Ten shots rang out near 27th and Spring around 4:45 a.m. July 7, as noted in this community post by CDer. A 44-year-old man was struck in the leg while sitting on a couch inside the house. His injuries were not life-threatening.

There were several people inside the house at the time of the shooting, but nobody else was injured. One of the bullets went through the front door and struck the victim in the leg while he was on the couch. He told police he heard the shots, then felt pain in his leg. He moved to kitchen, where he laid down of the ground until medics and police arrived. He did not know why anyone would shoot at the house.

He was treated at the scene and transported to the hospital.

Nobody in the house saw the suspect or any suspect vehicles.

Commenters described the shots as very quick, almost like the gun used was an automatic. However, police say the shots came from a handgun.

I have not seen my cat since the fourth of July when he probably got scared from all the fireworks.  He is a medium sized black cat named Chaos, he has a name tag on him with my phone number and address.  He is a very friendly cat who is unafraid of running up to you and begging for attention.

In Part 1 of the series, the southeast corner of 23rd and Union loses it’s biggest tenant: the US Post Office. In Part 2, we look west across the street to a discouraging vacant lot.

When discussing 23rd and Union, it’s impossible to ignore the weed-filled, fenced-in and sometimes water-collecting vacant lot on the southwest corner. Once the site of the Coleman Building—which housed the still-talked-about Ms Helen’s Soul Food Restaurant—the storied corner has been fenced off since the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake damaged the building beyond repair.

Now, the property is up for sale as an approved and permitted project ends it’s fourth stalled year.

From the Colliers International sales materials

After many public meetings in front of the Design Review Board and the City Council, developer Jim Mueller got approval in September 2008 to build a 65-foot mixed use building with 92 units and retail space on the ground level. Less than a week later, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy and the declining national lending market took a nose dive. 2203 E Union has been stalled ever since, developers citing the lack of financing as the reason.

After several stagnant years, financing for projects of similar scope started to flow on Capitol Hill and down Madison, but not for Mueller’s projects at 23rd and Union and at 22nd and Madison. Both properties, along with their building plans and permits, are up for sale.

The 2203 E Union LLC paid just over $1 million for the property in August 2006. Now, with demolition, environmental clean-up, project design and permitting completed, the property is for sale for $2.75 million.

From the Colliers International sales materials (posted in full below)

Property and stalled project at 22nd and Madison also for sale

Property and stalled project at 22nd and Madison also for sale

Mueller’s property at 22nd and Madison, across the street from Safeway, is also for sale. The site was the original second location of the Twilight Exit (a CDNews sponsor), and the name is still scrawled above the boarded-up windows four years after the bar moved to its current 25th and Cherry location.

The 2051 E Madison LLC purchased the property for $2.8 million in 2007. A 95-unit, six-story mixed-use project has been designed and permitted since 2009, but has remained stalled.

The property is for sale for $4.2 million.

Below are sales materials for both properties from Collier’s International real estate agency.

UPDATE: We received a phone call from Collier’s International requesting that we remove the full sales document we had posted. Since most of the key information in the document already appears in the reporting above, we have removed the document as a sign of good will.

If you don’t want to don a bridal dress and declare your intent to marry the Yesler Terrace neighborhood (see video below), the City Council has arranged two public hearings for you to voice your opinion on the planned redevelopment of the neighborhood. The first is 5:30 p.m. July 17 at Yesler Community Center, and the second is 5:30 p.m. August 8 at City Hall.

Details from the City Council:

The Seattle City Council’s Special Committee on Yesler Terrace will hold two public hearings to take comment on the proposed ordinances and street vacation approval for Yesler Terrace.

Members of the public may testify at either hearing about the proposed Land Use Ordinance, the proposed street vacations, the proposed Planned Action Ordinance under SEPA, the proposed Cooperative Agreement, or other components of the City’s proposed actions to facilitate the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace:

WHAT:
Yesler Terrace redevelopment public hearings

WHO:
Open to the public

WHEN/WHERE:
Tuesday, July 17, 5:30 p.m.
Yesler Community Center, 917 E. Yesler Way

Wednesday, August 8, 5:30 p.m. (**updated date)
Council Chambers, City Hall
600 Fourth Avenue, second floor

Sign-up sheets will be available at 5 p.m.

At both public hearings interpretation will be provided in the following languages:  Somali, Oromo, Tigrigna, Amharic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Cantonese.

For more information on the proposed legislation and schedule of meetings, visit the Yesler Terrace Redevelopment web page.

Here’s the Council meeting interrupted by Babylonia (minute 33:30):

Here is the Council’s Tuesday meeting of the Yesler Terrace Committee:

This story was originally published by our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle.

Residents around 23rd and Madison noticed an unfamiliar scent a few Saturdays ago. It was the first day of roasting at El Portal’s new home.

“I only work with what I know,” Ignacio Ventura tells CHS about his new coffee shop and roasting operation in a space that has seen a succession of failed cafes over the years near the busy intersection of Capitol Hill, the Central District and Madison Valley. It’s the second new area coffee venture we’ve reported on recently — the other being Broadcast Coffee’s new Capitol Hill venture.

Ventura’s knowledge runs deep in the coffee tradition of the mountains around Veracruz where 90-degree days are matched by cool, damp nights — “Like Seattle,” Ventura said. He has built a business providing wholesale Mexican coffee beans roasted in the Pacific Northwest and provided to supermarkets and a few big accounts like Whole Foods. But Ventura said he was also looking for a way to diversify his business and showcase the beans he acquires from the best fincas in his home region.

“People asked me where they could try my coffee,” he said. He had been looking for a place to create a shop and found out about the 23rd and Madison location via Craigslist. The space was last home to a failed attempt by a local farmers market favorite to make a go of a cafe. Before that, another coffee shop had come and gone. It’s a tough space to get a foothold but Ventura might have the business blend to, if not make it a huge success, definitely draw some notice.

In addition to the Mexican beans — known, Ventura says, for their low acidity and “Chocolate notes” — El Portal also features preparations straight from Veracruz like the lechero Mexican latte. The gear is Mexican-made with a roaster Ventura purchased from a home-country manufacturer. Ventura is also serving items from a Lynnwood panaderia where he commutes from every day. He’s had offers from other providers but says he hopes to keep things as traditional and in the spirit of a Mexican coffee house as possible. 

The El Portal name, he says, refers to the structures of the Veracruz city square where people go to hang out in the cafes and enjoy their local brew. He also sees opportunity in connecting with area restaurants and providing El Portal beans for their coffee and espresso menus.

He plans hours of 6a to 6p every day but Sunday when he currently plans to be open until noon before closing early for some rest.

As for the challenges of the location, Ventura says he is undaunted. “I’m roasting these beans right here. I think people will notice,” he said.

You can learn more on the El Portal Facebook page.

It’s Independence Day week, and that means lots of fireworks in the neighborhood.

Understandably, recent shootings in the neighborhood have made people a little jumpy when they hear the sound of exploding gunpowder. If you hear gunshots, obviously call the police. But if it’s just fireworks, SPD says NOT to dial 911:

The fourth of July is a busy time for the Seattle Police Department and its 911 call center. Along with the reports of injuries and fires that accompany the fourth of July festivities every year, 911 call centers are also typically slammed with calls about fireworks-related noise.

While the Seattle Police Department values every call from neighbors about concerns in their communities, the Fourth has typically been a loud and busy day for police and firefighters over the last 236 years, and frequent fireworks noise complaints make it more difficult for 911 operators, police, and fire officials to respond to life-threatening emergencies across the city.

So, DO CALL 911: to report fires, injuries, crimes, or any other life-threatening incidents.

DO NOT CALL 911: to complain about noise from fireworks, or the weather.

The Seattle Police Department would also like to remind you that the possession, manufacture, storage, sale, and use of fireworks is prohibited in Seattle, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. 

If you do have concerns about fireworks in your neighborhood, but nothing has been damaged and no one has been injured, you can still call the Seattle Police non-emergency number at (206) 625-5011.

Have a safe Fourth of July!

So how do you tell the difference between fireworks and gunshots? Well, that’s not always easy. We often get reports from CDNews readers who heard gunshots that turn out to be fireworks (thanks for everyone who sends us tips, even if they turn out to be nothing!). Sometimes it’s easy to tell the difference (things that whistle or crackle, Black Cats that light in series, etc). But other times it’s hard to tell. Our suggestion is to use your best judgment.

You can also report fireworks in the comments below (or let us know when your rad illegal neighborhood street display is scheduled to begin, though we can’t promise SPD won’t also find out…)

Closing precinct lobbies

SPD precinct lobbies are operating on reduced hours as the department redeploys 25 desk officers to other tasks, CHS reports. The measure is temporary, and SPD says it will help them respond to emergency calls in busy summer months, which are their top priority.

To many, the openings of Med Mix and The Neighbor Lady were signs of 23rd and Union’s long-awaited economic revival. But the trials for the storied corner are not over as businesses and property owners prepare for the departure of one of the Central District’s biggest employers: The US Post Office.

Tom Bangasser—who owns the entire block on the southeast corner of 23rd and Union, including the UmojaFest PEACE Center—confirmed that the Post Office will be vacating the property by April 30, 2013. With a large employment force that helps keep nearby businesses afloat and a large soon-to-be vacated space that could be difficult to rent, the departure could put extra urgency behind redevelopment plans.

“The Post Office is that one area of the community that has always been a hub,” said Bangasser. The Post Office currently leases 50,000 square feet, including much of the parking lot. It operates both as a retail location and a distribution center. We reported in May that several distribution centers were consolidating at USPS’s 4th and Lander center. A Post Office spokesperson said they intend to keep a retail location somewhere in the area.

Facing the prospect of increased vacancy at the struggling corner, Bangasser said the time for development is here, and those developments will probably need to be tall. How tall? He and other property owners are looking for 65 feet, or about six stories.

“If we knew what the zoning were going to be, we could get going on design,” said Bangasser. Most of the intersection’s properties are currently zoned for 40 feet, which is not as profitable and not as likely to get financing as a 65-foot building. He urges the city to start serious discussions on rezoning the corner soon.

Now, before you immediately label this as gentrification, consider that Bangasser has been connected to the management of the property in some form for 50 years. Obviously, he has a stake in the zoning change: He wants it to be appealing for sale to a developer. But he’s also not some Wall Street fat cat. He and I had a discussion about gentrification that was nuanced and open-minded (which you don’t always get from developers and property owners). He said his parents were involved in the Civil Rights movement, and his father invested in the property because he was concerned about redlining—”why we invested here when others were leaving.”

If he had his way, a development at the site would include “workforce” housing (typically priced a little below market rate, designed to house workers within a quick walk, bike or bus ride from work). He also spoke lovingly of his current business tenants, expressing a level of pride in being able to be a part of their success. He would want them to be involved in any new buildings if they wanted to be.

“We want to make sure our tenants all have a place in that future,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind Earl [of Earl’s Cuts & Styles] could go into any of these new buildings and make it,” citing Earl’s as a business that started from little and has attracted a strong and dedicated client base.

“I remember signing the lease with Earl access the street in Miss Helen’s with his grandmother,” he said.

The value of the corner seems like a no-brainer. The intersection sees about 35,000 cars per day and is the intersection of two popular bus lines, including King County Metro’s busiest route: the 48. The corner is “remarkably diverse,” as Bangasser put it, and has long been considered the heart of the Central District.

“If you understand change and you’re willing to embrace it, then you’ll probably ask, ‘Why hasn’t it happened yet?'” said Bangasser.

He hopes discussions about rezoning the corner will be an opportunity for members of the neighborhood to discuss what they would like to see happen on the property. That input could help interested developers “get a better idea of what this community is all about,” he said.

On the other hand, the desires of the neighborhood have to mesh with a plan that is profitable in order to attract a developer and financing. And if Bangaser plans to sell the property, there’s no promise the future property owners will necessarily share his hopes.

But it’s a conversation that needs to happen. And that means we will need to have some serious and respectful neighborhood conversations about gentrification (including discussions in person, since online conversations about gentrification seem destined to turn into yelling matches. Prove me wrong below, CDN readers!).

No matter your opinion on what kind of changes the corner needs, doing nothing seems like the worst option.

“What would be terrible is to have the Post Office gone and boarded up,” said Bangasser, “or vacant like across the street.”

In Part Two, we will look across the street where the site of an approved but financially-stalled 65-foot building has been put up for sale.

Babylonia Aivaz tried to marry a warehouse at 10th and Union earlier this year, but was rebuffed when bulldozers demolished the structure while she watched, donning her wedding dress.

Now, Aivaz has is ready to give her heart to the entire Yesler Terrace neighborhood, with plans to make the big announcement during a Monday afternoon City Council meeting.

Plans for a large-scale redevelopment of Yesler Terrace are many years in the works, and Seattle Housing Authority needs City Council approval of the plans before major work can begin.

The plan includes 661 “extremely” low-income units to replace the 561 currently in the neighborhood as well as 290 “very” low-income units and 850 “workforce” units. In addition, the plan calls for 3,199 market-rate units, mostly in high-rise condo and apartment buildings.

From Babylonia Aivaz:

Babylonia Aivaz, widow of the 10th and Union Warehouse, plans to marry the Yesler Terrace Neighborhood. She will make her wedding announcement during a City Council meeting on July 2nd, 2012 @ 2:30 pm.

On July 2nd, there will be a Special Committee on Yesler Terrace at City Hall headed by Council members Sally Clark,Richard Conlin, and Nick Licata to discuss land use, zoning, design guidelines, design review processes, and other key components of the re-development.

It is imperative that important government officials from Seattle support Babylonia’s wedding plans so that THIS TIME her beloved will not be tragically demolished in front of her eyes and replaced with expensive high rise condominiums. Upon hearing the news of Babylonia’s wedding, City Council will become very sympathetic and choose to vote against the legislation needed for re-zoning the neighborhood.

Yesler Terrace remains the last of the four historic garden communities in Seattle. It is a unique and vibrant community with incredible views of the Puget Sound and close to downtown Seattle. It is the first racially integrated public housing project in America, the former home of Jimi Hendrix and Governor Gary Locke, and a gateway of hope for very low-income immigrant families. There is an authenticity and  genuine departure from typical urban architecture here that exists nowhere else in the city. Yesler Terrace is one of a kind. This neighborhood is the best example of community, a creative energy with incredible power and a human need many in the United States do not understand or experience.

A portion of the residents have already been given premature eviction notices by the Seattle Housing Authority before City Council has even voted on the legislation required for the re-zoning in this project.

How can Babylonia fall in love with an abandoned warehouse and now an old public housing project? She states, “ wherever a bastion of community spirit exists that is facing total destruction, there my heart will be.”

Police have a suspect in custody after a reported stabbing at 11th and Terrace. Medics are treating the victim.

Want to help English as a second language students with their homework? Douglass-Truth Library is one of several around the city looking for volunteers for the 2012-2013 school year. Apply by July 16 for priority consideration.

From SPL:

The Seattle Public Library is seeking Homework Help volunteers to assist mainly ESL students in grades one through 12 with homework assignments throughout the 2012-2013 school year.

Volunteers will help students with homework assignments in English, history, math, science, social studies and other school subjects on a drop-in basis. Applicants must have completed at least one year of college and have experience assisting youth as a tutor, teacher or parent.

Homework Help will be offered at the Library locations listed below from Sept. 10, 2012 through June 6, 2013. Volunteers will be scheduled for weekly two-hour shifts. Those who cannot make weekly commitments can be scheduled as substitutes.

 

·         Beacon Hill Branch, 2821 Beacon Ave. S.

·         Broadview Branch, 12755 Greenwood Ave. N.

·         Columbia Branch, 4721 Rainier Ave. S.

·         Delridge Branch, 5423 Delridge Way S.W.

·         Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way

·         High Point Branch, 3411 S.W. Raymond St.

·         Lake City Branch, 12501 28th Ave. N.E.

·         NewHolly Branch, 7058 32nd Ave. S.

·         Northgate Branch, 10548 5th Ave. N.E.

·         Rainier Beach Branch, 9125 Rainier Ave. S.

·         South Park Branch, 8604 8th Ave. S.

 

A volunteer application can be downloaded from www.spl.org by clicking on “Support Your Library” and then selecting “Volunteer Opportunities.”

Individuals who submit their volunteer application by Monday, July 16 will receive priority consideration for volunteer openings. For more information, contact Anne Vedella, volunteer services coordinator, at [email protected] or 206-386-4664.