March 2013

Someone has submitted an appeal for the Low Income Housing Institute's proposed building in Ballard at 2014 NW 57TH ST. the appeal hearing is set for Friday, April 12 at 9 a.m.

A six-story, 51-unit residential structure meant for low-income senior housing, the building has been a center of controversy with surrounding neighbors, mostly with concerns about the proposed (but so far non-permitted) Urban Rest Stop.

Concerns of residents included: security and loitering, garbage collection and access at the site, storage spaces so patrons of Urban Rest Stop don't stash belongings outside, privacy and visibility of neighboring houses, loss of sunlight, and height of the building.

Neighbors also detailed their concerns in letters to the editor.

Department of Planning and Development gave the go-ahead for the project back in January, but only if the developers met several guidelines in response to the concerns.

However, it appears those guidelines were not enough. We will update with any new information.

SDOT press release
The Seattle Department of Transportation has completed work at the intersection of Delridge Way Southwest and Southwest Trenton Street ahead of schedule and the intersection is now open to all traffic. Southwest Trenton between Delridge and 20th Avenue SW, closed since February 28 for intersection prep work, is also now open to traffic.

The area was originally scheduled to open to traffic by Monday, March 4, at 6 a.m.
Please visit the project website for more information: www.seattle.gov/transportation/pave_delridge.htm ###

The work of West Seattle Herald photographers Steve Shay, Greg McCorkle, David Rosen and Patrick and Kimberly Robinson are on display this month at Providence Mt. St. Vincent at 4831 35th Ave SW.

The show is up now and located on the 2nd floor of the facility outside the main dining room.

The images cover work not necessarily seen in the newspaper or online and the photos range in size from 8x10 to 20 x 24 inches in size.

A reception where you can meet the photographers is set for March, 7 at 5:30pm. Wine and refreshments will be served.

Also this month a separate showing of the photos of Patrick and Kimberly Robinson is hanging at Cafe Osita at 7349 35th Ave SW.

Ever wonder about those fuzzy, busy bees that diligently working your favorite blooms? Ever think you'd be interested in having 50,000 or so in your own back yard!?

You can learn the basics of beekeeping, from the types of honey bees available, parts of the hive, installing bees in a hive, local ordinances and various equipment, tools and hive placement necessary for keeping bees in an urban environment in an afternoon class being taught at Village Green Perennial Nursery near White Center.

You will learn the value of honeybees in your very own garden from local Arbor Heights beekeeper Brad Jones, owner of the Seola Bee Company and past President of Puget Sound Beekeepers Association.

The class is offered on two days March 9 and and March 17 from 12noon to 3pm. This is basic but really will prepare you to keep your own hive and help your garden or fruit trees flourish.

The adult fee is $50 per person (or $25 for a younger person) This is a very limited capacity class so please book early. Also, this is a classroom setting. If you intend to bring children be aware this is a three hour class.

Another meeting on Monday, March 18 is being convened by the Department of Planning and Development regarding the five-story, 25-unit, 2,665 sq. ft. apartment building addition being proposed for the site at 24th Ave NW and NW 64th St. It might be better known as the spot where the 50-year-old Viking tavern and 2 and 1/2 Happy Barbers reside, the buildings of which will be demolished to make way for the new apartment building, "Ballard Lofts."

If you need to catch up, you can read our story about the design here, or Columnist Peggy Sturdivant's piece on developer Bill Parks here.

Here's how the meeting will go, according to the Department of Planning and Development:

An application for Design Review related to future development of this site has been submitted to DPD. The second stage of Design Review is the Recommendation phase. At the Design Review Board Second Recommendation meeting, the following occurs:

The remodeled, reimagined and rebuilt Roxhill Playground is nearing completion with only a few weeks left before it is finalized but that last important detail, the tiled turret top on the main castle needs some more helping hands.

The West Seattle Herald covered the preparations and assembly of all the pieces and parts before winter set in. The work done then was a major set of volunteers working hard.

The dedication which had been set for January has been delayed.

Mike Henderson, artist, architect and now tile man has "about 300 hours" of work into the project which is surprisingly detailed.

Update: Ballard Annex Oyster House is set to open on March 21 at 5 p.m.

Friday through Sunday hours are still to be determined, but it can't hurt to drop by and check if you're in the 'hood.

Starting March 25, the hours will be:

Mon-Thu: 3:30 pm to Midnight
Fri-Sat: 11:00 am to 1:00 am
Sun: 11:00 am to Midnight

Bottoms up!

Original, March 2:

Nathan Opper and Zak Melang, the duo behind the Matador and Kickin' Boot Whisky Kitchen, will in late March be opening up the Ballard Annex Oyster House (5410 Ballard Ave NW), their venture into -- you guessed it -- seafood.

It will be located in the historic Ballard News Building, next to the Centennial Bell tower and former site of Ballard City Hall. The 4,000 sq. ft. restaurant will seat 35 in the bar area, 65 in the dining room, and 60 in an upstairs back bar.

Inside, instead of printing news, the operation will be decked out with an oyster bar, tanks of whole Dungeness crab and Maine lobsters, plus three Steam kettles. Seattle native, Chef Josh Green, formerly of Ponti and the Virginia Inn, will be leading the kitchen.

By Holly Brown

I can still recall my excitement when mom would announce, “It’s Pot-Pie night.” It was a comforting signal that when she got home from work, we’d be spending a cozy evening together enjoying one of my favorite frozen dinners, and watching I Love Lucy or The Mary Tyler Moore Show on T.V. These days I make Chicken Pot Pie for my family and friends from scratch. My homemade version tastes a great deal better than the frozen pie version of my childhood, but it always brings me back to the happy moments I shared with mom, eating something I loved, and spending a relaxing evening just being with her.

For SLIDESHOW, click on above photos, or click on photos from gallery below.

The Annual Discover Burien Dinner and Silent Auction, and City of Burien Annual Awards Ceremony was well-attended Friday night, March 1, at the Burien Community Center. Nearly 150 attended. Food was featured from local restaurants. Hosting and presenting awards were Discover Burien President Brian Frederick of Cox Financial, LLC, and local filmmaker and entrepreneur Steve Edmiston who mentioned his soon-to-be-released film, "The Maury Island Incident" about the UFO sitings there 66 years ago.

The 2012 Leadership awards were selected from nominations from the community and voted upon by the Discover Burien Board of Directors.

Brothers Tim and Ken Robinson, of Robinson Newspapers, presented their 7th Annual "Robby Award" to Lynda Isernio, Vice President , Branch Manager,
Sterling Bank in Burien. She was honored for both her professionalism and community activism. Tim and Ken's father and publisher, Jerry Robinson, could not attend. However, in his place, a soft foam sculpture of his likeness joined his sons at the podium.

By Astha Tada

Hoorah! It’s been decided! Our new, larger 10,000 square foot library will be built right behind Mount View Elementary at S.W. 107th Street and 14th Avenue S.W. This will be a welcomed resource since effective early elementary education is crucial for school success. It is also still within walking distance from Cascade Middle School/ Evergreen campuses, closer to White Center Heights Elementary and low income facilities.

The requests to delay the decision to understand the full impact of the sites and get greater community involvement were denied by KCLS trustees who felt rising building costs, long delays, generous loan allowances and another interested buyer compelled them to make this choice.