White Center Now: The blog about White Center

In case you missed this in regional media – the Quick Stop Food Mart in Top Hat sold a winning Mega Millions ticket. The winner claimed their $25 million prize as a $16 million lump sum on July 20th, one day after the drawing, according to the Washington Lottery news release. That’s just four months after a 7-11 in south West Seattle sold a Mega Millions ticket good for a $150 million-plus jackpot. By the way, the Quick Stop owner gets a $50,000 bonus for the winning-ticket sale, per the state.

When Company Bar closed in downtown White Center earlier this year, its owner voiced hopes that it would be bought and reopened. That’s exactly what’s happening. We heard overnight from Zoe Mandels, who says she and partner Joseph Northrup are reopening it as The Company Store. Zoe is a Boulevard Park resident who grew up in West Seattle and has history in its hospitality scene, having worked at JaK’s Grill for six years. She invited us to share this information on what they plan to offer when they open, which they’re hoping to do in a little more than a month:

Here is a sneak peek of what you can expect:

The Company Store, 21+, set to open at the beginning of September 2016:
9608 16th Avenue SW

First:

~We want our LGBT friends to know that we always stand behind their community as an ally. We certainly stand behind respect being given to each and every person within our business here in White Center.
~Our restrooms will be GENDER NEUTRAL.
~We are a fun-loving, quality, neighborhood joint. We can’t wait to meet you!

HOURS
• We will be open from 4 PM-2 AM EVERY DAY of the week
• We will be open from 9 AM-2 PM for BRUNCH Saturday & Sunday
• We will have happy hour from 4 PM-6 PM
• Late night happy hour from 10-2

Weekday Specials:
~Migas MONDAY
~Puffy Taco TUESDAY
~Memphis Dry Rib WEDNESDAY
~Karaoke (or a Drag Show) will be performed every FRIDAY
~Your “Week-in-Review” will be featured at SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH

Brunch will feature:
~$4 Bloody Mary’s
~$14 Bottomless Mimosas
~Best Benedict in town
~Hand-pressed fresh juices
~Brunch cocktails
~Champagne TO-GO
~”Your Week-in-Review” Brunch Special
Each week at brunch, one dish with a paired brunch cocktail will be dedicated to the previous week and its political scene, celebrity gossip circuit, world news or other noted event. Think John Oliver in food form.

Our PRIMARY MENU will feature rustic and bold Southwest flavors using our family favorite recipes while refining them with innovative Northwest touches.

~Highlights will include our:
Chili
Memphis Dry ribs
Puffy Tacos
Cream of Spinach Hush Puppies

Our COCKTAIL LIST is all about having fun. We never compromise quality and we deliver cocktails that mean something!

~Highlights will include our:
“Cracker Jack Old Fashioned” – Infused Rye, Disappointing Toy Prize
“Roller Girl” – Vodka, Fresh Basil, Raspberries, St. Germaine
“Fantasy Shop Next Door” – Tequila, Habanero Cubes, Lime, Sugar

They’re also planning to sell wine and beer to go, including growler fills. Stay tuned for updates!

We received some questions about an hours-long King County Sheriff’s Office presence near 1st Avenue S. and 104th in Top Hat last night. By the time we were finally able to get over to the area, they were gone. We followed up with KCSO Sgt. Cindi West this morning:

Yesterday around 7:20 am deputies were flagged down by a woman in Burien who said they had their car stolen. ( 800 block of SW 122 St. )

The woman had pulled into her day care and left the vehicle running while she dropped her child off. When she went back out to the car it was gone. The woman had also left her iPhone in the car. We took a stolen vehicle report and about 15 minutes later, the woman and her husband flagged another deputy down and told him that they had a GPS signal from the phone showing it was in the area of S. 104th St and Occidental.

Deputies drove the area and found the stolen vehicle parked in front of a house in the 10200 block of 1 Ave S. When deputies tried to surround the car, the suspect sped off, striking a police vehicle as he fled. We did not find the suspect or vehicle but did find another stolen car at the house he had been parked in front of.

The annual Spoke & Food bicycle-to-dinner benefit is tonight – and Proletariat Pizza in White Center (9622 16th SW) is participating. 5-9 pm, Proletariat and other participants around the region are donating 20 percent of their proceeds; this year, the beneficiary is the Hunger Intervention Project. The first 20 bike riders at each Spoke & Food location get backpacks!

Just out of the WCN inbox:

WHAT: The Metropolitan King County Council will hear public testimony and possibly act on legislation impacting zoning for the production, processing, and sale of legal marijuana in unincorporated King County.

WHERE: King County Courthouse, 10th floor, 516 Third Ave, Seattle 98104.

WHEN: Monday, July 25th, 1:30 p.m.

BACKGROUND: In 2013, the King County Council adopted initial zoning regulations governing the production, processing and sale of legalized marijuana in unincorporated King County. Since adoption of these initial zoning regulations, King County has received and processed numerous applications for marijuana-related land uses.

Some residents have expressed concerns regarding the existing regulations for marijuana production, processing and retailing. In order to review these concerns in rural areas, as well as consider an Executive proposal to regulate clustering of retail locations, the King County Council voted to pass a four-month moratorium on the acceptance of applications for or the establishment or location of new marijuana producers, processors and retailers on April 25, 2016.

After two special meetings of the Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee, Councilmembers are scheduled to discuss and possibly act on two ordinances, 2016-0236 and 2016-0254, that would amend current marijuana regulations in unincorporated King County.

The Boys and Girls Clubs wanted us to let you know that they’ve heard door-to-door solicitors are out in White Center claiming to represent their organization – but that’s a fraudulent claim:

The B&GC do have a facility in Greenbridge, by the way, and if you’d like to help them, you can certainly contact them directly any time. And they ask that if someone does try to sell you something while claiming to be from their organization, contact law enforcement.

7:15 PM: We’re in Newcastle, at Bellevue Fire Station #9, where King County’s Boundary Review Board is in its regular meeting – exactly one month after the conclusion of its two-day hearing on Seattle’s proposal to annex White Center and most of the rest of what’s left of unincorporated North Highline. (Our coverage of that hearing: Night one here, night two here.)

Tonight, the board is scheduled to take its final vote on whether to approve the proposal. This meeting doesn’t include any further public testimony; no one is here but us and two City of Seattle representatives. Their approval is still just another step in a long process; we’ll get into that once they take their action.

7:19 PM: Board members had no further comments, questions, or discussion of the proposed approval before voting to approve it, with one “no” vote (Laura Kiselius) and one abstention. The board’s executive Lenora Blauman says this now means the motion will be filed tomorrow and that will open a 30-day appeal period. There is one point of discussion after the vote – a member says there were some important concerns raised at the hearing, and she hopes that they can be pointed out in the cover letter to the motion, to ensure the city of Seattle is officially aware of those concerns. It was subsequently noted that two Seattle reps are here, and the board member said that’s why she pointed it out. Without further discussion, that concluded the item and they’ve moved on to unrelated business.

7:26 PM: Here’s where the process goes from here – after the appeal period, if the decision stands, it’s then up to the city to pursue the annexation. (We talked with Blauman after the meeting; she says appeals would be filed through King County Superior Court.)

City of Seattle staffer Kenny Pittman had told us that “community engagement” with North Highline residents would ensue. The city had said it hadn’t decided whether to seek a 2017 vote or 2018 vote by residents of the potential annexation area. But before a vote, the City Council would have to approve sending the proposal to voters. It’s notable that the Seattle City Council has many new members since the last time annexation came up for discussion.

That’s a minute of the 20-minute fireworks show that delighted Jubilee Days-goers in Steve Cox Memorial Park tonight. It was also opening night for the carnival at the park:

Carnival’s on through Sunday.

The street fair happens Saturday and Sunday, and that’s only part of what’s happening all weekend, including entertainment (see the schedule here).

When the King County Boundary Review Board‘s two-day hearing wrapped up last month, the BRB had one more step to take for its final decision on potential Seattle annexation of most of what’s left of unincorporated North Highline – a final vote at its next official meeting. That’s now just three days away, 7 pm Thursday (July 14th) at Bellevue Fire Station #9 in Newcastle; here’s the agenda.

If the BRB does give its final approval to the proposed annexation, that’s not the final step, but it’s a big one. The Seattle City Council still would have to approve sending the plan to NH voters, and they would have to give their approval. And between BRB and SCC action, the city promised, months of engagement would ensue. So, looking ahead to Thursday’s meeting, we asked City of Seattle annexation liaison Kenny Pittman what would happen next: “If the Board finalizes their tentative approval, there is a 30-day appeal period to allow impacted parties to appeal the Board’s decision. That will end August 15, 2016. After the 30-day appeal period, the City will start on its community engagement work and continue to brief City Council committee (Education, Equity & Governance) on next steps.”

Thursday’s meeting is open to the public. WCN was the only news organization to cover last month’s two-day hearing in White Center; our reports are here and here (including unedited video of the proceedings).

The White Center Jubilee Days festival kicks off Wednesday (July 13th). That’s the first night of the carnival at Steve Cox Memorial Park (scheduled to open at 3 pm Wednesday), which is also where fireworks are scheduled that night at dusk. Full details on the festival – including next weekend’s street fair – are at jubileedays.org.

Thanks for the tips – the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One was over White Center for a little while tonight, almost exactly 24 hours after last night’s visit. And again, they’ve explained it with information on Twitter:

One tipster reported seeing KCSO cars in the “dollar store” parking lot on the east side of downtown WC. For tips, by the way, you can text or call us any time at the same hotline we’ve long had for our partner site West Seattle Blog – 206-293-6302.

Thanks for the text about a helicopter over White Center. Since media helicopters are almost always off on weekends, we figured it had to be Guardian One, and headed over. But they’ve already explained themselves, via Twitter:

Just in from Tony Vo at White Center Community Development Association:

Our 6th annual White Center Promise Celebration will be held on Friday, August 5th from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Greenbridge Plaza, located in White Center at 9800 8th Ave SW.

The White Center Promise aims to eliminate barriers to equity and provide a foundation for family and student success from the time a child is born until they transition from post-secondary to gainful employment.

The celebration kicks off the school year early and connects over 800 students and their families to 30+ community resources, free backpacks and school supplies, local performances and entertainment, and educational activities for parents to take-away. In addition, there will be free food and raffle items.

You can sign up for the event via this link, http://tinyurl.com/WCPromise2016. If you would like to volunteer for this event, please email Tony@wccda.org.

Sponsors of this event includes King County Housing Authority, Equity Matters, Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence, Washington State Charter Schools Association, Habitat for Humanity, and Amerigroup.

First day of classes for Highline Public Schools is September 1st.

From King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:

Last night around 1130 pm King County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of two women shot near S. 112th St. and 1st Ave S. [map].

The women were with a group of people lighting off fireworks at that location. Witnesses said a white car was driving erratically back and forth in between the area where the group was lighting fireworks. When the vehicle stopped nearby a man from the group approached the vehicle to yell at the driver to stop driving recklessly.

An altercation occurred between the man and two people in the car. During the altercation shots rang out and two women in the group were shot. It is unknown at this time if the shots came from the occupants of the car.

The woman who was shot in the back is a pregnant, 24-year-old Burien woman. She was taken to Harborview and is in serious but stable condition. The other woman, 46 and from Seattle, was taken to Highline Hospital with a gunshot wound to her foot.

The vehicle in the altercation is described as a white older model sedan occupied by two females. Detectives are asking for anyone with information to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.

King County Parks and the White Center Community Development Association invite you to mark your calendar for this:

That’s the trailer for “El Gallo Con Muchos Huevos,” which will be onscreen at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd) at dusk on August 6th (you can arrive as early as 6:30 pm), as this year’s “Cine en el Parque/Movie in the Park.” Free! Enjoy games, music, food, and fun. Here’s a look at last year’s first-ever event:

See you at the movie!

Crossposting this from partner site West Seattle Blog, as we hadn’t heard previously about the 5:30 pm tour and you might be interested too:

(Click to see full-size PDF)

If you’re interested in the future of the Myers Way Parcels, owned by the city of Seattle and adjacent to North Highline on multiple sides – the city’s final reminder about tonight’s community meeting at the Joint Training Facility includes word of a 5:30 pm guided tour BEFORE the 6:30 pm meeting. From district coordinator Kerry Wade:

This is a friendly reminder that there will be a meeting this evening regarding the future of the Myers Way Property. Come learn more about the history of this land, what has been proposed by the city and the community, what are some of the barriers, and learn from a panel of experts what is at stake. There will be exhibits on display and opportunities for you to make comments as well.

For those of you who are interested in a brief tour of the property, please feel free to come early (around 5:30 p.m.).

Here are the meeting vitals. We hope to see you all there!

Myers Way Property Community Meeting
Hosted By City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services

Joint Training Facility Meeting Room
9401 Myers Way South

Thurs. June 30, 2016 @ 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6:00; Come early for a 5:30 guided tour)

Light refreshments will be provided
Interpreters will be on hand for Somali, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish.

WSB coverage of the site and related issues is archived here.

(WCN photo – deputies conferring behind the McDonald’s in the search zone)

8:27 PM: Thanks to everybody asking about this – scanner traffic confirms a search is under way near Ambaum/114th for a suspect, and that’s brought out the Guardian One helicopter, with a King County Sheriff’s Office K-9 on the way too. We haven’t heard what the suspect is being sought for, but deputies do seem to know who they are looking for, and it’s someone reported to have a record. Right now the search scene includes the storage business across from the Ambaum McDonald’s; one reader tells us they’ve also seen deputies a bit further south. We’re heading out to see what more we can find out, and we’ll update if/when we hear anything more.

ADDED: The Guardian One crew tweeted some information shortly after we had checked their feed and saw nothing. They tweeted, “In White Center, looking for white male, 6-2, black running shorts and shaved head. Wanted for assault and warrant. Ran from McDonald’s.”

8:52 PM UPDATE: We are in the area now and just talked briefly to deputies. They say the assault allegation involves domestic violence. Guardian One is still circling.

9:32 PM UPDATE: We left the area a little while ago, same time that the helicopter departed – which wasn’t because of an arrest, but because they had to refuel. Meantime, a KCSO K-9 team had arrived for a search in the area. So far, we haven’t heard of anyone being taken into custody, but are continuing to monitor, and if we don’t hear anything definitive sooner, we’ll check with KCSO’s media-relations officer in the morning to see if they have anything new to report. Our understanding is that the victim did not require hospitalization.

Fireworks are still legal in unincorporated King County, and sales have now begun at licensed stands. This year’s rules and restrictions, dates and hours, are all listed here (statewide). But please note that while it’s legal to buy them now, you cannot legally set them off until the 4th of July – next Monday – 9 am to midnight. And they’re not legal in the cities adjacent to unincorporated North Highline.

A 33-acre stretch of undeveloped City of Seattle-owned land known as the Myers Way Parcels is the subject of a community meeting next Thursday, June 30th. The land is adjacent to unincorporated North Highline, and a growing list of community advocates want the city to hold off on a potential sale – outlined in the “preliminary recommendations” released earlier this month – until it can reach out to more of the general area. Joining the list, the White Center Community Development Association, a signatory to this letter sent to Seattle officials:

Finance & Administrative Services Department
Re: Response to June 15, 2016, FAS Preliminary Recommendation Report on Myers Parcels

Dear Mr. Bretzke;

Your report raises serious concerns for our organizations. We ask that you stop the Myers Parcels sale process, and engage the South Park and White Center communities in envisioning the best use of this public land for their public benefit. This civic outreach aligns with Mayor Murray’s Equity and Environmental Action Agenda. The communities of color, immigrants, the elderly, low income and others in these areas live uphill from the Duwamish River, one of America’s worst Superfund sites. They also suffer elevated levels of illness, as they breathe the worst quality air in Seattle.

More than half the residents here do not speak or read English; for some, it’s a second language. Yet the City’s Finance & Administrative Services (FAS) Department issued its formal Notice of Excess Property (Jan. 15, 2016), and its Preliminary Recommendations for Myers Parcels (June 15, 2016) only in English, and to a limited area in the extensive communities that will be affected by the proposed Myers sale. To do effective community outreach, FAS must inform the non-English speaking majority of residents, by offering notices in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Somali. So far, FAS has effectively disenfranchised huge swaths of the local population.

The 33 acres of Myers Parcels is the largest tract of undeveloped land that the City of Seattle owns. It holds origins of Hamm Creek, and a second creek – parts of the most fragile link in Chinook Salmon Recovery, and within the Duwamish River Superfund area. Its forested and wetland areas provide habitat, green buffer, and ecosystem service benefits for the White Center, Highland Park, South Park, Roxbury, Delridge and Georgetown communities, and for the City of Seattle. The Myers Parcels forest helps clean the area’s air and reduce atmospheric carbon. It is also historically significant to the Duwamish Tribe.

FAS recommends using the area south of the Joint Training Facility for an expanded parking lot and a commercial warehouse operation, and retaining the wetlands and critical slope above SR 509 that can’t be developed. This FAS top-down recommendation runs contrary to Mayor Murray’s Equity and Environmental Action Agenda, which calls for grassroots, community-driven planning. Rather than rush into a sale, the city should fully engage the local communities in a visioning process that considers their best interests.

Page 3 of the FAS Preliminary Recommendation Report portrays the West Duwamish Greenbelt as usable park space. This is misleading. The Greenbelt is filled with large trees and thick undergrowth, lacks trails, and is unusable for public recreation. The entrance for Westcrest Park is not within walking distance for community residents near Myers.

Residents of South Park, eastern White Center, and Arrowhead Gardens need accessible green space, improved air and water quality, access to product and service providers and/or existing retail cores, and green jobs. Instead, the city plans to reduce green space and walkability, and degrade air and water quality with parking lots, warehouses, and truck operations. It will not improve accessibility to what residents need, and offers no assurances that proposed commercial operations will produce green jobs for underemployed local residents.

In a recent survey by the White Center Community Development Association (WCCDA), White Center residents expressed concern about access to employment, despite living nearby the South Park, Georgetown, SoDo industrial areas. There are ways to combine economic opportunity and environmental sustainability, and support a green economy for Seattle’s future. Adding warehousing and trucking operations neither provides this, nor addresses residents’ concerns.

There is a wide range of “greener” options for Myers Parcels – an organic farming cooperative with a mission to support small local produce stands and ethnic grocery stores; a manufacturing facility for clean tech products or compostable goods; an environmental education center an ADA-accessible park for Arrowhead Gardens; and more possibilities.

This FAS plan also does not keep the Myers watershed healthy, or help to restore the Duwamish River and promote salmon habitat. It makes no sense to degrade a watershed that feeds the Duwamish River, when we’re spending millions of taxpayer dollars to clean that river up. The FAS Dept. has also ignored our “Save Myers Parcels” petition, which has garnered more than 1100 signatures and nearly 500 comments, and support from a growing number of individuals and community associations.

We call on the City to stop this sale, withdraw the FAS recommendation, and fully engage local communities in determining the future of this site. A new assessment of current and future Myers ecosystem value and benefits must also be done, as the current study has expired. We urge the city to retain and develop Myers Parcels as usable public space to benefit all of our communities.

Sincerely,

Tony Vo,
Director, White Center Promise, White Center Community Development Association

Elaine Ike
Co-Chair, Seattle Green Spaces Coalition

Here’s the notice about Thursday’s meeting, which is at 6:30 pm at the Joint Training Facility immediately north of the site, 9401 Myers Way S.

Early Olympic fever swept through the Southwest Boys and Girls Club in Greenbridge this afternoon, as the club welcomed some special visitors:

Members of the USA Women’s Olympic Rugby team are training in the Seattle area before heading to Rio, and they took a side trip today to White Center to meet local kids and run through some basic rugby skills with them – passing, kicking, and formations.

With them, head coach Richie Walker.

The team will make history because rugby will be an Olympic sport this year for the first time in almost a century.

According to the USA Rugby website, the women will compete August 6th through 8th.