“Word had gotten out that you won’t be kicked out. People were coming in to just hang out,” Black Coffee’s Scott Davis tells CHS about complaints in recent months that the co-op wasn’t doing enough to stop blatant drug use in its bathrooms and was becoming a hangout for thugs and criminals.

East Precinct commander Capt. Ron Wilson confirmed the complaints but declined to provide specifics of any investigations related to the coffee shop:

All I can share with you at this time is that over the past several weeks we have received several complaints about activity at Black Coffee. Some of the complaints deal with City and State code and/or regulation compliance issues, while some deal with public safety issues.

We are sharing the complaints we receive with other city and state departments that may have responsibility/jurisdiction for non-police issues. Any allegations of illegal activity will always be fully investigated.

CHS’s message to Black Coffee’s landlord, Capitol Hill real estate investor Ron Amundson, has not yet been returned.

The complaints about Black Coffee were being lodged in the area since well before this year’s May Day when vandals busted glass at three Capitol Hill businesses after a day of rallies and protests. Black Coffee was closed that day so, as Davis put it, the workers could be part of the day’s celebrations and activities. There was a private “after party” event at the cafe. Davis says, despite the party, Black Coffee was not some kind of anarchist training ground or headquarters on the day.

“I love un-permitted marches in the street that stop traffic,” Davis who marched and was part of the protests said. “I thought it was super unfortunate that Bill’s window got broken. We are not a Black Bloc training ground.”

Black Coffee opened last year on E Pine in the building formerly home to Travelers — itself a counterculture-friendly hangout of a different ilk. It has settled in as a busy, interesting place to spend time and grab a coffee or tea while reading, working or debating social theory. Its anarchist and social leanings shape the space from the lending library to the black flags that fly above the cafe’s large E Pine windows. Meanwhile, commerce is underway with credit cards and cash part of the exchange as mugs are filled and re-filled.

The original group of four worker-owners has expanded to five and Black Coffee has grown already to be one of the headquarters of alternative culture and politics in the area. The space is frequently transformed into a meeting hall or performance space. In its six months on E Pine, Davis estimates Black Coffee has hosted more than 150 events and meetings.

“We didn’t set out to be a venue,” Davis says of the demand for the space. The group has already moved to cut back on how the cafe can be used and when, he says, and is limiting music performance to events tied to fundraisers and third parties.

Davis says rules around performances and how the cafe is managed have been part of a necessary evolution for a project with members wanting to cleve closely to social ideals while maintaining a functioning business.

“It wasn’t what we wanted,” Davis said of some of the troubles Black Coffee began having with the hang-out crowd.

Davis also said it was “eye opening” for him to experience just “how big the homeless population” around Capitol Hill is.

At first, Black Coffee attempted to solve things purely through community.

“Signs went up,” Davis said. “We wanted to resolve this as a collective.”

As complaints continued, the group discovered it was going to take more. Black Coffee resorted to the bane of any good anarchist.

“We did come up with a policy,” Davis said. “Zero tolerance for sexual behavior. Zero tolerance for intoxication.”

The result, he says, is a collective Black Coffee that can function — and serve its community — in the middle of busy, densely populated E Pine.

Still, he knows Black Coffee faces major challenges when it comes to fitting in — even on tolerant Capitol Hill.

“The landlord will never get a call that says hey thanks for leasing to these guys,” Davis said.

But he adds that he’s serious about making it work and is proud that the shop has been able to pay its rent in its first six months of business.

“This is my livelihood, something I’ve poured my whole life into,” Davis said.

(Image: GeekWire)

Capitol Hill is home to Seattle’s start-up of the year. Belmont Ave’s Simply Measured took home the title last week at the 2013 GeekWire Awards.

CHS talked to Colin Henry, the company’s director of engineering, last summer about the amazing growth the company has seen since launching its analytics platform two years ago and running a start-up on Capitol Hill:

We found the right size space that we can grow into. There are meetups that meet on the Hill like Seattle RB. Seattle Interactive Developers Meetup usually happens at our offices. We’ve got three major coffee shops, a couple of great bars, lots of lunch opportunities. The Hill has a lifestyle and culture that very attuned to how we operate. I’m probably the most dressed up guy in the office, and I still have tattoos. I really, really like the Hill, it’s a great place to work.

There are a lot of tech startups in Pioneer Square and South Lake Union. There’s a few of us on the Hill. Part of the problem is business space is a premium on the Hill. We got lucky, we got a 5000 sq ft space. There are people working out of 1000 sq ft offices that have 15 people.

Here’s what GeekWire had to say about the award-winning company:

There’s no shortage of online tools to help manage social media activities. But Simply Measured is gaining traction with some big names. Customers using its analytics tools include American Express, AOL, Billboard, Edelman, Microsoft, Samsung and UFC, with customers paying between $1,500 and $2,500 per month to analyze social media traffic and determine social medial influencers. The Seattle company, led by Aviel Ginzburg, Damon Cortesi and Adam Schoenfeld, received a big boost in January when it raised $8 million from Bessemer Venture Partners and MHS Capital.

In January, Simply Measured raised $8 million in a round of financing and said it planned to use the capital to double its employees to around 80 people.

City launches start-up initiative
The City of Seattle got entrepreneurial about start-ups this month, announcing the launch of Startup Seattle:

During the next year, the City plans to hire a startup business sector liaison, relaunch the resource website startupseattle.com, form partnerships with local organizations such as Code.org and Startup Weekend to increase access and connect high school students with local technology opportunities, and develop a marketing campaign to help attract talent to Seattle from across the country. In addition, the City will continue to support “innovation hubs” that make neighborhoods more attractive to early-stage technology companies and initiate a market assessment of real-estate needs for startups that will be used to guide new transit-oriented development in the University District.

The Startup Seattle site includes a blog and an events calendar to highlight local tech and startup happenings. There is also a job board for talented people like yourself.

One year ago this week, The Social nightclub and its joined-at-the-hip restaurant counterpart EVO debuted on E Olive Way. This May, they’re both long gone.

And probably not coming back.

CHS has learned that while one partner of the shuttered club will go up against the Washington State Liquor Control Board next week to make her case in an appeal against the body’s decision not to grant The Social a long-term liquor license, it does not appear the maneuver is related to reopening the club.

According to one of the Social’s partners, much of the dance club’s equipment has been sold and the space is being actively shown to interested parties for a new lease. Prospective tenants range from bars to retail ventures.

The Social’s Laura Olson declined to comment about next week’s appeal session with the board but a person familiar with the situation said it might make sense for the food and drink entrepreneur to clear her slate with the control board so there aren’t future issues with licensing. Most recently, Olson opened Anchors Down, a nautical-themed bar in Ballard.

As for E Olive Way, with the club and bar/restaurant space available, expect to see even more players soon joining Liberty as the most recent arrivals on this busy stretch of Capitol Hill nightlife.

Capitol Hill food+drink notes:

• What else is the Washington LIQUOR Control Board up to these days? Pot rules. Lots of pot rules.
• Capitol Hill loses a Chinese restaurant. Lucky 8s, RIP.
• Will Orale Chamo be the next Kedai Makan?
• What does tiny little Resto look like inside? This. We wrote about the restaurant taking over the former Thomas Street Bistro space earlier this year.
  

  (Image: Resto via Facebook)

• A liquor license application indicates that Momiji’s Steve Han has sold his original Kushibar venture in Belltown. We’re checking in with Momiji on the changes.
• Bethany Jean Clement spends a week at Bellevue Ave’s Chico Madrid: “Everyone who works here is unfailingly nice and always interested in your happiness.”
• Le Zinc is, indeed, coming soon to 15th and Pine but the project from Maximillien’s Willy Boutillier has a June due date.
• Yes. We make this stuff up. But, hey, a Highscore Burgers “really close to” the Comet? OK.
• Speaking of burgers, that’s a “paleo burger” at Blue Moon. Your paleo friends are weird.
  

  (Image: Blue Moon Burgers via Facebook)

Earlier this year, Pike/Pine was honored by ArtPlace group behind the grant as a top neighborhood for the arts.

The 12th Ave Arts project that combines affordable housing with office space and theaters broke ground in February.

Capitol Hill Housing Receives $150,000 Grant from ArtPlace America for 12th Avenue Arts

Prestigious national funder selects inventive partnership as only recipient in
Puget Sound Region

Seattle, WA — ArtPlace America announces today the award of a $150,000 grant to Capitol Hill Housing for 12th Avenue Arts. This project was chosen from over 1,200 applications as an exceptional example of creative placemaking.

12th Avenue Arts will transform a former parking lot on Seattle’s Capitol Hill into a vibrant mixed-use development combining arts,housing, retail and public safety uses. This visionary project includes two theaters, ground floor retail, nonprofit office and community meeting space, underground parking for the Seattle Police Department and 88 affordable apartments on the top four floors.

“12th Avenue Arts shows the arts working as both placemaking and economic development,” said Christopher Persons, CEO of CapitolHill Housing. “Arts, community space, affordable apartments and the Police department under one roof – 12th Avenue Arts is a project unique in the nation. Capitol Hill Housing is thrilled to have been selected by ArtPlace America for this grant.”

12th Avenue Arts will bring new life to an underutilized lot in an up-and-coming commercial corridor. The Pike/Pine area was named one of America’s Top 12 ArtPlaces earlier this year for successfully combining art, artists and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, retail shops and restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make a vibrant neighborhood.

“I thank ArtPlace America for recognizing and supporting the exceptional work that Capitol Hill Housing is doing on the 12th Avenue Arts project,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “This community development will bring together artists, diverse residents and businesses in one of our city’s most vibrant neighborhoods. It is projects like this that make Seattle a special place.”

ArtPlace America is a collaboration of leading national and regional foundations, banks and federal agencies committed to accelerating creative placemaking – putting art at the heart of a portfolio of strategies designed to revitalize communities. With this round of grants, in total ArtPlace America has awarded 134 grants to 124 organizations in 79 communities for a total of $42.1 million.

“ArtPlace America recognizes the central role arts and cultural activities can have in the revitalization of American cities,” said Rip Rapson, chair of ArtPlace America’s Presidents’ Council. “With this grant award ArtPlace America is directing individual project support to scores of creative, high-impact projects throughout the country.”

The 54 organizations that received grants were selected from over 1200 applications. Inquiries came from all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. Grant amounts range from $750,000 to $33,000 with an average grant size of just over $280,000.

The complete list of awards can be found at www.artplaceamerica.org

 

Preservation of a 80-foot stretch of masonry wall qualifies this 14th Ave project for an extra floor of apartments (Image: CHS)

Meanwhile on E Pike, a leading Capitol Hill developer says his project will be a model for preservation (Image: Hunters Capital)

Last week, the final design plans were approved for the eight-story building at Melrose and Pine that benefitted from generous incentives for melding a modern apartment structure with two auto-row era buildings. One of Capitol Hill’s leading developers says he can do it better.

“It’s clear during the recent uptick in development, especially studying the larger projects going through [Master Use Permitting] that there are loopholes and shortcuts in how the current Pike/Pine Overlay language was written,” reads a statement from Michael Malone’s Hunters Capital sent to CHS about incentives in place since 2009 that trade the right for developers to build larger and higher in exchange for preserving the facades and basic dimensions of historical structures in the Pike/Pine neighborhood.

Malone says that the design for his eight-story project on E Pike that will soar above the CK Graphics/Dunn Motors building Hunters recently acquired can be a showcase for what is possible — and what should be expected of developers who want to develop within the conservation district. The project comes before the design review board on May 29th.

“In the case of the Dunn Motors site (the CK Graphics building) we will be taking advantage of the overlay bonus, abiding by the required setback, retail height, etc.” Malone writes. “Yet we would like to set the standard when it comes to building a mass out of/on top of a pre-1940s building. It is our intent that the additional mass over the building will be built of high grade finish materials, to a design that compliments and enhances the historic façade below it. Far too many times this additional mass carries none of the original design features into the upper levels.  Inside and out, the finished product will celebrate the unique history of a wonderful 1920s auto row building.”

The Studio Meng Strazzara-designed building at 501 E. Pike is planned to include 118 apartments above 4,000 square feet of commercial space and 6,000 square feet of offices. Parking will include 61 vehicle stalls plus another 31 for bikes. CHS wrote about the early plans for the building and the old Brocklind’s building across the street that Hunters also acquired earlier this year. The now-scuttled mayoral campaign for City Council member Tim Burgess had been putting the Dunn Motors building to some early office-related use, by the way, prior to last week’s announcement that his campaign was ending.

Hunters Capital has also been busy on E Pine with this multi-million restoration of the Colman Automotive building.

The CK Graphics/Dunn Motors building (Image: CHS)

City Council member Tom Rasmussen, who spearheaded the initial creation of the conservation district’s incentive programs, said that there are plans to strengthen the requirements for developments involving Pike/Pine’s character structures:

To be more certain that we will succeed in our goal  to retain character structures i.e. buildings that are at least 75 years old, I will be proposing some changes to the land use code and to the design guidelines for the Pike-Pine Overlay District.   Council staff and staff of the Department of Planning and Development have begun working on the changes and I anticipate that we will have those ready for public review late this spring.

Malone says that he is part of the discussion in shaping the updated requirements.

“Hunters Capital along with several other business and building owners in Pike/Pine are working to update the language in the overlay to try and help preserve as many pre-1940’s buildings as possible on Capitol Hill,” Malone says. “Just one example of a change we are pushing for is: If developers want to take advantage of the overlay bonus, [we] would like to see them forced to save all pre-1940s structures on sites with multiple historic structures on it. Currently this is not the case.”

In the meantime, Malone says this next big project for Hunters Capital on E Pike will represent the spirit of what the new rules need to do.

We’ll have more on the project prior to the May 29th review meeting.

“Some people dislike gays, others dislike guns,” one posted sheet reads. “We should not base our laws on personal dislikes.”

The rather large leap of an equivalency looks a little like a renewal of a national campaign from the mid-2000s that got some attention on Capitol Hill known as the Pink Pistols. We talked to one person familiar with the group from the days when Pink Pistols “first fired up” who says it is still active in the area but he is not sure if this is a case of old members reviving their efforts or a younger generation of gun activists picking up the torch. We have not yet heard back from our effort to reach a representative for the group.

The former Pink Pistol we talked with tells CHS that gay rights and gun rights are closely aligned and that there are “a lot of parallels between the two communities.” Both groups attract, he said, “wild eyed individuals” who believe there is one true way to do things.

The QR codes found on the posters distributed on Capitol Hill in recent days lead to a Web site. Here is what the Slog found:

The QR code on all of the posters lead to the same pro-gun website that prompts readers to decide whether guns are a liability or a useful tool. If you click on the “right” answer—useful tool—you’re directed to a series of pro-gun links that affirm your choice. If you click on the “wrong” answer—liability—you’re ushered through a series of increasingly paranoid and/or off topic questions that equate cyber crime and prohibition with gun crime, or hypothesize how many criminals you’ll have to fight off in your life time. Each question is multiple choice, like this:

 

The proper response to an arson is…

1) prohibit you and other law-abiding citizens from buying gasoline.
2) prohibit you and other law-abiding citizens from buying any flammable fluids, matches and lighters.
3) prosecute the perpetrator of the crime

 

The questionnaire is supposed to underscore how important it is for you to be armed to the teeth all times. The arguments aren’t new or particularly convincing, I just find it striking that a traditionally conservative movement is branching out to recruit gays and lesbians.

Some posters also sport the flag of the “Cascadia Bioregion” independence movement. Wikipedia it.

While violent crime in the East Precinct rose in 2012, recent events including two stabbings in Cal Anderson Park have helped spur an increase in calls for better public safety despite overall Seattle crime rates continuing to be some of the lowest in the nation — and dropping.

Meanwhile, despite incidents like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the state’s gun laws passed through the most recent legislative session in Olympia mostly unchanged.

According to the report on the Saturday morning incident, the driver said he was making a delivery after leaving his locked car in the 300 block of Belmont Ave E around 2:30 AM when he was returning to the vehicle and saw the driver-side door open and a woman rifling through the vehicle. The driver told police he yelled at the woman and began chasing her as she made a run for it.

The driver said he quickly caught the woman and was holding onto her when two men armed with a pistol and a bike chain arrived and yelled at him to let the woman go. According to the driver, he tried to make a phone call but one man pointed the gun at him as the other was swinging something that appeared to be a bicycle chain.

The driver said the men and woman then took his phone and fled from the scene “in all directions,” according to the report. The driver returned to his restaurant and called police.  A search of the area did not produce any of the suspects.

According to SPD, the PredPol software produces maps with red-line boxes to alert officers where crime hot spots are emerging.

Despite implementation of the technology in the East Precinct, there has been an increased concern about crime around Capitol Hill. This week, a rally and march is planned as a new “block watch” program is launched among Capitol Hill businesses. Police say the new software could eventually be extended to identify danger zones for increasing violent crimes like assaults and robberies.

The full announcement on the roll-out is below.

Weber Thompson’s design for 1321 Seneca

A group of neighbors has its turn in front of the Seattle Hearing Examiner in an attempt to scale back a 24-story apartment building planned for 1321 Seneca on First Hill.

The complaints and requested relief, below, call for additional conditions to be placed on the building, more study of the project’s potential impact on traffic and parking in the area, reducing the height of the building by shrinking rooftop amenities and changing the layout.

The neighbors also want construction work — currently permitted to go until 8p — to end at 6:

The appeal against the project’s land use permit was brought by lawyer and First Hill resident Steve Gaines. Despite the frequent outbursts of frustration and handwringing over the pace of development in the area, the Hearing Examiner appeal is one of the few brought against a major project in recent months.

CHS wrote about the Alecta-backed developments’ path through design review last year here and here. It’s a massive project:

Land Use Application to allow a 24-story building containing 215 residential units, 1,445 sq. ft. of commercial space (live/work units), five levels of below grade parking for 174 vehicles and storage for 80 bicycles. Project includes 27,700 cu. yds. of grading.

We’ll check in with the Hearing Examiner to find out how the neighbors fared later this week.

(Image: CHS)

We’re probably a little too eager to post this. After the burst of warm weather in April, May has been a reminder of what a Pacific Northwest spring is really like. Let us think of summer nights in the park. Also, Cal Anderson could use some hopeful love these days.

Three Dolar Bill Cinema has announced the first film in its summer “I Need A Hero!” series and the schedule for 2013 in Cal Anderson Park:

Look, up in the sky! It’s a small army of super iconic characters, swinging into action and coming to save your summer with FREE outdoor movies!

Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema returns to Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park with “I Need A Hero!” — four nights of action-packed fun!

Friday July 19 – HAIRSPRAY (1988)

Hair hoppin’, booty shakin’ Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) is breaking all the rules for the better and making heroic strides for civil rights in this bouncy & beloved John Waters classic starring Divine and celebrating its 25th anniversary! (92 mins.)

“I Need A Hero!” continues on Friday August 2, 9, 16.

All screenings are FREE and begin at sunset (around 8:30/9pm) at the southeast corner of Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park.

This is a smoke-free event. Bring low-backed chairs or blankets for seating, please.

Hot popcorn, cold drinks, candy and other concessions for sale on site. Limited lawnchair rentals available. Proceeds benefit Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s efforts throughout the year to provide voices and visibility for the LGBT community through film and video. More info at

www.threedollarbillcinema.org