Emerald Bay Equity’s land use application for its Seven Hills Apartments project at 1919 Queen Anne Ave. N. was approved by the Department of Planning and Development last week, giving developers a green light to move forward with the project.

This is the latest development in the long-stalled project since the public design review meeting back in January. The approved land use application for the apartment complex across the street from the Upper Queen Anne Metropolitan Market consists of a four-story structure containing 57 apartments, over 8,180 square feet of ground level retail space, and parking for 68 vehicles to be provided below ground. The existing structures will be demolished.

Seven Hills Apartments is slated to begin construction late June, said Emerald Bay Equity principal Joe Geivett.

This project is one of several in the area by Emerald Bay Equity. Eden Hill, completed in 2007, and the Sweetbrier building, completed in 2009, lay directly to the north of the coming Seven Hills Apartments.

Emerald Bay Equity also submitted a land use application for the the Metropolitan Market redevelopment, the final of four mixed-use projects EBE is managing on the hill, last Thursday. The application calls for a four-story, 112 unit residential building with about 30,000 square feet of retail and parking for 202 vehicles below ground at 1900 Queen Anne Ave. N. Redevelopment for the Metropolitan Market is anticipated to begin in 2012, according to Geivett.

Community members interested in making a public comment on the project or appeal of the DPD’s decision may submit comments to the hearing examiner no later than May 12. All comments must be made in writing and delivered either in person to the hearing examiner’s office on the 40^th floor of Seattle Municipal Tower at 700 Fifth Ave. or by mail to the City of Seattle Hearing Examiner, P.O. Box 94729, Seattle, WA 98124-4729.

Beginning today and for the next six weeks 11th Avenue W between W Nickerson Street and W Ewing Street will go down to one northbound lane so that a contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) may relocate a water line needed before the construction on the final segment of the Ship Canal Trail begins.

From SDOT:

The change along this one block section of 11th Avenue W is necessary for safety reasons, while the roadway is temporarily narrowed. Local access will be allowed.

In March BNSF removed a set of railroad tracks in preparation for this utility relocation.  SDOT’s contractor will now install a new water line and complete earthwork for railroad track relocation.  The contractor will also remove the asphalt driveway, maintaining access with a gravel surface that will be adjusted throughout construction.  Following installation of the water main, BNSF will reinstall mainline tracks closer to the existing spur track.

For more information on the Ship Canal Trail construction project, see SDOT’s project website.

Queen Anne’s John Hay Elementary is going to be the first school in the district to get a brand new ‘green’ heat pump in its facility, which will be fully operational by the fall 2011 school term. As construction on the new heating and ventilation system is beginning this coming Monday, May 2, John Hay would like to inform the community of some of the safety and security concerns, particularly in regards to the playground, throughout the construction period. From John Hay:

1. Beginning May 2^nd, the grassy field will be fenced off as the entire area will be under construction.  Construction crews will be drilling small, 6 inch diameter wells throughout the playfield.  As a result, the grass will be removed and the play area will be unavailable until the spring of 2012 when new grass has been established.
2. The Climber will be available for use during most weeks of the construction project and will be most easily accessible from the main stairway.  During the weeks when drilling and equipment move within closer proximity to the Climber, the Climber will be closed and fenced off.
3. Construction materials will be secured inside the fenced construction area.  However, deliveries will be made beginning at 4:00 in the afternoon.   Delivery trucks will access the site through the main playground gate.  Cones and flags will indicate the afternoons when a delivery is scheduled.  On those days, the playground must be cleared by 4:00 pm.
4. During the months of May and June, construction will begin at 3:00 pm and run until 9:00 pm per city ordinance guidelines.  The immediate neighborhood will be notified of the project through flyers and the district is considering scheduling a neighborhood community meeting during the later weeks of April to provide information.  I will notify parents of this community meeting through the Daily Bulletin.  All interested parties are invited to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns about the project, or simply would like to learn more, contact klhanson1@seattleschools.org.

Though the weather report is predicting rain for the weekend, you never know what Seattle weather will do at the last minute. Whether it ends up being a sunny spring weekend or a cloudy one, for those who feel like roaming around town there are going to be a few areas with of lane closures and traffic congestion to avoid:

The Seattle Department of Transportation is closing the northbound right lane of the Battery Street Tunnel from 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, March 26 while crews perform electrical work on behalf of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Drivers should expect temporary lane closures on Aurora Ave N on tomorrow. SDOT crews will be repairing the paving along Aurora, between N 47^th and N 48^th streets, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 26.

The Ballard Bridge will also have lane closures throughout the day on Saturday, March 26 to accommodate SDOT crews, who will be grinding down and paving the northbound and southbound lanes at the north end of the bridge (weather permitting). The work will be taking place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and at least one lane will remain open in each direction.

And on Sunday, March 27 the southbound lanes of the Ballard Bridge will be blocked for most of the morning, from 6 to 10 a.m., for a commercial film shoot.

Starting on next week SDOT will be closing the southbound right lanes on the Alaskan Way Viaduct at Jackson Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday from Monday, March 28 to Friday, April 8 so that crews may repair railing that was damaged by accidents, though this work is subject to change in the event of emergency work.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is set to begin repaving Dexter Avenue N this coming Monday, March 7. The project, funded by the “Bridging the Gap” levy, will be implemented in three phases to reduce traffic impact. The repaving project is expected to help ease congestion caused by car, bus and bicyclist overlaps along Dexter from Fourth Avenue North (just south of the Fremont Bridge) to Roy Street, approximately one and a half miles.

• Phase 1 (March to April) – Fremont Avenue N (Fourth Avenue N) to McGraw Street
• Phase 2 (April to July) – McGraw Street to Garfield Street
• Phase 3 (July to September) – Garfield Street to Roy Street

From SDOT:

The project has benefits for everyone who uses the street. In accordance with Mayor Mike McGinn’s Walk, Bike Ride initiative and the city’s Complete Streets policy, the work will include improvements for motor vehicles, pedestrians, public transit, and bicyclists. When completed, Dexter will have wider, buffered bike lanes, dedicated left-turn lanes at busy intersections and in-lane bus stops.  The bus stops will have dedicated bus islands that will improve transit speed and reliability and minimize the conflicts with bikes and stopped buses. There will be dedicated load zones for businesses that need them. Sidewalks, street lighting, and drainage will also be improved.

During construction on-street parking and loading availability will be restricted. Dexter Avenue N will be open throughout construction, however traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction. During this time bicycles will have a choice of either merging with vehicle traffic, or riding on Dexter Avenue’s sidewalks, the Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop, or Westlake Avenue North.

Night work on the SDOT’s Mercer Corridor Project is scheduled to begin tonight. From SDOT:

Nighttime work for Seattle Department of Transportation’s Mercer Street project will begin as early as March 3 and will continue for approximately two weeks. Up to three lanes of Mercer Street will be closed overnight at Ninth Avenue North. This closure is required for the installation of underground utilities. Night work hours will be from approximately 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

For more project information, please see SDOT’s project Web site.

The city is looking for an artist or creative team to develop artwork for the new Fire Station 20 in west Queen Anne. The project is a partnership of the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, the Department of Finance and Administrative Services (DFAS), and the Seattle Fire Department (SFD).

This project is part of a larger program to move the fire station, which was built in 1949 and is one of the oldest un-remodeled stations in the city, from its current location at 3205 13th Ave W, to a new location just a few blocks away at 2816 15th Ave. W. After four years of debate regarding the move, City Council unanimously adopted the measure in October of 2009.

Though the new station, which will be two stories with two engine bays built to current safety standards, is still in the pre-planning stages, the city is moving ahead with the plan. In August the city selected Schacht Aslani as the architect on the project. Schematic designs for the new fire station are expected to drawn up in June 2011, with construction anticipated to begin in 2012, and the final move tentatively scheduled for 2013.

In preparation, the city is looking for an artistic design. From the press release:

The selected artist/artist team will work with the community, firefighters and city of Seattle staff to develop the artwork. The artist will create artwork that will be either integrated into the fire station facility or a site-specific, durable, three-dimensional, free-standing artwork next to the building. The artwork should address the work and spirit of the firefighters and the unique character of the surrounding neighborhood.

Established professional artists living in the Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana) or California are encouraged to apply. Applications are due by 11 p.m. on Friday, March 25. The selected artist will receive an all-inclusive commission of $90,000 to design, fabricate and install the artwork on site.

For more information about the project and how to apply, click here. Or contact public art manager Jason Huff at jason.huff@seattle.gov or (206) 684-7278.

Update 2/18/2011 3:10 p.m.: Here is some information from the city about how it will be funding the commissioned artwork for the new fire station:

The new Fire Station 20 is funded by the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy passed by Seattle voters in 2003. Over a nine-year period this program, which started in 2004, will use $197 million in levy proceeds and other funding to upgrade, renovate or replace 32 neighborhood fire stations. The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, with DFAS and SFD, developed an art program to commission artworks that address the intersection of firefighters and the community and to form a distinct body of new artworks for the city’s public art collection. Since the passage of the levy, the city has commissioned 11 artists to develop artworks for 10 neighborhood fire stations. Over the next two years, the city will commission artists for two upcoming station projects.

Find more information about the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy and Fire Station 20 at www.seattle.gov/fleetsfacilities/firelevy.

The construction of a suicide prevention fence along the Aurora Bridge has been completed, according to a report by The Seattle Times. City officials and Seattle residents now hope it can prevent more people from joining the list of 230 jumpers who have leapt to their deaths from the bridge to date.

Construction of the 8-foot, 9-inch-tall safety fence started in the fall and cost $5 million, according to a state Department of Transportation news release. The Legislature’s 2009-2011 transportation budget included $3.6 million to build the fence.

The fence’s construction was lobbied for by Fremont residents and those that work underneath it and was supported by the city of Seattle, King County and the state Legislature. Read more about the need for the fence and why it matters here.