Wait, did you just read THURSDAY MAY 25th as the time of our HPAC May Meeting?
The answer is YES! This a special date and time to get folks together in person with David Goldberg from the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development for further discussion of their work on the South Delridge Action Plan.
We are super excited to be holding our May meeting in South Delridge in partnership with the fabulous Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery, 9414 Delridge Way SW. Jake Prendez & Judy Avitia-Gonzalez will be our hosts in their terrific Space, just a block north of White Center.
The meeting is open to all residents and business folks in the area. Learn what progress has been made on the City planning so far, and give thoughts on their efforts to work with the South Delridge Community.
What unique issues does this southern-most area of West Seattle face? What can we learn from successes and failures of growth plans elsewhere? How can we keep our homegrown spirit vibrant and healthy, providing food, housing and community for all – while dealing with the wave of development speeding our way? What City services are lacking? How can the City work more closely with unincorporated White Center/ King County to better integrate community services currently provided?
Look forward to seeing you all there! Kay K & Craig R/ Co-Chairs
New growth is popping up everywhere in the neighborhood this spring, from flowers braving the chill,
to our new stop signals for pedestrians at 12th Ave SW and SW Holden, and updated planning for the new West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facilitynear the intersection of SW Michigan Street and 2nd Avenue SW. Representatives from the Storage Facility project will be guests at our monthly HPAC meeting on Wednesday to update us on the design work and engagement of public artists for the project.
This month the HPAC eBoard is also interested in getting your feedback on issues you feel are important to the area that we can bring up with the folks running for the D1 City Council seat being vacated by Councilwoman Herbold. A district wide candidates’ forum is in the works and HPAC plans to be part of the event. If you have concerns and can’t make it to the meeting, feel free to email us here so we can amplify your voices.
Car theft is still way up in West Seattle this year. If you missed the West Seattle free giveaway of steering wheel locks for your Kia and Hyundai vehicles, SPD has a few more giveaways coming up in the near future in nearby neighborhoods.
The EPA just announced their preferred plan for one of the stages of the East Duwamish Waterway Cleanup – here’s a link to their briefing on this superfund site, with more information on how to comment.
HPIC has updates on the next popup Corner Bar event. They are thrilled to be back at the West Seattle Golf Course venue in May. This is a great place – if you could not make it to their first event there be sure to check this out. Live music, friends, dancing and snacks plus exciting updates on the rebuilding project!!
Welcome to our fourth week of March this cold and rainy spring. HPAC will be encouraging you to stay home, stay warm, and log in this month to our virtual meeting – link below.
Bring any concerns you may have for the group, and be prepared to welcome David Goldberg and team from the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development to hear about progress on the South Delridge Action Planthey are working on with the community.
They’ll share information about:
Their partnerships with SPU and other City Departments
Engagement that’s already completed to help guide their understanding of priorities
Ideas about what the Outcomes of the work might be
Rough phases of work moving forward
They’re interested in hearing ideas on engagement for 2023 and any opportunities to partner
Hearing about Outcomes of interest to HPAC members
Your HPAC eBoard is still researching places we can resume in-person meetings during the remodeling of the HPIC building, let us know if you have any suggestions!
In news around the neighborhood, SDOT has completed the ground work for the new pedestrian activated traffic signal at 12th SW and SW Holden,
electrical and lamping still to be completed. We’re excited about this new safety feature for all walkers and rollers.
And from our sister organization HPIC, the April 2023 roving HPIC Corner Bar is all set! Friday, April 7, 2023 – make your way to the Senior Center of West Seattle, snag a tamale or two, along with a drink from the no-host bar, and dance the night away to the tuned of The Half Brothers, Gods of Silicon, and DJ Rich!
HPIC Corner Bar is a time to be with your friends and neighbors from all parts of Seattle, and to highlight the longevity and impact of the Highland Park Improvement Club over more than 100 years.
Snow, hail, lightning, all just part of another Northwest winter month. A great time to prune, and spend a cozy evening indoors in conversation with community about upcoming projects and concerns.
This month HPAC will focus on neighborhood discussion of trends and eBoard updates on ongoing projects. This will be a chance to chat with others and let us know what’s important on your block. The City of Seattle Office of Planning & Community Development is starting on a South Delridge Action Plan, covering Highland Park, Westwood, South Delridge and Roxhill (and we hope Riverview). Their initial scope of work survey is live until the end of day, 2/19/23, or come to our meeting to talk about your dreams for the area.
In other area news, see this photo of workers finalizing another project left over from the Reconnect West Seattle efforts. SDOT folks completed the pedestrian safety corridor along the south side of Riverview Playfields, connecting park pathways to the SW Webster Greenway. This solution included new ADA access ramps on both sidewalk ends of SW 11th. Thank you SDOT!
Meeting ID: 815 6328 7684 Passcode: 601830 One tap mobile +12532050468,,81563287684# US Dial by your location +1 253 205 0468 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Welcome all to 2023 and lunar New Year of the Rabbit – a new year for engagement and solidarity! Join us virtually for our first meeting of the year
We’ll be welcoming our new SW Precinct LEAD Project Manager Michelle McClendon for updates on public safety around the Rozella Building in South Delridge and to hear about other area concerns and hotspots. You may remember Sean Blackwell in this role last year. He’s been reassigned to another position, we wish him well and will miss him and his tremendous work building awareness and coalitions in the neighborhood, Michelle is excited to take up where he left off.
HPAC Co-Chair Craig Rankin will report out on an exciting project going on to collect oral histories about the Duwamish Greenbelt and share the new West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails map.
From the WDGT group: “What do you know of the history of the West Duwamish Greenbelt? Have you or your family or your family before you lived near the greenbelt? Do you know others who have experienced this history?The West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group is looking for people with memories of the greenbelt. We will be hosting an oral history forum this winter to discover and record this history. We are looking for stories, photographs, and artifacts to be shared. Please reply to wdgtrails@gmail.com with a name and contact information if you would like to participate in this event or if you know of someone we should contact.”
HPAC eBoard folks will report out and discuss the current City of Seattle work on the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan which has numerous implications for the future way our community grows. Notably the plan lists our area as one with a high risk of displacement. They have a virtual Community Meeting happening Jan. 30, 6-7:30pm.
SDOT Director Greg Spotts will be in attendance to hear from you how traffic is flowing in the community and any trouble spots or issues. Be sure to check out his Twitter feed @Spottnik if you enjoy geeking out on traffic related detail. During the recent low-bridge hydraulic work he live tweeted shots of the crew getting the piston out of the bridge turning mechanism for example.
Look forward to seeing you online at this link:
Time: Jan 25, 2023 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Hope all are enjoying this return to normal rainy fall weather and a relief from the smoke!
We will remain virtual for this, our last meeting of 2022, and we are very honored to be hosting the new SDOT Director Greg Spotts. All are welcome, he wants to learn about our area directly from the community to help him build a strong understanding of the city for his work ahead – so bring your questions and ideas!
We will also hear from Seattle Public Utilities about a new swale project they are planning for SW Holden west of 16th SW.
Find the Zoom link to meeting below.
(In order to allow as much community input and conversation time as possible with these guests, this month we are recommending any Public Safety issues be deferred to the SW Precinct’s first in-person Crime Prevention Council meeting since 2020, Thursday November 17th from 7pm- 8pm at the SW Precinct Community Meeting Room. And of course, we always welcome hearing your concerns, please feel free to email them to us if you prefer.)
In addition: YOU ARE INVITED!! We look forward to seeing folks at the upcoming Tricks or Trees! Highland Park is throwing a block party to celebrate the best of Fall! Lots of fun for everyone – including our furry neighbors!
Free Trees! Choose up to four trees for your property. DIRT Corps and the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps will have a gorgeous variety of native, urban-friendly trees to choose from. Homes, businesses, and places of worship are eligible. First come first served. Seattle properties only.
Pets in Costumes! We’re bringing back the Pet Costume Contest – prizes awarded to Most Original, Best Ensemble, and Funniest pets in costume. Prizes provided by Addy’s Pet Shop.
Music and Food! We’ll be celebrating Dia de Muertos with music from Mariachi Alma Nueva and tacos and tamales from CocinaMX 32! We’ll also have an ofrenda to honor your loved ones.
Candy! Come dressed in a costume and trick or treat from our participant booths (while learning about their environmental projects): RainWise, Green Infrastructure Mini-Grants, DIRT Corps training program, and the King County WTD West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility.
Clothing Donation table! Neighbors from the Bethany West congregation will be collecting cold weather clothing donations on behalf of Highland Park Elementary.
Presented by HPIC & HPAC. Sponsored by DIRT Corps, Highland Park Corner Store, DVYC, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Office of Economic Development, and King County.
Updates on Projects around the Neighborhood:SDOT has reopened consideration of the SW Trenton Stay Healthy Street. HPAC will be watching this work closely as traffic patterns are now returning to normal after the bridge opening.
The Office of Arts & Culture has announced the selection of artistMatthew Mazzotta for the Highland /Holden Intersection art piece. His concept, tentatively titled “Where’s the Party” will be a larger than life Stellar Jay perched at the corner to watch over the neighborhood.
Work has begun on the pedestrian activated stop light being added at SW Holden and 12th Ave SW. Hopefully including replacement of the fire hydrant on the corner.
Seattle Parks Department contractors have been working to beat the rains installing a fresh new walking trail surface on the east side of Riverview Playfields. Thank you Parks! (they are asking bike riders stay off this surface for a couple of weeks so the gravel can settle in well).
Long term FYI’s – SDOT continues to work on two projects brought forward by the HPAC community, improving the pedestrian walkway on the south edge of Riverview Playfields on SW Webster, and improving the inadequate pedestrian infrastructure at 4th Ave SW and SW Roxbury.
Hope to see you online or or real time:
HPAC Coalition is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Greetings friends and neighbors! Fall is in the air, and with it a return to our monthly meeting times which will continue to be on Zoom – find the link below.
Of course, our biggest news is the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge to vehicle traffic! As you can see by this shot of the morning “traffic backup” at the Highland/ Holden intersection, this is the most impactful event of the past 2-1/2 years for our area. Our thanks to SDOT, in particular to the Reconnect West Seattle/Home Zone team for all the work they did to try and mitigate the horrific impacts this detour route had on our neighborhoods. HPAC will continue to monitor any lingering problems folks may notice, feel free to email us if you are not able to attend a meeting. So far it’s been a collective sigh of relief!
This meeting we will have a guest presentation regarding the future King County West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility being built near the 1st Ave Bridge. Right now, the tank site is in 30-60% design phase, which means they are looking for public input on the site itself, and also for community benefit ideas that support clean water goals in the communities around the site.
If you are unable to attend the online open house and community survey for the West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility is open for your comments. Let us know if you have any questions or comments! www.kingcounty.gov/westduwamish-cso
We expect an SPD representative will be at the meeting as well to listen to any public safety issues folks have, as well as our LEAD intervention program representative Sean Blackwell who can bring us up to date on work they are doing. We have heard concerns about the impacts of the City interventions at North Delridge RV encampments just leading to campers moving to other streets in the area. Please let us know more about what you are experiencing!
On the horizon for HP/Riverview/So. Delridge:
HPAC is working to meet with the new SDOT director Greg Spotts – let us know what kind of concerns you might want relayed to him.
Watch for work to begin this winter at the Highland Holden Intersection project – basically SDOT will be making permanent all the temporary bump outs and lights that were installed for the detour traffic. We will also have a public art piece going in on the corner – more on that to come.
SDOT will also be completing the northward extension of the 12th Ave SW Greenway from Highland Park Elementary School to Riverview Playfield by installing a pedestrian activated stop light at the corner of SW Holden and 12th Ave. SW. right in front of the Highland Park Improvement Club property.
Swales are being planned by SPU along the section of 16th SW to the west of SW Holden. These will capture street runoff and make the road feel less like an arterial. The SPU planning team will be presenting on this at our October meeting.
Finally SAVE the DATE!! Oct. 29 from 12-4 join HPAC/ HPIC/ Dirt Corps/ HP Corner Store & King County WTD are thrilled to be co-sponsoring “Trick or Trees” – a Saturday extravaganza featuring live music, a costume contest for pets, trick or treating for kids, AND up to 4 free trees available per household to plant in your own backyard. Join us at the HP Corner Store and SW Kenyon St. for the fun. More info to follow!
Hope to see you on Zoom or around the neighborhood. HPAC is an all-volunteer, neighborhood advocacy group – your ideas and volunteer energy are always welcome and needed.
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
A joyous Juneteenth to all – the HPAC eBoard is proud to join in marking this momentous day in U.S. History with friends and neighbors!
While standing meetings are not held over the summer, we will continue to monitor neighborhood 4th of July safety issues and keep you up to date on the Greenway Public Art Interruptions and the Highland/Holden Public Art project.
Please look for us at the Highland Park Improvement Club Reset Fest from 2-7pm on Saturday June 25 – marking one year since fire damaged our beloved gathering place. Join in for music, games and updates on the rebuilding planning at Riverview Playfields, field #1.
Since we are cancelling our June meeting we asked SDOT partners to share updates on projects of interest to the neighborhood. We have been tracking the proposal to keep SW Trenton as a Stay Healthy Street and know that this is a high impact on our neighborhood mobility and have asked in multiple venues for a reconsideration of the closure between 16th SW and Delridge Ave SW. The current SDOT response:
“The permanent route selection for the Delridge-Highland Park Stay Healthy Street will happen after the West Seattle Bridge reopens later this year. The current route will stay in its current, temporary form until then.
This is so we can get additional traffic data and have further conversations with the community about the Stay Healthy Street and the existing Neighborhood Greenway, which first opened in 2017.
We know the Delridge and Highland Park communities are passionate about this Stay Healthy Street. This summer, we’ll continue to attend events in the area to take input on the Delridge-Highland Park Stay Healthy Street.”
Regarding other projects still in the works SDOT has these updates:
West Seattle Bridge update
The bridge is expected to reopen the week of September 12, but the timeframe could be impacted by weather, COVID-19 workforce impacts, supply chain issues for materials, and testing and inspectionresults. Consequently, a firm reopening date will be announced 30 days in advance.
Highland Park Home Zone update
We have completed 21 out of 29 Home Zone project elements. Below are updates on the remaining eight projects. For updates on Reconnect West Seattle, please visit WestSeattleBridge@seattle.gov.
Projects that are or will be in construction soon include:
Median islands on 16th Ave SW at SW Elmgrove St and at SW Cloverdale St
A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at Dumar Way SW and SW Orchard St
Sidewalk repair on 8th Ave SW
Projects to be constructed in the fall (due to crew availability and weather):
SW Webster St between 11th Ave SW and 12th Ave SW
9th Ave SW between SW Roxbury St and SW Cambridge St
14th Ave SW between SW Elmgrove St and SW Kenyon St
Projects to be constructed after the bridge reopens:
Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway with new traffic signal at 12th Ave S and SW Holden St
Removal of existing flashing beacon and crosswalk at 11th Ave SW and SW Holden St
Questions or comments? Contact WestSeattleBridge@seattle.gov or call (206) 400-7511.
Greetings neighbors. With warmer days finally upon us we’ll be holding this month’s meeting in person again, outside at the award winning Highland Park Corner Store. Come by and say hi in person as we discuss neighborhood doings. We’ll talk about the SDOT planning for a safe pedestrian walkway along the south side of Riverview Playfields, do a quick review of our questions to submit to Mayor Harrell, and take any items of interest or concern from folks. Meanwhile enjoy these signs of the season.
The stairs at SW Kenyon and 8th Ave SW are offering glimpses of a squirrel family that has set up housekeeping in this challenged Seattle City Light power pole. (You can see the little ones out exploring just above the data cables).
The back gates into the Duwamish Greenbelt trails from South Seattle College are open to walkers Monday-Friday when classes are in session! A great season to take a hike to the Seattle Chinese Garden while the Peonies are in bloom.
Greetings! Hoping for some sun this weekend during our Highland Park Cleans Up event. We will meet at 10am at the Highland Park Corner Store to hand out bags, grabbers, gloves and vests – then spread out and do some spring cleaning in the neighborhood. Join in and let’s spruce up Highland Park/Riverview! Co-sponsored with HPIC and Seattle Public Utilities.
Join your HPAC eBoard in person on Wednesday April 27 at 7 pm in person at the Highland Park Corner Store for an informal, in-person meetup. This will be our first “face to face” chance to meet up with neighbors since the COVID shutdown in 2020! We plan to use the time to say hello to anyone who can drop by and take ideas of what issues HPAC can address in the future. Bring any input you may have on any cool ways our area can celebrate the re-opening of the West Seattle High Bridge this summer. Hope to see you at one of these events soon!
HPAC 