Peridot Boutique, a small women’s apparel and accessories boutique currently located at 523 1st Avenue W in Lower Queen Anne, is moving just one block away, to the former Queen Anne Avenue storefront that used to house Underdawg Records, which closed down back in November.

Peridot showcases a number seasonal fashions and has a long list of local and national designers and artists in residence at any given time.

A Peridot employee confirmed the store’s plans to move to 532 Queen Anne Ave over the phone this morning. The new location, she says, will carry the same styles and designers. She however was not sure exactly when the new space will be ready for the move. I’ve reached out to the manager for more information, and will update this story as soon as I hear back.

In the meantime, check out Peridot on its website and Facebook page, or take a stroll just one block west to peruse in person.

Peridot’s current location at 523 1st Avenue W.

The City of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development held the last public design review meeting of the Seven Hills Apartments development project last night at the Queen Anne Community Center.

Emerald Bay Equity’s design was approved, although the board offered various recommendations regarding certain details of the façade’s appearance. This concluded the review and recommendation process of the long stalled project.

As mentioned is yesterday’s post about the design review meeting, the developer had originally planned for the project to house medical offices above the ground-level retail, but opted to change out the office space for residential apartments due to the economic downturn. The property was temporarily put up for sale by Emerald Bay Equity in April of last year.

Construction at 1919 Queen Anne Ave. N. is slated to begin as early as March, according to Emerald Bay Equity principal Joe Geivett, who has seen this project through six screenings by the City of Seattle and the Queen Anne Community Council. He said the building will take approximately a year to complete.

The four-story building will be primarily dedicated to one-bedroom apartments, with a total of 57 units on three floors. The first floor will be dedicated to retail stores and restaurants, and two levels of parking will be provided below ground.

Artist rendering courtesy of Emerald Bay Equity.

“It’s a little more modern, but I wouldn’t call it a modern building,” Geivett said. “I think the building fits in real nicely with that block.”

Much of the interaction between the board and the members of Emerald Bay Equity revolved around aesthetic details, such as the mosaic of the ground floor and the contrast of color tones.

“The great thing about these developers is they take recommendations really seriously,” said Design Review Board Member Jill Kurfirst. “You can tell they have thought about what you said and are really trying to follow through.”

Public turnout was low – only one person attended who was not associated with the board or Emerald Bay Equity. The meeting was improvised in the game room of the community center after a room mix up prevented the use of originally scheduled room 3.

The design review proposal can be viewed here.

The doors to Queen Anne’s only pediatric dentist, Seattle Kids Dentistry, opened earlier this week. Dr. Purva Merchant’s quaint office at 2223 Queen Anne Ave. N. is now accepting young patients for appointments on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The office is equipped with basic child amenities like fruit-flavored gloves, flavored dental paste, flat-screen televisions playing DVDs overhead, and a children’s play area. Her staff will include a dental assistant and a receptionist, both Queen Anne residents. The small two-chair operation suits her intimate approach to her practice.

“Because it’s a small office, you get a lot of doctor time because there’s no place for the doctor to hide,” said Merchant. “We’re making a space that kids don’t feel overwhelmed by, where they feel welcome.”

The working philosophy of Seattle Kids Dentistry is prevention-based, individualized care, according to Merchant.

“Every child is different, you can’t put a blanket number on them,” Merchant said. “I want to treat them like I would treat my child – you get what you need when you need it, not you get what everybody else gets because that’s what the insurance company says.”

Merchant’s passion for dentistry can be traced back to her own dentist as a child in Pune, India outside of Mumbai. Merchant says she was a very positive influence in her life, and she hopes she can duplicate this inspiration in her own patients.

“You have the opportunity of being in someone’s life two times a year throughout their childhood,” said Merchant. “They only get an hour with you, but it can be an impressionable hour if it’s done right.”

She began her dental training in India, and won the title of Miss India in 2003 after dental school. Merchant dismisses the Miss India title as a small matter, just a footnote that pales to her passion for pediatric dentistry. According to Merchant, pediatric dentistry is a combination of her three loves – children, science, and art.

Merchant did her specialty training in pediatric dentistry in New Jersey, and she received board certification in Washington after moving here in 2007. For the last three years, she’s worked as an associate for Redmond Kids Dentistry, and she’s also worked in Mount Vernon, Factoria, Puyallup and other areas as maternity leave for other dentists. Even as her business grows she will continue working as an associate for Redmond Kids Dentistry two days a week, as well as continue her work as a part-time faculty member at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. In her spare time, when she can find it, she enjoys yoga.

The Queen Anne venture arose when Merchant looked for a house in Seattle with her husband, a software engineer at Microsoft. She discovered that Queen Anne didn’t have its own pediatric dentist, which she found surprising considering the number of families and children in the area. This led to the decision to open her own practice in the neighborhood. The office she leased will be shared with orthodontist Dr. Smita Patel, who occupies the space two days a week with her business Smiles by Smita.

Although new to the hill, Merchant says she’s found the Queen Anne community extremely supportive and helpful.

“People have been coming around donating toys, which has been really sweet,” Merchant said. “Queen Anne is a very tight-knit community; everyone wants to support each other, which is so fantastic.”

She enlisted the local, family-owned businesses she could in the remodeling process. She hired local painters and called Castillo’s Custom Upholstery when she needed to reupholster her dental chairs. She’s also been working on cross-promotions with local businesses. Merchant tentatively plans to hold an open house on Valentine’s Day to show off her new business to area residents and businesses.

Her first patient this week was her neighbor who chipped a tooth, perhaps a waste of the fruit-flavored gloves, but Merchant looks forward to treating her young patients, which she views as a special responsibility and opportunity. She hopes to instill positive attitudes about going to the dentist and dental care.

“It’s such an important, impressionable age,” said Merchant. “I feel if you do the right things at that age they will always be good dental patients.”

Queen Anne resident Nancy Bostdorff and her daughter, Lisa McKibbin, have just lost a beloved friend—their dog Sammy. While walking Sammy along Queen Anne Ave N on Thanksgiving Day, he was tragically electrocuted. The unpredictable accident upset his family, and inspired them to help inform residents in the hopes of preventing other animals from being killed in the same way.

“He was walking along QA Ave, near Bricco, my daughter stepped aside to let another dog pass, and moved onto the electric plate near a lamp post.  He started screaming and went into convulsions, and died.  We took him to the emergency hospital, where they gave him CPR for 30 minutes, to no avail.  Seattle PD cordoned off the street, and Seattle City Light cut power to the block to investigate.  I just don’t want anything to happen to another dog,” Nancy Bostdorff wrote. “It is so painful.”

“The metal lamp posts may be leaking electricity, or there could be faulty wiring in the power plate that is not visible to walkers. I witnessed my dog being electrocuted, needless to say, it was excruciatingly painful for him and for me to watch. He died instantly. When I stuck my hand in his mouth I felt a shock from the electric waves emanating from his mouth. My poor baby!” Lisa wrote.

According to Lisa, electrical leakages on city streets are more common of an occurrence than most people realize.

“My mom and I would just like to spread the word out there, bring awareness to people to be extremely cautious of the possibility that the metal lamp posts on the Ave (or anywhere for that matter) could be leaking electricity, as well as steel plates on the sidewalk possibly having faulty wiring underneath the surface. We just don’t want to see any more victims, adult, child, or dog of this terrible hazard. This is a horrible horrible tragedy and should not happen to anyone else and their dogs,” she said.

Nancy and Lisa shared their story with Dr. Spencer at the Queen Anne Animal Clinic, who they say is planning to hold a meeting with fellow vets to discuss this deadly hazard. The family also filed a police incident report, which Lisa says they will be following up on this week.

“The police and Seattle City Light had shut down the power on the block and were checking the area,” she wrote. “We hope to find out if there was faulty wiring, leaking electricity, etc., next week.”

In the meantime, Nancy and Lisa offer a couple of resources on electrical leakages, termed “stray voltage”, which are unfortunately often only discovered after a pet has been lost. Read more about how to prevent your dog from becoming a victim of electrical shock on the street, and how to protect pedestrian, children and pets from such accidents.

Lisa is also starting a blog on Sammy’s behalf. “I want to cover the prevention of electrocution and dogs. I am learning not many people are aware of this, back east it has happened quite a bit, perhaps because they get much worse weather than we do, but lately we’ve been hit hard by Mother Nature,” she wrote. “Maybe together we can spread the word and save lives.” You can visit Lisa’s blog here.

Update: Seattle City Light has responded to the story here.

Due to cold temperatures yesterday and overnight, much of the ice packed onto the slopes of Queen Anne has not yet had a chance to melt.

Intersection of Queen Anne Ave N and Roy St at around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

While many of the main roads in and around the neighborhood have thawed, the Counterbalance remains closed to traffic, with many cars still stuck in the ice.

With a record-breaking low temperature of 14 degrees at Sea-Tac overnight, the forecast for today calls for highs in the upper 20s to low 30s. Here are some quick notes on what this means for Queen Anne:

• Seattle Schools are closed again today. No school and no activities.
• No residential garbage, yard waste or recycling pick-ups Wednesday, November 24. If today is your collection day, you can put double the trash out next week.
• Early this morning the University of Washington decided to cancel all classes. Essential services remain open.
• Libraries will be open from noon to 5 p.m. today.
• Metro Transit is once again running on snow routes—Queen Anne-ers take note that while many buses may not be going up and down the hill, Metro does have a few snow shuttles in place to tackle the ice. Details here.

Here are updates from the Seattle Department of Transportation:

SDOT continues working to prevent freezing on snow routes:

Currently the City has 17 trucks with salt spreaders and two flusher trucks deployed.

Snow routes are in good condition.

There was no significant re-freezing of cleared roadways during the past 24 hours.

There are no significant problems on the snow route network.

The Alaskan Way Viaduct and the West Seattle High Rise Bridge are bare and dry.

Focus is on reopening closed roads. The Seattle Police Department and SDOT are working to review roads currently closed and will update the list online.

The City will continue the same level of deployed vehicles for the morning commute; focus will be on efforts to prevent re-freezing, address trouble spots on Level 3 routes, and bring more roads off the closed list.

Because of the possibility of precipitation today leading to the formation of black ice tonight, some roads will remain closed.

24 hour shifts will continue through Thursday, November 25.

Update 9:30 a.m.: Here are some more pictures of the snowy chaos, many which were submitted by neighbors around Queen Anne!

While only a few inches of snow fell on Queen Anne yesterday, it was enough to cover the Counterbalance, and many of the neighborhood’s other steep streets, in ice, and virtually prevent cars from going up and down the hill. Many of those that attempted to traverse the ice, turned the slopes into an icy, slippery bumper car arena (make sure to watch the videos).

This car was one of four in a five-car pile-up left overnight at Queen Anne Ave N and Ward St after sliding and crashing together late Monday night.

Today Queen Anne-ers wasted no time enjoying the ice before it melts off later today and tomorrow. Many neighbors have spent last night and today sledding down the hill, while weaving around the abandoned cars strewn across the road.

Sledders attempt to salvage the last of the ice on Queen Anne Ave N, swerving around the remaining cars that got stuck in the slippery mess Monday night.

As of 2 p.m. the Counterbalance was still closed to through traffic, however a few gutsy drivers have managed to move their cars off the hill by sliding down slowly and carefully.

And one tow truck managed to pick up one of the four cars that were still crunched together from the collision late last night (video here).

We’ll be posting a gallery of more Queen Anne snow fun (and chaos) pictures shortly. Have a pic or video you’d like to submit? Email us at tips@queenanneview.com, or post the link below.

It’s day two of the Seattle weather that brought us snow-covered streets yesterday, and bumper cars on ice on Queen Anne Avenue last night. And though we have sunny skies today, colder temperatures have ensured that the icy roads remain.

Here are a few reminders for traversing the second-day ice:

Update 11:57 p.m. Monday: Yet another car crashed on the Counterbalance heading up to Queen Anne, and there’s video:

Video courtesy of Fred Sayre.

Update 10:45 p.m. If there something that every Queen Anne resident knows, it’s not to drive up the Queen Anne Ave. hill in the snow. Just watch what happens with this Audi after it nearly reaches the top:

And that’s not all. Moments later, another Audi met the same fate. Watch here. Videos by JohnGoad via @markmurray98119.

Update 6:42 p.m.: Good thing the Counterbalance is finally closed to traffic, because there was quite an alarming pile up of cars stuck on the icy slope this evening, culminating when three cars (one a yellow taxi), all slipping independently, collided.

Pre-collision.

Post-collision.

We’re also hearing reports that many Metro bus routes servicing Queen Anne are no longer able to make stops on much of the hill. Check these route alerts here.

Update 5:18 p.m.: There have been reportedly two collisions along West Olympic/10th Ave W, however a reader says Taylor/5th Ave N is not too bad.

Update 5:01 p.m.: If you’re driving to the top of the hill tonight, avoid Queen Anne Ave N at all costs—there are now cars sliding around up and down the Counterbalance. At one point at around 4:55 p.m. there were five cars stuck at the intersection of Queen Anne Ave N and Aloha, about a third of the way up the hill. While most have made it through, many have had to turn around and slide back down the hill. If you’re not already on the Counterbalance, try to find another way home. Other suggested routes up the south slope: Taylor & 5th Ave N, and 10th Ave W.

If you’re planning to take Queen Anne Avenue home today, you might want to head back as soon as possible, because snow on the steep street is stacking up—and sticking.

While cars are still traveling up and down the Counterbalance regularly, in the last thirty minutes the pavement has quickly been powered with snow. It doesn’t look like the street will be open much longer.

On a more enthusiastic note, can someone say sledding tomorrow?

In the meantime, here’s how snow (and traffic) is looking at various points in and around Queen Anne.

Queen Anne Ave is still open to vehicle traffic, at least for now. The day’s snow has not yet stuck to the steep thoroughfare, and cars seems to be traveling up and down the hill just fine. However, just after returning home from a walk around town taking pictures of the snow, I glanced out my window to catch a large semi-truck sliding backwards, down Queen Anne Avenue, back to the bottom of the Counterbalance.

The driver didn’t make another attempt to climb the hill, indicating that conditions are already too slick for larger vehicles to safely traverse.

The weather report originally estimated that Seattle could see anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of snow today, but as the snowfall presses on, UW atmospheric scientist Cliff Mass says even more snow—in large amounts—is a possibility this afternoon. From Cliff’s blog:

If the low goes south of us and draws some of that cold, unstable air in…and it meets the cold stream from the north, we are talking about serious snow (6-12 inches). Or if the low moves farther north we could get a Puget Sound convergence zone over the central Sound and a huge amount of snow in a narrow band (a la Dec 18, 1990). The system is moving slower than the models predicted and the real threat is the middle and latter parts of this afternoon.

While many of the roads in Queen Anne are still clear, ice is stacking up. There have already been a handful of crashes on the Aurora Bridge today, and conditions are increasingly worse as the day goes on.

Seattle Public Schools also decided that the forecast for snow, the majority of which is expected to fall this afternoon, was enough to release all schools in the district at 12:35 p.m today (originally only the middle and high schools were given a half day).

Seattle Parks and Recreation has also closed down a number of facilities due to the snow. Here are the closures affecting Queen Anne:

• All community center programs scheduled after 6 p.m. are canceled.
• All pool programs scheduled after 6 p.m. are canceled.
• Pools and community centers will be open for drop-in use until their regularly scheduled closing times: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/centers.asp and http://www.seattle.gov/parks/pools.asp.
• All athletic fields are closed.
• All evening recreation programs are canceled.
• Parks and Recreation’s middle-school learning centers are closed.
• Late night programs will not take place tonight.
• Golf courses are closed but not open for sledding because there is not enough snow.

School age care camps at the Queen Anne Community Center are still in session.

Cafe Bonjour, that cozy spot nestled in at 1629 Queen Anne Ave N, is expanding, opening a new location in Green Lake soon.

Our sister site, My Green Lake, spoke with owner Michelle Zhang about the new location, which will be much bigger than the Queen Anne spot. She hopes it will feel “like a living room,” with big couches, comfy chairs, and free wifi, Zhang said.

Cafe Bonjour’s Green Lake location, at 7119 Woodlawn Ave NE. Photo courtesy of My Green Lake.

Michelle, who has owned the Queen Anne location for two and half years, says she chose Green Lake as the home for her new location because the neighborhood is one of her favorite in the city. It’s also where her parents live.

She sees the cafe as an opportunity to build community. Although still in the permitting stages, Michelle is looking to hire full- and part-time sandwich artists and baristas who live in the Green Lake area.

“The green lake location will be a much larger scale, complete with a kids play area and story time Wednesdays,” Michelle says.

The Queen Anne cafe offers hot paninis, crepes, weekend brunch, and wine. The Green Lake location will also offer all natural French pastries, and gluten free options, alongside the cafe’s own tea line, Seattle Best Organic Tea, which offers imported organic green tea blended with fresh flowers or fruit.

“Some of our popular items, will be available at both locations, including house made Hungarian goulash soup with dumplings, roasted with avocado panini with fresh bread from Grand Central bakery, and last but not least, garden fresh crepe with spinach, egg, mozzarella cheese, tomato and avocado,” Michelle says.

For more information on the new Green Lake location, see My Green Lake’s story.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve been just itching to find out what’s going into the vacant slot at caffeine corner. Ever since the Peet’s Coffee & Tea closed down at 2201 Queen Anne Ave N back in January, the neighborhood has been buzzing with speculation as to what is coming next. And now, my friends, we have the answer. Welcome sustainable sandwich shop Homegrown.

After noticing the remarkably familiar “Sprouting here fall 2010″ signs in the window, and hearing rumors of a sandwich shop opening up in the neighborhood, I emailed Homegrown owner Ben Friedman, who confirmed that the local chain—currently with locations in Fremont and Capitol Hill—will be opening up in Queen Anne in the next few months.

A “sustainable sandwich shop” in more than one way, Homegrown uses green materials for printing and serving food, and uses fresh and sustainable ingredients to create a 100 percent compostable and recyclable product. You won’t find bottled water there!

And unique from the other two locations, the Queen Anne shop will be open all day, every day.

“We’re planning to open this fall in the old Peet’s space on the corner of Queen Anne Ave and Boston. The new shop will have the same menu, look and feel as our other locations and we plan to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week – from 8am to 8pm,” Ben wrote.

Mystery solved!

Local Queen Anne artist Abbie Berry has transformed the tree outside Bethany Presbyterian Church on Queen Anne Ave into and outdoor art installation she hopes will bring a little warmth to the neighborhood through the generally dark and dreary winter months.

The installation is called “Peace, Peace to Those Far and Near,” and features tens of sayings, ranging from scripture to quotes from literature and historical leaders, written on gold and silver paper (laminated to shield it from the rain) dangling from the branches.

Berry, and professional artist and interior/architectural designer and member of Bethany Presbyterian, often displays work on the lawn of the church.

“I do a new installation every couple of months,” she said. “It’s kind of like my art gallery!”

And though some of the sayings are from scripture, there are sayings from “Mother Teresa and Martin Luther…St. Augustine and C.S. Lewis, so there’s kind of something for everybody,” Berry said, many of which are non-denominational.

Berry designed the sayings to flutter in the wind and catch the eyes of passersby. “I wanted it to be interactive and touch peoples’ lives,” she said.

If you haven’t stopped by to take a look yet, it’s definitely worth it. “Peace, Peace to Those Near and Far” will be up for a few more weeks – Berry hasn’t decided on a definite end date yet. As for the future, she’s planning a much bigger “guerrilla installation” in a few months time.

You can see more of Berry’s work on her website and color consulting/interior design business.

An 18-wheeler semi-truck is stuck a third of the way up The Counterbalance. Police cars are blocking off Queen Anne Ave N from the base of the hill at Roy, to Aloha and Ward.

Most through traffic is being detoured – Metro buses and those who live in the buildings between Ward and Roy have been allowed to pass through – while the semi slowly backs down the hill.

An SPD officer at the scene confirmed that the semi got stuck, but didn’t go into detail as he was busy redirecting traffic. One onlooker said he heard that the truck’s clutch burned up (which would explain the awful smell), but that has not been confirmed.

Reader Sarah Monley, saw the post-collision aftermath between the truck and a Metro bus. She Tweeted to us:

18-wheeler hit Seattle Metro bus outside my window. So much to see on #queenanneave…The truck’s side mirror was pushed up against the bus and the bus was on the sidewalk…I didn’t see the actual crash… just the two pushed together. I’m not sure if one hit the other or not.

So far the buses have be cleared, but the truck is still working its way down. If you use The Counterbalance for your evening commute, you may want to take another route for the next hour or so.

Queen Anne residents know caffeine corner from the scent of espresso beans roasting a mile off. No matter which coffee houses open up shop there, the intersection of Queen Anne Ave. N and Boston Street is always brimming with cafes ready to supply that much-needed caffeine fix. The current residents of caffeine corner are Starbucks, Pete’s Coffee & Tea, Teacup and Caffe Ladro (so it’s not right on the corner, but it’s just stone’s throw away – it still counts!).

Rumor has it that just a few doors down from caffeine corner the currently empty space at 2215 Queen Anne Ave. N is soon to be a yoga studio.

We haven’t confirmed this yet (we did a little snooping and questioned one of the guys working inside), but if this is in fact a yoga studio to be, it will make the third on the already coffee and yoga-laden corner.

Haute Yoga is just across the street at 2131 Queen Anne Ave. N, and although it’s the newbie in town (Haute just opened back in June), there’s often a crowd outside the door, yoga mats in hand, waiting for the next class to start.

Yogalife is also on this corner (at 8 Boston Street, right above Opal Bistro), and it has an edge-up on its two competitors – a 1,000 square-foot studio.

With three yoga studios on one corner, you’ll need four nearby choices for a post-workout caffeine boost!

We’ll keep you posted as we find out more.

On Saturday, June 6, streets will be restricted to one lane of traffic in each direction at the intersection of Queen Anne Ave N and W McGraw Street and also at the intersection of Queen Anne Ave N and W Galer Street, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. SDOT crews plan to stripe the pavement following work on pedestrian improvements.

The Seattle Department of Transportation builds, maintains and operates Seattle’s $12 billion transportation infrastructure. To further Mayor Nickels’ goal to get Seattle moving, the department manages short- and
long-term investments in streets, bridges, pavement and trees, that better connect the city with the
region.

Update:  In case you wondered about all the road construction, this Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) provided this information.  The project originates from a request by the community of Queen Anne.  Utilizing the Neighborhood Street Fund process, the Magnolia/Queen Anne District Council asked for improvements that would both enhance pedestrian safety and improve traffic flow.  

The project has two parts:  
   – Queen Anne Ave N and W McGraw Street:  To enhance pedestrian safety and have the intersection serve as a gateway to the business district, SDOT is building curb bulbs and stamped concrete crosswalks.  The crosswalk improvements will use newly poured concrete finished with a treatment that replicates the look of inlaid brick.  The crosswalks, aided by the new curb bulbs, then provide a clear visual indication that pedestrians have the right of way.  Additionally, several other intersections along Queen Anne Ave N have this stamped crosswalk treatment, so this creates a uniform look in the business district area.   

   – Queen Anne Ave N and W Galer Street:  The sidewalk on the eastern side of Queen Anne Ave N will be expanded to increase the pedestrian space.  It is being extended out into the current street area, which is unusually wide, to create a pedestrian plaza with new street lights and trees.  This will shorten the distance that pedestrians have to cross, making the crossing safer, and will improve traffic flow.
The project is funded by the Bridging the Gap levy.  The voter approved initiative specifically sets aside funds for neighborhood improvement projects just like this.  You can learn more about the project at this Web page.

There was lots of road construction this weekend on the Avenue, starting at the intersection of Queen Anne Ave and McGraw. (Thanks, Loree for the photos.)

In spite of all the roadwork, businesses are still open.

On the other end of the Ave. by the Counterbalance, there seems to be more road construction to widen the road.  We don’t have information on this, but have asked Seattle Department of Transportation for an update.  If anyone has information, could you please post to the Comments section?  It would be much appreciated.