Glenn Fleishman writes at the very end of his latest article, Digital Discrimination, a further exploration into the bandwidth black hole that is Beacon Hill and the Central District, at Publicola:
I’m looking for insight from the neighborhood. Do you live in Beacon Hill, the C.D., or surrounding areas and have been frustrated with broadband? Comment below. Tell us what you have, what you get, and what you’ve tried to do. Are you planning to move because of this, because you can’t work at all from home or stay up on office issues? Does it affect your business? Let us know.
Drop on by, read the article, and let him know about your home or business internet situation here on the hill.
Photo by Jason.Hello Bicycle on Beacon Avenue has too much stuff in too small a space, so they are having a sale to get rid of bikes, frames, wheels, scrap metal, fixtures, and, basically, anything big that is taking up too much room.
Everything big is therefore on SALE, I’d be happy to negotiate lots of things for lowered prices. The more you’re willing to take the better deal you’ll get. Lot of free used tires that are in decent shape that the landlord is saying I’m not allowed to leave outside beside the shop, too.
There are probably a couple dozen used bikes that need to be sold, prices for bikes from $40 and up, with some freebies that aren’t pretty but could be useful to the right person. Please note, this sale only applies to BIG items that take up lots of physical space, and NOT small parts like lights, accessories, etc.
Signs at the entrance to the First Choice car wash illustrated problems with having an auto-oriented business in a pedestrian zone. Photo by Jason.The city’s Department of Planning and Development has confirmed that the First Choice car detailing/car wash business that is operating at the corner of Beacon Avenue South and 15th Avenue South is not allowed to operate at that site due to light rail station area and pedestrian overlay zoning regulations. The case is being referred to the City Attorney’s office for enforcement action, and the owner of the business has been informed of the decision. Our understanding here at the BHB is that there is a certain grace period for the business to relocate, so the business may be in operation for some time still.
In other local business news, neighbor Chris sent in a tip about an interesting, and saddening, listing on Craigslist today: Grown Folks Coffeehouse has closed, and they are selling all of their equipment. A potential bargain for someone else who wants to open a coffee shop, but a substantial loss for Mid-Beacon Hill. (This closure wasn’t entirely unexpected. We mentioned the land use application for their lot last month, and it was known for months before that the lot owner was looking to redevelop the property. –Ed.)
La Cabaña recently repainted their cheery sign. Photo by WendiLa Cabaña is Tex-Mex style cooking: lots of gooey cheddar cheese & smothered stuff. It’s not health food, but it is delicious!
Family-run and super friendly, this is where we take visitors when we want to spread out and enjoy a lot of good food without spending very much money. Portions are LARGE–you’ll have enough for lunch the next day. Dinner for 3 usually totals about $35, including drinks.
Try the mole enchiladas, the tostados, and the tamales. Rice and beans are basic and good. Two kinds of salsa and all you can eat chips (with ongoing refills) come with every meal. My niece loves the horchata (sweet rice drink) and my sweetie loves the Negro Modelo beer. I stick with water or occasionally a wine sangria. No hard alcohol here.
It’s almost always empty, but they’ve been around forever. The booths are roomy and the staff are always happy to see groups with kids. Decor is kitschy, in an adorable way.
I love La Cabaña. If you live on the Hill, walk on down. If you’re visiting on the train, it’s just a couple of blocks from the Beacon Hill Light Rail Station.
La Cabaña
2532 Beacon Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 322-9643
Some recent activity on the neighborhood mailing list:
Jon Gould is looking for a tenant for the 2200 square-foot (1100 upstairs, 1100 downstairs) space at 3315 Beacon Avenue South formerly occupied by Buggy (opening today in Madrona, by-the-way, with an opening party on the 11th). He’s asking for $1300/month in rent. Email Jon for further details.
Jon also notes that The Stranger‘s Christopher Frizzelle is looking to speak with people who have experienced Sound Transit-related sinkholes.
Several neighbors have discussed outdoing mail thefts, including the pilfering of bill payment checks, in the northerly areas near 16th Ave S recently. Shea Bajaj (of Viridian Design, an architect with an interest in building Detached Accessory Dwelling Units) passes on some information he received from his postal carrier: If you’ve suspect or have experienced mail theft, contact your local postal inspector. Additionally, through the same contact, you can lodge a request that recently removed blue postal drop boxes be replaced and/or petition for the establishment of a neighborhood postal collection unit like newer townhouse complexes have.
Hazel points us to a new website cataloging fruit trees around town: City Fruit. For more information, see the project’s home site. Relatedly, Theresa points us toward the Community Fruit Tree Harvest project from Solid Ground, a program looking for donations of tree fruit. They’re also considering fruit tree care classes and volunteer arborist services for donators. For more information, visit the website or contact Gail Savina.
If you’re not already on the mailing list, join here. It’s a great way to get recommendations from your neighbors for drywallers, plumbers, electricians, etc. or announce your garage sale or whatnot.
Thanks Jon, Theresa, Hazel, Shea, and everybody else on the lists!
Coming soon to your street. Photo by Jason Walsh. The Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service has now come to Beacon Hill. There has been some resentment here on the Hill that, despite having Amazon’s offices right here in North Beacon, we were left out of the delivery area. Now ZIP codes 98144, 98108, and 98118 in Southeast Seattle are eligible for deliveries. (According to the website, however, delivery to 98144 and 98118 is still only partial; they don’t provide a map to show which parts of those ZIP codes don’t get deliveries yet, but if you enter your address on the site you can find out if your house qualifies.)
Please, only bring paper documents to be shredded! No animal shredding will be allowed. Photo by oddharmonic.Vivian Valencia, Regional Relationship Manager at Verity Credit Union down by the VA Hospital at 1660 S. Columbian Way wrote to let us know about an event coming up this weekend:
Identity theft is on the rise which means shredding sensitive documentation is critical. This Saturday, June 13th, 10am – 2pm, Verity Credit Union’s VA Hospital/Beacon Hill branch is sponsoring a community shred-a-thon. Everyone is welcome. A minimum $5 donation is requested. All proceeds benefit the Beacon Hill Food Bank. For more information, contact Courtney Ilsley, (206) 315-6717 or CourtneyI@Veritycu.com. On the day of the event, call (206) 762-0410
Today Mayor Greg Nickels presented funding awards totaling $128,384 to 22 Neighborhood Business District Associations throughout Seattle to continue the city’s investments in building healthy communities and supporting our local economy.
Some of the projects funded include the creation of new business organizations, business district promotion (branding, marketing campaigns, farmers market start-up), physical improvement and enhancement projects (leaf clean up, curb bulb landscaping and banners), etc.
The 2009 Neighborhood Business District Awards recipients were:
African Business Association – $5,000
Business Owners of Madrona – $3,500
Capitol Hill Housing – $5,000
Chinatown International District BIA – $7,000
Columbia City Business Association – $11,880
Georgetown Merchants Association – $5,000
Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce – $6,000
Greater Seattle Business Association – $15,000
Greater University Chamber of Commerce – $2,000
Greenwood Phinney Chamber of Commerce – $5,000
Lake City Chamber of Commerce – $5,000
Madison Valley Merchants Association – $4,200
Magnolia Chamber of Commerce – $2,600
Metropolitan Improvement District – $4,144
Picture Perfect Queen Anne – $4,000
Pioneer Square Community Association – $7,500
Rainier Beach Merchants Association – $3,850
Rainier Chamber of Commerce – $3,710
SODO Business Association – $8,000
South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce – $10,000
West Seattle Chamber of Commerce – $5,000
White Center Community Development Association – $5,000
Two sidewalk signs in the right-of-way at 15th and Beacon. The car on the right is about to enter the intersection (and crosswalk) and make an illegal right turn onto 15th. (The light was red by the time they made the turn, and the intersection is No Right on Red.) Photo by Wendi.The First Choice Car Wash at 15th and Beacon has been granted an extension on their compliance deadline for filing permits for the business. The new deadline is June 1. The building currently is permitted for a retail use, not for car washing, detailing, and stereo installation. However, as posted earlier, the building is also zoned NC2P-40 (Neighborhood Commercial 2, Pedestrian-Designated Zone, 40-foot height limit), which means that no drive-in or drive-through businesses are allowed. A change-of-use may not be possible in this location.
Beacon Hill cannot have these signs, legally, unless a Business Improvement Association, historic district, or Chamber of Commerce is formed here. The district group would then need to get 60% of the businesses in the area to sign on, carry $1 million in liability insurance, and then obtain a Street Use Annual Permit from the city. Who knew?
Even in districts that allow such signs, it is illegal to have more than one sign per business, and they have to be directly in front of the business. First Choice has had up to three signs in front of their shop, and one across the street.
Sidewalk signs are relatively harmless, but one can see why limiting each business to one would be a good idea. The signs are taking up space in the public right-of-way, after all. In the case of the car wash, the signs are right in the entrance to two crosswalks. This is probably not an ideal location for pedestrian safety. (Nor is their driveway, as can be seen in the photo with this post.)
Since Beacon Hill’s Chamber of Commerce has gone dormant, it’s not likely that sidewalk signs will be made legal on the Hill anytime soon. In the meantime, First Choice and several other local businesses are violating a law that most of us have probably never even heard of.
Buggy, neighborhood baby outfitter and monthly knit-night host, is closing up shop on Beacon Avenue South and heading to new digs in Madrona, as confirmed on their soon-to-be-anachronistic website at www.buggybeacon.com.
Jon Gould dropped the news on the mailing list yesterday, noting that the 2200 square foot space will be available in June for $1300/mo.
