New, ongoing feature: The NE Seattle Development Tracker page

March 12, 2014 by 9 Comments
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“Crane and Land,” water color by Kathleen Coyle. Photo taken in Grateful Bread (7001 35th Ave NE).

There’s SO MUCH happening in Northeast Seattle in terms of large developments, we’ve decided to stop writing individual posts about them and give them their own PAGE.

We hereby introduce you to: The NE Seattle Development Tracker page, accessible from anywhere on the Ravenna Blog via a new tab (just to the left of our Search box).

For each development project listed on the map, you can find the following information:

  • Address
  • Main project number and link
  • Current permit activity link
  • Department of Planning and Development (DPD) documents page link
  • Description of the project in its final form (# of stories, apartments, retail square-footage, etc.)
  • Northeast Design Review Board link (to past and future meetings)
  • Design proposal PDF link
  • Website of the new project

Not all of the above information will be available for every project — some are far newer than others — but we’ll add new info and links as the projects progress.


View NE Seattle large development tracker in a larger map

Curious about a project you don’t see on the map yet? Leave a comment below with the address of the project (or contact us here, via web form). We’ll do our best to find more information to add to the map.

Filed Under: Businesses, Civic Envolvement, Construction, Department of Planning and Development, Light Rail, metablog, Northeast Seattle, Real Estate

NE Seattle YARNPOLCALYPSE is nigh (UPDATES)

March 5, 2014 by 5 Comments

Knit one, purl two, REPENT: For Northeast Seattle may be losing two independent yarn stores.

Acorn Street Shop, 2818 NE 55th St

Current Acorn Street Shop owner Karen Aho is retiring, and selling the shop. They’ve had some nibbles, says the shop on twitter, but as of this writing, there are no official takers. May might be the store’s last month if no buyers come forward.

Interested in owning your very own yarn store?* Contact Karen at acornstreet@msn.com.

Acorn Street Shop in early 2012.

Acorn Street Shop in early 2012.

More about the store from the Acorn Street Shop “About Us” page:

Acorn Street Shop was established in 1979 and began as a New England country store in nearby University Village Shopping Center. Soon the needlework department took over and Acorn Street became a full-fledged needlework shop. The shop has been under current ownership since 1986. In 1992, the business moved to its present location, just north of the U-Village, and the needlework merchandise has expanded to fill the old building up to its 15 foot ceilings!

Weaving Works, 4717 Brooklyn Ave NE

“Oh, if Acorn Street Shop closes, it will be sad. But there’s always Weaving Works down in the University District.” BUT FOR HOW LONG. The Weaving Works building is to be torn down and redeveloped into “a seven-story, 56 unit apartment building with 3,600 sq. ft. of retail commercial space at grade.”

There is no date set yet for the demolition, but the permit was filed on January 30, 2014.

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Rendering of the proposed development at 4717 Brooklyn Ave NE. Click the image to download the entire proposal (8.2 MB PDF).

The most recent design proposal for the site (available above) was presented to the Northeast Design Review Board on July 15, 2013. It was passed unanimously. You can read the board’s full report from the meeting here (249 KB PDF).

We’ve contacted The Weaving Works for more information about the store’s future, and will post a reply here if/when we know more.

UPDATE (Wednesday, 7 PM): Good news about the future of The Weaving Works, via their twitter account:

UPDATE (Monday, March 17): In the latest Weaving Works newsletter (PDF), the store announces that their annual Mother’s Day sale will be more of a Moving sale (to help make the move easier); however, they’re still keeping the new location under wraps.

Acorn Street Shop also holds an annual Mother’s Day sale.

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*Best possible place to work, in the event of an earthquake.

Filed Under: Businesses, Construction, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Real Estate, University District, Updates

Broadcast Coffee coming to Roosevelt this spring

January 18, 2014 by 8 Comments

Get ready for a triple shot of espresso in the heart of the Roosevelt neighborhood.

Broadcast Coffee (current locations in the Central District and Capitol Hill) broke the news via Twitter on Thursday that they’re opening their third location in the new Kavela Apartments building (NE 66th Street and Roosevelt Way NE).

This new location will be the third cafe near the busy intersection of NE 65th Street and Roosevelt Way NE — joining the “coffee haven for geeks” Wayward Coffeehouse and the Roosevelt Square Starbucks.


View The Coffee Triangle of Roosevelt in a larger map

They’re aiming for a March/April opening.

For more info on Broadcast Coffee and their offerings, check ’em out on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Businesses, Food, Roosevelt

Water main breaks between University Village and the NE 45th Street viaduct (UPDATE)

October 8, 2013 by 2 Comments

Updates appear at the bottom of the Storify window — hit the blue “Read next page” button below to view them.

Filed Under: 911, Laurelhurst, Open/Closed, Photos, Ravenna, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Public Utilities, Traffic, University District, University Village

Welcome our newest sponsor, Ravenna Animal Hospital

September 30, 2013 by 3 Comments

We are very pleased to tell you that Ravenna Animal Hospital is now a Ravenna Blog sponsor.

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Seattle Veterinary Associates (SVA) has been offering the foundation to a lifetime of compassionate pet care for more than 40 years, and the recently remodeled Ravenna Animal Hospital (4541 Union Bay Pl. NE, opened in 2002) now enables them to provide even greater levels of service.

You’re invited to visit the Ravenna location for an open house on Sunday, October 20, 2013, from 1-3 PM (1.3 MB PDF) — enjoy refreshments, quiz the doctors and staff, win prizes, and more.

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Seattle Veterinary Associates was founded in 1971 by Dr. Sanford Olson, Dr. Donald Canfield, and Dr. Stephen Jones. To provide patients with the extraordinary care they deserve, they:

  • Actively pursue client education and involvement in the care of their pet
  • Develop and maintain quality medical care teams through education and training
  • Participate in training and educational advancements in their profession
  • Develop and maintain a health partnership with clients to ensure their satisfaction
  • Apply the highest standards in care, compassion, and veterinary technologies
  • Value and respect the individual talents and skills of their people
  • Accept accountability for their performances
  • Model ethical behavior in all their interactions with clients, patients, and staff.

The vision of providing the highest quality veterinary care to pets in the Puget Sound area remains integral to each of their staff members today.

Coupled with SVA’s considerate expansion and the advancement of their medical capabilities at all their hospitals, SVA is proud to be providing the highest quality veterinary care to pets and their families.

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Learn more about Seattle Veterinary Associates’ experienced veterinarians and technicians or the services they provide to pets on their website, or at any of their four Seattle locations:

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A Bit of Seattle Veterinary Associates’ History:

  • In 1971, the original practice opened its doors at the current location of Queen Anne Animal Clinic.
  • In 1972, Green Lake Animal Hospital opened and become the central hospital serving the Queen Anne Animal Clinic.
  • In 1979, acquired Ravenna Park Animal Hospital (originally located at 5125 25th Avenue NE). That same year, Dr. Patrick Richardson joined the partnership.
  • In 1992, Dr. Stuart Spencer joined the partnership.
  • In 2000, Dr. Jeb Mortimer joined as a partner.
  • In 2002, Ravenna Park Animal Clinic moved and became Ravenna Animal Hospital.
  • In 2003, added in-house ultrasound capabilities to the list of services.
  • In 2008, Dr. Mark Donovan and Northwest Veterinary Hospital joined the partnership.
Filed Under: Ravenna Blog sponsor

Last days for Peaks Frozen Custard in Roosevelt

September 25, 2013 by 5 Comments

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Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Especially in the case of Peaks Frozen Custard (1026 NE 65th Street), closing on Sunday, September 29.

From their website:

We could not be more grateful to all of you amazing custardmers. It has been 5 years of wonderful. So why would we close? Peaks is a small family business that takes 100% of our families attention. We had fun, but now we’re on to a new lifestyle! At the same time, our lease comes to an end- so it was renew, relocate or stop!

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Hours for the remainder of their days on NE 65th Street are 6-10 PM on Thursday and Friday, and 1-10 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

And should you “custardmers” want to give the Peaks folks a good send off, a celebration is planned at the store on Saturday.

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A few glimmers of tasty frozen hope:

  1. Peaks says that, “We will, however, be serving what has become the best frozen treat in the Northwest at festivals only.” Keep tabs on the Peaks Frozen Custard website and/or Facebook page for that info.
  2. A “new and unique” frozen yogurt shop will be taking the space.
Filed Under: Families, Food, Kids, Memorials, Photos, Restaurants, Roosevelt

New University Village stores and restaurants REVEALED (UPDATES)

August 27, 2013 by 13 Comments

Saw some tweets a moment ago saying that the parking garage in the new south building at University Village has opened.

If every floor of parking in the new building is now open (not sure at this time three of the five new levels are now open, every day from 11 AM-11 PM), that means over 700 more spots have been added. No need to circle around on the surface lots like a vehicular vulture ever again.

Portion of a graphic by University Village announcing the new parking. Click to see the entire image.

Portion of a graphic by University Village announcing the new parking. Click to see the entire image.

BUT WAIT — THERE’S MORE.

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Fresh from the ol’ Ravenna Blog Email Inbox we have a press release about the new stores and restaurants going into that south building. Some we already knew about (Virginia Mason, Din Tai Fung, Liam’s), but some are most likely new to you.

Keeping them in the categories mentioned in the email, and tacking on some of the descriptions therein, we have:

Fashion

Calypso St. Barth – The resort-wear boutique has developed into a luxury lifestyle brand since launching in 1992. Calypso garments feature feminine style, exquisite textures and an eclectic assortment of pieces that appeal to women of all ages.

Scotch & Soda – Since the 1980’s, Scotch & Soda has offered inspired classic men’s clothing, expanding its repertoire with a women’s line, Maison Scotch, and children’s collection for boys, Scotch Shrunk, and girls, R’Belle.

Hot Mama – Hot Mama was launched in 2005 by Megan and Michael Tamte on the premise that moms crave designer clothing. More than 150 premium brands are sold at Hot Mama including Splendid, 7 For All Mankind, AG and Sanctuary.

Sunglass Hut – Sunglass Hut carries the most popular brands including Ray-Ban, Persol, Oakley, Maui Jim, Revo, Gucci, Burberry, Prada and more.

Athletic & Active Wear

American Eagle Outfitters – Offering affordably priced, high-quality clothing, accessories and personal care products including their popular Aerie for American Eagle line of apparel.

Nike Running – Nike Running University Village will serve as the ultimate hub for athletes offering a premium assortment of Nike men’s and women’s running, training and sportswear product and one-of-a-kind services for runners including digital gait analysis, footwear trials and more.

Restaurants & Cafes

Din Tai Fung – Best known for delicately hand-made soup dumplings, Din Tai Fung boasts an extensive menu highlighting their dumpling and dim sum varieties and includes noodle dishes, appetizers, buns and desserts.

Joey Kitchen – This new addition boasts a warm and inviting open-concept floor plan, giving dining room guests a view to the heart of the kitchen. With two large exterior patios, guests can also enjoy outdoor dining nearly all year round. Led by Executive Chef Chris Mills, the culinary team brings a high level of craftsmanship to each and every dish, ensuring the bold flavors and signature dishes that create the JOEY experience are delivered right, each and every time.

Liam’s – The latest installment from Kurt Dammeier, the man behind Beecher’s, Bennett’s and Maximus/Minimus. Named for his youngest son, Liam’s menu is meant to satisfy a variety of palates – what Dammeier calls “home-style food made better,” with a commitment to serving fresh, authentic food free of artificial preservatives and additives. The restaurant plans to open in November, with 150 seats and a large deck made for long conversations.

Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream – The scent of freshly made waffle cones lures in the customers where an assortment of whimsical ice cream flavors such as Theo chocolate, balsamic strawberry, salted caramel and honey lavender satisfy and surprise.

UPDATE (Wednesday, August 28): Got a press release from Molly Moon this morning! Included the following info:

  • Instead of wood floors we’re using … wait for it … tile.
  • This shop opens at 11 a.m. – that’s a whole extra hour of ice cream access compared to the Wallingford, Capitol Hill and Queen Anne shops.
  • Let’s be real, November is a weird time to open an ice cream shop in Seattle. Weird, special … same diff.

Professional Services

Virginia Mason University Village – Will open this fall as the Sand Point Pediatrics clinic is relocating to the Village. Part of the Virginia Mason Medical Center network established in 1920, the new location will offer comprehensive pediatric care for infants, children and teenagers. Services include laboratory facilities and X-ray.

 

Filed Under: Construction, Families, Food, Northeast Seattle, University Village, Updates

NE 65th St Town Hall at Ravenna-Eckstein CC (LIVE COVERAGE; UPDATE)

August 12, 2013 by 55 Comments

On Monday, August 12, from 6:45-8 PM, Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle Department of Transportation will hold a town hall-style meeting at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE).

City officials will be on hand to to address residents’ and area business owners’ concerns about the Bicycle Master Plan Draft Update and the potential role NE 65th Street may play in it.

Our live coverage of the meeting will begin below, around 6:45 PM.

UPDATE (Thursday, August 15): The Seattle Channel has posted their video of the event, and you can watch it right here (Flash required):

 

 

Filed Under: Businesses, Live Coverage, Mayor's Office, Meeting, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Seattle Department of Transportation, Updates

Town Hall on Monday, August 12 to address NE 65th St/Bicycle Master Plan concerns

August 8, 2013 by 53 Comments

The time to comment on the Bicycle Master Plan Draft update is over.

Or is it?

According to the Cascade Bicycle Club’s blog, the Seattle Department of Transportation “received more comments on the NE 65th Street protected bike lane than any other project proposed in the draft Bicycle Master Plan Update.”

Not a surprising observation to hear, especially after a less-than-stellar open house on the BMP Draft on June 13 at Roosevelt High School, and a “small business owners/residents meeting” held on June 23 at the Varsity Restaurant on NE 65th St.

We think it is a fair point to make, for all sides of the issue of NE 65th Street’s place in the BMP Update, that there is a lot of confusion around the issue.

Which is why we are grateful to see that a neighborhood town hall regarding NE 65th St and the Bicycle Master Plan Update is being held at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6353 Ravenna Ave NE) on Monday, August 12, from 6:45-8 PM.

NE 65th St

Click the image above to view the Neighborhood Town Hall invitation in full.

 

If you yourself are not able to attend this meeting, and/or would like to read about it after the fact, the Ravenna Blog will be providing live coverage of the events. We’ll post the link here on Monday the 12th.

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If we may be so bold: If you are planning on attending the meeting, please consider taking an alternate mode of transportation than your usual. The journey might give you some insight into the concerns of others in the area.

Filed Under: Businesses, Mayor's Office, Meeting, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Seattle Department of Transportation

Birthday party time! Plus a few ways to help support the Ravenna Blog

August 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

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This month, the Ravenna Blog turns five years old.

Can you believe it?! We hardly can.

We started the site back on August 8, 2008 with the following post:

The goal here is report on the doings and transpirings in Ravenna, a residential neighborhood in northeast Seattle.

Drop us a line if you see anything remotely interesting happening in the area.  As a new blog with no readers, we certainly appreciate any and all help.

Since then we’ve covered townhouses driving down the street in the middle of the night, made a video of President Barack Obama’s motorcade driving through the neighborhood, toured a still under construction light rail station, provided live coverage of 12 events, and taken pictures of the mayor with a goat.

And since we started keeping track on May 31, 2010, the Ravenna Blog has been visited 204,182 times by 121,443 unique visitors.

Pretty darn good for a five-year-old, eh?

To celebrate this mighty neighborhood news site milestone, we’ve put together a bunch of ways readers can help make the next five years pretty darn good, too.

Birthday Party!

Gosh, we’d love to meet you. And share some cake with you.

On Thursday, August 15, from 5-7 PM, we’re holding an open house-style birthday party at Zeeks Pizza (2108 NE 65th St). There will be cake, pizza, free Ravenna Blog pins, a few of our new Kalevetica t-shirts for sale, a “News Tips” Jar for those who would like to make a donation to the site, and us!

Please be sure to RSVP to the party — we need to make sure there’s enough cake for all!

 

New “Support the Ravenna Blog” page

We’ve heard from regular readers for a while now that they’d like to help support the site in some way. We have advertising for local businesses available, but nothing in place for everybody else.

So, in honor of our five years (so far) of local news and events coverage, we’ve launched the Support the Ravenna Blog page.

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We’ve come up with four ways that readers can help support the work of the Ravenna Blog:

1. Reoccurring support: “Subscribe” to the Ravenna Blog at a level that works for you and your household.

2. Flat donation: Make a one-time donation — tell us who you are or be anonymous.

3. Swag: We’ve taken five long years to come up with a t-shirt that (we believe) fits the spirit of this parking-strip-planting, modern-life-loving neighborhood — and you can be the proud owner of one.

4. Advertising: We love seeing local businesses represented on the site. And the Ravenna Blog averages 12,250 pageviews and 5,200 unique visitors a month, so these ads get seen.

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But no matter what, dear reader, thank you for coming here. Thank you for the new tips, the questions, the pictures-from-the-scene, the “Why is that helicopter over my house?” inquiries, and all the words of encouragement. They have meant more than we can say.

We hope we have represented you well these past five years.

Filed Under: Businesses, Events, metablog, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna
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