Today, the city is investing in 11 miles of neighborhood greenways per year, working to update the city-wide Bicycle Master Plan, painting miles of bike lanes and arguing extensively in court to complete a biking and walking trail in Ballard. Seattle has the second-highest rate of bicycle commuting among large American cities, and is undeniably one of the best bicycling cities in the nation.
In 1982, Seattle had Sprocket Man:
Not to rag on Sprocket Man, or anything. But we’ve come a long way.
Madrona's iconic adobe gas station at 34th and Pike is on the way out to make way for a mixed-use residential and retail building. There will be a celebration Saturday from 6-9 p.m. saying goodbye to the former Madrona Auto buildings and hello to the new development.
CDN reported in 2008 that plans for the new development received a fairly warm community response during a design review meeting.The three-story building will have seven residential units. Six of the units will be "live-work" units, meaning residents will also have a retail space on the ground level.
Today
"The intention is that you live above your shop," said Susan Jones of atelierjones, the project architect. Jones said building planners will be at the party Saturday to answer any questions about the project.
All units in the building will have roof deck agriculture space and other green building features. It also has a south-facing courtyard "for art, kids and life," she said.
Artist's rendition of planned project
The project has been on hold since 2008 due to a lack of available financing. But now, money is starting to flow again, and the project is moving forward.
Permits were granted this week, and the project should be finished in twelve months.
They also have a great work exchange program where every hour of volunteering gets you $5 in Bikery bucks. This can also be used on their ridiculous collection of parts sold at low not-for-profit prices. Short of frame repair, I can’t image anything that couldn’t be done here. The mechanics will give you the guidance you need, but make no mistake you will be the one doing the work. Their goal is not to fix bikes, but to empower people to fix their own bikes. While they do have some sweet bikes for sale, it is only to help fund this great space; this is not a traditional bike shop.
To help keep The Bikery as diverse as possible, they are especially looking for more female volunteers. It’s a great way to meet awesome people, give back to the community, and gain more knowledge yourself. They have a variety of needs from working a shift (just three hours a week), to participating in work parties, promotions, or fund-raising. Dont think you don’t have enough knowledge to help! Bex stated when she started volunteering she barely knew how to change a tire. Even someone to just say hi and give a welcoming smile is important.
The Bikery is open Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 14th and Main. If you’ve never been (or if its been a while), stop by the shop to do some wrenching or buy some of their super affordable parts and accessories.
Menstrual Monday rides meet at the Seattle Center fountain the first Monday of every month.
Remember that bill two Vancouver, Wash. congressmen are pushing that would make it easier for movie theaters to serve booze? Well, Central Cinema is not so sure that it will really help them the way it is written.
As we reported earlier this month, the state Liquor Board changed laws concerning serving alcoholic beverages in movie theaters without alerting Central Cinema to the change until recently. The Liquor Board and Central Cinema are working to find a solution, and the theater is operating as normal.
Meanwhile, a bill under consideration in the state legislature would seek to change the laws concerning alcohol sales in theaters, mostly to address issues encountered by Kiggins Theater in Vancouver, Wash. The Liquor Board opposes SB 6366 and its companion bill HB 2558 because of concerns about minors having easier access to alcohol because of the "darkened house" of the theaters.
After watching the Senate Labor Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee discuss the bill (see below), Kevin Spitzer at Central Cinema (a CDN sponsor) says they would prefer to simplify existing rules rather than add more complications as the proposed bill seems to do:
We feel that the bills were not very well thought out about how they would affect theaters beyond the one the bill sponsors are trying to help. The testimony of the Liquor Board is also bizarre in that they contradict themselves several times. The argument that theaters with liquor licenses must meet the minimum lighting and restaurant requirements but then are considered "darkened houses" because the lighting is below the allowed level contradicts itself. They also state that there is currently no license for theaters yet goes on to describe the regulations for theaters serving alcohol.
Our position is that theater entertainment in a dark venue is the same no matter what format that entertainment is presented in. Venues with live entertainment are allowed to have minors in a dark room during a show in many situations except for the special rule regarding cinemas (because they are darker?) A venue either meets the lighting requirement or it doesn't. The Triple Door and Jazz Alley are allowed to have minors while Cinemas are not because the shows are projected.
It was frustrating to watch this video but we thought you should be kept up on where things are going.
We are currently also discussing things with Carl Marquardt of the Mayor's office and Brian McMenamin of McMenamin's in Oregon that operate the Olympic Club theater in Centralia WA. Hopefully we can make something happen where the Liquor Board will simplify their rules instead of adding more complicated ones.
It’s the Thursday Bike News Roundup! All the (other people’s) news that’s fit to list! As always, this is an open thread.
To get things started, here’s a beautiful video from Dan McComb (director of Beyond Naked) of the Seattle Randonneurs biking all night on the winter solstice:
A woman was arrested Wednesday evening after she allegedly rammed her Mercedes into her ex-boyfriend's car multiple times. She eventually pushed his car down a six-foot embankment, according to police.
He was not in the car at the time.
From SPD:
On January 25th, at approximately 7:10 pm, East Precinct officers responded to an alley in the 1800 Block of 24th Avenue for a report of a female suspect who was using her 2004 Mercedes Benz 500 to repeatedly hit her ex-boyfriend’s vehicle. According to witnesses, the suspect used her car to ram the other car five to ten times. The suspect, a 34 year old woman, was able to eventually push her ex’s vehicle down 6 foot embankment and into a neighbor’s fence. In the process, she got her Mercedes stuck on top of the other car. The ex-boyfriend, who was not in the car at time, and several other people witnessed this. Officers arrived and arrested the suspect. She was later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Malicious Michief-Domestic Violence. Detectives are now handling the follow up investigation.
A Yesler Terrace parent group is holding a meeting Saturday to help people better understand the city's 911 system and to discuss crime with police.
The meeting starts at 2 p.m. at the Yesler Community Center. As with many meetings at Yesler Terrace, interpreters in Yesler Terrace's many common languages will help with interpretation.
From PEER:
The PEER (Parent Empowerment for Education Results) is a parent group based in Yesler Terrace. They are hosting a safety meeting to help bridge the gaps between community members and the police. The hope is to increase awareness in two specific ways: first, to educate community members from the Central District about the 911 system (how to remain anonymous, how to get an operator who speaks a particular language, etc.) and second, to help inform East Precinct officers about the increase in crime that has been observed in the community. PEER is really looking for a strong turnout to help show East Precinct officers that there are significant safety concerns in the Central District.
The meeting will be attended by East Precinct officers including Deputy Chief Nick Metz, and there will also be interpreters for all major language groups.
WSDOT cameras spotted someone biking on southbound I-5 before climbing over the barrier near Pike Street and disappearing. The motives of this guy and how far he rode on the freeway are unknown, but it doesn’t look like a fun time to me.
Cycling on this section of I-5 is illegal and a jailable offense. It’s also a bad idea, though not unheard of. A woman was injured while biking on I-5 near the 520 interchange in September.
While I in no way would suggest people should bike on I-5 today, I do have a pie-in-the-sky dream of an I-5 that is bikeable. In fact, just yesterday I tweeted the following not knowing King 5 would have this report in the morning:
As one of our city and state’s biggest transportation investments, it is a shame for I-5′s uses to be so limited. With easy grades and no stop lights, a safe bicycle facility on I-5 through Seattle would be a remarkable asset for urban biking.
Obviously, this is nowhere on the WSDOT radar, and I have no idea how much it would cost to do something like, say, retrofit the express lanes to prioritize buses and create a safe space for walking and biking. But what’s the point of dreaming if you don’t dream big?
UPDATE: Because I’m in a silly mood, here’s an artist’s rendition of an I-5 biking/walking trail (actually, a photoshop mash-up of Google Street View with a cool filter on top to hide my lack of PS skills):
Police responding to an alarm call at a Jefferson St church may have scared off someone who had broken in, according to the police report. The officers responded to the church in the 400 block of 21st Ave at 12:40 a.m. January 20, but they did not find any signs of entry.
After walking around the entire building and checking that doors were secured, officers considered it a false call and contacted someone from the church. They also noted that there were no tracks in the snow.
However, after they left, someone fled the building out a back door. Nothing was stolen, but a door was damaged.
