As part of the West Phase of the Mercer Corridor Project, a large portion of Aurora/99 and part of Mercer Street will be closed starting 11pm Friday, May 17 through 5am Monday, May 20. Then, beginning Monday, travel along and around Mercer will change. Expect “significant delays” for the weekend,and “major” Mercer and Aurora/99 impacts beyond the weekend.

The run-down on the closure and the aftermath are as follows from SDOT:

Weekend closure:

• Aurora/99 will be fully closed between Valley St and the southern end of the Battery St Tunnel
• Traffic traveling through Seattle via SR 99 will be directed to I-5 north of Seattle at 85th Street or south of Seattle at E Marginal Way
• Mercer Street will be fully closed to traffic between 5th Ave N and Dexter Ave N
• Traffic heading east towards I-5 will be detoured to Denny Way at 5th Ave N and will reconnect to Mercer Street at Dexter Avenue N to continue east
• Sidewalks will be closed on both sides of SR 99 between Thomas and Valley Streets and on the south side of Mercer between 5th Ave N and Dexter Ave N

Beginning Monday, May 20:

• Lane restrictions on Mercer will remain in place between 4th Ave N and 9th Ave N an alternate route for travelers heading to I-5
• Broad Street re-opens to eastbound traffic as an alternate route to I5
• Signal modifications at the intersections of 5th Ave N and Harrison St and Harrison St and Broad St will allow southbound 5th Ave N traffic to connect to eastbound Broad Street
• Due to the re-opening of Broad Street to two-way traffic, left turns from eastbound and westbound Mercer onto 9th Ave N will be restricted to facilitate traffic flow on Mercer. Travelers heading north towards Westlake and Fremont should use Dexter Avenue N to reach their destinations.

Mercer West: 5th Ave W to Dexter Ave N - Access to Northbound 99 During Construction

Mercer West: 5th Ave W to Dexter Ave N - Access to I5 During Construction

Additional traffic revisions will include:

• Mercer will be reduced to two eastbound lanes between 4th Ave N and 9th Ave N
• Local access will be maintained at Taylor Avenue N
• The sidewalk on the north side of Mercer will be closed between 5th Ave N and Dexter Ave N. The sidewalk on the south side of Mercer Street will remain open
• Aurora/99 traffic will be shifted to the west side of the roadway between Valley and Harrison streets; two lanes of SR 99 in each direction will remain open
• Northbound 99 off-ramp to Mercer will be permanently closed. A new signalized intersection at Republican Street and Dexter Avenue N will be available for northbound SR 99 traffic to reach South Lake Union

(This is a sponsored story written by John Madrid, Managing Broker with John L. Scott Real Estate).

There are no signs that the current trends of low inventory, rising prices, short sales times and multiple offers will be abating anytime soon.

For Queen Anne and Magnolia there continues to be only about a 1 to 2 month supply of single-family home inventory. This tight inventory can be attributed to continued low interest rates, robust Puget Sound area hiring and a generally improved economy including significant gains in the stock market. Whether the market will become more “balanced” (defined as a 3-6 month supply of homes) will hinge on many more listings hitting the market over the coming months.

Of Queen Anne and Magnolia homes closed in April the average sale price was a little over 102% of the most recent list price.  This indicates continued multiple offer situations.

Prospective buyers also should think in terms of at least a minimum of 3-5+ year home ownership horizon and preferably maintain the option to hold onto their home through future downturns in the market. Home seller costs (excise tax, title/escrow fees, sale commissions) of approximately 9% of the sales price should also be factored into any decision to purchase.

More stats on other Seattle neighborhoods can be found at http://www.live206.com/seattle-market-update-c22527.html

John Madrid is a Managing Broker with John L. Scott Real Estate – University Village and is a 2005-2012 Seattle Magazine “Five Star” Agent. His clients include both home buyers and sellers. He can be reached at 206-498-1880, john@live206.com or www.live206.com.

Statistics are deemed reliable but are not guaranteed.  All information should be verified to the users own satisfaction. 

Twice a year Queen Anne Dispatch, the Upper Queen Anne local shipper and boutique celebrates with a customer appreciation event. This Friday, May 17, the festivities run all day from 9am-10pm, with 20% off retail and more.

Le Reve will help kick off the day with tasty bakery treats and coffee service. Then around mid-day Icebox Grocery, the locally owned and operated mini-market will have drinks and samples available.

When the evening hours roll around, Queen Anne Dispatch will kick off a party atmosphere at 6pm with music by DJ Cotton Candy, wine, cocktails and appetizers. In addition, local mom and artist Kirsty Papadopoulos from Lucia K Jewelry and a rep from Lole will be on hand to chat and answer questions. Plus, mini manicures with Seattle’s own Butter London products. The party runs til 10pm.

All in all, a very local event – and everyone is welcome to join in the celebration, a one-stop shop of local businesses, artists, and products.

We’re almost half-way through May, which means June is just around the corner. And, with the first Saturday of June comes the Annual Bigelow Block Sale – and this year marks the 20th year of the event, with special celebrations planned along with the usual block sale treasure hunting.

Every year for the past two decades, neighbors up and down Bigelow Ave N join in along with homes on adjacent streets for a blowout block sale. Typically, 40-50 homes participate, and this year the block is also throwing a party to celebrate 20 years.

To help celebrate, Dante’s Inferno Dogs will be on hand for local Seattle hot dogs and Wild Smiles Face Painting will be decorating kids faces for the day. Plus, neighborhood kids will be running their own lemonade and cookie stands, and the block will be hopping with neighbors strolling up and down the street.

The 20th Annual Bigelow Block Sale is Saturday, June 1st from 9am-3pm rain or shine. Mark your calendars for a block sale extravaganza and check out the participating homes on and around Bigelow (marked with balloons) on the first Saturday of June.

If you live on Bigelow or a neighboring street and would like to participate, make sure to register by May 20. Neighbors chip in $20 per house to participate, with any proceeds above and beyond the costs going to the Queen Anne Helpline.

For more information or to register, contact Rene Stern via email or at 206.283.8080 x234.

If you’re planning to give to one of your favorite local nonprofits this year, it’s going to be even easier this Wednesday, May 15th. That’s the date for The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG, a one-day, online charitable giving event to inspire people to give to local nonprofit organizations who help make up the tapestry of our community.

All day Wednesday each credit card donation made to any of the 1,400+ nonprofit organizations profiled on The Seattle Foundation’s website will receive a prorated portion of the matching funds “stretch” pool. The total amount of the stretch pool depends on the size of the stretch pool and how much is raised in total donations on GiveBIG day.

The list of participating Queen Anne nonprofits includes:

• Pacific Science Center
• Queen Anne Helpline
• Queen Anne Farmers Market
• Queen Anne High School Alumni Association
• Queen Anne Food Bank at Sacred Heart
• St. Anne School
• Seattle Center Foundation
• Seattle Children’s Museum
• Sound Theatre Company
• SIFF
• Theatre22

And, you can donate to many more nonprofits in the immediate Queen Anne/Seattle Center area, as well as Seattle-wide nonprofits (e.g. Seattle Public Library). Just check out the list of nonprofits and get ready to GiveBIG on Wednesday.

On Fridays we feature an adoptable pet from the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS). SAS is located at 2061 15th Ave W, just north of Whole Foods, at the corner of W. Armory Way. SAS is open Wednesday – Sunday, noon-6pm.

Queen Anne View has not met any of these pets – SAS is providing us with the description, as they know them well. We encourage potential adopters to get in touch with SAS and work with them to evaluate the compatibility of your home and a new pet.

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Sabrina, or “Princess Sabrina” as she would rather be known, is a petite miniature pinscher, about three years old, looking for an adult home where she will be adored. Sabrina is house and crate trained and sleeps quietly in her crate during the night, although she would much prefer to lounge on the bed!

Currently living in a foster home, Sabrina coexists well with two senior, foster siblings – a male Greyhound and a male Dachshund.

Sabrina’s ideal home would be one where she gets to be the “girl about town,” accompanying her people wherever they go. She is quite the socialite and has a taste for travel, she doesn’t want to miss out on any of the fun.

She is also a lap dog and is happy to spend her quiet time getting some R & R before her next big adventure. If you are looking for a princess to primp and pamper Sabrina may be your girl!

Sabrina (SAS #13-2070) is being adored in a SAS foster home. If you would like to meet this dog, you must submit a Dog Adoption Application to SAS. Download the application and follow the instructions for submission via email or fax. If you have general questions about this dog, you may call the Shelter’s Animal Care Staff at 206-386-4294.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend! In addition to Mother’s Day events, there are also quite a few free events this weekend, plus free parking at 6 waterfront parking garages. Check out the links below for all the details.

Multi-Day Events:

• Boeing Boeing, Seattle Repertory Theatre, April 19-May 19
• The Taming of the Shrew, Seattle Shakespeare Company, April 25-May 12
• Mike Daisey, Seattle Repertory Theatre, May 1-11
• Sister Angelica & Human Voice, Seattle Opera, May 4-18

Friday, May 10

• Women in Trades 34th Annual Career Fair, Seattle Center, 9am-2pm
• Mariners vs. Oakland A’s, Safeco, 7:10pm
• Northwest Seaport Chantey Sing, Center for Wooden Boats, 8pm FREE
• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Eden, The Angel’s Share, Renoir, The Source Family

Saturday, May 11

• Mayday, Mayday Earthquake Drill, West Queen Anne Playfield, 9am-noon FREE
• Maritime Festival Family Fun Day, Pier 66 & Bell Harbor Marina, 9am-5pm FREE
• Mom & Me at the Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, half-price admission for Moms
• International Migratory Bird Day, Magnuson Park, 10am-2pm FREE
• Seattle Sounders vs. San Jose Earthquakes, CenturyLink, 1pm-2:30pm
• Cannabis Freedom March, Volunteer Park to Westlake Park, 11am-5pm FREE
• Rat City Rollergirls, Key Arena, 5:30-8:30pm
• Mariners vs. Oakland A’s, Safeco, 6:10pm

Sunday, May 12

• FREE Waterfront Parking, 6 different Seattle Waterfront garages FREE
• The Color Run, Seattle Center, 9am-2pm
• Mother’s Day 5K Fun Run, Seward Park, 9am FREE
• Mother’s Day, Seattle Children’s Museum, 10am FREE admission for Moms
• Family Low Tide Beach Walk, Discovery Park, 11:30am-1:30pm FREE
• Spirit of West Africa Festival, Seattle Center Armory, noon-8:15pm FREE
• Mariners vs. Oakland A’s, Safeco, 1:10pm

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

This Saturday, May 11th, the West Queen Anne Playfield will be the staging grounds for Mayday, Mayday, an earthquake preparedness drill. Part of a citywide drill, the Queen Anne event will test our neighborhood’s response capabilities to a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

Why a 6.3? That’s the magnitude of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand, which severely damaged the central city buildings and infrastructure, as well as resulting in the loss of 185 lives. Mayday, Mayday’s goal is to practice preparedness and response actions that would help our community and the greater Seattle area survive a similar disaster.

An estimated 125 people from disaster preparedness groups and volunteer response teams including the Public Health Reserve Corps and Ham Radio emergency communications teams will participate in the event.  The amateur radio teams are sponsored and trained by the Seattle Office of Emergency Management.  Their purpose is to provide emergency communications when cell and land line phones become or damaged due to catastrophic events.

The drill runs from 9am to around noon at the West Queen Anne Playfield (adjacent to the Queen Anne Community Center), and everyone is welcome to observe. If you’d like to take part in the drill, volunteer to play the role of a victim (scripts provided, no improv skills necessary).

To join the drill, you can either show up or contact Frank Gaul via email.

According to the organizers, the Mayday, Mayday designers have “built in some twists and turns involving communications networks and several developing challenging issues at Hub sites during the three hour long training event.”

If you’re looking for something to do Saturday morning, volunteer to be a victim, show up and observe the drill, or check out the following sites so you’re prepared when an earthquake strikes:

• Seattle Emergency Management
• Community Emergency Hubs
• Queen Anne / Magnolia / Interbay Disaster Response Plan

Local gardeners can take a pledge to be pesticide-free, joining over 800 parks and trails in King County that use few to no pesticides – and get a free Pesticide Free Zone sign.

The ladybug signs are free to households gardening without pesticides, courtesy of King County and Washington Toxics Coalition. If you maintain your yard or garden with no pesticides, take the pledge and get your free sign at the Washington Toxics Pesticide Free Zone web site.

According to Anna Dyer of Washington Toxics Coalition:

And, if you’re looking for a pesticide-free park, you can locate one in King County via an online map of public places in King County where park staff use few to no pesticides.

For help with pesticide alternatives, you can visit the Grow Smart, Grow Safe site or contact the Garden Hotline at 206.633.0224.

Steel yourselves – this is just the tip of the iceberg. More on next week’s Mercer messiness and closures next week (a hint if you’re unaware: Mercer and 99 closures next weekend for Mercer West work, so enjoy this weekend…).

From SDOT:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers of upcoming lane restrictions on Mercer Street and Broad Street beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 9:

• Eastbound Mercer Street will have the left lane restricted from just west of Dexter Avenue N to Ninth Avenue N on Friday, May 10 from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Westbound Mercer Street/Broad Street will have the left lane restricted from Westlake Avenue N to Harrison Street from 8:00 a.m. Thursday, May 9 until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17.

At Queen Anne View, we love tips. Readers help us cover the neighborhood and give us the heads up on new and interesting items. Recent tips? Calva Café closing, a new sushi place on Queen Anne Ave N, Cederberg Tea House – and that’s just from the past week or so. If you see something interesting or newsworthy, send it our way!

While we always dig up what we can on tips, available research sometimes leads us only so far. With that disclaimer, we received a tip on sushi happenings at 500 Mercer St sent in by a reader (thanks, Mark!) that we’ve followed as far as we can at this point.

Genki Sushi is no more
Photo courtesy of Genki Sushi

Here’s the scoop: Genki Sushi at 500 Mercer St closed in March (not sure how that one slipped by us or our usual tipsters…), but a new sushi spot, Ten Sushi, has applied for a business license at the same location.

Ten Sushi has also applied for a liquor license to sell beer, wine, and spirits, and it appears that the applicant, Shinichiro Takahashi, is a former Genki Sushi operations manager. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

If you have any additional info on this spot or any other neighborhood happenings, just let us know.

The Landmarks Preservation Board is considering City of Seattle Landmark status for Seattle Pacific University’s Alexander Hall, with a public hearing scheduled for next Wednesday, May 15, at 3:30pm in the Seattle Municipal Tower, (700 5th Avenue, 40th Floor, Room 4060).

Alexander Hall was completed almost 120 years ago, in October of 1893. It was the first building on the new grounds of what was then the Seattle Seminary. The 4-story brick building was the school’s only building and was originally called the “Red Brick Buidling” – later renamed Alexander Hall.

Designed by Seattle architect John Parkinson, in its early days the building served many roles – it housed classrooms, a library, administrative offices, a chapel, and it also was a dormitory for both teachers and students. Fast forward to 1972, and Alexander Hall was placed on the Washington Heritage Register.

Today, Alexander Hall houses the offices for the School of Theology, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Social Sciences, History, Political Science, Geopolitics and Geography, and Sociology. It’s located in the Tiffany Loop – building 1 on the map to the right.

The public is invited to attend the upcoming meeting and make comments. If you cannot make the meeting, you can submit written comments to the Landmarks Preservation Board (deadline is 5pm, May 14) at the following address:

Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
PO Box 94649
Seattle WA 98124-4649

You can read more about Alexander Hall in the Landmark Nomination Report prepared in advance of the nomination.

The Landmarks Preservation Board is coordinated by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program. The Historic Preservation Program handles the identification and protection of more than 400 historic structures, site, objects, and vessels, as well as eight historic districts throughout Seattle. For more information, contact 206.684.0464.