A few days ago, I posted a video about Karen Cirulli's work along Aurora Avenue, much of which is with the residents of area motels and other homeless individuals.
If you're interested in learning more about the situation of many of our homeless neighbors, here are a couple of informative resources:
Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County, an HBO Documentary by Alexandra Pelosi (interview here), "explores the world of children who reside in discounted motels within walking distance of Disneyland, living in limbo as their families struggle to survive in one of the wealthiest regions of America. The parents of motel kids are often hard workers who don't earn enough to own or rent homes. As a result, they continue to live week-to-week in motels, hoping against hope for an opportunity that might allow them to move up in the O.C." (full synopsis here).
Karen Cirulli has been an AmeriCorps Volunteer working as a community organizer along the Aurora corridor for the past year and half. In addition to gathering neighbors to create the Aurora Communal Garden and its weekly cookouts, she spends her time networking community groups, visiting area motels, and coordinating various neighborhood events. I've had the privilege of working with her for the past year as part of the local faith community that serves as her host site, but it's about time you met her and heard about the awesome things she is doing!
Do you have any neighbors you would like the rest of us to meet? A community leader? A block captain? A teacher? A business owner? Aurora|Seattle would love to meet them!
Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) recently held a meeting at Cyndy's Pancake House in which they conversed with neighbors about their plans for an affordable housing development "with supportive services for homeless men and women living with mental illness" at the current Cyndy's property (10507 Aurora Ave) to begin in the summer of 2011.
But less than a year ago, Cyndy's was on the verge of becoming a strip club until the city declined to issue the prospective buyer, Bob Davis, the necessary permits - leading one Aurora|Seattle contributor to proclaim, "Pancakes Trump Strippers."
The Seattle Times is reporting today that a federal judge has ruled in favor of Davis, who filed a lawsuit against the city in 2008, "saying the city's failure to provide applicants with a deadline for obtaining a license violates the First Amendment protections of would-be club owners." It remains to be seen whether or not the city will owe Davis any damages related to the loss of his potential business.
Aurora already has at least one place open 24 hours - the legendary Beth's Cafe. But it might soon have a number of early morning destinations - and they'd be serving more than a 12-egg omelet. As the Seattle Times reported earlier this week (see below), Mayor Mike McGinn is proposing letting bars staying open all night, or at least later than the current 2 a.m. closing time.
Chris Dalton, owner of Beth's Cafe and the neighboring Duck Island Ale House, told Aurora|Seattle that he has a "neutral" reaction to the news. He added, "I don't see keeping the Duck open later and my guess would be more regulation on those bars that do close later. As to Beth's, could be a positive in that we wouldn't get slammed all at once and may end up with more biz overall. We'll see..."
What are your reactions to the Mayor's proposal? Will you be showing up at Beth's at 3 or 4 a.m. instead of 2? Or is this a non-issue for Aurora?
Letting bars serve liquor later or even all night is one...
SeattleCrime.com is reporting on a police bust at the recently reopened "Dancing Bare" near 105th and Aurora:
City officials say the Dancing Bare, on 105th and Aurora, reopened sometime in May—staff at the Department of Executive Administration did not have an exact date—after shutting down for about five years.
The building on 105th and Aurora has been licensed as an adult club since at least 1987, and was in operation until 2005, when they allowed their license to lapse. Although the club's small stage went dark, the adjacent adult book and video store—which are connected—remained open.
Last year, the business—which operates under the name Carnieville—filed to re-up their license.
When staff from the Department of Executive Administration went to inspect the business in March, it was still in a state of disarray. "It wasn’t even swept up," says inspector Michelle Crooks.
The club managed to get cleaned up and got their license back, and reopened in...
The article highlights some of the efforts of the project so far:
Billboards along Aurora warn about texting while driving, speed limit enforcement and the need to stop for pedestrians. Curb bulbs, channelization and signal light changes, and crosswalks have been planned. Stepped up enforcement efforts have resulted in over 9,500 traffic infractions being written since June 18, 2009. The steps may appear small, but preliminary data collected from June to December of 2009 shows the collision rate has dropped 30%.
And includes some great quotes from a conversation with Jim Curtin from SDOT:
Ultimately, though, the answers lie in the people who travel on Aurora. “The leading contributing cause,” Curtin explained after reading collision reports, “is inattention.” Second major cause has been ‘failure to yield’.&...
The life of the truck at 90th and Aurora operating as "Cubano Loco" was short-lived. It is now the "Chunky Monkey". Check out their website and a note from the new owners below. Welcome to the neighborhood Lauren and Gabriel!
We are the owners of this new business!
Hi! We are the owners of this new business that is now in fact called The Chunky Monkey! Check out our website! http://www.ilovethechunkymonkey.com Cubano Loco was a temporary thing until we could take ownership of the company. We did so 7-6-10. We are new and just starting out but are so excited to serve Seattle. Yes we are keeping the so loved Cuban Sandwich - The new Cubano Torta! We encourage suggestions and of course love compliments. We want to make The Chunky Monkey your favorite place to eat in Seattle! Thank you!
A few weeks ago we posted a rumor about the possibility of someone looking to develop condos at the former 1/2 Price Pots property at 8101 Aurora Avenue.
We were totally wrong about the condo thing - and are totally happy about that - because someone is getting ready to buy the property for an entirely different purpose.
According to some neighbors who have spoken to the current property owner, a sale is pending for the property to a man from Yakima who intends to operate a Farmer's Market at the site! The market will sell 7 days a week, all year long. In addition to having his own stand and renting space to other farmers, he plans to use the site as a central hub, including refrigeration, to store fruits and vegetables that will be sold at other sites around Seattle.
The sale is expected to be complete by the end of July and the buyer hopes to open the Farmer's Market within 3 months. No changes are planned to the buildings on site beyond adding refrigeration to one building. Tests are currently...
Marc Phillips offered a perspective about prostitution on Aurora yesterday over at the PI:
The motels along the stretch of Aurora in North Seattle are hotbeds of crime and prostitution that suck the attention of the Seattle Police Department in a time of dwindling resources and budget cuts. Could legalization of the world's oldest profession breathe new life into the neighborhood and provide a tax windfall for the City?
While neighborhood residents have diligently worked to clean up the area through block patrols and increased vigilance resulting in numerous arrests, the area is still plagued with criminal activity centering around several of the "motels" along the strip and the crimes their location and condition encourage. A year ago the City launched a clean-up campaign centering on five motels owned by Dean and Jill Inman which in April resulted in a settlementregarding the Wallingford Inn, Fremont Inn, Seattle Motor Inn, Italia Motel, and Isabella Motel. The Seattle Motor Inn, a...
I meant to post this on June 30... Eighty years ago the Seattle City Council voted in favor of extending Aurora Avenue through Woodland Park. The Seattle Times vociferously opposed the move, and expressed it in their headlines, such as, "Friends of Playfields Deceived in Aurora Act."
On June 30, 1930, by a vote of six to two, the Seattle City Council approves an ordinance extending Aurora Avenue through Woodland Park. The Council majority follows the advice of city and state highway engineers, supported by Mayor Frank E. Edwards, that the multi-lane Aurora "speedway" is needed to provide a direct approach from the George Washington Memorial (Aurora Avenue) Bridge then under construction to north Seattle and beyond. The council decision to bisect Woodland Park's 200-acre urban wilderness triggers outrage among park supporters and other speedway opponents. With the vociferous backing of The Seattle Times, opponents gather sufficient signatures...
We're reported on wild rides on the 358 before, as well as the statistics of violence on the line, the third busiest Metro route in King County. But yesterday an attentive 358 passenger emailed us this image.
An appropriate "commentary" on the nature of the 358?
The Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon is back again this year. Runners will be making there way up Aurora Avenue across the bridge up to 39th Street, so all lanes will be closed for much of the day on Saturday.
According to the Times, other lane closures include:
• All lanes of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Aurora Avenue North between Diagonal Avenue South and 39th Street.
• First Avenue South from South Royal Brougham Way to South King Street.
• Highway 599 northbound onramp from Interurban Avenue South and South 133rd Street.
• Interstate 5 northbound onramps and offramps to and from Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.
• Southbound lanes of Fourth Avenue South from Airport Way South to South Jackson Street.
As previously reported, there are plans afoot to convert Cyndy's House of Pancakes to supportive housing for formerly homeless people. On June 9, Bill Hobson, Executive Director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), went to Cyndy's and spoke to a group of concerned neighborhood residents.
DESC is a leading advocate of the philosophy of "housing first." Many other homeless housing projects insist that residents be clean and sober before moving in. (This practice is often called "creaming," which refers to the tendency to focus on the most treatable homeless populations.) On the other hand, DESC believes that agencies get better results if they provide housing first and then focus on the other social services. This approach is understandably controversial, but there is some pretty good empirical evidence from the New England Journal of Medicine and elsewhere that the strategy is generally effective.
Hobson began the meeting with some brief comments that summarized DESC's mission and a discussion...
First things first: Happy Birthday...to us. Über Tavern turns 4 years old this Saturday, June 26th.
Why not join us for a little something special?
Flyers Cab Ride on tap. We will be offering 4oz pours for $2.50!
- Starts at noon when we open, as long as it lasts. There are only 3 pony kegs in existence -- this is one of them. You can find out more about the beer HERE If you don't know about Cab Ride, it is a very special barley wine made exclusively for Über. Wood-aged x2, booze-aged x2:
- American & French Oak
- Booker's Cask Strength Bourbon & Laphroiag 10 Year Single Malt Scotch
- Base beer is 10.5%, based loosely on J.W. Lee's Vintage Harvest Ale
- Final strength after bourbon/scotch aging unknown
IN OTHER NEWS: We will be closed Sunday July 4th. We'll all be at the SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL BEERFEST that day. You should come join us!
We currently have 13 excellent artists on board for the July 3rd event. In deference to the mighty work of the artists involved with the Solstice Parade, which took place on the day of our initial deadline, I have moved the deadline back by one week to Saturday 26 June. We are still accepting applications form interested artists. Thanks!
Aurora|Seattle received confirmation today from Rod Swift of JSH Properties, Inc. that a lease agreement has been reached with the new tenant of the former Stupid Prices building at 7906 Aurora Avenue.
Aaron's rental, a rent-to-own store with over 1700 locations in the U.S. and Canada, hopes to open its doors by August 1. Aaron's has a number of stores in the greater Seattle area, with its nearest locations in Burien and Everett.
The Aaron's promise is "your total satisfaction by always providing the highest level of service, a large selection of name brand products and the guaranteed low price."
And, yes, they do intend to paint over the infamous yellow exterior of the building!
Also, file this in the "neighborhood rumors" category - there are whispers that someone may be preparing the former 1/2 Price Pots lot for a condo development.
The city called off plans to evict residents of troubled Aurora motel earlier today after the motel's owners caught up on a massive overdue water bill.
Police and Department of Planning and Development officials had planned to serve eviction notices at the Italia Motel on 41st and Aurora noon at today, after the city shut off water at the motel earlier this week.
However, right at the deadline last night, the motel's motrgage owner paid a past-due $7,000 water bill—much cheaper than the $3,000 the owners would have had to pay each of the tenants if they'd been evicted. It's unclear how many tenants are staying at the Isabella. The motel's phone appears to be disconnected.
The city has been working to close the Italia and four other Aurora motels owned by the Dean and Jill Inman since last year. In April, the city won their case, and the Inmans agreed to close, lease to a non-profit group, or sell the Italia and nearby Isabella—which, according to the city, had become...
It is indeed literally true that Aurora has got Green Lake's back - or is Green Lake's back - since good old highway 99 runs along the west side of the lake...
But it's also true that Green Lake has got Aurora's back - or at least its great neighborhood blog, My Green Lake, does! Our friends over their have covered two Aurora-related happenings in the last two days:
State Department of Transportation crews estimate that more than 100,000 vehicles cross the Aurora Bridge daily.
But how many of those drivers know the history of the 88-year-old landmark?
Seattlepi.com staff pulled dozens of archived photos and a few articles about the bridge and are posting them here – a way to share some of the historical images we have in our archive.
The bridge – officially called the George Washington Memorial Bridge – was dedicated Feb. 22, 1932, which was the 200th anniversary of Washington's birthday. Then-president Herbert Hoover pressed a telegraph key that severed a silk barrier across the span and released flags furled over each end. The ceremony was broadcast across the western United States by NBC radio.
A photo that ran the following day in the P-I shows the bridge packed with thousands of spectators for the Monday morning ceremony.
Click here to see a gallery of 39 bridge photos. Follow this link to download a...
We've known about King County Metro's plans for a "RapidRide" bus line on Aurora due around 2013 for quite some time, but the arrival of the "E Line" on Aurora Avenue is rapidly approaching...
Metro Transit recently updated their "E Line" web page, signaling that area residents can expect to hear more about the project and how they can be involved in the months to come.
According to the site,
The RapidRide E Line will give riders streamlined service to destinations along the route, including major employers, stores, medical and other services, and residential areas.
Destinations near the E Line include:
Shoreline City Hall
Greenlake
Woodland Park Zoo
RapidRide also will stop at the Aurora Village Transit Center and Shoreline Park-and-ride.
RapidRide will include minimal intervals between buses, faster boarding, fewer stops, and increased safety at bus shelters.
The Seattle Solidarity Network, an organization with the goal of, "support[ing] our fellow workers' strikes and struggles, build[ing] solidarity, and organiz[ing] to deal with specific job, housing, and other problems caused by the greed of the rich and powerful," has recently expressed support for a former tenant of a property at 8806 Nesbit Avenue.
A flyer posted outside the apartments claims that the owner of the property, Nelson Properties, offers substandard housing, charges extra "hidden" fees, steals security deposits, harasses tenants, and refuses to clean up endemic black mold.
This is not the first time that the Seattle Solidarity Network has joined Nesbit residents. In the spring of 2008, they stood with tenants of the Green Lake motel (now the Oak Tree Motel) apartments who were evicted after the state health department shut down the motel for numerous violations.
Interestingly, the Solidarity Network may have gained a significant ally this past week. According to the Seattle Times,...
Seattle's Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) has begun notifying north Seattle residents and businesses that they will be developing affordable housing where Cyndy's House of Pancakes, which almost became a strip club last fall, is currently located. DESC will be hosting an informational meeting for neighbors on Wednesday, June 9.
According to the notification letter and flyer:
DESC is working on a future affordable housing development in the North Aurora Ave neighborhood, located at 10507 Aurora Ave North, at N 105th Street. Our plans are not to make changes to the existing use before the summer of 2011, when a new building would be constructed. When complete, DESC will own and operate 80-90 studio units of affordable housing with supportive services and indoor/outdoor community spaces for men and women who are homeless and disabled...
DESC invites you to an Informational Forum about new affordable housing project under development with supportive services for homeless...
Finally, a bit further north, the All Nations Soccer Bar & Restaurant (930 N 130th St), though it hasn't yet released its schedule, will certainly have a healthy share of World Cup action since it is "not a sports bar, but a soccer bar."
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has just passed a construction alert on to Aurora|Seattle about the upcoming "Pedestrian Safety Project" being implemented at Aurora Avenue North and 115th Street.
Construction on the project, which is sponsored by the Aurora Traffic Safety Project and funded by the voter-approved "Bridging the Gap" transportation levy, is expected to begin June 7 and last 3 to 4 weeks.
According to SDOT's Jim Curtin,
This project will improve pedestrian safety and facilitate access to transit along Aurora Avenue North at North 115th Street. The project will install 330 feet of new sidewalk on the east side of Aurora Avenue North (adjacent to Evergreen-Washelli), three new curb ramps and a new crosswalk on the south leg of the intersection. The sidewalk component will fill in a gap in the existing sidewalk network. The new curb ramps and crosswalk will dramatically improve the pedestrian connection across Aurora Avenue North at N 115th Street...
