Work begins on first of three new buildings for University Village

January 27, 2012 by 3 Comments

Excerpt of map included in the Northeast Design Review Board report from October 20, 2008 (click to download the 205 KB PDF)

University Village revealed in a blog post dated January 18 that the construction happening now at the southern end of the shopping center will be a “700-stall parking garage that will be open for Holiday 2012.”

But this is only the first of three new structures planned for the upscale shopping center in the coming years.

According to notes from the October 20, 2008 Northeast Design Review Board meeting (205 KB PDF), the current construction (which will include restaurant and retail space once completed) will eventually be joined by two others further to the north.

The following (brief) descriptions of all three new buildings are taken from the 44-page design proposal (23.3 MB PDF) presented by to the Northeast Design Review Board on October 20, 2008.

Building 1: Parking, restaurant and retail (South parking garage)

Along with 713 parking spaces (replacing the 369 spaces from the current lot and adding 344 more), this new six-story building will include 24,626 sq. ft. of restaurant and 81,880 sq. ft. of retail space. The top floor of the garage section will be rooftop parking.

While Building 1 is a single unit, it will have the appearance of three different buildings, much like other structures in University Village today.

Excerpt of the University Village design proposal map showing the new south parking garage (on page 2 of the master document; click the image to download the 23.3 MB PDF)

The permit to demolish the old Key Bank building (4501 27th Ave NE; since moved to the old Blockbuster Video building at 4715 25th Ave NE) was issued on Monday, January 23.

Frequent visitors-by-car to University Village may want to study up on the new vehicular circulation plan around the new garage before it opens — the southwest entrance to the shopping center will be affected the most.

Here are some views of the construction area taken yesterday, Thursday, January 27 (photos by Eric Wahl):

 

View looking southeast from the parking lot south of Blue C Sushi (future view of the garage entrance)

View from under the NE 45th St viaduct, looking west

View looking south from the east side of the south parking garage construction zone

Building 2: Plaza, retail, and restaurant (Village Center)

Two-story building with 11,461sq. ft. of retail space at ground level and 12,125 sq. ft. of restaurant space above (1,750 sq. ft. of which is outdoors). An open public plaza area on the west side of the structure has seating and a water feature.

Building 3: Retail and plaza (Gateway)

Another two-story building with retail on both floors (9,350 sq. ft. on the first floor and 16,133 sq. ft. on the second) with plaza areas on the south side (on first and second floors; again with seating and a water feature).

There are as of yet no timelines revealed for the construction of Buildings 2 and 3.

Filed Under: Businesses, Construction, Northeast Seattle, Photos, University Village Tagged With: , ,

Snowmobiling through Ravenna and Wedgwood

January 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I don’t think SDOT and/or SPD would be too crazy about this, but gosh, it looks fun.

Filed Under: Ravenna, Video, Wedgwood Tagged With: , , , ,

Weather forecast raises flooding concerns — Clear those drains!

January 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

There are 80,000 storm drains in the City of Seattle, and many of them are currently clogged by snow and debris.

This is a problem on a good day, but with all that snow and ice melting PLUS a forecast full of rain, flooding is a major concern.

The City is asking that everyone pitch in with the drain clearing effort, enlisting Mayor Mike McGinn to get help the word out via the following videos from the Seattle Channel.

Here’s the Mayor explaining the importance of clearing storm drains before today’s rains:

And here he is clearing a drain himself:

Filed Under: Civic Envolvement, Mayor's Office, Northeast Seattle Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Slushfest Friday: What’s open/closed around Ravenna (UPDATES)

January 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

For the second day in a row, we’re offering a page full of local information on weather-affected schools, businesses, and events in Northeast Seattle.

If it’s closed or open, canceled or postponed, opening late or closing early, and somebody tells us about it, we’ll post the information below (and update it throughout the day).

Schools

ALL Seattle Public Schools = CLOSED
North Seattle Community College = CLOSED (classes and activities)
University of Washington = CLOSED

Businesses and Facilities

8 Limbs Yoga = OPEN regular hours (Wedgwood location)
Bagel Oasis = OPEN until at least 2 PM
Blossoming Buds Cottage = OPEN regular hours
Good To Go Customer Service Center = OPEN from 9 AM-7 PM
Laurelhurst Community Center = OPEN at noon
The Local Vine = OPEN regular hours (at University Village location)
Meadowbrook Pool = OPEN at noon
Magnuson Community Center = OPEN at noon
Maple Leaf Ace Hardware = OPEN
MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) = OPEN
Northeast Branch of the Seattle Public Library = OPEN from 1-6 PM
Northgate Community Center = OPEN at 1 PM
Planet Happy = OPEN
Queen Mary Tea Room = OPEN regular hours
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center = OPEN at 12:39 PM
Swink Style Bar = OPEN regular hours (University Village location)
Trophy Cupcakes = OPEN regular hours (University Village location)
University District Food Bank = OPEN until 3 PM
Vios at Third Place = OPEN for full service in restaurant AND pub
Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts = OPEN

Events

Roosevelt High School Drama Winter Production (“Quilters”) = CANCELED (waiting for word on a new opening night)
Roosevelt Station Meet the Artist event = CANCELED, but will be rescheduled

Filed Under: Businesses, Northeast Seattle, Open/Closed, Restaurants Tagged With: , , , ,

Thursday in the Park with Snow

January 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Photos, Ravenna, Video Tagged With: , , ,

Ice Storm Thursday: What’s open, what’s not, around Ravenna (UPDATES)

January 19, 2012 by 1 Comment

Anything open out there? Ravenna Ave NE and NE 65th St, taken at 8:51 AM

 

Here’s what we’ve heard is closed (or open) in or near the neighborhood today (in alphabetical order):

ALL Seattle Schools = CLOSED
Apple Store = OPEN, but closing at 2 PM
Bagel Oasis = OPEN until 2PM
Bartell Drugs = All local stores OPEN, but University Ave NE location’s pharmacy is CLOSED
Blossoming Buds Cottage = CLOSED
Burke Museum = CLOSED
COA Tequileria = OPEN at 4 PM, with their new menu!
Create & Barrel = CLOSED
Delfino’s Chicago Style Pizza = OPEN
GAP = OPEN, but closing at 3 PM
glassybaby = OPEN, closing at 3 PM
Grand Illusion Cinema = OPEN
H&M = OPEN, but closing at 3 PM
The Herbalist = OPEN but may close early
Judy Fu’s Snappy Dragon = CLOSED
The Local Vine = OPEN
Maple Leaf Ace Hardware = CLOSED
MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) = CLOSED
Northeast Branch = CLOSED (as are all Seattle Public Library branches)
Pinup Salon = CLOSED
Planet Happy Toys = CLOSED
Queen Mary Tea Room = OPEN
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center = CLOSED (as are all Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities and activities
Ravenna Third Place Books = OPEN until 5 PM
Sunlight Cafe = OPEN
Taste of India = OPEN
Trophy Cupcakes = all locations OPEN until 3 PM, and first 10 to say “Snow Day” Get a FREE cupcake
University District Food Bank = OPEN from 10 AM-3 PM
UW Neighborhood Clinic – Ravenna = OPEN at noon, reduced hours
Varlamos Pizzeria = OPEN
Vios Cafe = OPEN until 2:30 PM
Wayward Coffeehouse = OPEN
Wedgwood Safeway = store and pharmacy both OPEN
Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts = OPEN until 3 PM (dozens 1/2 off if you mention seeing the deal online!)
Whole Foods at Roosevelt Square = OPEN until 6 PM
Zoka Coffee = OPEN until 4 PM

Our next ‘hood neighbors at the Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog are also keeping track of closures (and have a Cowen Park sledding video to boot).

We’ll update this post throughout the day. If you learn of any other openings or closures, let us know and we’ll add them in.

Filed Under: Businesses, Northeast Seattle, Open/Closed, Restaurants Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bad sledding run near Ravenna Park lands woman in the hospital (UPDATE)

January 18, 2012 by 1 Comment

A woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center this afternoon, after a bad sledding run landing near the southern end of Ravenna Park.

Seattle Fire Department Public Information Officer Kyle Moore contacted SFD staff at the scene and got us the details.


View NE 54th St sledding accident in a larger map

The 19-year-old college student was sledding down NE 54th Street around 3:30 PM when she slid over a jump, landed on some rocks, hit her head, and lost consciousness. She had regained consciousness by the time Seattle Fire Department units reached her, but she was taken to Harborview in a stable condition as a precaution.

Many thanks to Capitol Hill Seattle’s own Justin Carder who provided the tip over twitter.

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Please, people. For goodness sake: Make GOOD sledding choices.

Timmy was never the same after the extraction.
(Just kidding. This was an object d'snow art on NE 75th St from the snows of late 2008.)

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UPDATE (Thursday afternoon): Steve Sorbo (@macsosguy) caught some NE 54th Street sledding action for us today at the scene of yesterday’s crash.

Filed Under: 911, Ravenna, University District, Updates Tagged With: , , , ,

If you HAVE to drive in snowy Northeast Seattle, here’s how (UPDATE)

January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Whether you’re putting your trust in the National Weather Service or UW Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Cliff Mass, there’s no denyin’ that there’s gonna be more snow in the next couple days.

In case you need to travel to and/or from Northeast Seattle during the snow, you’ll want to know which roads are being kept clear by Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews, and which are not.

NE portion of SDOT's snow route service map - click to enlarge

To the right is a portion of SDOT’s snow map, focused on Northeast Seattle (full map here; 810 KB PDF). There are three different street service levels assigned to those arterial streets which are the busiest, connect neighborhoods with downtown, are used by transit and public safety agencies (police, fire), and reach schools and hospitals.

These different levels are to let users know which routes are being serviced and what conditions to expect. They are not prioritized — road servicing is ongoing at all levels as needed.

The different levels as shown on the map are:

Level 1 (yellow) -ALL lanes bare and wet
Level 2 (blue) – ONE lane each direction bare and wet
Level 3 (green) – Curves, hills and stopping zones treated

You can find Seattle’s Winter Weather Readiness and Response Plan here, which includes road treatment descriptions, facility and fleet information, links to city communication tools, and more.

As for tips on how to drive in the snow, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has a few to read, or watch on YouTube.

Take Winter By Storm’s website has lots of checklists you can use to be fully prepared both on the road and at home.

And then there’s PEMCO Insurance’s “The right way to abandon your car in a snowstorm.” You may want to print that one out to stick in your glove compartment, just in case.

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UPDATE (Wednesday, 9:43 AM): City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw just tweeted out a great link for those us us curious about road conditions in Northeast Seattle AND citywide.

SDOT's Winter Weather map page (static screengrab taken Wednesday morning) -- click to go to the site

SDOT’s Winter Weather map shows which streets have been treated and/or plowed, and how long ago they were last serviced.

Different parts of the city can be selected from a dropdown menu at the top-right of the page (“Select Neighborhood”). Different road service levels are shown in different colors, as well as the different types of service (liquid de-icer vs. plows with and without salt spreaders).

Nifty map aside, we recommend drivers check out road conditions locally for themselves before heading out.

Filed Under: Northeast Seattle, Traffic, Updates Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Ravenna snow picture post! (UPDATES)

January 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My favorite thing about snow falling is how it makes the neighborhood look — which calls for a picture post!

Sunday

20120115-142126.jpg

Adam Merrill sent us "Snowman-Henge" from the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center playfield.

Joel Magalnick caught the Snowman-Henge makers in action.

Saturday

Somebirdy out there has cold feet. (Ravenna Community Garden)

Snow on the ground? Swiss chard don

A Snow Family appears! This is 3/4 of the clan. Rock Head is the character on the far right. (7000 block of Ravenna Ave NE)

Patriarch of the Snow Family, Cowboy Bob.

Ben the Dog! Awww.

And this is Theo the Cat. I believe the red bit is the tail.

Normally located in the tropical rainforest belt of north Ravenna (7000 block of 23rd Ave NE), these two palm trees were unprepared for the sudden change of weather.

The palm trees

20120114-123932.jpg

David Washington was

My neighbor

This guy looks a little cold.

Have any good shots of your own to share? We’d be happy to help show them off to the rest of the neighborhood here. Send them to rebecca@ravennablog.com, or link to them in the comments.

Filed Under: Photos, Ravenna Tagged With: , ,

Room & Board to open in newly vacated U-Village Barnes & Noble space (UPDATE)

January 12, 2012 by 1 Comment


The Seattle Times announced today that Minnesota-based modern furnishings maker Room & Board would be moving in to the recently vacated Barnes & Noble space at University Village (2623 NE University Village St).

Room & Board will take up just over half of the building’s available space, and will be located on the second floor. The opening is slated for this fall, says the Seattle Times.

No word yet on what the leftover 19,000-square-feet will be occupied by, but the decision to split the space up comes as no surprise — this plan was revealed as a possibility back in October when the bookstore’s closure was first announced.

The University Village Barnes & Noble opened in 1995 after the Lamonts department store’s lease expired in 1994 — in a manner baring a slight resemblance to Barnes & Noble’s own issues-about-leases exit from the upscale outdoor mall. Lamonts had operated in the U-Village for 26 years, replacing the Rhodes Department Store before it.

What do you think, folks? Room & Board a good fit for the old space, or were you secretly hoping for The Return of Lamonts?

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UPDATE (Friday, January 13): The print edition of today’s Seattle Times had an artist’s rendering of what the Room & Board might look like (provided by Room & Board), as well as a picture of the same corner of the building (taken by Seattle Times photographer Ken Lambert) while it was occupied by Barnes & Noble.

Filed Under: Businesses, Construction, Northeast Seattle, University Village, Updates Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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