From Beacon Hill to Bernal Heights

I've been in the Bay Area the last few days.

As soon as we got into town we checked out the Lee Friedlander exhibit at SF MOMA, which inspired me to start shooting street scenes with my point-and-shoot right after we got out of the museum.



I'm now too pregnant to zip up my coat.





An example of facadism. I'm glad they kept the front-facing wall of this building, even if the inside no longer exists.



Friday night we stayed with friends in Oakland, and Saturday we were passed off to our Fairfax friends for lunch, then to garden blogger Chuck B. from Bernal Heights, San Francisco, who drove us down to Santa Cruz on Sunday.

We went to the marine center at his alma mater, UC Santa Cruz.





And then to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. See the Twinkie stand on the left?



They ooze white filling. So gross.



One of the many rides I did not go on.



My husband and our wonderful host (far left and far right, respectively) checked out some of the rides while I waited.

















Chuck's garden deserves its own post, so that's it for now.

Admin Note: Comments Back Up?

Shoot. Someone told me comments have been screwed up here, and now I'm having trouble posting this post. Sorry about the errors. Not sure what's up.

Coming soon: Review of Shell station, report of new bar at Beacon and Columbian.

"Some residents want the wall saved"

Theres a story in today's Times about how Sabey has filed plans to build the Ice House portion of the "Original Rainier Brewery."

Looks like the reporter talked to Sabey VP Jim Harmon and a single Georgetown resident, Peter Reiquam, and the latter summed up the situation this way: the Ice House design was pretty well-received by the community and the fate of the remainder of the Stock House wall will come down to money. Fair enough.

Here's the part that's a little confusing to me:

Sabey prefers to demolish the stump of the Stock House wall next to the Brew House, an existing building just north of the Ice House site. Some residents want the wall saved.

Sure, some residents want the wall saved; that sentence is so vague that it's meaningless. I suspect that "some" is really closer to "most" if not "virtually all."

Obviously the Sabey folks want to see the wall gone, but they're not locals. I want the wall saved, but I'm not a "bona-fide-resident-in-Georgetown," either.

So, what do you bona fide Georgetowners think? Are there really any of you who hate this "stump" of wall to the left of the tower and can't wait to see Sabey tear it down?



Regardless of whether the wall stays or goes, pedestrians on Airport Way will still have a view of the tower. If the wall stays, the view will be more limited, like a view in a well-designed Japanese garden. And we'll still have a view of that gorgeous wall, with the "STOCK-HOUSE" sign still there.

In my opinion, Sabey has yet to unveil any plans that make tearing down the wall seem appealing in the slightest. In this rendering, they show a bunch of people just standing around without benches or art or a fountain or greenery or amenities or anything on an expanse of nothingness (with, in an unexpected touch of verisimilitude, some asshole's SUV parked up on the curb right next to the Brew House).



It's like they haven't even thrown us a bone yet, yet already only "some residents" are in favor of retaining the wall. I don't get it.

Before the Attack

Since I'll be unable to attend the Georgetown Art Attack tonight, I stopped by before things officially got started.

First I went to Fantagraphics to check out the drawings by Drew Friedman, whose mean, sad, funny work has fascinated me ever since my husband introduced me to it eight years ago. I didn't buy the two books we don't already own or the signed silkscreen for the show because I figure my husband will go and spend his money on these things as soon as he reads this.

Then I headed north.





Then I went to Full Throttle Bottles and finally met Erica and her guy. I'm glad that this was the smallest space available to her, so she had to stock wine as well as beer. Since I'd just come from Wine Outlet -- where I picked up some Chateauneuf du Pape for a birthday present and some (premier cru -- so fancy looking!) Chablis to bring to a dinner tonight -- I did not buy any wine, even though all bottles here are priced under $30.



FYI -- she also carries small selection of non-alcoholic beverages, including N/A beer, Reed's extra ginger beer, Crater Lake root beer (made with cane sugar), and a couple other small-production sodas.

I didn't peruse the large beer selection too closely, but I did notice some oddball stuff, like a beer from Croatia.





Erica opened the back door of her shop to the place next door, also owned by her landlord, John Bennett. It's a cool private space where he keeps his jukebox collection and other coin-op stuff. He sometimes opens it up for public events, like this Art Attack. They were still setting up a barbecue out back but he let me wander around and take photos.























Damn, that BBQ picture is making me hungry.

I also dropped by Georgetown Tile Works and saw a really cool leather bag by a local artist who used to work down at All City. She incorporates metal art into her handiwork. I wish I'd taken a photo. I also went to George to get a birthday card and saw some really reasonably priced paintings on old windows. The cityscape one with the Christmas lights behind it looked especially cool.

OK, I'm going to get ready for dinner now. My neighbor Lisa-Marie is going to Art Attack tonight and she said she'd send me more photos and a report. You should go too. It's really, really nice out there.

New Blog Header

Wow. Someone I've never met before sent me this amazing new header for my blog. Wow. I love it.



His name is Mark, and I think he's a Georgetowner, and he says he got the image from this photo that I posted at some point in the last year. He said it was a thank-you for all the work I've done on the blog. Aww...

The sign in the photo, which I don't remember taking, says 16th Avenue South, so it must be on Beacon Hill somewhere, looking west toward the Olympics. (Probably North Beacon Hill instead of Mid Beacon Hill, but very much close enough!)

I need to try and fix the box that surrounds it so it fits the image instead of stretching to the width of the page. But not tonight.

Thank you, Mark!!! I will try to live up to my new image.

UPDATE: I've removed the super-lovely header from the top of my blog for the time being since the shot that it was taken from does not belong to me, but rather to the talented litlnemo. (No wonder I didn't remember taking it!) She graciously posted the photo with a Creative Commons license, and she said I can still use it if I use proper attribution. (Thank you!) So I will either do that or use one of my own inferior shots, which I feel would better represent the content you normally find here (inferior, but mostly original). Thanks again to everyone for being so generous with their talents!

Free Self-Defense Workshop This Thursday

The Chinese Information & Service Center is holding another workshop in the hopes of educating local women on how to protect themselves from the still-on-the-loose sexual assailant who's attacked 23 women on Beacon Hill and elsewhere in South Seattle.



Paraphrase from the Big Blog and Seattlest and the Beacon Hill mailing list, etc., etc.:

The Chinese Information & Service Center is hosting a Sexual Assault Survival Skill and Self Defense Workshop on Thursday, April 10. The workshop will offer information on what to do if you're attacked and personal safety tips to avoid trouble. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Chinese Information & Service Center, 611 S. Lane St., in Seattle. It's free. Those attending should wear comfortable clothing. To RSVP, call Alan Lai at (206) 624-5633, x4111.

If anyone attends one of these workshops, please report back on what you learn. If they teach you any "unladylike karate chops," I might just sign up next time.

Mayor Hitting the Green Stuff

There was chuckling on the Georgetown mailing list today about a fresh press release from the mayor's office: "Nickels and Conlin Propose Green Fee on Shopping Bags, Ban on Foam."

Many of us were pushing for this action last year when fighting the proposed Georgetown dump. But rumor had it the mayor was not ready to take this stance.

What a difference a year makes! Especially when that year is an election one.

Nickels has been hitting the green stuff extra hard lately, having his office produce 18 environmentalist press releases so far in 2008, versus just 5 during the same period last year.

But personally, my very favorite ridiculous item from the mayor's office this year came via Neighborhoods guy Steve Louie in a recent e-mail to the G-town list:

Hello all, we've been asked by the Mayor's Office to assist with the outreach in getting your responses, which will then be used in developing a Customer Bill of Rights. Please log on to the site below for more information and take a few moments to respond to a few questions. Thanks...and I'm apologizing now if you get this more than once...

http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/BillOfRights/

Steve Louie
Department of Neighborhoods

I actually went and took a look, hoping for a chance to enter some specific requests (like, can we get assigned a tracking number when we submit graffiti complaints to SPU, so we can later find out what the status is, as you can with DPD complaints).

Instead, the only three questions are totally bullshit:

* What does good customer service mean to you?

* What do you think should be part of a customer bill of rights?

* Do you have a customer service experience with the city of Seattle that you would like to share?

I couldn't care less about this "Bill of Rights." The City already knows what it is that they need to fix. They outlined it in this Customer Service Initiative Overview from last fall. Better accessibility, efficiency, and accountability. There--they've got it right there.

I just wish Nickels would start working on fixing the actual problems now, rather than collecting more data on "what good customer service means to us." But then I guess he'd have nothing to promise us for his next term...

"The Original Rainier Brewery"

Sabey's posted the renderings of the Stock House replacement ("the Ice House") on their site and announced a name for the entire complex.

I wasn't crazy about this brand-new old-style building before, but seeing it next to the words "The Original Rainier Brewery" pretty much makes me want to puke my pants.



Sabey VP Jim Harmon points out: "Since original can mean first or historic, or it can mean unique or different, it seems like this is a fine name for the property."

On the other hand, one could argue that since Sabey demolished a building that was historic and unique and is replacing it with something that is neither, that maybe it's not so fine a name.

But, as with the entire project, it is what it is.

A Post That Deserves a Photo (Sorry)

From a reader e-mail:

If you were on the hill Saturday around 6 PM, you may have noticed the brilliant flash of lightning followed immediately by a thunder clap. The apparent strike point was a tree just west of Lawn Bowling Clubhouse at Jefferson Park. The tree had a significant portion shattered and blown out the south side.

One of the VA doctors happened along as I was looking at the tree yesterday. He said a nurse saw the strike from the hospital.

I found it facinating. Results may vary.

Seattle School Board Backing Off on Southeast Promises

Story in the Times today about how members of the Seattle School Board are already talking about reneging on their promises to Southeast Seattle schools.

Some members of the board are rethinking the Southeast Initiative, the district's much-lauded effort to improve three underperforming South End schools: Aki Kurose Middle School and Rainier Beach and Cleveland high schools.

The School Board launched the initiative last year with $250,000 and a three-year plan to draw back neighborhood students to the schools. But as the district staff has continued to propose arts programs, more rigorous classes, additional class periods, teacher bonuses and other extras for Southeast Initiative schools, several board members have wondered aloud whether it's getting too expensive. And some have expressed frustration that the superintendent has not yet identified specific goals for the schools.

There's no budget yet, but district officials have estimated the Southeast Initiative could cost $3 million to $4 million each year.

At a board meeting earlier this month, member Michael DeBell called the situation "problematic."

Board member Peter Maier questioned whether the effort would be sustainable.

"Let's assume this works," he said. "Then the question arises, are we committed to many years of these kinds of resources?"

In an interview Friday, board member Harium Martin-Morris said he is open to backing off the Southeast Initiative if necessary — even reneging on commitments already publicized in the district's enrollment guide.

"I must confess, I have some reservations," he said. "I have to look at that and say, 'Gee, that's a lot of money, and can I use that money in a better way to still help those schools, but help even more [schools]?'"

OK, so the school board is totally willing to just let South Seattle schools fail without providing them with the extra help they need. Where are these people from? I'm guessing they come from north of the ship canal. Pathetic.

And how is it even legal for the district to let the north-end schools put on two plays and a musical every year, while Rainier Beach has to resort to illegal downloads if they want to try to put on a single performance? What is the official justification for all this inequality in services?

After 50 Years of Toxic Dumping in Georgetown, GE Agrees to Do a Study

From yesterday's Seattle Times:

GE to consider cleanup options

The General Electric Co. has agreed to study cleanup options for contaminated soil, groundwater and indoor air at the Georgetown building the company used for decades to build and service aircraft parts.

Solvents leaked and were spilled in the building at 220 S. Dawson St., which GE used between 1949 and 1996, according to the state Department of Ecology.

Until it can get a cleanup under way, the company is running a system of sump pumps and fans to capture and vent pollutants.

Documents connected with the cleanup are available at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/foia/index.html, at the New Holly Library at 7058 32nd Ave. S., or by appointment at the Ecology Department's regional office at 3190 160th Ave. S.E. in Bellevue. Call 425-649-7190 for scheduling.

The public may comment by April 25 to Dean Yasuda at the Ecology Department: 425-649-7264 or dyas461@ecy.wa.gov, or by mail.

Clean and Green Event on Beacon Hill Draws 130

Craig Thompson's Beacon Lights blog has a photo of some of the 130 volunteers who worked to clean up the Jose Rizal Park area back on March 15. Thanks to every single one of you!

I swear to God, someday I will help out at one of these Beacon cleanup events. But ever since we moved here and inherited a jungle from the previous owner, I've felt that I want to finish cleaning up my own yard first before helping out with public spaces.

A picture of the jungle before we started cleaning it up (that much-abused willow tree was about to fall over and possibly kill someone):



And after we started working to tame it:



It's coming along. But the ivy continues to be a formidable opponent, especially along the neighbor's chain-link fence.

Introducing the Ice House

Today Sabey unveiled its plans for the building that will replace the demolished Stock House in the Rainier Cold Storage Complex in Georgetown. It will house six shops/restaurants, and they're now looking for tenants to fill those spaces.



Sabey and Johnson Architects seemed to have taken the community's comments to heart -- they came up with a building with the bricks and arches that everyone was asking for. And, honestly, on its own, I think it's kind of cute. (And I'd dance a jig in the street if this was replacing one of the godawful buildings up here at Beacon and Columbian.)





But I still worry what it will look like next to the real deal. You don't get any sense of that from the two photos above, or this crude rendering of all the buildings lined up on the street together. (This drawing includes an old section of wall that may or may not be saved, while the drawings above do not. If they have to keep the wall, they will construct a new building behind it.)



The bricks, very similar but not quite the same. The arches, very similar but not quite the same. I'm not loving it. But I think the neighbors will be relieved that nothing crazy will be going up there. And that's good.

Update: Here's the P-I story about this.

Theatre Off Jackson Not Buying Eagles Building

The cool folks at Theatre Off Jackson will not be buying the Eagles Aerie #1 building in Georgetown. From this afternoon's e-mail:

Hello Neighbors,

It is with much sadness that we make this announcement. Theatre Off
Jackson is no longer pursuing the purchase of the Eagles Building.

As many of you know, the Theatre Off Jackson (TOJ) has wanted to
relocate or expand to Georgetown ever since Patti and I moved to the
neighborhood 2 years ago. When the Eagles property at the corner of
Michigan and Corson became available last summer, we saw an
opportunity to make our dream a reality.

With much help, we pulled together a team to win the bidding
competition and successfully contracted to purchase the property in
November. In the last several months, we completed our review of
the building and all of the legal details associated with it. We
have also been making efforts to raise funds for the purchase and
have attempted to negotiate with others interested in sharing the
property with us.

We are very sorry to announce that TOJ has not been able to secure
the necessary funding to move forward with the purchase of the
Eagles property. Despite our best efforts, this particular project
proved to be too ambitious for an organization of our size.

We are still committed to owning a home in Georgetown, and will
regroup to build support before seeking out another property. Of
course we are incredibly disappointed that we could not secure that
particular corner for both the theater community and the
neighborhood. A non-profit arts organization would have been an
exciting addition to Georgetown and, we think, a great asset to the
community.

On behalf of TOJ's staff and Board of Directors, we offer a
heartfelt thank you to everyone who has offered support and
donations. Special thanks go to Sabey Corporation (especially Jim
Harmon) for being so generous with their time and mentorship. Their
contributions are invaluable, and we consider ourselves extremely
fortunate to have received their advice and guidance. We are also
grateful for the efforts of Kathy Nyland (of Georgetown), Keri Healy
(of Printer's Devil Theater) and Robin Tomazic (of Remax): all
offered their time and talents to make this project happen.

We have learned much and come farther than we could have imagined a
year ago, and have contributed to the much needed city-wide
discussion about preserving arts space for small organizations. We
look forward to helping solve this issue in the future – by securing
a permanent home for the countless independent arts groups that are
using TOJ and creating a permanent addition to Georgetown to nurture
theater and community.

Thank you,
Amanda Slepski
Theatre Off Jackson

Yet Another Asian Woman Attacked in South Seattle

The assailant pushed her to the ground and attacked her in her driveway around 2:30 this morning. A neighbor heard her screaming and scared off the attacker, who then drove away. The P-I story about this 23rd attack.

(In the headline -- "Another Asian woman assaulted on Beacon Hill" -- the P-I identifies the site of the attack, the 4200 block of South Webster Street, as Beacon Hill, though I consider that MLK/Renton Avenue area to be Rainier Valley instead.)

The police are asking for help finding this guy:

The suspect was described as black, 20 to 30 years old, possibly 6 feet tall and slender. He wore a green jacket, Jamieson said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Special Assault Unit at 206-684-5575.

Let's all keep our eyes and ears open. Beacon Hill residents have complained on this blog about how unfriendly their parts of the neighborhood are. Even if you've never met the people who live around you, please look out for them, like this woman's neighbor looked out for her. If you see or hear anything weird, investigate. You could be the one to stop this guy.

Developer Follow-up (Beacon Ventures, Sabey)

1. The Beacon Ventures folks still have not responded to my Saturday e-mail about when they plan to paint out the graffiti I originally alerted them to in mid-February.

2. Jim Harmon did write me back about my Friday e-mail about which "historical preservation principles" made saving the freestanding Brew House wall undesirable.

It's the piece of wall sticking out here in this photo I took in January:



From his Friday e-mail to the neighborhood:

Regarding where we are, the demolition of the Stock House will be
completed in the next few weeks. We have not reached a conclusion as to what to do about the remaining façade wall attached to the Brew House. While that wall does not pose an impending danger like the Stock House did, it does pose the matter of design and cost, as it looked to be several million dollars to retain it. In our discussions with the Landmarks Preservation Board, certain members expressed their desire to keep this façade. Additionally, certain neighborhood members expressed their concern and very much wanted to keep it. However, landmarks regulations recognize that the preservation of certain landmarked elements may be uneconomical and can grant an exception to the preservation rule. Our assertion is that it is not only uneconomic, but that it is undesirable from a design and historic standpoint (and there are certain historic preservation principles that this is based upon).

And from his response to me:

In response to your questions, the principle in question is termed façadism. Below are excerpts from submittals we previously made to the Landmarks Board and posted on our website:

* “We do not believe that retaining this wall is true to historic preservation and constitutes façadism since there is no structure behind it, historic or otherwise. We understand there to be divergent opinions, but façadism is not supported by many and is contrary to federal and local tax incentives, further indication of its standing.”

* “...we do not believe that retaining the North Wall is within the spirit of historic preservation as it constitutes façadism[1], and we see the removal of that wall as an opportunity to open the remaining historic structures to sight from Airport Way as well as reasonable vehicular access into the historic areas.”

* "[1] This point is emphasized by the fact that significant tax incentives are provided to retain historic structures by both federal income tax and local real estate tax credits; however, no such economic incentives are provided for retaining a building façade."

It’s also referred to as facadomy. See Wikipedia reference and citings here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facadism.

Hmm. I'm no expert, but that Wikipedia link about facadism seems to suggest that preservationists believe that maintaining an entire building is preferable to maintaining just a facade. However, it does NOT seem to suggest that preservationists believe that destroying an existing freestanding facade is preferable to maintaining it. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about historical preservation would like to weigh in?

[Update/sidenote: Here's a 3/25/08 Crosscut article about Seattle's historical landmark designation process.]

Beacon Hill: Now Serving Queen Anne

A few weeks ago I think I mentioned that I regularly search the P-I and Times sites for mentions of "Beacon," in the hopes of catching a reference to the hill or avenue.

On an average day, the search returns no news stories. But today I happened to find a Beacon Hill reference in a story titled "Residential parking zone divides neighbors on Queen Anne."

The Beacon Hill mention comes from a quote from the coordinator of the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce. It turns out that some Hilltop residents are sick of competing for street parking with the customers and employees of local businesses. Here's the business-side quote:

"We believe a single mom working at one of the restaurants has as much of a right to park as anybody else. Taking a bus from Beacon Hill isn't really an option for them," said Margaret Irvine, coordinator of the chamber.

I wonder if she's thinking of someone she actually knows who's a single mom who lives on Beacon Hill and would have to take the 36 (and a transfer) if she couldn't find free parking for more than two hours.

Or I wonder if she just made that up to make it sound like she's protecting the relatively disadvantaged here in the South End, as opposed to the relatively wealthy who like to spend more than two hours at trendy bars, fancy breakfast spots, and posh boutiques.

And I wonder if she named Beacon Hill to gain some extra sympathy for her cause because any woman who takes the 36 and walks home may have to fend off that increasingly bold assailant/groper/asshole.

Anyway, it's just funny to me that the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce representative called out Beacon Hill in that ridiculous quote in which she pretends to represent the interests of restaurant workers instead of their employers. It's been a pleasure to serve you, Hilltop merchants! Just let us know if you need anything else from us today.

3rd Annual Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival on 4/19

Mark your calendars:

The 3rd Annual Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival

This year 75 filmmakers are busy creating short films of epic proportions to
share with you. Over half of these people are your neighbors and the rest
come here to work and play. Come share in their artistic creations.

When: Saturday, April 19th
Where: Rainier Cold Storage Building, 5790 Airport Way South
Time: Doors open at 6pm, Films begin 6:30pm
Suggested Donation: $5, no one turned away for lack of funds

Daffodils in Comet Lodge Cemetery

I went to go investigate that fairy ring down in Comet Lodge Cemetery.

It's not really a ring. More like a U.



And fairies probably didn't put it there.





I'm not particularly superstitious about this supposedly haunted place, which I've written about before, but this 1-year-old's epitaph does creep me out a little.



I think it says: "Weep not, father and mother, for me, for I wait in glory for thee."

New Photos of the Christian Restoration Center

Bummed around the neighborhood this morning, snapping some pictures. Noticed that the Beacon Ventures folks have not yet painted out the graffiti at the Christian Restoration Center.





I just sent them a quick e-mail asking what's up with that. I'll give them a chance to respond before following up with the mayor's office. I submitted the original complaint about the graffiti to SPU on February 13 or 14, well over a month ago.

Broken Walk Signals?

A local jogger recently wrote to the P-I about a broken walk signal at Beacon and Spokane. From the 3/16 P-I:

Question: Eric Meltzer says his usual jog takes him to the intersection of Beacon Avenue South and South Spokane Street, where his run comes to a halt.

"I always press the walk button, but I have never seen the walk sign illuminate and end up crossing against the 'don't walk' symbol," he says.

He wonders if the button even works.

Answer: Marx of the Transportation Department says the button wasn't working -- but it works now. Marx said a Department of Transportation crew went out last week and fixed it.

Wow, that was fast. Has anyone else noticed any other broken signals around the neighborhood that we can report and get fixed?

Stock House Replacement Plans to Be Unveiled 3/27 and 3/38

Sabey has decided not to hold another public meeting but to meet with individuals privately about the new designs. The claim is that this will allow more people to stop by when they like and give their input, but I feel that something will be lost with this approach. Community meetings allow people to hear what other people have to say, and they also give people the opportunity to observe quietly if they prefer. (It also provides people with a good excuse to get together with their neighbors for a beer before or after the meeting.) Showing up at a developer's office and personally asking to see designs take a little more guts, I think.

In any case, this will all go through the public design review process, so there will definitely be public meetings in the future.

I'll plan to take a look at the designs on Thursday and post pictures, if they'll let me, that evening.

Anyway, here's the Sabey mail about all this. It sounds like the wall attached to the Brew House might be saved after all, which is cool:

Hi All:

Well, it has been awhile, but we are finally ready to present our
plans for the building to replace the Stock House. We attempted to
reflect comments from the neighborhood and to improve the building
design both from a utilitarian and aesthetic standpoint. Hopefully,
you'll agree. Rather than having a big meeting, we'll simply have
open hours for people to stop by. This will allow for more leeway in
people's schedules as well as a greater opportunity to respond to
questions. Therefore, we will be available on Mar 27 & 28 from 4 to
6:30pm at our office on the backside of the General Office right
across the street from the 9 lb Hammer and Smarty Pants (6004 Airport
Way). We'll have various perspectives to help you understand the
design along with several people to explain it.

These plans will continue to flex as we move forward because of
design adjustments and changes required by the City and others. The
City will need to issue a Master Use Permit (MUP) and a Construction
Permit. The MUP relates to the use of the building (in this case,
office and retail). It focuses on the parking, traffic, site, etc.
requirements of the use proposed. These requirements aren't
generally difficult for a fairly self-contained development of this
size. Therefore, so we don't have to re-file every time there's a
small change, we try to show maximum use and impacts at the outset.
Our MUP application will be submitted shortly and will take about 6
months or more to be issued. A separate Construction Permit will
require what are called 75% drawings for the plan reviewers to go
through them in detail. These plans will go through design review
from the Landmarks Preservation Board. All of this will involve
public notice and input should you care to formally participate.
There will be notices posted on site regarding this. From an
informal standpoint, please feel free to share your feedback with us
for ongoing design consideration.

Regarding where we are, the demolition of the Stock House will be
completed in the next few weeks. We have not reached a conclusion as
to what to do about the remaining façade wall attached to the Brew
House. While that wall does not pose an impending danger like the
Stock House did, it does pose the matter of design and cost, as it
looked to be several million dollars to retain it. In our
discussions with the Landmarks Preservation Board, certain members
expressed their desire to keep this façade. Additionally, certain
neighborhood members expressed their concern and very much wanted to
keep it. However, landmarks regulations recognize that the
preservation of certain landmarked elements may be uneconomical and
can grant an exception to the preservation rule. Our assertion is
that it is not only uneconomic, but that it is undesirable from a
design and historic standpoint (and there are certain historic
preservation principles that this is based upon). However, in light
of the response and additional time, we are reviewing our plan for
both the wall and the Brew House to see if they can be economically
redeveloped together. The key here is the structural engineering.
We are midway on this process as we have been very much focused on
the Stock House's replacement. We will report back on this at a
later time.

So, there you go. We'll look forward to seeing you on the 27th or
28th. If those dates don't work, please contact me and we'll find
some alternative times after that. Also, the plans et al will be
posted on our website once we've had an opportunity to present them
to the community.

Thank you all,

Jim Harmon | SABEY CORPORATION
ph 206 281 8700 | email jimh@sabey.com | website www.sabey.com