North Link Light Rail update – Spring Open Houses and the fate of Standard Radio

April 19, 2011 by 5 Comments

I love North Link Light Rail update emails, and they get more and more frequent every month. Here are some Roosevelt Station-related tidbits from today’s installment.

Spring Open House dates

Sound Transit is holding a round of Spring Open Houses to show off current design plans for the three North Link stations, and to hear from the neighborhoods about said stations.

Northgate Station: Tuesday, May 17
Olympic View Elementary School Cafeteria
504 NE 95th Street

Roosevelt Station: Thursday, May 26
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center Gymnasium
6535 Ravenna Avenue NE

Brooklyn Station: Thursday, June 9
Hotel Deca Grand Ballroom
4507 Brooklyn Avenue NE

The open houses run between 6-8:30PM, with a presentation starting at 6:30PM.

Standard Radio: Not a Landmark

At the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board meeting held on March 2 (agenda; minutes not yet available), the board determined that the Standard Radio building (at about NE 65th St and 12th Avenue NE) does not qualify as a historic landmark.

Old Standard Records building, Roosevelt


Current designs for the dual entrance Roosevelt Station show the southern entrance overlapping the footprint of the Standard Radio building. This does not sound good for the 64-year-old piece of Roosevelt history, but I offer Standard Radio fans a glimmer of hope (from today’s North Link Project Update email):

Although the building is not officially designated a landmark, Sound Transit recognizes its importance to the neighborhood. In response to community requests, Sound Transit will attempt to preserve the “Standard” sign or other components of the building and will consider how they might be incorporated into the station design.

More information about the North Link Light Rail Project can be found on Sound Transit’s North Link Project homepage.

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Judge orders Jiggles to cover up immediately (UPDATE)

March 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

[UPDATE Saturday, 8:06AM: The Seattle Times article below now links to a more detailed piece by Sonia Kirshnan.]

A King County Superior Court judge has ruled that the Jiggles Gentlemen’s Club (5220 Roosevelt Way NE) must shut down immediately, reports our local newspartners The Seattle Times.

"Jiggles...ordered to shut down" article on seattletimes.com (click to read)

In our own article posted on January 27th, Ravenna Blog outlined the issues the City had with the strip club, which made up the complaint heard in court today.

More articles about today’s ruling (in order of discovery):

No more jiggling; judge orders U-District strip club shuttered – Seattle P-I

Seattle orders Jiggles strip club to close its doors – MyNorthwest.com

Judge orders ‘Jiggles’ strip club to shut down – kirotv.com

Judge orders Seattle’s ‘Jiggles’ strip club to close – KING 5 News

Judge: City can shut down Jiggles – University District KOMO

Judge orders Jiggles strip club to close its doors – Roosiehood

Jiggles Strip Club Closed – Wallyhood

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Community meetings of note this week

February 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Lots of community meetings this week which you may have interest/be a stakeholder in:

Roosevelt Neighborhood Association Land Use Committee Meeting
Monday, February 28, 7 PM
Calvary Christian Assembly, 6801 Roosevelt Way NE

Topics include the latest developments on the Roosevelt Development Group/Sisley project (which people particularly in northwest Ravenna should be paying attention to), and the Roosevelt neighborhood rezone.

Ravenna Bryant Community Association Board Meeting
Tuesday, March 1, 7 PM
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Avenue NE

Monthly RBCA board meetings (first Tuesdays) are always open for residents to attend. No official agenda out yet, but there will likely be a recap of the previous evening’s RNA Land Use meeting.

Northeast District Council Meeting
(Tentatively) Thursday, March 3, 7 PM
Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Avenue NE

The NEDC generally meets on the first Thursday of the month, and the agenda often includes a speaker from city or county government (last month’s was City Council President Richard Conlin). Each active neighborhood council in the Northeast district of Seattle sends a representative to this meeting.

For a map of the Northeast District and the neighborhood associations that cover the area (the ones I’ve been able to find the geographical areas of, anyway), check out this map on the Ravenna Bryant Community Association’s website.

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Hey, Ravenna (and Roosevelt) neighbors: Let’s all go to a ballgame!

February 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Happy Neighbor Appreciation Day, neighbor.

Without you, the Ravenna Blog would not exist! There’d be no one to send in questions and news tips to report on, no one to read the posts, and no one to talk to in the comments. So, thanks for being here.

As a thank you for being my neighbors, I would like to purpose some summer fun: LET’S ALL GO TO A MARINERS GAME TOGETHER.

This is not a fundraiser of any type — it is a community FUN raiser; a chance to hang out with each other and enjoy a baseball game together.

Here’s how it will work:

  1. We’ll vote on which of two games the most people can attend (see below).
  2. We team up with our neighbors next door in Roosevelt so we can get a REALLY big group together, which means…
  3. The Mariners will assign us a Group Manager to handle all the ticket sales.
  4. Tickets will go on sale a couple months out from the game date, and can be purchased online through the Mariners website, with a special discount code.
  5. We show up to the game, have a good time, and see OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE SCOREBOARD during the Group Welcome inning¹.

But before we can reserve a section for our neighborhoods, we have to decide on a date.

Mariners Game Poll²

Don’t worry about whether or not you are sure you can attend either of these dates: I am looking to find out which of these two dates would work for most people.

The following poll will be open until noon on Monday, February 21st. One vote per household, please.


Have questions? Want to express your love of (or concern for) this idea? Let me know in the comments!

________________________

¹ This is sort of what spawned the whole idea: “MARINERS WELCOME THE NE SEATTLE NEIGHBORHOOD OF RAVENNA.”

² Here’s how I came to choose these particular dates:

  • Good weather is more likely to happen AFTER mid-July, hence the July 31 and August 27 dates.
  • Visiting teams are not teams we see in town all the time (like the Texas Rangers or the Oakland A’s).
  • There is an evening game and a day game to choose from, as well as a Saturday and a Sunday.
  • Only two choices to make it easier for people to choose.
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Female suspect now in custody after armed standoff in Roosevelt

December 6, 2010 by 6 Comments

House on the 900 block of NE 65th St which police currently have surrounded. Picture by Balanced Mama via twitter.

7:07 pm: The Seattle Police Department’s Blotter blog has been updated with a post about the “SWAT call out in North Seattle,” which includes the following good news:

“No shots were fired throughout the incident and nobody was injured.

“The suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Domestic Violence Threats.”

5:00 pm: Balanced Mama witnesses and KIRO 7 confirms that the female suspect is now in custody.

4:36 pm: Traffic update – NE 65th Street is closed from 9th Ave NE east, though to Roosevelt Way. Not sure of eastern closure point at this time. Roosevelt Way itself backed up. Avoid the area.

4:28 pm: Balanced Mama reports that the man who left the home earlier in the standoff is back and talking via bull horn to the female suspect inside.

3:40 pm: Amy at My Green Lake has a good picture of the house that the police have surrounded.

3:24 pm: Metro says “Blockage at NE 65 St and 9 Av NE in Ravenna [should read “Roosevelt”] is rerouting Metro Rts 48, 64, 73 & 76″ (via twitter)

3:20 pm: Amy of My Green Lake is on the scene and is updating a post on her site.

Roosiehood is also following the action and is posting updates here.

2:51 pm: A second Another SWAT team vehicle has arrived on scene.

2:12 pm: Balanced Mama reports hearing the police telling the woman barricaded in the house, “”We will listen to the letters. We will listen to the whole story. But we can’t do that if you don’t come out. We are not going to leave.”

School bus attempting to bypass policed-blocked NE 65th Street

1:50 pm: Balanced Mama takes a picture from her window of a school bus trying to get around a police car which has blocked off eastbound NE 65th Street.

1:45 pm: Seattle Crime reports that police have shut down NE 65th St between 9th Ave NE and Roosevelt Way. Negotiators and a SWAT team have been called in to deal with an apparent standoff situation.

A post on the Seattle Police Department’s Blotter blog is quoted, saying, in part:

“The suspect, reportedly an ex-girlfriend of the male victim, was tearing up the victim’s residence.  At some point the suspect threatened to kill the victim.  After the arrival of responding officers, the male victim came outside and is believed to be uninjured.

“The female suspect remains inside the residence and is believed to have access to firearms.  The residence is surrounded and officers are negotiating with the suspect in an attempt to gain her peaceful surrender.”

About 1:20 pm: I am driving eastbound on NE 65th Street when I notice a SPD car, lights on, blocking the turn from Roosevelt Way NE to westbound NE 65th St on the 900 block of NE 65th St.

________________________

Police have a residence on the 900 block of NE 65th Street surrounded after a domestic disturbance call came in at approximately 12:51 pm.

At this time, an armed female suspect is still in the residence. Police are attempting negotiations.

For more information on this activity, check the following links:

NE 65th Street across Roosevelt is CLOSED to traffic at this time. More roads in the area are sure to be affected.

http://www.mygreenlake.com/2010/12/police-activity-at-65th-roosevelt/
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What to expect from the Roosevelt Land Use meeting on Monday

November 11, 2010 by 2 Comments

I posted yesterday about a meeting next Monday, November 15th, to discuss changes in zoning in the Roosevelt neighborhood.

Today, thanks to a reader’s comments yesterday, I would like to more specifically lay out the topics of discussion for this meeting.

To give you the clearest idea of the purpose of Monday’s meeting, I offer this paragraph from the November issue of the “Roosie” (the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association’s  newsletter):

The purpose of the November 15 meeting is to review the neighborhood’s zoning recommendations and [Department of Planning and Development]’s analysis. DPD’s preliminary position is quite similar to the RNA’s, but there are few areas which need further discussion. DPD wants input from the community as they prepare their final recommendation for the City Council.

I strongly urge you to give this article (“November 15 Land Use Meeting will Help Shape Roosevelt’s Future”) a read prior to next Monday’s meeting. In it, the RNA’s Land Use Committee Chair, Jim O’Halloran, provides the background of the 2006 Roosevelt Neighborhood Update, and explains this zoning’s importance to the neighborhood (and, by extension, ours).

If you would like a more detailed look at the subject of the meeting, view the Zoning Workgroup Report here.

Again, the meeting is being held at Calvary Christian Assembly (6801 Roosevelt Way NE), Room 300, on Monday, November 15th, from 7-9 pm.

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Community meeting about rezoning Roosevelt, next Monday

November 10, 2010 by 4 Comments

One of Sislely's properties (Photo courtesy of Glenn Roberts; http://glennroberts.wordpress.com/)

Want to know just what exactly the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association’s plan would mean for our area’s future  — and the future zoning of the Sisley properties at NE 65th Street and 15th Avenue NE?

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association’s Land Use Committee is holding a general meeting for the community to learn about the RNA’s rezoning plan and the city’s Department of Planning and Development’s analysis of it.

The meeting will be held at Calvary Christian Assembly (6801 Roosevelt Way NE), Room 300, on Monday, November 15th, from 7-9 pm.

Your participation would be GREATLY appreciated for a few reasons:

  • This is THE meeting to attend if you would like to learn about the RNA’s neighborhood rezoning plans – It is a general community meeting designed to get us Regular Joes in the neighborhood up to speed on what we could be living next to in the future;
  • The City Council is expected to act on the RNA’s neighborhood rezoning plan in the first half of 2010, and a sizeable amount of community participation is crucial for making it happen;
  • If you (or your family, or your friends) have ever driven down NE 65th Street and wondered “What gonna be done with these boarded up shacks?!” THIS meeting should address those concerns.

For more information about this meeting, contact rna@rooseveltseattle.org.

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Is crime really up? YES, but numbers are hard to come by.

November 6, 2010 by 2 Comments

[A summary, and a list of the good links to go follow, is included at the end of this post.]

Yes, there have been a lot of burglary-related posts on the Ravenna Blog lately. Enough that it prompted the following comment from a reader (via email):

A thought – how about a post comparing crime stats in Ravenna versus neighbouring areas? Me wife gets freaked out when she reads your posts on crimes so I’m looking for a little context.

A fair question.  Is crime really up? Or is it just that crime reporting is up?

Certainly, crime reporting is up here at the Ravenna Blog.  And, I’m here to tell you, this is in direct response to the increase in crime in the neighborhood over the past month.

I’m hoping to get some more specific historical data for our neighborhood, but here’s what North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Diane Horswill had to say about the statistics about Ravenna for October (via email; emphasis mine):

I have attached a recap of burglaries and car prowls and would say that the Ravenna burglaries in particular [compared to Roosevelt’s] are somewhat higher than is average for the neighborhood especially since many areas are experiencing lower than average rates right now.

In the recap she mentioned, there were 12 burglaries in Ravenna in October. (Of the four car prowls mentioned, two of them occurred on Roosevelt Way, which I would not consider to be in Ravenna.) What the count was in October 2009, I do not know at this time. But Diane says that it is up, and that works for me, for now.

Mike at Maple Leaf Life made a valiant effort at trying to decode the statistics for his neighborhood at the city’s My Neighborhood – Crime Statistics site. I read the post (“The problem(s) with trying to track crime in Maple Leaf“), tried my hand at looking up old crime statistics myself, and had even worse luck than he did. Read his post (we share a police beat with Maple Leaf, so the post is rather pertinent to our crime cause as well) and have a go a finding the data yourself.

Failing finding actual numbers, another Seattle news site, with an emphasis on crime reporting, has mentioned the increase in burglaries as well.

Just yesterday, Seattle Crime posted a story about the rise in property crime in our area (“North end neighborhoods hit hard by burglars“), mentioning specifically “Roosevelt, Ravenna, and Maple Leaf neighborhoods.” Also mentioned in this post are a few more details as to who might be responsible for these burglaries in the first place.

Now, to sum up for emailer Matt and his wife, and everyone else:

  • Crime is definitely higher than normal in the neighborhood right now;
  • Other people see the uptick, too, (Seattle Crime “North end…” post);
  • It’s hard to find the hard data yourself (Maple Leaf Life “The problem(s)” post;
  • And having crime prevention coordinators around to help with this stuff is really fantastic…but they’re probably going away (“Crime Prevention Coordinators face the budget axe“).

______________________

Was this helpful?  Have more questions? Email me, or leave a comment below.

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You’re Invited: Crime Prevention Meeting on November 16

November 4, 2010 by 9 Comments

In light of recent burglaries and car prowls in the Ravenna and Roosevelt Neighborhoods, Ravennablog.com and Roosiehood.com are co-hosting an evening with North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Diane Horswill.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 16th, at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Avenue NE). Start time is 7:30 pm.

Come learn how you can start a block watch program on your own street, help prevent future crimes, and make our neighborhoods safer.

Anyone is welcome to attend, but seating is limited. Please RSVP so that we know how many people are coming.

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Burglaries take a holiday, then get right back to work

November 1, 2010 by 1 Comment

From Jenny, via email:

Our neighbor at 73rd and 20th got robbed today [November 1] too. Just came home to find a broken glass door and missing stuff. Cops are cruising the ‘hood.

Looks like November is starting where October left off, in terms of Ravenna burglaries.

From an email from Diane Horswill, our area’s Crime Prevention Coordinator for the North Precinct of the Seattle Police Department:

[I] would say that the Ravenna burglaries in particular [compared to Roosevelt’s] are somewhat higher than is average for the neighborhood especially since many areas are experiencing lower than average rates right now.

Included in the email was a recap of residential burglaries and car prowls for  October: Our neighborhood finished up the month with 12 residential burglaries, all but one occurring on a weekday.

That’s twelve too many. And I can’t say I care much for how November’s starting out, either.

_____________________

Ravenna Blog and the Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog are working with Diane on setting up a Block Watch Program meeting some time in the next couple weeks. Our respective sites will let you know when a date and location have been found, at which point we might enlist our readers to help spread the word about the event.

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