All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Meetings, Urban Planning

Early design guidance meeting scheduled for 12th Ave project

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The Design Review Board will gather for an early design guidance meeting on December 13 to discuss an apartment development project proposed for 1814 12th Ave. S., one block west of Beacon Hill Playground.

The proposal is to demolish the existing single-family residence on the site (which is zoned Lowrise 3) and build a four-story, 23-unit apartment building. There would be 12 underground parking spaces provided.

At an early design guidance meeting such as this one, applicants present information about the site and the project. Public comment is then allowed, and the members of the Design Review Board will give their comments and suggest guidelines for the continuation of the development project.

The meeting is on Tuesday, December 13 at 8 p.m., at the WellSpring Family Services Center community room, 1900 Rainier Ave. S. For further information, contact planner Bruce Phillip Rips, at 206-615-1392.


The site of the proposed apartment building. View a larger map at Google Maps.

Local Events

St. George’s Holiday Bazaar promises food, gifts, and music

Warm up your wallet for a local gift shopping opportunity! St. George School is hosting the Annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, December 4, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the school’s gathering hall at 5117 13th Ave. S. They promise artists, crafters, and other vendors, as well as food and entertainment for the whole family. Admission is free.

Vendors will be there to sell handmade scarves and other knitwear, jewelry, and toys. There will also be representatives of Avon, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Theo Chocolate, Choice Teas, and more. Poinsettias donated by Georgetown’s Rosso Gardens will be available.

Food available will include a continental breakfast, Ivar’s clam chowder, and pancit.

The entertainment schedule is as follows:

  • 9:00 Bottom Line Duo (The Hoveskeland family)
  • 10:00 Roque Brothers (Filipino singers)
  • 11:00 Chuck Lind (Pianist)
  • 12:00 St. George Children’s Choir
  • 1:00 Unica Le (Pianist)

Here’s the St. George Children’s Choir performing “One Small Voice” earlier this year:

Life on the Hill

Mean cat bullies humans and cats alike

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Neighbor Kasey writes with a plea for feline peace. Is this about your cat?

There’s a cat in our part of the neighborhood (19th and Stevens) that has shown aggression toward felines and humans alike. Not a night goes by without the terrifying sounds of a cat fight alerting all of the dogs on the block. This buff-colored, medium-haired cat is small to medium in size and ruthlessly stalks indoor/outdoor kitties. My own cat has been bullied by the predator for about the last four months and I can’t seem to get it to leave him or our yard alone. He or she has also fought with our housemates’ cat as well.

I wish I had more information to share, but I would really appreciate taking the chance that the cat’s owner isn’t aware of how mean it is to other animals. I don’t want to see it end up at the Seattle Animal Shelter, but that’s my next call.

Meetings, Urban Planning

Design Review Board to discuss 25th Ave apartment project

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The Design Review Board is holding a public meeting on December 13 to discuss the development project proposed for 2715 25th Ave. S. and 2615 25th Ave. S., on the east slope of Beacon Hill just west of the Rite Aid/QFC building. (Meeting announcements are here and here.)

The project proposes the construction of two 7-story apartment buildings with a combined total of 307 units, including parking for 297 vehicles. The lots currently contain five mid-century single family homes.

See the DPD permit information here and here.

An Early Design Guidance Meeting was held on June 28 to discuss this project. Here is the project report presented by the development team at that time. You can read a summary of the meeting and the guidance from the Design Review Board here. At the December 13 meeting, the applicants will present the revised design and discuss how they have responded to the priorities and concerns brought up at the Early Design meeting. The public is invited to attend and comment.

The meeting is on Tuesday, December 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the WellSpring Family Services community room at 1900 Rainier Ave. S.

This was one possible site plan shown at the June Early Design Guidance meeting. At the December 13 meeting, the public will be able to see how the concept has changed.
Getting Around, Other Neighborhoods

Airport Way South Viaduct Construction to Begin November 28

The Airport Way South Viaduct in neighboring Georgetown, just north of South Lucile Street, will be closed to all traffic beginning on November 28 for up to 14 months while the bridge is rehabilitated by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).

Vehicles and pedestrians will be detoured to Fourth Avenue South via South Lucile and South Industrial Way, and bicycles will be detoured all the way west to First Avenue South via South Lander Street. (Which seems like a heck of a long detour.) Denver Avenue South and South Dawson Street between Lucile and Fourth will be used as a northbound truck detour route. See a map of the detour routes here.

Crews will work from 6 a.m to 5 p.m. weekdays, as well as on some nights and weekends. Expect traffic delays in the area.

The rehabilitation project includes seismic retrofitting of the 83-year-old bridge just west of Beacon Hill and I-5. The viaduct bears 13,000 vehicles daily.

The project website is here.

BH in the News, Local Business

Hello Bicycle gets some press

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Hello Bicycle has come a long way since they opened in Fall 2008. This is what their window looked like then. Photo by Jason Simpson.
Beacon Avenue bike shop Hello Bicycle has been very visible lately in both online and on-air media.

Last month, Seattle Pulp published “Hello Bicycle, goodbye bike snobs,” a profile of the shop and bicycle mechanic Sam Lettes:

“Somewhere in Seattle, one bicycle mechanic isn’t feeling smug. He’s not leering at shop patrons as they push their mangled machines through the shop door. He’s not belittling new customers who’ve never heard the word Shimano. And he’s happy to see penniless pre-teen BMXers hovering outside the shop door.”

Then yesterday, Hello Bicycle founder Miki Nishihata was interviewed on American Public Media’s Marketplace radio show, for a story about small businesses and technology by Steve Henn. You can read the interview or listen to it here.

Hello Bicycle is located at 3067 Beacon Ave. S.

Local Business

El Centro Christmas tree sale coming soon

Photo by Chip Harlan via Creative Commons/Flickr.
El Centro de la Raza is selling locally-grown Christmas trees and wreaths again this year, supplied by a local family-owned business. Proceeds from the sale will help support El Centro’s programs.

You can pre-order a tree before November 23 to receive a discount, and then pick out your tree from the El Centro tree lot between November 25 and December 21. Prices for trees range from $21-$80 until November 23, and $25-$85 from November 25-December 21. Wreaths are $18-$28 during the discount period, and $20-$30 afterward.

The order form is here. For more information, call 206-957-4605 or email execasst@elcentrodelaraza.org.

Lost and Found

Have you seen Rishi?

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Neighbors Kt and Bo write:

We haven’t seen our cat in a few days, and we think she may have lost her way home or be stuck in someone’s home/garage/basement/front window, as she tends to be a fearless wanderer and the weather was bad over the weekend. I saw her last on Thursday, the 10th of November. We live on 14th between Dakota and Nevada. Her name is Rishi (Ree-Shee), she is a small Oriental Tabby. She is not wearing a collar, but is micro-chipped. Her family, especially our two year old, is ready for her to come home. Please call us at 206-972-0045 (Kt) or 206-650-5874 (Bo) if you have seen her or have her.

We hope Rishi returns home in good health soon!

Local Events

Knife sharpening service coming to the Hill on Saturday

Knives like this work best when kept sharp. Photo by bradleypjohnson via Creative Commons.
Lynn Tucker on the Beacon Hill community mailing list organized a visit to the Hill from the mobile knife sharpening service, Cutlery on Wheels. Owner Bill Magee can sharpen knives, kitchen tools, fabric scissors, hair scissors, and more. The cutlery truck also contains a “Showroom on Wheels” with knives and culinary tools for sale.

Cutlery on Wheels will be parked in front of The Station coffee shop at 2533 16th Ave. S. on Saturday, November 19 from 10 a.m. until about 4 p.m.

Lynn adds:

“It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to do 6-8 knives and kitchen or sewing scissors depending on how many people stop in to drop off more knives. Prices depend on length of blade. I paid about $38 for 8 knives of varying lengths. Bill will do hand garden tools at the end of the day as he needs to change belts. He will not be able to do lawnmower blades of any kind.”