Still hope for Capitol Hill: New bar planned for E Pike

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Not every business moving in on Capitol Hill will be the latest expansion of a dental services startup backed by a big name tech executive. Some of the neighborhood’s more traditional spirit is taking shape on E Pike where paperwork shows early planning underway for a new Chill Bar project in the Greenus Building next to Meet Korean BBQ and the neighborhood’s location of the Studs ear piercing studio chain.

“Located in a historic auto row building, this gorgeous 3,807 square foot space is an ideal location for any office/retail needs,” the listing for the 500 E Pike commercial space reads. “This property is surrounded by a lively retail core, and is walking distance to downtown and easy transit/parking options.” Rent will run the new tenants something around $150,000 per year.

Details of the new project are still few and far between and details on the ownership are a bit of a mystery for now but the project surfaces the ongoing demand for food and drink, and nightlife economy real estate on Capitol Hill — especially in Pike/Pine. Continue reading →

Mayor to bring forum on drugs, guns, more cops, and police alternatives from new ‘One Seattle Safety Framework’ to Garfield High

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An image from “One Seattle Public Safety Message” video promoting the new initiatives

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s efforts to address public safety concerns and ongoing gun violence across the city will focus on Capitol Hill and the Central District as his administration will host the next in a series of public forums next week at Garfield High School.

Tuesday night’s meeting will bring Harrell and city public safety leaders to the 23rd Ave campus that has found itself in the middle of the city’s ongoing struggles with gun violence. This week brought the latest incident near the campus as a shooter reported firing from an SUV sunroof opened fire on another vehicle as students unloaded from a nearby Metro bus and ran for cover on the nearby campus. There were no reported injuries.

The mayor will come to Garfield as he prepares to release what his office says will be a new plan to manage the city’s public safety responses.

The One Seattle Safety Framework will include new efforts to “reduce gun violence and other violent crime” with “evidence-based solutions and enforcement strategies,” and faster, more effective responses to to 9-1-1 calls by “hiring more officers and diversifying response options.” Continue reading →

A literary salon at 23rd and Union, Central District Poetry Nights grow at Soul Collective

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(Image: Soul Collective)

Folino

By Nicholas Williams/UW News Lab

A Central District hair salon has become the unexpected host of monthly poetry nights in the midst of neighborhood development at 23rd and Union.

Soul Collective, located on the block with the neighborhood PCC and across the Midtown Square apartments and neighboring businesses Jerk Shack, Neighbor Lady, Raised Donuts, and the Arte Noir gallery, is a space committed to sharing its artistic expertise of diverse ethnicities, backgrounds and hair textures.

Owner Alexandria Folino says she founded the small business to desegregate hair care in an environment of unpretentious luxury.

“I decided to embark on a journey of creating a space that felt right for the type of hair on my head and others that look like me because they have all heard that their hair is a specialty in the beauty industry,” Folino said.

Folino was approached with the idea of hosting poetry nights by poets Joshua Griffin and Julie Feng.

“Alex is from the district. Julie’s from the south end. I grew up in the north end and we’ve all seen this city change,” Griffin said.

“We can speak back to what 23rd and Union used to look like. So what are you going to do now after you leave this space? Hopefully, continue to find ways to be in the community and not find ways to uproot the community.”

Folino acknowledges the Central District has changed a lot since she grew up there and says, by having events like these poetry nights, she can participate in building the new culture of the neighborhood. Continue reading →

There are still Capitol Hill design reviews including the latest signoff on E Olive Way

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A look at this curve of E Olive Way’s future

(Image: King County)

The Seattle Design Review program isn’t dead yet but Wednesday night’s session for an eight-story, mixed-use project planned to rise along Capitol Hill’s E Olive Way provided a few more reasons why the process could change.

The development has been in the works for years after a massive 2019 real estate deal with Vancouver, Canada-based real estate investment and management company Low Tide Properties paying $21 million for a collection of commercial buildings including former Coldwell Banker offices and the former Fred Wildlife events space.

The east review board Wednesday night approved a small roster of updates to the project’s design in a meeting necessitated by the requirements to add an elevator and make a few changes to the development’s parking garage that emerged since the board looked at the design the first time in 2023. Continue reading →

Council debate begins over Nelson’s push for rollback of Seattle’s delivery worker minimum wage

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The Seattle City Council’s Governance, Accountability & Economic Development Committee will open debate Thursday afternoon on legislation from committee head and council president Sara Nelson that would roll back the city’s minimum wage requirements for app-based workers amid complaints of soaring fees and lost work, and heavy lobbying by the industry.

“The original legislation was adopted by the Council in 2022 and went into effect in January this year,” a council brief on the proposal reads. “The revised bill intends to reduce labor costs for network companies while still guaranteeing a minimum earnings standard for app-based workers.” Continue reading →

Poquitos, Rhein Haus now in Yes Parade family, part of Seattle’s growing ‘restaurant groups’

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(Image: Poquitos)

(Image: Poquitos)

As Seattle restaurant groups are claiming a growing share of the city’s dining revenue, a new local food and drink conglomerate with deep connections to Capitol Hill — as well as Ballard, Bothell, Tacoma, Leavenworth, and, yes, Denver — has taken shape.

The Yes Parade Restaurant Group now encompasses 13 venues including Poquitos and Rhein Haus locations on Capitol Hill.

Formerly organized as Weimann Maclise Restaurants, the company began in 2008 under founders James Weimann and Deming Maclise with Bastille Cafe & Bar in Ballard and the roster of restaurants under operating owners Rich Fox, Dustin Watson, and Matt Fundingsland now includes Poquitos (Capitol Hill, Bothell, Tacoma), Rhein Haus (Capitol Hill, Denver, Leavenworth), Stoneburner (Ballard), Macleod’s Scottish Pub (Ballard), Sabine Café and Bar Sabine (Ballard), Wally’s Wisconsin Tavern (Denver), Stoup Kenmore (Kenmore) and Stadium Golf (Tacoma).

“Yes Parade Restaurant Group is a collective of dedicated individuals and creative spirits united by a common philosophy,” the company says. “For over ten years, we have worked to create dining rooms, bars, patios, and experiences that foster a sense of comfort and enjoyment.” Continue reading →

30-year sentence in 2021 Capitol Hill traffic stop murder arrest

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Young

The man arrested three years ago in a 4 AM Capitol Hill traffic stop driving a blood splattered car in which police found a 9mm handgun, two fired rounds, a bullet, and a half kilo of drugs has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to 30 years in jail.

In February, a jury found Bryson Morgan guilty of first degree murder for the January 2021 killing of 21-year-old Autumn Young. Court records show Morgan was sentenced last week to 360 months for the crime.

CHS reported here on the charge leveled against Morgan after his arrest as Young was found stripped naked and shot to death near Seward Park.

Morgan had previous run-ins with law enforcement including being charged in 2018 with felony harassment and threats after students alleged he made threats to shoot and bomb the Seattle University campus, causing his classroom to flee. The incident happened the same day as a deadly school shooting in Santa Fe. Morgan was later acquitted of the charges as lawyers argued his statements were hypotheticals about the possibility of shooting people and not specific threats to the campus. Morgan was also the subject of an Extreme Risk Protection Order requested by SPD requiring him to prove to the court he no longer had access to firearms. Continue reading →

Cal Anderson’s sidewalk is fixed — Now, city looking at public safety around Capitol Hill’s central park

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Seattle’s new transportation plan makes a big deal about making the city’s sidewalks better and adding new ones to the remaining areas without. Cal Anderson Park is out in front on things.

Capitol Hill’s central park is starting spring with its buckled eastern edge lined by a smooth new sidewalk and new solutions to help save the space’s Red Sunset Maples. Meanwhile, city officials are meeting with area business representatives and organizations with hopes to address larger questions around public safety on the park’s west side.

On the east, the Seattle Department of Transportation’s three-block project combined a variety of strategies including moving some areas of sidewalk, installing metal sidewalks that can leave more space for roots, and planting more trees along the park in an effort to replace cracked and buckled sections of sidewalk while preserving the park’s canopy. Continue reading →

Seattle has a new 20-year transportation plan — Now, about that $1.35B levy…

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(Image: @seattledot) “Nearly one hundred years ago, on April 21, 1924, the first traffic light in Seattle was installed at 4th and Jackson…”

The Seattle City Council Tuesday approved a new 20-year transportation plan for transit, street, sidewalk, and bridge projects across Seattle that will serve as the framework for the planned $1.35 billion transportation levy renewal vote this fall.

While still massive in scale and the result of a two-year process of outreach, bureaucracy, and budgeting, Mayor Bruce Harrell and council leadership are emphasizing the plan’s focus on day to day issues like potholes, sidewalks, and costly infrastructure repairs over the ambitious new initiatives and projects it might eventually spawn.

“It’s time for us to prioritize the bold basics of local government. From filling potholes to expanding access to public transit, this 20-year vision for the future of Seattle’s roads does just that,” District 3 Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, vice chair of the council’s Transportation Committee, said in a statement. “Local government can’t solve every problem on its own, but when we put our mind to it, we can build world-class transportation infrastructure.”

The Harrell administration plan was little changed by the council and some of the few additions underlined what is being positioned as a more neighborhood-focused approach. Continue reading →

How Councilmember Hollingsworth ended up on the District 3 injured list

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Team Hollingsworth is dealing with an injury to a key player.

District 3 Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth has been on crutches after two weeks getting around the power corridors of Seattle on a mobility scooter after tearing her calf muscle.

She did not injure herself arguing with Stranger editors on Twitter.

The standout basketball player who even spent a short time as a pro in Greece says it wasn’t the most athletic moment that landed her on Seattle City Hall’s injured list.

The first-year council member said she was running across the street when her muscle “snapped.”

Despite the injury, it has been a busy four months for the freshman legislator. CHS reported here on the first legislation handled by her parks committee and the formation of her office team along with priorities centered on transparency and accessibility.

The injury might make the accessibility part a bigger challenge but Hollingsworth appears game not to let the tear get her down. She is scheduled to take part in a public safety walk on Capitol Hill later this week.

 

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