Tag Archives: rainier ave

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Internet outages, slow traffic, and health inspections

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(We apologize for some delay in getting this posted. Our internet was down for a bit. Oddly, it went down just as I was preparing the story below.)

Neighbor Sebastian in North Beacon writes that he’s been having some Broadstripe trouble lately:

I’ve been having intermittent to complete Internet outages for 24 days, starting on 7/30. Cable TV has been out since 8/19. I’ve called Broadstripe 20+ times to ask for updates and for someone to investigate their Network issues with less than satisfactory responses. During a third service call on 8/19/2010, a Broadstripe technician finally discovered that the source of the problem is with Broadstripe’s network and not with the equipment inside my house. Unfortunately the issue still hasn’t been resolved and my Internet and Cable TV still aren’t working.

…I’m curious if anyone else has been having issues with their Broadstripe Internet and Cable TV service? I’m getting tired of dealing with an incompotent service provider and I’m wondering if anyone has had any luck dealing with them?

Anyone else having these problems with their cable lately? And does anyone have any suggestions for Sebastian?

(Editor’s note, 5:28 pm: Sebastian tells us his service is up and working again. How about the rest of you?)

* * *

Like Beacon Hill internet service, traffic on Rainier Avenue South will also be moving slowly for a while. Southbound traffic on Rainier will be reduced to one lane between South Forest Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way South around the clock until early September. Construction crews are upgrading drainage and electrical utilities in the roadway as part of the Rainier Transit Priority Corridor Improvements Project to create a better waiting environment for bus passengers, improve travel time for buses, and improve parking conditions for automobiles. You can read more about it here.

* * *

“Home to some of the very best views of downtown Seatown, it’s shocking that sleepy Beacon Hill is often overlooked, said Yelp’s “Neighborhood Spotlight” feature last week. The article touts our library as “stunning,” our cuisine as “out of this world,” and concludes that there are “so many reasons to buzz about this ’hood!” Read it here.

* * *

Speaking of our cuisine, certain local establishments received their periodic visits from the Health Department. El Centro de la Raza, Dim Sum House, Elegant Gourmet Catering, Em Engo Beacon Grocery/BBQ Deli, Golden Daisy Restaurant, Holly Park Head Start Center, Jefferson Community Center, Sharon’s Lutong Bahay, and La Bendicion all saw the inspector in the last few weeks.

Congratulations to Holly Park Head Start Center, Jefferson Community Center, and Sharon’s Lutong Bahay who all had perfect scores of zero!

Click on the establishments’ names above to see the reports of each place’s inspection. Please note that having some violation points does not necessarily mean an establishment has a serious problem. It is common for even good establishments to get some violation points now and then. The type and number of the points are what matters. Here is some more information about the Food Protection Program.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Local volunteering, local food, and local cake!

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Mmmmm... cake. Photo by Cristina DeAraujo.
Mmmmm... cake. Photo by Cristina DeAraujo.
  • The Rainier Valley Post tells us that Rainier Avenue institution Borracchini’s has added a 21st century shine to an 86-year-old business — now you can order cakes online!
  • Sara suggests that we mention that there are tons of local volunteer opportunities for the National Day of Service on January 19; find some here.
  • Sustainable South Seattle (S3) will meet at the Columbia City Library this Wednesday, January 14, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, where Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin will discuss the Local Food Action Initiative.
Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Trains, streetcars, and a forgotten war

Streetcar on Rainier Avenue, 1936. Isnt that the building that now houses Darigold, on the right? Photo from Seattle Municipal Archives.
Streetcar on Rainier Avenue, 1936. Isn't that the building that now houses Darigold, on the right? Photo from Seattle Municipal Archives.
Getting Around

Street repair work to be done this Saturday

The city will tear up your street, and hopefully fix it back up again. Image courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives.
The city will tear up your street, and hopefully fix it back up again. We know we've used this picture before, but we like it. Image courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives.
Saturday, December 6, at 9:00 am, Seattle Department of Transportation crews will repair sections of 15th Avenue South, Rainier Avenue South, and Beacon Avenue South where the pavement was excavated for work on underground utilities. There will be flaggers to direct traffic. Lanes are scheduled to reopen by 3:30 pm.

Areas affected will be:

  • the 3000 block of 15th Avenue South (between Stevens and Winthrop*)
  • the 5100 block of Rainier Avenue South (at 39th Avenue South)
  • Rainier Avenue South at Medley Court south of South Austin Street
  • the 3000 and 3400 blocks of Beacon Avenue South (between Stevens and Hanford, and between Hinds and Spokane)

Need more information? Contact Eric Stewart at 206-255-2349.

*The city press release said the 3200 block, but the block bounded by Stevens and Winthrop is the 3000 block.

Here’s a map of the Beacon Hill locations affected:

View Larger Map

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Gentrification, school closures, and mice

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Recycle your old computers and benefit Union Gospel Mission at the same time, this Friday and Saturday at 660 South Othello Street . Photo by Leif K-Brooks.
Recycle your old computers and benefit Union Gospel Mission at the same time, this Friday and Saturday. Photo by Leif K-Brooks.
Local Business

Rainier Grocery Outlet to close

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We stopped in at the Rainier Grocery Outlet this evening and saw that entire rows of shelving were gone, the freezers were half-full, and a lot less “stuff” was in the store. I asked the checker if they were closing or just remodeling. He said they’re closing November 26th.

We haven’t been able to get more details yet, but we’re wondering if the store is a casualty of the lengthy construction of the Mount Baker light rail station that has made access to the store more difficult for the last few years. The building and property are owned by the University of Washington, with their laundry facilities next door.

Some time between March 31st, 2007 and June 19th of this year, Steve Christman took over from Steve and Debbi Mullen, operators of the Madrona Grocery Outlet. The Mullens stated in 2007 that, while the store had taken a 20 to 30 percent hit in business due to light rail construction, they hoped to tough it out until the rail station opened, running the Rainier store at “zero profit” until then and “didn’t want the store to close.” Looks like that plan didn’t pan out.

If your bargain-hunting regularly brings you to Grocery Outlet, you might want to get down there soon.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Glitter, architecture, and dancing women

Bling like this may await you at Goodwill this weekend. Photo by Rhonda Johnson -- thanks!
Bling like this may await you at Goodwill this weekend. Photo by Rhonda Johnson -- thanks!
Getting Around, Urban Planning

Light rail = increased home values on North Beacon?

Will this train soon bring higher housing values to the Hill? Photo by The Lebers.
Will this train soon bring higher housing values to the Hill? Photo by The Lebers.
According to the Denver Post, homes near light rail stations on the new Southeast line there have increased in value by nearly 4 percent since the line opened, even while homes in the rest of the Denver market declined by an average of 7.5 percent. The closer the home is to the station, the more the value increased, with those less than half a mile from the station increasing by an average of 17.6 percent.

The article mentions a similar effect in other markets, with single-family home values showing increases ranging from 2 percent in San Diego to a blistering 32 percent in St. Louis. The article also suggests that it is not just station location that causes the biggest increases, but transit-oriented development (TOD) that adds to the attractiveness of the area. North Beacon and Mount Baker (Rainier and McClellan) will have their stations soon, but will the TOD follow? Will we see a similar increase in housing value here on Beacon Hill? The Othello and Columbia City stations are already seeing some development, but there hasn’t been much up on top of the Hill or at the foot of McClellan.

Thanks to Seattlest!