Next Bill Pierre Development Meeting May 19th

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Ryan

Shammara Estrada, Victory Heights’ Community Council Representative, reports,

Not sure if you are aware of this – but Bill Pierre has begun plans for redevelopment of his vast property along Lake City Way. The family has contracted with the UW Urban Design and Planning Department to facilitate planning efforts and engage the community in the conversation for the future of this property. They are primarily looking at issues such as connectivity, uses, etc and not specifically what will be built there. There will be a blog up soon with updates and more information.  If you are interested in being a part of the process, they will be having some visioning sessions.

When: Saturday, May 19, 9am-4
Where: Nathan Hale High School
What: Broken into two segments, the morning half will focus on the general framework for the property and the second half will be more small group break out sessions. For those of you that want to be included but cannot commit to a full or half day, there will be an area set aside for those just wanting to leave their ideas and comments.
Though technically in Lake City (though the city seems to think Victory Heights extends to NE 125th), the Bill Pierre properties represent a large amount of land ripe for change. What would want/not want to see there: Big box stores? Supermarkets? More “adult entertainment” venues? Parks? Here’s your chance to have your say.
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Thornton Creek Knickerbocker Site Construction Begins May 2013

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Ryan

The long-proposed and studied plan to increase floodplain storage and habitat quality to the Thornton Creek greenbelt at the “Knickerbocker” site (NE 100th Street, at the base of 20th Ave NE) looks to finally begin construction in May 2013.
Seattle Public Utilities and the Park Department acquired the land between 2001 and 2006, permanently removing several houses that had been located on the south side of 100th.
Residents in the project area, members of the Thornton Creek Watershed Oversight Council, and advocates for Thornton Creek began to work with SPU and Parks on ways to get a floodplain reconnection project designed and built in 2009, as this type of project was identified in the Thornton Creek Watershed Action Plan. Project design was initiated in 2010 using a $100,000 King Conservation District grant to design the floodplain project. SPU led the design work using a consultant and has held about five community meetings to discuss the project and get input.
Sample drilling was performed last month at the site, and funding secured from King Conservation District, an EPA Ecology Grant, and Seattle Public Utilities to finally implement the work starting next year. The plan includes relocating several hundred feet of Thornton Creek, create up to an acre of vegetated floodplain (currently a picnic and dog-walking area), and build a new pedestrian bridge over the widened creek.
It’s also hoped that the wider, slower creek will enable fish to reach and spawn further upstream eventually.
See also: Thornton Creek Alliance Meeting April 26th

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Dumping Trash As "Free"

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Ryan

When it comes to getting rid of unwanted household items, a tired-and-true solution is to put them out in front of your house with a “Free” sign (see last week’s post)–at least until garbage day–then get rid of it! But when you put it on someone else’s property, that’s considered dumping and it’s illegal.

Alfredo Estrada on 23rd Ave NE reports someone left a plastic bin on the corner of his property with various miscellaneous items and a waterlogged piece of paper taped to it saying “Free.” He said, “It is not very neighborly to leave trash at someone else’s house. I assume it must have been someone passing by.”
Please keep an eye out for this kind of dumping.

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Then and Now: Lake City Way

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Ryan

Looking north at Lake City Way from NE 98th Street: 1955 & 2012


The “Then” photo (click to enlarge) was taken on August 22, 1955 by the City of Seattle to document the construction of the Victory Heights sewer in the newly annexed (one year earlier) part of the city. Note the crosswalk: it would take an extremely brave pedestrian to walk across a four-lane state highway at an uncontrolled intersection (or did people drive slower back then on Lake City Way?–doubtful).
The “Now” photo was taken from approximately the same spot, looking north at Lake City Way from NE 98th Street in front of what is a bus shelter on the west side. The Eagle gas station has been replaced by the Italian Spaghetti House on the east side; Les Schwab, Summa and the ActivSpace on the west side have replaced the sea of billboards along the highway.
Visit the Seattle Municipal Archives site for many fascinating period photos.
Do you have a historic photograph of Victory Heights or information about our neighborhood’s history? Please write and share with us.

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Link: Victory Heights – Initial Sale in 1920

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Ryan

The Pinehurst Seattle blog has reprinted the newspaper ad from The Seattle Sunday Times on May2, 1920 announcing the sale of lots in Victory Heights. Check out those low, low prices!
 

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Thornton Creek Alliance Meeting April 26th

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Ryan

The Thornton Creek Alliance announced its annual meeting and elections will be held on Thursday, April 26th from 7PM to 9PM at the Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125.

The meeting will feature a representative from the National Wildlife Federation who will provide an overview and share information about how a community can become a Wildlife Habitat team. Community Wildlife Habitats are organized by a team of people, who not only help create habitat, but also hold workshops about gardening for wildlife and organize community events such as stream or trail cleanups. Can the Thornton Creek Watershed become a Habitat team? Join the conversation.

Following the Educational Program there will be a brief annual review update on programs that affect the watershed and you:

  • Meadowbrook Pond and Confluence Projects
  • Beaver Pond Natural Area Grant
  • Northgate Light Rail
  • Hubbard Homestead Park

Committee Reports and elections will also be held.

For more information, see their Facebook page: 

facebook.com/Thornton.Creek.Alliance

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A Week And Some Change

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Ryan

Today is the one-week anniversary of the blog and already change is in the air! Apparently I wasn’t the only Victory Heights resident who thought having a blog was a good idea. Unbeknownst to me, several months ago the Neighborhood North District Council had gotten the ball rolling on starting a blog here and even paid for a domain (victoryheights.org) to be purchased for that use. I was blissfully unaware when I beat them to the punch by going live first.
Next Monday I’ll be attending a meeting with our Victory Heights Community Council representative, Shammara Estrada, and somehow we’ll consolidate all these efforts into one awesome Victory Heights blog (either here or at the new domain). Stay tuned, your friends and neighbors are dedicated to keeping you informed on the latest news for Victory Heights residents.

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Democratic Caucuses Sparsely Attended

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Ryan

No one from Precinct 2316 attended the Democratic Caucus.


The turnout for Democratic caucuses today in the 46th District was extremely low compared with four years ago. Only three people from Precinct 2309 (the area between NE 100th and NE 105th east of 20th Ave) and none from Precinct 2316 (between 105th and NE Northgate Way) turned up to select delegates that will move on to the Legislative Caucus and Country Conventions to be held later this month.
To the surprise of no one, President Obama had the unanimous support from the few attendees.

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While They Last: Free Chairs

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Ryan


There are four free chairs sitting at the corner of NE 102nd and 21st Ave NE. First-come, first-served.

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New Construction Nears Completion

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Ryan

The new house at 10718 19th Ave NE, set behind the house on 19th Ave, is nearly finished construction. The driveway still needs to be paved, but according to permits issued by the city, the electrical and sewer work has been completed. A small shed had been demolished in 2008 to make room for the new building located on a “porkchop” lot familiar to Victory Heights residents. The project had been delayed several years due to the housing crunch, with the building permit renewed in 2009 and in February 2011, when work finally began. Port Gardner Architects in Everett were the original applicant.
 

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