On October 13^th, at 6:00 pm, SEED Arts presents Arts Gumbo 2012: Brazil! with a musical performance by Show Brazil!, a samba dancing for audiences, a kids mask-making workshop, food and cultural displays at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center in Columbia City.

Acclaimed Brazilian band Show Brazil! will perform traditional and contemporary music and dance, &  the best of Brazilian Carnaval music. During the performance, Show Brazil! will bring some audience members onstage to join in the music and dance. 

After the performance, Show Brazil! will move to the lower level and hold a dance workshop for audience members, with an emphasis on Samba. A Taste of Brazil will follow, featuring various Brazilian hors d’oeuvres and treats such as Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread); Mousse de Maracujá (Passion Fruit mousse); and Guaraná (Brazilian soft drink).  Kids and families can participate in a mask-making workshop by Lindsey Dabek and cultural displays and visual exhibits will set the mood for an exploration of Brazil.  

Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.brownpapertickets.org. Prices are $10 general; $7 seniors and students; $5 for children 2-12; and $25 for families of four.

Editor’s Update: SPD has released details of an arrest made following last night’s shootout at a home near 27th and Spring:

One Central District gang house has become a frequent enough target of shootings that, after another bout of gunfire last night, residents of the house were unable to tell officers which bullet holes on the outside of the home were new, and which were old.

Just before midnight Monday, police received a report of gunfire near the home, at 27th Avenue and E. Spring Street. When officers arrived at the home, a man came outside and said someone had shot through the front window of the house as he was sitting in the living room with his grandmother.

The man said someone had knocked on the door of the home, and then fired 6 or 7 shots at the house. The man then grabbed his own gun from inside the home and ran out to the porch, where he saw two male suspects running down the street.

One of the suspects turned around and again opened fire on the man. The man shot back, firing at least a half-dozen rounds at the suspects, who fled the scene in a tan Toyota Camry.

No one was injured in the exchange of gunfire.

A few minutes after the shooting, officers spotted the suspects’ car, along with one of the suspects, near 35th Avenue and E. Pine Street. Officers chased the suspect down an alleyway and arrested him. They also found a handgun in the alley.

Back at the home, the man who had opened fire on the suspects turned over his handgun to police, and showed officers that he had a valid license for his gun.

The case has been referred to the Gang Unit.

Original post: I tried calling this in to 911, but I keep getting a busy signal!?! I called the precinct where they routed me to the non emergency number where I got a recorded message. No wonder we can’t get the shootings to stop around here.

Editor’s Update: Police responded to a report of shots fired at 27th and Spring. Nobody in the house was injured, SPD said via Twitter. They detained one person. We will update as we learn more.

Reader PublicDefender reported the following about the incident in a separate CDNews community post:

At just before midnight, I heard five shots, then seven shots, then a few more as I called 911 fired around 27th and Spring. I didn’t hear any cars leaving the area.
Listening to the SPD scanner, it sounds like there was some incidents that might have also involved shots at 35th and Pike.
The occupants at 948 27th Ave indicated that two men ran away from the house after the shots were fired. One woman was grazed by a bullet and an 80 year old woman at the same residence was injured when she fell when the shots were fired.
There was a request for the gang unit to respond.

The six-story housing and retail building at 12th and Jefferson is almost ready to open, and Capitol Hill Housing is getting ready to throw a grand opening party October 19.

Details from Capitol Hill Housing:

A polluted lot in central Seattle, vacant for forty years, has been transformed into “The Jefferson” – a vibrant new affordable housing and retail construction project. On October 19, Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) will hold a grand opening for this beautiful building with 40 units of affordable housing and 4,500 square feet of commercial space designed for local businesses.

The celebration will feature a tour of the project and remarks from Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, CHH CEO Christopher Persons, and other officials from the State of Washington and King County.

This new development will provide 40 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for workers earning up to $36,000 for a single person or $41,000 for a two-person family (60% of the median income). The ground floor of the building has vibrant commercial spaces designed to house local businesses.

The Jefferson is built on a former gas station site, situated at a prominent corner on 12th Avenue at the south entry to Seattle University’s business district, just blocks from the burgeoning Pike/Pine neighborhood.

After the property was transferred to City of Seattle ownership in the 1990s, neighbors spoke up in favor of an attractive residential and commercial building rather than a park. In keeping with the community priorities for workforce housing, the site was awarded to Capitol Hill Housing in 2008.

“This is exactly what the neighborhood has wanted for this corner,” stated Bill Zosel, of the 12th Avenue Stewardship Committee. “The commercial space is a great opportunity for small businesses and families living and shopping in the area will keep the street active.”

This project was made possible in part because of federal support secured by U.S. Senator Patty Murray. “I was proud to secure federal funding to expand workforce housing options in the heart of Seattle. This grand opening is great news for Capitol Hill, and for the individuals and families who will call the Jefferson home,” said Senator Murray.

“We are proud to bring more affordable housing to this long-neglected corner,” stated Christopher Persons, CEO of Capitol Hill Housing. “This development supports the priorities of 12th Avenue neighbors, business owners, and everyone invested in the continuing growth of this community.”

Designed by Environmental Works of Seattle, the project is built to the Washington State Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard and has many green features, including heat recovery ventilation units, high performing windows, a low energy elevator and an ultra-high efficiency gas system. Located within a quarter mile of seven bus lines and less than a mile from downtown Seattle, the apartments are designed to promote walking, bicycling, and transit use. The Jefferson was constructed by MarPac Construction.

The Jefferson is funded by the City of Seattle Office of Housing, Washington Works (State of Washington, Washington State Housing Finance Commission), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (a federal appropriation), KeyBank (construction and permanent lender), Union Bank (Low Income Housing Tax Credit Investor). Impact Capital and HomeSight provided pre-development financing allowing the development to move forward while financing was being assembled.

Event sponsored by Key Bank and Union Bank.

Photo attached: The Jefferson (Josh Okrent, Capitol Hill Housing)

 

The Jefferson Grand Opening Celebration

Friday October 19, 2012

2 – 4pm: Tour of the project

3pm: Remarks and Reception

 

RSVP to: [email protected] or (206) 204-3842

King County Metro’s big service changes go into effect today. Most of the talk is about the elimination of the Free Ride Zone downtown, but there are changes to bus service all over town, including the CD.

The biggest proposed changes in the neighborhood were largely rolled back during the community outreach process. The 27 was originally going to end before Colman and Leschi Parks. Those changes were scrapped, but there will be reduced service on the line:

Service frequency will be reduced to every 30 minutes during the afternoon peak period. Alternative service will be provided by routes 3 and 4 on James, East Jefferson and East Cherry streets and Route 14 on South Jackson St. Also, Route 27 will be separated from Route 17 and connected to Route 33.

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A community group posted this poster in opposition to now-scrapped service changes

There were also big changes proposed for the 2. Originally, Metro was going to route the line down Madison instead of Seneca (and, therefore, Westlake Park). These changes were also scrapped after much public opposition.

Route 4 once appeared on the chopping block in exchange for boosted service on the much more heavily used Route 3. Instead, Route 4 will see some reductions in service. Details:

On Saturday in the early morning and late evening, and all day Sunday, Route 4 will not operate the West Raye St loop via Queen Anne Ave N, W Raye St, 2nd Ave W and W McGraw St.

Also on weekends, one southbound trip to Judkins Park via First Hill leaving 3rd Ave & Union St at 5:37 am will be added.

Our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle has more details on routes changes in the area:

How’s it going out there? We’ve been posting about this big round of Metro service changes all year — now they’re finally here:

Some transit service delays are expected in downtown Seattle as bus riders, transit operators and traffic adjust to route changes and the pay-on-entry system. Metro personnel will be available to answer rider questions Monday at key transit stops in downtown Seattle, Ballard, Burien, West Seattle and Northgate during the peak commute times 6:30-9:30 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m. Some locations also will have personnel 12:30-3:30 p.m.

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• All routes are now pay on entry
• The downtown Free Ride Area is gone
• Route 10: “Route 10 will be separated from Route 12. In downtown Seattle, it will operate on Pine St and Pike St, using 2nd Ave to loop between the two streets. It will no longer serve bus stops on 1st Ave.”
• Route 11 gets a major boost in weekday midday frequency: “Route 11 will be separated from Route 125. In downtown Seattle, it will operate on Pine St and Pike St, using 2nd Ave to loop between the two streets. It will no longer serve bus stops on 1st Ave.”
• Route 12: “Route 12 will be separated from Route 10. In downtown Seattle, it will operate on Madison St and Marion St, using 1st Ave to loop between the two streets. It will no longer serve bus stops on 1st Ave.  “
• The 14 route serving Summit has been separated and is now route 47
• Routes 8, 43, 48, 49, and 60 remain unchanged on Capitol Hill

Around the rest of the city, there are 

• New routes 32, 40, 50, 61 and 62
• Discontinued Routes 15, 17, 18, 23, 34, 35, 39, 45, 46, 51, 53, 54, 56, 81, 85, 133 and 134
• Details for all here 

What are you seeing out there?

Remember the CD Public Art Plan developed through a series of public meetings last year? Well, it’s time to make the projects happen.

Those meetings led to the creation of a Central District Public Art Plan (see below). The group is now gearing up for the next phase, and they need your help.

From the CD Public Art Facebook page:

The CD Public Art Coalition is gearing up for the next phase of our project to create interactive public art in the CD. Our vision is to create art that incorporates a component encouraging neighbors to communicate with each other.

We are looking for CD residents that would like to join our Steering Committee to help make our projects a reality. Steering Committee members will be responsible for fundraising and managing the art projects. We anticipate meeting in person quarterly, with most communication via email.

If you are interested in helping us turn a concept into reality, contact Mary Pat DiLeva via our Web site

Central District Public Art Plan FINAL

New GPS-guided flight paths into Sea-Tac airport will planes to significantly shorten their landing routes, saving gas and perhaps reducing noise for many homes in Seattle, including the Central District.

But, of course, the changes also mean new residents will experience more noise than before. Many folks in West Seattle, Beacon Hill and South Seattle are upset with what they see as a lack of outreach on the part of the FAA. Mayor McGinn has convinced the FAA to hold a community meeting from 6-8 p.m. October 23 at New Holly Gathering Hall.

Used with permission

From the Seattle Times:

They want the technical jargon in the program’s draft environmental report translated not just into laymen’s terms, but also into the diverse languages spoken in South Seattle so that residents can better understand how much more air traffic and noise the program might bring to their neighborhoods.

“We just want a lot more clarity,” said North Beacon Hill resident Ticiang Diangson. “We’re not even really sure what the impacts on us will be right now.”

Designed to improve flight safety, Greener Skies uses satellite-guided technology to minimize potential miscommunication between air traffic controllers and pilots. It also shifts the flight paths of planes equipped with the new technology, concentrating their descents along more consistent and direct routes over smaller areas, saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions.

The new approach method was tested this summer at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

If the FAA approves Greener Skies after the environmental-impact report is finalized, the agency could begin phasing it in as soon as next year, starting with two of Sea-Tac’s busiest carriers, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

Speaking of flight paths, it you heard a woosh around 7 this morning, that was your humble editor flying to St. Louis for the week. If you see anything happening in the neighborhood, email us so we can check it out!

Mayor McGinn’s proposed 2013-14 Budget includes a big investment in the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative and increases the hours of operation at Yesler Community Center, he announced Monday.

As we reported previously, his budget also includes hiring ten new police officers citywide and funds for a new gunshot locator system. Several people responded to that announcement suggesting more should be done to prevent violence, and the mayor’s budget plan seems to also attempt to address these concerns. From the Mayor’s Office:

The mayor’s budget includes $1.68 million to expand the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Established after an increase in gun violence in 2008, the Initiative provides youth enrolled in the program with activities, mentoring, case management, employment services, and other targeted support. The new funding will help enroll 450 more young people in the program, bringing the total enrollment to 1,500.

His budget would also add ten additional hours of service to Yesler Community Center:

McGinn’s budget also includes $276,000 to add hours at Ballard, Delridge, Miller, Northgate, South Park, Van Asselt, and Yesler Community Centers. Each center will be open for 10 additional hours after school and late at night in order to serve young people. These seven centers were chosen by a data-driven analysis that included crime statistics and existing partnerships with the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative.

When discussing East Link, Sound Transit’s approved light rail line between Seattle and Redmond, the Bellevue stations and rail alignments tend to take center stage. But as the calendar slowly crawls closer to the start of work on the line (scheduled to open in 2023, so far away it sounds like the setting of a science fiction novel), the design process for Seattle’s only new station on the line is getting underway.

With the working name of “North Rainier Station,” the station will be located in the center lanes of I-90 just south of Judkins Park. There will be entrances from Rainier Ave below and 23rd Ave to the east.

City Councilmember Richard Conlin wrote on his blog that the station will be the first station in the city that “is not in an urban village.” Surrounded by parks and freeway, the station site offers fewer transit-oriented development options than other stations.

But even without such opportunities directly near (or above) the station, it could bring dramatic changes to the Judkins Park and northern Rainier Valley neighborhoods. The station will provide extremely quick access to two of the region’s largest employment centers, an appeal likely to raise property values nearby.

CDNews will obviously keep you updated on the planning process as it moves forward. But here are some immediate questions: What do you think of the “North Rainier Station” name? What should it be named? What should be the neighborhood’s goals as the plan develops?

From Conlin’s office:

But riders will also have a chance to get on at a new station to be located in the I-90 right of way near Rainier Avenue.  This station will be the first one to be sited in Seattle at a location that is not in an urban village, and will present unique challenges in designing access and in determining what kind of transit oriented development will be possible in the vicinity.

Recognizing that early planning is critical, the Council has approved Resolution 31386, calling for DPD to begin a station area planning process for the provisionally named ‘North Rainier Station’.  Even the name can be confusing, as what is now the Mount Baker Station is located in the North Rainier Neighborhood Planning area.  That area is close enough to the new station that interaction between the two station areas will be important to assess.

The City is committed to finding ways to ensure that development around light rail stations supports ridership and takes full advantage of the transit opportunities that light rail development will provide.  It is important to begin this planning work early in order to limit incompatible development, review options for effective implementation of appropriate planning and zoning, and ensure that there is effective community engagement.  A station associated with a light rail line in a freeway alignment will be challenging to integrate into the community.

For all of these reasons, now is the time to begin work on this station, even though light rail service will not be operational for almost ten years.  The Council has asked that this begin with a plan for community outreach and station area planning around the planned North Rainier Station, to be provided to the Council by August.  We want this plan to include specific timelines and planned staff commitments that will allow planning to be conducted in time to influence decisions by Sound Transit about the configuration and design for the station.

We are also asking that the plan include a timeline for adopting a station area overlay district for the North Rainier area and station area zoning that will limit the development of new auto-oriented uses in the vicinity of the proposed station.

They got me last night at 26th and Yesler. Nothing stolen, didn’t even try to get in the car, from the window that didn’t shatter it looks like they used a claw hammer. 

UPDATE: She’s a Genius!

With the help of a small army of volunteers and a network of property owners, Sarah Bergman has been building what could be the city’s largest art project right in the middle of the Central District: The Columbia Street Pollinator Pathway, which stretches one mile from Seattle University to Nora’s Woods in Madrona.

Now in its fourth year, arts organizations from the Seattle Art Museum to the Stranger’s Genius Awards are lining up to praise Bergman’s inspiring work: A community-building, ecologically-interesting and visually-appealing corridor of gardens that appeal to Seattle’s native pollinators and connect two urban green spaces. She has been named the 2012 recipient of the Seattle Art Museum’s Betty Bowen Award and is also nominated for a Genius Award from the Stranger (winner will be announced Saturday).

For each section of the pathway, Bergman meets with property owners along Columbia Street and tells them about the project. She then has them sign an agreement saying they will help maintain the gardens that Bergman and a team of volunteers will help plant.

She has a list of local pollinator friendly plants that have been approved by the city to ensure they don’t block sight lines along the street. As she learns more about local pollinators, she updates her list to include more plants to better suit their various needs.

“Butterflies need a nectar plant and a host plant for laying eggs,” said Bergman explaining her process and how she chooses which combination of plants to choose. “We want to know more about what pollinators are there so we can plant everything they need.” To meet this end, researchers are studying the project area to document all the pollinators present and to see if the project increases their numbers and diversity.

A common misconception is that the project is all about bees. In fact, the sometimes aggressive European honeybees are, as the name suggests, not native. However, there is an ever-growing list of 800-1,000 pollinators that are native, including butterflies, humming birds, small mammals, bats and native bees. Bergman, who happens to have a bee allergy, says the focus is on these native pollinators as a solution to our nation’s pollination problems (and not solely an attempt to fix the collapsing honeybee population crisis that has struck the nation in recent years).

Columbia Street property owners who are interested in getting involved can get in touch. The Pollinator Pathway team can provide the materials and the work to get it going, you just have to agree to let them plant in your parking strip and agree to water weekly and do light maintenance. Obviously, this means they also need volunteers for their weekly work parties (Saturdays from 12:15-3 p.m.).

They also have a big two-day Camas Planting work party next week. Details:

We’re having a big Camas Planting in less than two weeks, and installing two new gardens- come join us! It will be really fun. Camas is an amazing bulb that makes a beautiful purple flower in spring. We’re planting about 400 bulbs- its going to be amazing! Come on out- we will be roving a bit, but always on Columbia, and starting at 15th and Columbia.

Dates: Sept 29 and 30, 11-4.

Day 1: start at 15th and Columbia. Day 2, start at MLK and Columbia.