Seattle, WA
Some West Seattle business owners in 'limbo' due to light rail plan that would demolish their stores
West Seattle businesses face uncertain future due to light rail project
Several West Seattle businesses are being told their stores will be demolished for the latest Light Rail project, with the city only providing $50,000 in relocation assistance.
WEST SEATTLE, Wash. – A number of West Seattle business owners are reacting to a light rail plan that’s slated to wipe out their businesses sometime within the next four years.
An open house with Sound Transit this week drove the message home, with some owners seeing maps and plans for the first time. Although owners have been anticipating that this would happen, they say there is a lot of uncertainty about what’s next.
“We have 30 taps, all locally brewed beer, wine and cider.
After working hard to get Ounces Taproom up and running with a small, but mighty team, owner Laurel Trujillo says she was devastated to learn about plans to demolish the building to make way for the light rail.
“It’s been eight years of my life, eight years of my blood sweat and tears. So it’s a hard reality to be faced with, it’s no longer going to exist in this specific location,” said Trujillo. “The current phase, 2024, there will be a final route decision decided and then, in the next 3-4 years, property acquisition and with that, unfortunately our business is set to be demolished.”
A West Seattle Link Extension map presented during an open house this week shows that Delridge Station will sit smack dab on top of Ounces Taproom. Mode Music Studios and Skylark Cafe, a popular music venue next door, would also be demolished, along with a daycare and a nearby plaza containing Uptown Espresso.
“Who is going to help a small business like us relocate and survive?,” said Trujillo.
Although business owners say Sound Transit has offered $50,000 in relocation assistance, they say the numbers don’t add up to the total expenses they will incur trying to move their businesses.
“It looks like the relocation package that we would actually be offered by Sound Transit is fairly minimal. So, 50 grand, we get from sound transit, and it costs a million to relocate the business. You can kind of do the math there and that’s a lot of money that we don’t have,” said Trujillo.
“We made it through COVID, we kept our brick and mortar the whole time while we were online, then we dealt with the bridge closure, there is a lot we’ve had to endure,” said Erin Rubin, owner of Mode Music Studios and Founder and Managing Director of Mode Music and Performing Arts.
Rubin says after a tough few years, relocating 500 students and music teachers seems like a daunting challenge. She says her students will also lose the Skylark stage next door, which welcomed them to play all-ages shows.
“It’s a community space for sure, but a place where families can come,” Rubin said. “We have a daycare behind us that has very specific permitting, so there are a lot of families affected here for sure.”
She says additionally, businesses won’t have access to any relocation funds until Sound Transit gives them the green light, leaving them in limbo for the time being.
“We have to wait until they tell us to move and in that time, we may lose the perfect space,” said Rubin.
“Who is going to help a small business like us relocate and survive?”, said Trujillo. “We are committed to relocating ounces, and or us currently, that means when our property is acquired, we would work with Sound Transit to hopefully successfully relocate our business.”
Sound Transit provided a link online for those who have questions about the project.
“If you’re a resident, business or property owner near a potential WSLE route or station alternative, visiting the project’s Online Open House and signing up for email updates are the first steps to ensuring you are up to speed on the project. If you have any questions or you would like to set up a meeting to learn more, contact the project team at westseattlelink@soundtransit.org.
The Sound Transit Board will make a final decision on routes, stations and the project to be built after a final EIS is published for WSLE.”
Next month the Seattle City Council could take up legislation to make street closures an official tool to prevent gun violence. This comes after residents near Aurora Avenue North created barriers to block vehicle access to their streets last week, in an attempt to keep drive-by shootings from flowing into their neighborhoods.
Councilmember Debora Juarez represents North Seattle’s District 5 and has championed the proposal, which she said was submitted to the Council during Bruce Harrell’s mayoral administration but then stalled.
Juarez said city agencies including the transportation department close streets for various reasons already, and should add criteria around public safety.
“If we have the wherewithal and common sense to protect pedestrians and bike riders and safe crossing for kids at school, we sure as hell can protect communities from stray bullets and gun violence and shootings in their neighborhoods,” she said.
A resident of the Aurora neighborhood whose first name is Jake, he asked that his last name not be shared, told the City Council Tuesday that a bullet recently struck his house, outside his 6-week-old infant’s bedroom. He said the Seattle Police Department characterized the recent gun shots on Aurora as mostly related to prostitution and gang violence.
“The city is allowing unchecked prostitution, human trafficking, and related violence” on Aurora, he said.
RELATED: Seattle’s traffic deaths are climbing. One City Council member wants an audit to find out why
Juarez said she is working with Councilmember Eddie Lin, who chairs the Land Use Committee, as well as Councilmember Bob Kettle, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, to introduce emergency legislation that could take effect upon passage by the council and approval by the mayor.
Where city code allows road closures for construction or to protect the public from various hazards, the new language would allow the police chief to recommend closure of a street or alley to prevent criminal activity. Juarez said the closure could be temporary.
“If the chief of police tells you there’s criminal activity, there’s a serious uptick in gun violence — let’s put up these barriers for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days,” Juarez said.
But she noted that officials will have to be careful not to simply push the violence onto other streets nearby.
“If you pull a string here it’s going to show up over there,” she said. “Those are the policy questions that have to be hashed out.”
RELATED: Seattle City Council approves new police contract, boosting pay and expanding crisis response
In a joint statement with Juarez on Friday, Mayor Katie Wilson called the violence along Aurora “alarming and unacceptable.”
But she said the barriers installed by residents needed to be replaced with “temporary traffic calming treatments to reduce cut-through traffic and address the access needs of those living in the area” as well as access for emergency responders and trash pick-up. According to KOMO, city crews replaced the metal planters with staggered, concrete barriers on Friday.
Juarez said she wants the city to act with urgency to address the residents’ concerns. She said the legislation could be heard in the Public Safety Committee on June 23.
SEATTLE – Transportation officials are warning travelers to prepare for heavy traffic congestion and significant delays as massive construction closures hit highways across the region and light rail lines this weekend.
Major highway closures this weekend
What we know:
The Washington State Department of Transportation said major construction projects are taking over several regional corridors from Friday, May 29, until the morning of Monday, June 1.
Crews are squeezing a large amount of work into a short spring window so they can pause construction during Seattle’s “summer of soccer.”
This means drivers will face concentrated traffic impacts now rather than disruptions spread throughout the summer season.
Here’s what is scheduled for this weekend:
- Kirkland (Southbound I-405): All southbound lanes will be closed from Northeast 124th Street to Northeast 70th Place from 11 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday for fish barrier correction work. Miles-long backups are expected.
- Seattle (Northbound I-5): Two northbound lanes will remain closed across the Ship Canal Bridge, further restricting traffic inside the city.
- Seattle (Eastbound SR 520): Eastbound lanes and all connecting ramps between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard will close from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Crews are preparing for a traffic switch on the Montlake off-ramp. Only transit and HOV 3+ vehicles will be allowed to use the Montlake Boulevard direct access ramps to eastbound SR 520 across Lake Washington.
- Issaquah/Snoqualmie (Westbound I-90): The eastbound SR 18/Snoqualmie Parkway on-ramp to westbound I-90, along with the westbound I-90 off-ramp to westbound SR 18, will close for paving from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
Timeline:
The closures start Friday evening, with I-90 ramp closures beginning at 9 p.m., followed by the full I-405 and SR 520 closures at 11 p.m. All highways are scheduled to fully reopen to regular traffic by 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. on Monday, June 1.
WSDOT also said much of the work is weather-dependent and may be rescheduled if it rains.
Light rail disruptions
In addition to the highway gridlock, Sound Transit passengers will face major service disruptions on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31.
Maintenance crews are shutting down parts of the region’s light rail network to complete rail replacement through downtown Seattle stations and perform work on the Crosslake Connection.
During the weekend shutdown, the 1 Line will completely close between the Capitol Hill and Stadium stations. Simultaneously, the 2 Line will be closed between Lynnwood City Center and South Bellevue stations.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Washington State Department of Transportation and Sound Transit.
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Eight dead in Longview chemical implosion
Eight people are dead and three remain missing after a massive chemical implosion at a Longview facility. Rescue teams face chest-deep water and a caustic “white liquor” that is so corrosive it is eating through their personal protective equipment. The EPA is actively monitoring the area after 500,000 gallons of the material seeped into nearby neighborhood dikes.
LONGVIEW, Wash. – After a massive chemical implosion at a Longview paper mill killed 11 people, little is known about the victims.
Eight people are confirmed dead, and three others remain missing after a tank of white liquor imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on Tuesday, May 26. Eight others also suffered injuries, including chemical burns and inhalation.
Longview Fire Chief Brad Hannig confirmed in a press conference Thursday that crews recovered six of the nine workers who were unaccounted for following the implosion. Two workers who made it out of the site also died, making the death toll 11.
Search and recovery efforts are underway for the three victims who remain missing. Because of the toxic chemicals, the victims’ remains must be decontaminated before the coroner can begin the formal identification process.
Keep reading for details on what we know about the victims in the Longview chemical implosion.
Two victims identified
As of Thursday, only five of the 11 victims in the implosion have been identified by family members:
Jared Ammons:
Family and friends described Ammons as a “loving husband, devoted father, cherished son and caring brother.” He leaves behind his wife, two kids, and another child on the way.
Those who knew Ammons said’ his loss has left an unimaginable hole in their hearts. A GoFundMe is raising money for his family as they navigate the recent tragedy.
Gilbert Bernal:
Friends said Bernal was one of the best people they’ve ever met, and “was a Godly man in every sense of the word.” He was a grandfather and an electrician at the facility.
His GoFundMe said Bernal was loved by many and worked hard to provide for his family. The online fundraiser will go towards his family’s funeral expenses and other needs.
CJ Doran:
Doran, who was 26 years old, is described by friends as a selfless and deeply caring husband and father. He was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and the family provider.” A GoFundMe will benefit his wife and family during this troubling time.
John Forsberg:
Forsberg was a father of two young children who lost his life in the Nippon plant implosion. Forsberg’s family asks for privacy as they process this tragedy, with an online fundraiser going towards supporting his children and memorial-related expenses.
Braydon Finkas:
Finkas was an electrician at the plant, whose “sense of humor and kindness touched everyone who knew him.” He was known for his love of golf, brisket-making, breweries and his wife, Kaitlyn.
Rex Czuba, a friend who organized Finkas’ GoFundMe, said he would always be there to help and would never turn down a request from a friend or neighbor. “He was a really big part of the town,” Czuba said. “He really jumped in and became a part of the community so quickly.”
Unidentified implosion victims
What’s next:
There is still little information about the rest of the workers who were killed, hurt, or still missing following the chemical implosion. City officials or the Cowlitz County Medical Examiner’s Office will release details as they continue the recovery and identification process.
Massive chemical flush underway in Longview
On the second day of recovery following what the governor called the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern state history, the Department of Ecology is flushing a massive 500,000-gallon toxic chemical spill away from Longview’s water supply.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Source: Information in this story came from GoFundMe, the Longview Fire Department, the Associated Press and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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