary?
• Draft agreement has 20% of representation on re-entry house steering committee to originate from block watch: can the percentage be increased or modified to include other concerned community members?
• Can neighbors see the “business plan” for the project? Sources of funding/support?
• Neighbors want supporters of reentry house to address what happens when things go wrong
• Will there be a clean & sober requirement? Will random drug testing be conducted on residents?
• What will be the maximum number of residents at the house – keeping in mind that it’s currently zoned as a single family house?
• Keep in mind that in Washington State, a lot of offenses fall into the definition of violent offenses (e.g. drug offenses)
• Residents will have the protections of Washington’s Landlord Tenant Act – so how will management be able to quickly evict offenders (since it can take 90 days to evict someone)
• What are the privacy rights of the residents?
• It is important to not repunish those that have already served their time

• The Stranger loved El Mestizo (not too much of a surprise though they place it on First Hill)
• Publicola’s Angela Garbes talks up Ras Dashen and Dur Dur Cafe 
• An interview with Pony barkeep/DJ Taylor Fimbrez
• Did you know about the ping pong at Watertown Coffee?
• Molly Moon’s will begin running an ice cream truck – to service neighborhoods (like the CD) that do not have a fixed location
• Seattle Weekly interviewed Assimba’s Messeret Habeti – who claims to have the oldest Ethiopian restaurant in Seattle

Yoseb Lee, a survivor of Rey Davis-Bell’s deadly shooting spree at Philadelphia Cheese Steak two years ago, has filed a $2M law suit against the Washington State Department of Corrections for negligent supervision of Davis-Bell.  Yoseb Lee states that he has been unable to continue his painting business, as a result of injuries he suffered attempting to buy sandwiches on that fateful day in January 2008.  Last month, Davis-Bill was convicted of one count of first-degree murder for his murder of Degene Berecha, Philadelphia Cheese Steak’s owner, who had confronted and expelled Davis-Bell for selling drugs in his store.  Davis-Bell was also found guilty of three counts of attempted murder.