Mayor Mike McGinn recently announced funding for upgrades to cultural facilities throughout Seattle. The city will award a total of $250,000 to 13 cultural and arts organizations for projects like elevator upgrades, seating risers, and new stages and electrical systems.

Two of these projects are located in the Central District, including $9,000 to Coyote Central for improvements to wood and metal shops (ventilation, heat, and safety) and $6,900 to the New City Theater for the installation of new audience risers to expand capacity by 39 percent.

“These investments will help our cultural institutions remain a vital part of our neighborhoods,” said Mayor McGinn in a press release. “Upgrading aging facilities can help these institutions focus on maintaining their programs and bringing arts and culture to the people.”

More about the funding program from the Office of Arts & Culture:

The cultural facilities program, piloted in 2012, supports Seattle-based arts, heritage, cultural and arts service organizations with one-time funding for facility renovations or the completion of the final phase of new facilities. After a successful pilot year in 2012 in which $150,000 was distributed, Mayor McGinn and the City Council increased the allocation to $250,000 for 2013.

All projects receiving this funding will take place and be completed between now and December 2014. To view a full list of projects that received this funding, click here. 

MidTown Center — a rezone could allow future development to reach 65 feet high — just short of that cloud (Image: CDN)

The next step in making the southeast corner of 23rd and Union more appealing to developers has been taken — and it’s a slightly smaller step than first planned. The Department of Planning and Development’s director’s office has recommended the rezone application brought by the longtime owner of the block to allow the more than 100,000 square-foot property to be built to 65 feet.

Midtown Center owner Tom Bangasser said he hopes the decision will help him bring more jobs to the area. The move comes as the United States Post Office nears its planned move-out target in January. At this point, however, there is still no development plan attached to the rezone push and DPD records don’t indicate any activity around the property.

In a change from the first plans for a rezone reported by CDN in April, Bangasser says that community input helped change the application to “neighborhood commercial 2” zoning instead of “NC3” to help keep development more in line with the surrounding area. NC2 zones still push building heights to 65 feet but limit potential commercial space to 25,000 square feet or less. The land is currently zoned with a height limit of 40 feet. Continue reading →

Mutiny Mutiny performing live (photo courtesy of the band)

From garage bands to Jimi Hendrix, the Central District has a long history of musically-inclined residents. For the past few years, the post-punk band Mutiny Mutiny has contributed to that legacy.The two-person band includes guitarist Jason Dean and bassist Jenn Schmidt. Dean and Schmidt moved to the Central District a few years ago, and since then have drawn inspiration from the neighborhood — from the diversity and history here to the tragedy of Justin Ferrari’s shooting.

Mutiny Mutiny is poised to release their second album, and they’ll be playing a release show at the Columbia City Theater on November 14 at 8pm. CD News sat down with the band to talk about their new album.

CD News: What can listeners expect from the new record?

Mutiny Mutiny: We are very proud of this record, and really hope that listeners will enjoy it. We worked with an awesome producer, Brandon Busch, who really has a good pair of ears and he helped us get the best audio quality that we could. He did a great job, and things are really sounding awesome. The songs on the new record are pretty diverse. We have some faster, angry songs, some slower, moodier ones, some that are really weird and angular, and some that are more melodic. Jenn played classical music for a long time, so our song structures don’t necessarily follow what you’d expect from a typical rock band. They meander a little bit and go where they want to go, which we think is cool. We also worked with a really talented local artist, Stacy Hsu, for our cover art. It turned out amazing and that is 100% because of her.

CDN: What aspect are you most proud of?

MM: We are really proud of the batch of songs we’ve written and the performances we were able to capture on the record. Some feedback we got on our first album was that we sounded a little tentative and like we were holding back a little bit in the studio, which was probably true. This time around we really tried to step it up and bring a lot more energy and better performance to our songs. We also spent a lot of time working on writing stronger vocal parts and using harmonies more. Overall, we feel like this record is a big step forward for us and we’re excited to be able to start sharing it with people.

CDN: How has life in the CD influenced your music?

MM: Well, when you live in a neighborhood that’s produced amazing musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones you better step up your game if you’re going to represent the CD musically. It is such a dynamic neighborhood and we feel lucky to live here. There is constant activity and change, which generates lots of food for thought. You have boxing gyms, some of the best Ethopian food in the country, Hollow Earth Radio and places like The Wild Cat Cafe. We get a lot of inspiration from the energy and diversity of the community. There is a lot going on here, and when you mix that with the deep roots and strong sense of community there’s no shortage of inspiration for new songs.

CDN: Was the “Senseless Theater” song a way to cope with the tragedy of the Justin Ferrari shooting or a way to speak out on a large scale?

MM: Senseless Theater was written both as a coping song and as an attempt to speak out on a larger scale about the many instances of gun violence that have happened in Seattle this past year, one of which was the Justin Ferrari shooting. We live just a couple of blocks from the intersection where that happened and walk or drive through there pretty much every day. The absolute randomness and senseless nature of that incident really hit hard. It really could have been anyone. Not long after that, we were woken up by gunshots right out in front of our house. Our neighbors two doors down actually had bullets come in through their front walls. Jason was going to the studio the next day, and he finished the words to the song on the bus on the way there after that night while the police were walking around outside looking for casings. We tried to capture the sense of fear and paranoia that its impossible not to feel when acts of random and senseless violence take place so close to home.

Look for more upcoming shows from Mutiny Mutiny, to be announced on their website.

You can listen to a track from the band’s album here:

facebook.com/groups/SeattleDistrict3

Who will lead the (hopefully) United Neighborhoods of District 3? We don’t know though Socialist Alternative City Council candidate Kshama Sawant appears on her way to a head start on the district’s first election in 2015. In the meantime, there’s another father of our country type to thank — The Stranger’s Dominic Holden has set up a Seattle District 3 Facebook group that is open too all comers:

Hey, everyone. Welcome to this page about Seattle District 3! Please invite anyone who may be interested–it’s public (if I set it up right, that is). Folks should discuss everything related to Seattle City Council elections for District 3, which includes Capitol Hill, the Central District, and a bunch of adorable little neighborhoods on the lake. Hurrah!

Holden vs. Sawant in 2015? Fun to see the burst of energy around something new in the city. Let’s see how long it lasts!

Meanwhile, open district groups have also been set up for the rest of the city. You can find the roster here.

Six stories everywhere you look (Image: CHS)

Artist rendition of the planned “Memory Care Deck” — Fresh air, walking and sunshine will brighten your day. Our secured Memory Care floor of Aegis on Madison was uniquely designed to offer a second-level outdoor deck that will bring back the feelings of yesteryear. The façade of an old-fashioned neighborhood will surround the deck including a vintage car parked at the local garage, mailboxes, benches, and the doorsteps of classic NW homes. Residents can walk and reminisce about “the good old days” here.

Believe it or not, E Madison has quite a bit to offer an assisted living community. Aegis Living is slated to open its newest facility in January at 22nd and Madison — called Aegis on Madison — and general manager Rob Liebreich said the company couldn’t be happier with the location.

“There’s been a transition in this area has really picked up in terms of its reputation and desirability,” Liebreich said. “Five years  back we probably wouldn’t have built this community where we’re building it now.” Continue reading →

(Image: Alex Garland with permission)

The situation at Horace Mann isn’t exactly a stand-off but the tension has risen as supporters of the Africa Town Center for Education & Innovation put out a call Friday night for a community rally at the 23rd and Cherry school:

Seattle Police Department threatens raid of Horace Mann building today at 6pm. Stand in support of justice, equity and MORE for MANN. Bring your cameras.

As of Saturday night, police efforts to remove any people inside the Mann building had not taken place. Seattle City Light arrived at the scene Saturday — later, one person providing details via Twitter said generator power was now available.

Earlier, CDN reported on the ongoing tension around the situation for Seattle Public Schools which owns the building and plans a major renovation of the facility. Wednesday night, the school board voted to delay an action vote on the situation at the request of Superintendent Jose Banda.

Thursday, Banda again issued an order to vacate:

The groups in Horace Mann have been told to vacate multiple times since summer so renovations could begin to make way for a planned return of the Nova Alternative High School return next fall. While Seattle Schools has been mostly patient with the talks, there’s been a greater push for a solution as the construction schedule looms. The Seattle Times called More 4 Mann “squatters” and called for the groups to be removed from the building.

More 4 Mann, however, says it is doing much more than squatting in the building:

We want to continue to show the unified community of African-American parents, educators and students working together to take responsibility for the education of our children.

Now is the time to rectify the past inequities and ineffective methods to educate our children.

We will no longer accept and allow sub-standard resources, results, programs and policies directed to our young scholars.