Howdy neighbors!

The CHCC Events Team is meeting this Thursday at Pagliacci Pizza (next to Emerald City Smoothie, Gruv, Hardware Salon, I Love Wasabi, etc.) at 5pm.  Please come join us and help us put together some awesome events for the coming months!

Your CHCC Events Team

Blitz, Capitol Hill’s Second Thursday Arts Walk, occurs next on Thursday, September 10 from 5:00 to 8:00pm.  As Ellen Forney describes it:

Blitz showcases works many might otherwise miss, on the walls of coffee shops, retailers, and other corners of the neighborhood. features a dynamic range of visual and performing arts in venues throughout the neighborhood including galleries, coffee shops, private studios, and street corners. Produced by the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, these events have been engaging and entertaining for the enthusiastic walkers, businesses, and artists in our vibrant, quirky, artsy neighborhood.

Selected offerings from the September Blitz: 

Vermillion

"New Cityscapes" by local painter Ann Duffy: Hyperrealist snapshots in time with long stretches of empty roadway, glimpses of iconographic buildings, or humorously altered roadway signage.

Babeland

"Blood and Honey," Landscapes by Airin Hail: Surreal, feminine, narrative multimedia paintings that use the language of symbols from Neolithic Eastern Europe to the Kali Temples of India.

September 10th - Babeland - Airin Hail
Originally uploaded by blitzcapitolhill

Office Nomads

Photography by Stuart Upgrave: Beautiful landscapes and stunning natural portraits

The mostly empty People's Parking Lot at Belmont and Pine occasionally bursts forth with life. There was a guerilla dance party. There was Capitol Hill Garage Sale Day. And, next Friday, there will be a park. About a dozen of them, actually.

Friday, September 18th is Park(ing) Day when people across the country create temporary pockets of open space in the middle of cities from coast to coast. There will be mini-parks on the streets of Seattle in many parts of the city and on Capitol Hill. The center of the action will be Park(ing) Day Central Park which will transform the People's P-Lot into a series of group parks with music and various entertainments.

So far, eleven mini-parks are planned for the space including a space created by Seattle Arts and Lectures, a little park project by Capitol Hill Housing, and a co-working park space by Office Nomads (CHS sponsor). And the good news is there is still time -- and room -- for you to create a park. All you need is time and a little imagination to be part of the...

UPDATE:
Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter reveals the cold hard reality:

I wish we could! We budget very carefully for our outdoor staffed summer programs (pools, beaches) by assuming that there will be a certain number of dates we won't open because of the weather.

 

As the weather this summer was so good overall, we met that number of dates exactly and don't have any funds left. The other issue is that most of our lifeguards are students who have returned to school or college.

 

I'm sorry, and wish we could stay open longer.

 

Dewey

Original Report:
Maybe it's not the most pressing issue on the Hill but it does fall into one important category: Seems like it's something it wouldn't be too hard to do something about. This weekend past was supposed to be the final opportunity for Capitol Hill kids to play in one of our parks' wading pools or splash features. Instead, it poured rain and, we found out, the wading pools don't even think about opening if the forecast calls for temperatures below 70.

So, that's it. The 2009 pool season is over. But check this:

Forecast from Weather Underground

We need an emergency wading pool season extension. This week is going to be hard enough on the kiddies. E-mail out to Parks to see what's possible.

The debut of a Starbucks-backed brand experiment on 15th Ave E wasn't the first time that this Seattle commercial strip saw a large chain with an innovative retail concept move in. Capitol Hill historian Dotty DeCoster originally wrote this piece for the Capitol Hill Times where it appeared in early 2008 but it is not available on the Web. She is able to share her work with CHS and we're happy to feature her take on the Hill's history.

The former home of Piggly Wiggly as it appears in 2009 (Photo: Lucas Anderson)

At first glance, one sees the delightful canopy along 15th. It is almost as wide as the sidewalk, wide enough for two people to stroll together without getting soaked by the canopy drip. This building at 401 15th Avenue E (on the northwest corner of 15th and E Harrison) has been with us since 1930. Walking along, one might pause and peruse the intriguing house wares and gifts in the windows of Tilden, or go into 22 Doors and see what’s on offer. It’s not really until you see the building from across the street that the terra cotta ornaments on the front of the building are noticeable, although the lively brick design along E. Harrison still looks pretty flashy.

From 1930 until about 1938, this masonry building was 15th Avenue’s Piggly Wiggly store. The canopy wrapped around the building covering all the big windows just below the transoms. Originally a Piggly Wiggly/MacMarr store, the sign seems to say simply “Piggly Wiggly” in the 1937 photograph at the State archives. A grocery ad in the Seattle Daily Times, January 10,1930, shows a banner “MacMarr/PigglyWiggly” announcing the “first birthday sale” for all the stores in Seattle, and the ad looks much like grocery ads today. It also dates the merger between the two chain store companies.

View Larger Map

Piggly Wiggly stores have a fascinating history. Clarence Saunders invented the self-service supermarket, patented the system in 1914, and franchised it nationwide. He’s the person who came up with the name “Piggly Wiggly”. His first store was opened in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916. But he lost control of the company in the early 1920s.

In 1921, William Louis Avery came to Seattle from Boulder, Colorado, and established the first Piggly Wiggly store in downtown Seattle. As the self-service method of shopping became popular, he opened stores in other parts of the city. He remained president and manager of the company until 1925, when Harry A. Ruff took charge here in Seattle. Mr. and Mrs. Ruff lived near the University of Washington, where their son, Harry A. Ruff, Jr., was a student.

Also during the 1920s, Charles Merrill (Merrill, Lynch) became interested in grocery stores and drove the development of the Safeway chain which originated in southern California. By the end of the 1920s, many west coast grocery store chains, including the MacMarr and Piggly Wiggly chains, had been consolidated into the Safeway system. In some cases, and 15th Avenue was no exception, Safeway and Piggly Wiggly stores existed for a brief time within a block of each other although they were owned and operated by Safeway. In 1932, Piggly Wiggly and Safeway stores in Seattle were consolidated under the direction of John L. Heathcote, District Manager. By 1935 George M. Mangan was the District Manager and in 1938 the former Piggly Wiggly at 401 15th Ave. E. became a Safeway.

Grocery store chains were big business in the 1920s and 1930s. While the Depression encouraged consolidation and delivery of less expensive food, in general the grocery business thrived. Financiers were willing, as Charles Merrill was, to invest heavily in new stores, new warehouses, and expansion of grocery chains. Wheeling and dealing, merging and consolidating retail and warehousing, were continuous.

City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historical Site Record Summary for 401-405 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3303700190 / Inv # CH009

Historic Name: Piggly Wiggly Market Common Name: none Style: Commercial Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By:   Year Built: 1927 Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. This is an unusually ornate and intact small commercial building in the Fifteenth Avenue East business district. Residential development of this part of Northeast Capitol Hill flourished in the early years of the 20th Century, when the developer James Moore platted and sold lots around 15th Avenue North (now East). A streetcar line was built on 15th, and by 1910 several groceries and drugstores were located in his area. This is one of the second generation of buildings, constructed in 1927. It originally housed a Piggly-Wiggly Market. The extensive terra cotta ornamentation and decorative brickwork distinguish it from surrounding buildings, no doubt a method of attracting shoppers away from the numerous nearby stores. Since grocery stores consolidated into large facilities, this building has housed a variety of restaurants and small retail and service businesses. Appearance This small one-story building is clad in brown and tan brick, laid in a decorative X pattern on the south wall. The main entry is denoted by an arch in the terra cotta belt course above the transoms. The center storefront and the corners are delineated by ornate terra cotta pilasters with large finials. The pilaster design is repeated in the medallions descending from the terra cotta cornice. The storefronts have their original recessed entries, large display windows with transoms, black tile bulkheads and a suspended canopy.

Detail for 401-405 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3303700190 / Inv # CH009

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Specialty store Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Commerce Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References Williams, Jacqueline B. The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill 1900-1946. Seattle: CPK Ink, 2001. King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.

By 1941, 401 15th Avenue E was vacant. In 1942, briefly, it became the Capitol Hill Evangelistic Church, Rev. Thorfin Brocke, Pastor. A year later, it became a grocery again, a service grocery run by John D. Shea. About 1953, Capitol Hill Furniture and Appliance Company took over the premises and remained there until about 1976. For a brief time in the late 1970s, the Capitol Hill TV store was there and then Tilden moved in from across the street. The store was divided in half and a restaurant has been in the space now at 405 15th Ave. E since Speedy’s, sometime in the 1970s or so.

While a history of Piggly Wiggly stores in the Northwest remains to be written, it is likely that the Piggly Wiggly at 401 15th Avenue E. was the last to be built in Seattle.

Sadly, it looks like the last few days of operation for Capitol Hill's wading pools and spray parks won't be sunshine-filled. Both the Volunteer and Cal Anderson park pools close for the season Monday evening. News isn't any better for Miller Park's spray feature -- it shuts down on Monday, too. So, when the sun breaks through the clouds, make the most of it, get your swim diaper on and enjoy a few last moments of summer.

pony Originally uploaded by joshc

Starting with the street sign wall. Our sister site Central District News reminds that you can buy retired street signs from the City of Seattle for $5-$10 each from the city surplus warehouse:

They've got a full list of which signs are available, and if you see one you like, just go down to the city surplus warehouse at 3807 Second Ave. S (just south of the Spokane St. viaduct) and you can get them for $5-$10 each. But be patient if you see the ones on your block were recently switched out. The warehouse staff tells me that it takes a couple of months for the old signs to make their way from the transportation department to the surplus store. Call or email the warehouse if you have any questions.

Poco1
Originally uploaded by ~wesa~

We last met up with the CHS community at Vino Verite a couple of months ago.  For the fall meetup, we will meet at Poco Room from 5 to 7 pm on Tuesday, September 15, 2009.  Poco has agreed to extend their happy hour a bit for CHS.  Seattle Metropolitan recently declared Poco's happy hour "the best wine happy hour in town".   Happy hour prices are $2 off each glass and $8 off each bottle (you can even take the bottle home).  

Seattle is a city without libraries this week:

All Library locations will be closed Monday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 6 due to citywide budget cuts.

Please note: Monday, Sept. 7 is the Labor Day holiday and all libraries will be closed. Regular Library operations will resume Tuesday, Sept. 8.

No Library services will be available during the one-week closure. Learn more...

No Library computers will be available. See a list of north, south and central Seattle locations with free Internet access.

The systemwide closure, along with other cuts, will help the Library meet a 2 percent budget reduction - about $1 million. The closure will save approximately $655,000.

The Friends of Seattle Public Library advocacy group wants to know how much you care. They're asking residents to fill out this brief survey about how you use the library and how much you value it.

The group is also not taking the furlough lying down:

Media response to the budget reduction in April varied, but much of it was casual.  In a Friday editorial in The Seattle Times, editors reasoned that a reduction in library services was a consequence to be expected and they called on the mayor to cut hours to libraries in a “sensible manner.” Then, in response to the April 17 budget adjustments, the Times wrote in Reprieve For Seattle Public Library Users that the mayor got it right…the shuttering of our library for a week is the least painful way for the library to meet its obligatory cuts.   What do you think readers? Have we become so used to libraries being cut in recessions that the discussion has moved from why we’re reducing the budgets of core services like libraries to how we should reduce their budgets in hard times?

CHS quit reading books and we're too lazy to figure out which movies or music to check out so we don't use the Capitol Hill library branch for that kind of thing any more. But it is frequently invaluable for a quick work stop and often home to community meetings.

pierogis!
Originally uploaded by ladyJake

You can buy a lot of pierogis with $80 grand. Capitol Hill's Polish Home Association, champion of Polish culture in the Pacific Northwest and host of the Hill's only annual all-you-can-eat pierogi fest, has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Large Project fund:

$80,000 to match for the Polish Home!

Dear Friends of the Polish Home,

We have great news: the Polish Home received an $80,000 grant from the City. However, it is a matching grant and we need to receive new donations before the grant can match them.

The current construction of the Polish Home extension shell variant is almost done. The shell variant includes: the complete building structure under the roof, fully enclosed exterior including doors, windows and siding and a functioning elevator. We expect to obtain the occupancy permit and to open with the new wing and elevator in September, 2009. However, the Polish Home depleted all the reserves and used up a private line of credit for additional financing to speed up the current construction.

Of course, there is still a lot of work left: interior and exterior finishing at the new wing and also remodeling work at the 1^st & 2^nd floor of the old building. That’s where the grant money will be so helpful to us!

View Larger Map

For more on the Large Project fund process, check out this Department of Neighborhoods site. Your organization needs to have its hat in the ring by February to be considered for 2010 so better start planning now.

The Polish Home was one of 19 organizations presented with awards on Saturday at a ceremony attended by outgoing mayor Greg Nickels. Here's the full list of awards. Note the city mistakenly locating the Polish Home in the CD. Oh well. As long as they spell the name on the check correctly.

• 2009 award recipients pose with Mayor Greg Nickels at Saturday's ceremony (Photo: Lucas Anderson)
  

  $80,000 to the Polish Home Association for an expansion and remodeling project (Central District)
• $71,737 to the Artists Collaborative of Southeast Seattle for dance and instrumental music programs that offer positive alternatives for youth and encourage partnerships between families, schools, and community groups. (Southeast Seattle)
• $63,750 to the Committee for Renovation of the West Woodland Field for creating a green sustainable track and a ga-ga ball court and rain garden on the school playground. (Green Lake/Phinney)
• $67,210 to the Global to Local project to create youth-driven approach to creating and producing programming in Delridge and West Seattle. (Delridge/West Seattle)
• $75,000 to the Southeast Seattle Senior Center for the renovation and upgrading of the facility. (Rainier Valley)
• $77,200 to the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center for the ALL ACCESS partnership to empower local youth through arts-based learning. (Delridge)
• $54,849 to the Homeless Place of Remembrance Committee for the creation of an artistic remembrance to honor homeless people who have died. (Downtown)

• $79,700 to the Friends of International Children’s Park for to contribute to the restoration of the park by adding play equipment and commission a public art installation. (International District)
• $54,849 to the Delridge Neighborhood Trails Committee to create kiosks and wayfinding signs to guide pedestrians to parks, business areas, and community resources. (Delridge)
• $50,000 to the Friends of Northlake Wharf for planning efforts to convert an underused piece of waterfront into an active public site for community use. (Lake Union/Fremont)
• $100,000 to the Seward Park Playground Improvement Foundation for construction of a new nature-themed play area at the entrance of Seward Park. (Seward Park)
• $95,100 to the Vietnamese Friendship Association for a community organizing project that will foster youth leadership, civic engagement, and creation of a model those immigrant communities can use to address social and economic inequities. (Southeast Seattle)
• $28,230 to SouthEast Effective Development for marketing and expanding access and use of the Columbia City Gallery and increase opportunities for diverse artists. (Columbia City)
• $60,000 to Kimball Elementary PTSA to create a global learning community by fostering inclusion and support, leadership development, and providing programs and classes for parents. (Beacon Hill)
• $45,000 to the East African Art and Culture Association to work with youth on enhancing multimedia knowledge and skills and to promote cross-cultural art. (Central District)
• $80,000 to the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club for the creation of a plaza and gathering place for Greenwood neighbors. (Greenwood)
• $88,200 to the Concord Elementary PTSA for the creation of a multi-purpose space for outdoor recreation and education. (South Park)
• $90,000 to the Friends of Waterway #18 to create a new gathering place on Lake Union by restoring the shoreline, planting native habitat, and improving access. (Wallingford)
• $98,761 to the West Seattle Junction Association for the creation of a community plaza and green space in the heart of the West Seattle Junction. (West Seattle)

We found this guy doing some modern archeology Friday evening as he removed a thick layer of old rock show posters, multilevel marketing offers and staples from a utility pole in front of the Cha Cha. He said the city used to take care of the periodic maintenance but now it's left to the businesses. How long before the pole is covered again?

Throwing into question the very fabric of our being by unleashing questions like "Can you practice for a flash mob?" and "Can you cancel a flash mob?" and "Can you cancel a practice for a flash mob?," a Capitol Hill start to a citywide tribute to the King of Pop on what would have been his 51st birthday will not be occurring, it seems. If you are going to moonwalk tomorrow, you will have to do it spontaneously and, as is so often the case, by yourself.

Go on. Dance. On the floor. In the round, Baby.

Lost chihauhau on the evening of 8/26. Her name is Beyonce, she is tan in color, 6.5 lbs, she has no collar on, her nails are painted neon pink. She is hesitant to come to strangers but, is friendly. If you have seen her please email or call. cherryc5@hotmail.com or 206 291 0424. Thanks.

Free art event-

BYOBBQ, featuring paintings, installations, illustrations, photographs, and prints from Seattle artists:

- Anthony Tiberio

- Inna Peck

- Jaimie Laitinen

- Jess Wamre

- Joey Veltkamp

Details at http://cbabc.com/hr

• Community members discuss Burien's future annexation of North Highline. In this month's primary 56% of Highline voters said yes to annexation.
• Neighbors begin work to improve the green space around Fremont's Troll. Possible names for the new park: The Troll's Knoll, Billy Goat's Bluff.
• We may have gotten cupcakes and ice cream but Lake City is mighty proud of their new addition, Ezell's Famous Fried Chicken.
• Up in Ravenna the home of Dr. Annie Russell is up for Landmark status. Dr. Russell was an early Seattle pioneer and "convicted" abortionist.
• Not doing much this evening? Always been infatuated with flying rodents? Head up to Greenlake for the city's best and biggest Bat Walk. 7:15pm at the Bathhouse Theater.
• Wallingford had a nice piece of guerrilla art over at Gas Work's Park called Anew.

Bonus: The mystical place on the east side I have heard of called "Redmond" actually has ten internal neighborhoods. Who knew?

Redmond Neighborhoods via Redmond Neighborhood Blog

The Capitol Hill Design Charrette will be a one-day workshop where community members work in small teams to examine the development possiblities and realities for every block of Broadway. Unlike some community meetings, the charrette should be a creative and collaborative experience -- and, best of all, it's the kind of thing Capitol Hill needs to start working on now to be ready for what comes next with the massive changes happening on Broadway.

When it comes to community involvement with the 'transit oriented development' process, Sound Transit hasn't been exactly clear with how it will use community feedback. When asked what his agency was going to do with survey data collected in this recent community meeting, Ron Endlich, ST's deputy project director for the Capitol Hill station and University Link said, "The survey was an attempt to reach a broader audience. There's some good info in there." Thanks for your input.

What we do know is that Sound Transit owns prime commercial real estate in the heart of Capitol Hill. By 2016, there will be a new burst of retail and housing activity around the station. In between now and then somewhere around 2012 or 2013, an important process will be played out when Sound Transit assembles a framework for taking bids on developing the land that will be part of the Capitol Hill station. The request for proposal (RFP) will ostensibly set the guidelines for what kind of transit oriented development happens at the site. The Capitol Hill 'community' -- you and me, that is -- will need to be ready to shape that RFP process through communication, information, ideas and good old fashioned political pressure. How do we prepare ourselves in the meantime?

September's charrette is an opportunity to begin muscling up on our collective community development strength. It's a chance to work with community members and community experts like architects and developers to create a vision for how Broadway should be on the best of all possible Capitol Hills. It's also an opportunity to set some of the vision for the Capitol Hill light rail station's retail and housing development. And it should also be a creative and fun Saturday afternoon.

Capitol Hill Design Charrette
Saturday, September 12th, 1-5pm
Seattle University community room at Marion and 12th
Please RSVP

There aren't many Capitol Hill URLs left in the world. But a man named Paul Davis has one that he's looking for somebody to put to good use. Davis said he owns CapHill.org and is looking for somebody interested in taking it off his hands. He tells CHS he is looking to either sell the domain or donate it to federal nonprofit. "I bought it for a church that I no longer attend. I think it has substantial value," Davis tells CHS.

CHS isn't interested in this particular .org but would gladly take capitolhillseattle.org. That domain is owned by a secret registrant and the address is currently unused. CHS came to live at capitolhillseattle.com when the Capitol Hill Community Council let the registration on the domain lapse. The Council's ownership of the domain, by the way, was news to us -- we were just looking for a straightforward, obvious domain and couldn't think of anything smart like captothehill.com. The Council now lives at capitolhillcommunitycouncil.org. Here's what capitolhillseattle.com used to look like back in its community council days.

Other primo Capi Hill domains like CapitolHill.com are owned by somebody looking to make a buck off the registration usually with Washginton D.C. in mind. Also, take note Seattle PI: the nomenclature you used on your Queen Anne neighborhood blog experiment won't work here -- inCapitolHill.com is owned by a guy in Florida who wants thousands of dollars for it. Want to go halvesies?

Want CapHill.org for your organization or an excellent Capitol Hill purpose? You can find Davis's contact info on the public records information for the domain.

Final results for the neighborhood surveys. Ballard had more than 2x as many participants as the next most active 'hood. Click for full chart

When it comes to telling the powers that be about life in the neighborhood, Ballard may be good at filing in online surveys but they aren't getting a second chance to meet face-to-face with city planners. The Seattle City Planning Commission announced that Capitol Hill and Pike/Pine are getting a second shot at a neighborhood plan status meeting after the initial session in June failed to draw more than a handful of participants.

Here's an e-mail circulated to various Capitol Hill organizations about the second chance from Capitol Hill Housing:

The Central Area has successfully gotten a “redo” of their Neighborhood Plan Status Report Meeting due to poor attendance (for Cap Hill and P/P this was the meeting held in June at the Armory in SLU, also poorly attended). Info on this redo meeting is below. These are the meetings that the Planning Commission and the Neighborhood Plan Advisory Committee (NPAC) have been co-sponsoring (along with the online survey) to “check-in” with neighborhoods on where they are at with plans. Supposedly, info gathered at these meetings will impact which neighborhoods are updated next year, if there is a budget for it…

Because there are significant and overlapping areas between the Central Area and our neighborhoods (12th Avenue and Miller Park specifically) we (several NPAC members including myself) have been working with the Central Area to get Capitol Hill and Pike/Pine materials at this meeting too.

Sounds like we have pushback from the Central District to thank for the opportunity for a bigger, better discussion of Capitol Hill and Pike/Pine issues. Here's the meeting info from the planning commission:

Thursday, September 3, 6-8 PM at the Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. E   98112

 Please join members of the Seattle Planning Commission and the Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee on Thursday, September 3 from 6 to 8 pm at the Miller Community Center for an important Central Area community meeting.

 These two citizen groups want to hear your thoughts.  Come and tell us how the Central Area, Pike/Pine and Capitol Hill has changed since the creation of their Neighborhood Plans. Your comments and input at this meeting will help the City of Seattle complete a status report that will look at how well your neighborhood plan is achieving its goals and strategies.

 This meeting will provide an opportunity to learn about your neighborhood plan, the projects that have been implemented, and growth and changes that have occurred since your plan was written in the late 90's.  We will explore issues such as growth, transportation, housing, economic development , basic utilities, neighborhood character, open space and parks, public services, public safety, and other issues.

 It would also be helpful to know your Neighborhood Plan and to bring it with you, so you can reference to them when needed.  So, here are the links to your Neighborhood Plans:

Central Area:

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/central/

 Pike/Pine:

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/ppine/

 Capitol Hill:

http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/CAPHILL/

 

 

 

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Neighborhood_Planning/StatusReports/default.asp

 

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Neighborhood_Planning.  With questions, please contact David Goldberg at (206) 615-1447.

 Also, about the data from the online survey: A spokesperson for the planning commission says they are working to make an anonymized dataset stripped of all personal information such as names and e-mail addresses available. CHS will love getting its little hands on that dataset to make some groovy bar charts just for you.

The Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce is holding its first annual benefit dinner on October 5th to support its efforts to provide resources, advocacy and networking opportunities for businesses operating on the Hill. The Chamber is faced with becoming self-sustaining as a 3-year grant from the city has come to an end in 2009.

The event will be held at Poppy on Broadway and will recognize the efforts of businesses and organization across the Hill. Also, Poppy's owner Jerry Traunfeld and Poppy's wine steward will give talks about the business and affordable wine combinations.

Plates are $75 per person, including dinner and wine. Tickets can be purchased online here. For more information, email the CHCC at ebader@cdchc.org

While not every business on the Hill is a member of the CHCC, nearly 200 are -- including CHS. You can check out the 2009 roster in the attached PDF.

Thanks much to Final Answer for providing this picture of the CHS crow looming over Friday night's Dolly Parton look-alike contest held prior to Three Dollar Bill Cinema's showing of 9 to 5 in Cal Anderson Park. CHS was happy to provide support for the summer series. Our only regret is that summer is almost gone.

Three Dollies at Three Dollar (Photo: Final Answer)

While speculation runs rampant on exactly what incumbent mayoral candidate Greg Nickels will announce at his 10 AM press conference, we're turning it over to the experts for commentary. Enjoy the Tweets.

http://cabc.com/12hr

It's our job to ask lots of questions here at CHS. But sometimes we know when to shut up and simply wait to enjoy. Don't know exactly what 12 Hr Notice has planned for tonight but they're teaming up with Three Dollar Bill Cinema for some kind of interesting experience that's free, fun and open to everybody. Movie starts when it gets dark. (Supposed to see a lot of the Dolly bills around the Hill today, too. Have you?)

We've been a little harsh on this Seattle Planning Commission neighborhood survey process. But announcing deadlines and then un-announcing them, well... ah, forget it. Now that the survey has become a measuring stick of each neighborhood's local news blog's effectiveness, CHS has decided the survey about your quality of life and the neighborhood plan process is critically important.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the city's survey today

The new deadlines to complete the survey is Friday. Here are the latest neighborhood tallies. Note that the Cap Hill responses are split across Pike/Pine and 'Capitol Hill' -- the man wants to drive us apart so stay together, brothers and sisters. But please take the survey and make CHS look good. Thanks!

Feeling civic? Tonight's is the monthly meeting of the Capitol Hill Community Council in the Shelter House at Cal Anderson Park. Starts at 7 PM. On the agenda: Light rail station update, 12th Ave initiative.

Partying requires work -- in a sunny Cal Anderson (Photo: cap to the hill)

Because they are wayward youth, they're not awake yet to read this but the kids from cap to the hill have a busy day ahead. Tonight is their 500 Pine Party to remember and celebrate the, as the children say, more skanky elements of Capitol Hill culture.

If you are asking, 'Why the hype?' all that CHS can offer is that many on the Hill have a sense of loss about supposed grittier, more real times. It might be the same feeling as remembering how we used to be better friends. Or maybe something really has gone away. The buildings were torn down and the lot is empty.

But another lot will be full. The parking lot behind Havana at 10th and Pike hosts tonight's event. It begins at 8 PM. More than 400 revelers are expected. It's the same lot where people power mayoral candidate Mike McGinn held court on Election Night.

cap to the hill is busy working today with friends and volunteers to transform the lot into a 500 Pine replica. They also had $10,000 to spend thanks to the marketing effort and corporate sponsor backing the event. They asked us to invite you to stop by today to check out the preparations. More details here about getting into the party, etc. It's free. But you have to have a ticket or an invite. If you waited this long, you'd better do something extra special to earn your pass.

(Photo: Lucas Anderson/Neighborlogs.com)

Wednesday night's early design guidance meeting for the redevelopment of the Sun Electric building at 11th and Pine will be the first public test of the developer's plans and the new environment for development in the area created by the Pike/Pine Conservation District.

If it happens. A rumor making the rounds says Wednesday night's meeting may be postponed. We're digging into it, of course. In the meantime, here is what is at stake.

UPDATE: Rumor dismissed. Lisa Rutzick of the city's Department of Planning and Development says the meeting is on and the rumor is false.

Project: 1530 11th Ave   map

Design Proposal available (6.00 MB)

Review Meeting:	6:30 PM
	Seattle Vocational Institute map
	2120 S Jackson St
	102/103
Review Phase:	EDG--Early Design Guidance past reviews
Project Number:	3010451 permit status | notice
Planner:	Lisa Rutzick

Here is recent CHS coverage of the project:

• Document reveals developer's plans to reshape 11th at Pine
• Driver of new Pike/Pine development zone weighs in on project that will put rules to test
• Zoning changes to preserve Pike/Pine, open up First Hill development move forward
• Liz Dunn commentary on the project's review process:

I think it’s imperative that as  many folks turn up as possible for this.  I have heard that the owner intends to keep the existing structure and build on top, to get the density bonus.   This is great only IF this is done in an architecturally appropriate way.   I think we need to be very careful and very vocal about this, based on other examples we have seen.

Finally, here's the part of the municipal code that defines the early design guidance process and purpose. We'll see what concerns get 'identified' tonight.

A. A preapplication conference is required for all projects subject to design review, unless waived by the Director, as described at Section 23.76.008.

B. Early Design Guidance Public Meeting.

1. Following a preapplication conference, and site visits by Design Review Board members assigned to review a proposed project, an early design guidance public meeting with the Design Review Board shall be held.

2. The purpose of the early design guidance public meeting shall be to identify concerns about the site and the proposed project, review the design guidelines applicable to the site, determine neighborhood priorities among the design guidelines, and explore design concepts and/or options.

3. At the early design guidance public meeting, the project proponents shall present the following information:

a. An initial site analysis addressing site opportunities and constraints, the use of all adjacent buildings, and the zoning of the site and adjacent properties; and

b. A drawing of existing site conditions, indicating topography of the site and the location of structures and prominent landscape elements on or abutting the site (including but not limited to all trees six (6) inches or greater in diameter measured four and one half (4 1/2) feet above the ground, with species indicated); and

c. Photos showing the facades of adjacent development, trees on the site, general streetscape character and territorial or other views from the site, if any; and

d. A zoning envelope study which includes a perspective drawing; and

e. A description of the proponent's objectives with regard to site development.

4. The proponent is encouraged, but not required, to bring one (1) or more development concepts or alternatives to indicate possible design options for the site.

C. Guidelines Priorities.

1. Based on the concerns expressed at the early design guidance public meeting or in writing to the Design Review Board, the Board shall identify any guidelines that may not be applicable to the site and identify those guidelines of highest priority to the neighborhood. The Board shall incorporate any community consensus regarding design, expressed at the meeting into its guideline priorities, to the extent the consensus is consistent with the design guidelines and reasonable in light of the facts of the proposed development.

2. The Director shall distribute a copy of the guideline priorities applicable to the development to all those who attended the early design guidance public meeting, to those who sent in comments or otherwise requested notification, and to the project proponent.

3. The project proponent is encouraged to meet with the Board and the public for early resolution of design issues, and may hold additional optional meetings with the public or the Board. The Director may require the proponent to meet with the Board if the Director believes that such a meeting may help to resolve design issues.