Georgetown: "On-the-Verge Nabe"

It really is over, isn't it?

DailyCandy, originally a mailing list for pampered Manhattanites but now available in most rich American cities, has declared Georgetown an "on-the-verge nabe."

And Here's the Times Story About the Groper

From today's Seattle Times:

Seattle police bike officers have increased their patrols of the Beacon Hill neighborhood in response to the latest in nearly two dozen sexual attacks on Asian girls and women.

Police say the man has groped, chased and even knocked down 22 girls and women in Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill since August 2006. The victims have ranged from teenagers to a 52-year-old. No victim has been raped or critically injured, and police said the man normally runs off after his victims have screamed for help.

The cops quoted in this story are unusually frank, saying "We're highly unlikely to catch this guy," and that the intention of their stepped-up patrol is to make people "feel" safe.

The principal at Beacon Hill Elementary invites the public to come to the PTSA meeting at 7:15 tonight at the school; some police will be there to discuss the incidents.

Feel safe!

Beacon Hill Groper Attacks 22nd Victim

I don't even know what to say about this anymore.

In the middle of the day on Thursday, this man attacked his 22nd (reported) victim, this time right by the 76 station on the 2400 block of 14th Avenue South.

From yesterday's P-I:

"The victim, a 28-year-old woman, was walking home from the store when a man approached her from behind, covered her mouth, knocked her to the ground and assaulted her. Two people nearby saw the attack. When the assailant noticed them, he broke off his assault and fled."

"[The perpetrator] has been described as a black male of medium height, thin build, in his 20s or 30s. He has worn a variety of clothing and in some cases has hidden behind a green ski mask or red scarf."

Interesting that the Seattle Times didn't think a 22nd sexual attack in South Seattle by the same asshole warranted a mention in the local section.

Late Afternoon Snack in Georgetown

I really wanted a Chopper from Smarty Pants but settled for a Southwest Chop Salad from Taco Time.





Taco Time's Southwest Chop Salad only contains 189 calories per 12-ounce serving (not including dressing). I'm not sure how many servings this is.



In any case, it's a very lonely meal.

My Beacon Hill Garden in Mid-March

(Like how I try to make this topical?)

It's Garden Bloom Day, and I'd like to show you some things that are and aren't in bloom in my garden today.

This elk grass produces brown flowers in summer. They should look nice next to the bronze container, whose Japanese maple will have purple leaves by then.



I've always loved this little Viburnum davidii, even though it doesn't produce metallic blue berries because it's all alone up here. It needs a cross-pollinating buddy.



It's lame that my winter hazel doesn't bloom until nearly spring.



I don't know what this plant is. I'm not crazy about white blossoms, but they don't last that long.



This Euphorbia self-seeds, I've noticed. I see little ones popping up here and there.



The rosemary blooms a lot.



We need to get these lovely sedum in the rock wall soon.



I think this counts as blooming.



Alliums on their way.



The sedum wall with some Scotch moss, which will unfortunately start blooming white at some point.



Bless these sedum for shutting out weeds.



I think hens and chicks are OK here and there.



So pleased with the way this section has filled out.









My nine Julia Phelps Ceanothus do not yet form a hedge, but you can see that they will. I will probably need to remove every other one at some point. It's always hard not to plant things too close together.



One of the plants has started to bloom.





In April, all the little purple buds on all 11 plants will bloom blue. It's incredibly beautiful.



The donkey tail Euphorbia is the success story of the moment.



They look so happy to be alive.







I fear the Point Reyes Ceanothus will eventually crowd this one out.



I want more fiery orange heathers.



The Cryptomeria, which looked iffy over the winter, are now doing fine.



Thank you, sedum and Euphorbia.



And hello to the girl fetus I've been carrying these last several months. You are already loved.

A Neighbor's Take on the Design Review Last Night

I couldn't make it, but a nearby neighbor named Steve told me I could post his e-mail to me about what happened at the design review meeting for the development of the old Christian Restoration Center site at 15th and Oregon. Thanks also to L.T., who provided me with a similarly thorough account of the proceedings.

From Steve's e-mail:

I think the developer and the architect showed they're taking a relatively responsible approach to the development and trying to be as respectful to the neighbors as possible while still creating a project that'll be profitable and makes sense them (the developer). I mean, they're not proposing a green roof (yet) or anything with low-income housing, but it looks like a pretty good project for what the zoning code allows. The project looks very familiar--much like what you'll see if you drive around Ballard, Wallingford, the U-District, and any other of the higher density neighborhoods in the city that are years ahead of Beacon Hill in terms of densifying and gentrifying old rundown "business centers." In some ways that's a bit disappointing, but I think there's not a whole lot they can do to make it unique--later in the design process we'll have a chance to suggest specific exterior design finishes that might create something that is more of a departure from some of the other recent developments around the city. The area where they're proposing the development is zoned for slightly higher density and higher allowable bldg heights, and I think it's reasonable to expect that both sides of the street in the higher density zone will be redeveloped in the next several years, and this project should help build some much-needed momentum. My experience with progress on Beacon Hill tells me it'll be a long time, but maybe things will take off, who knows.

The members of the design review board asked some good questions, and some that seemed ridiculous, such as asking the architect about other massing configurations. I think it's clear that the configuration they've chosen is the one that's most respectful to the neighbors and shields them as much as possible from the development, while providing nice open space for the new building's residents that will have decent views and won't overlook a busy neighborhood street.

The public included maybe 25-30 residents, many from within a block of the bldg. I live 4 blocks away and I think I was the most distant of anyone there. Some had some good questions about the design, many of which concerned the traffic impacts, which the DRB put off as not relevant for this meeting. It's an SDOT issue that will have to be covered later.

I'm glad I went to the meeting, but you didn't miss much if you looked over the info on that website you forwarded yesterday. Probably the most noteworthy thing design-wise that came up was the fact that there are two separate parking entrances, including one off Oregon that will provide 5(!) parking stalls for the retail space and also parking for residents. The arch justified having separate parking entrances by noting that if a ramp configuration were used it would cut into the retail space quite a bit, leading to most likely less desirable retail. Everyone there was united in saying we want some decent retail and I think if the city pushes too hard on things that are going to affect the quality of the retail space, the residents will push back.

Stranger Post on Christian Restoration Center Development

The Stranger folks are way savvier than I am and contacted the architects about this project instead of the developers/owners.

From the Stranger blog:

15th Avenue South and South Oregon Street

This exquisite parking lot is located next to the former Christian Restoration Center, which is now vacant. In its place, a four-story mixed-use building with up to three retail units at the ground level and 30 residential units above has been proposed by Rudeen Development. No decision yet on condos or apartments, according to Carlos De La Torre of architecture firm H+DLT Collaborative.

The location is a crossroads between Beacon Hill and Columbia City, so like an evangelical density zealot, I’m pro-life—for this intersection. However, this design is stillborn. “It is purposefully boring,” explains De La Torre. “This is the early design, and there are very specific rules to early design guidance. [The design-review board members] don’t want to see a lot of design,” he says. “As architects, we have something in our heads and we’re very excited, and we’d like to get people geared toward that goal.” Attend the meeting and goad them on.

Please do attend (leave now) and let me know what happens. I'm too sick to go.