(Image: The Garage)

The high price of bowling on Capitol Hill is at the center of a new federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.

If you bowled at the Garage bowling lanes on Capitol Hill, you might have a case, too.

The possible class action lawsuit seeks to prove national chain Lucky Strike Entertainment has violated antitrust and consumer protection laws by scooping up independent bowling lanes like the Garage and twisting the profit margin wider than a 7-10 split.

One key piece of evidence? A $284.36 bill for a two-hour lane reservation for three people at Broadway’s Garage Billiards & Bowl including mandatory food and beverage credits.

The lawsuit filed last week on behalf of a group of consumers from across the country including Seattle bowler Benjamin Doehr by Tacoma-based antitrust firm Simonsen Sussman LLP says Lucky Strike, formerly known as Bowlero, acquired bowling alleys and implemented a strategy of systematically raising prices as it grew its market share in the Seattle area to approximately 42%, substantially reducing competition in the region.

Equally egregious, the league bowlers contend, Lucky Strike degraded the quality of the facilities, replacing traditional pins with string pins at the Garage — and failing to consistently oil the lanes. The lawsuit also claims league play at the Garage was canceled so the venue could host parties and paid events.

CHS reported here in 2019 as Bowlero acquired The Garage bowling alley and pool hall.

Following the acquisition, CHS talked with Bowlero representatives about the deal as existing employees had to re-interview for jobs at the Garage. A spokesperson said the company had no concerns about doing business in Seattle as it was implementing a higher minimum wage noting it already operated 300 centers “in some of the highest minimum wage markets” in the country.

Mike Bitondo and business partner Alex Rosenast founded the Garage two decades prior to the sale after a chance run-in with the property’s original owner at a Mariner’s game. It was home to a wholesale fish tank business before the partners overhauled the building and built The Garage. “A lot of people want to say congratulations, but it’s bittersweet,” Bitondo told CHS at the time of the sale.

Rosenast, meanwhile, continued to own the building and became Bowlero’s landlord.

The lawsuit adds an even more bittersweet note to the Garage’s changes in recent years.

“As its dominance grew, Bowlero’s end-game strategy—lucrative extraction— grabbed the attention of investors: in Bowlero’s own words, ‘[w]e’re raising price on everything,'” the complaint reads. “This predatory approach has led to increased prices for America’s bowlers, including through the use of algorithmic dynamic pricing to squeeze every possible dollar out of families hoping to bowl at popular times, as well as for shoe rentals, food and drinks, and league play.”

The lawsuit says competitors also raised prices in response to the Bowlero changes and says the company used its size to force better deals with suppliers while independent lanes suffered.

The plaintiffs from states including Washington, New York, Illinois, Virginia, and several in California are seeking damages to be determined and are asking the court to order the “unwinding of Bowlero’s acquisitions of bowling centers.”

The legal process could also establish a class for other bowlers to join the lawsuit.

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A SFD spokesperson said reports of a natural gas odor at the light rail station started coming in just after noon. “Crews responded and reported the smell as well,” the spokesperson said. “They found no detectable levels of natural gas or anything harmful.”

Puget Sound Energy was also on hand to check for a leak.

KIRO reports that the smell was also reported at other stations, briefly prompting a suspension of service and that someone boarding light rail with a possible container of natural gas may have been the culprit.

There were no reported injuries and Seattle Fire was clearing the scene less than hour after the initial calls.

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E Barbara Bailey is already closed to traffic every Sunday for the farmers market

By Anna Hull, UW News Lab

As the U District experiments with closing one block of The Ave to cars, Capitol Hill organizers say their neighborhood could be next if the city can balance business concerns, programming costs and climate goals.

It might feel like a blast from the past.

More than a decade ago, organizers closed a stretch of E Pike to vehicles for three Saturday nights in 2015. The Seattle Department of Transportation’s Pilot Report listed four goals in the experiment: traffic management, safety, economic vitality and activating the public space.

While many community members celebrated the pilot and other small tests of the concept in those years, some business owners voiced concerns about vehicle-carried consumers losing access to retail and restaurants. And according to SDOT’s Pilot Report, 2015’s closures only saw a 9% increase in pedestrian activity.

“I thought it was successful, but it felt like it wasn’t ready for prime time,” Brie Gyncild, the co-chair of Central Seattle Streets for All, said. “When you do a pilot like that, and I’m really curious to see what happens with The Ave, because one of the things that I think happens when you open a street to people is that it needs to be something that becomes part of daily life.”

Central Seattle Streets for All, formerly Central Seattle Greenways, is an all-volunteer group working to make streets safer for people “walking, biking, and being,” according to Gyncild. The organization’s perimeter stretches from 1-90 to SR 520, and from I-5 to Lake Washington.

Gyncild explained that Capitol Hill, like much of Seattle, is already rich in pedestrian infrastructure, including established sidewalks and a culture of walking. The neighborhood is also incredibly densely populated. Drivers enter to access destinations, but a lack of parking and heavy traffic bring frustration and distraction, making the area dangerous to pedestrians at times.

“My impression of Seattle as a whole, and certainly the downtown and central neighborhoods, is that we hit peak car maybe 15 years ago, and at that point, drivers just became very frustrated,” Gyncild said.

Central Seattle Streets for All has identified a candidate for increased pedestrianization in Capitol Hill: E Barbara Bailey Way. A short stretch of road between Broadway and 11th Ave E next to Capitol Hill Station, Barbara Bailey Way hosts the Capitol Hill Farmers Market every Sunday.

Gyncild said that community members once hoped the street would be a festival street, with so few cars someone could cross without looking. But in reality, Barbara Bailey Way is traffic-packed and curbless, making it feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

A scene from a 2016 test of closing E Pike to cars

Central Seattle Streets for All has entered early conversations with the city about a pedestrian pilot program to improve Barbara Bailey Way this fall, Gyncild said.

Community members say that the street is an excellent candidate for the people-first approach, given its standing weekly closure, and that a test run would identify any issues in closing the area –– or prove Barbara Bailey Way is ready.

SDOT selected Capitol Hill as one of three pilot “Low-Pollution Neighborhoods” in March, creating a testing ground for city-led climate reduction strategies, including pedestrian infrastructure.

“Pedestrianization and these types of streets are an ingredient to making a whole neighborhood that encourages use of transit, walking, cycling, and other modes,” SDOT climate officer Radcliffe Dacanay said. “It isn’t that a pedestrianized street reduces all emissions all at once, it’s part of a broader collective of efforts that are combined to make that impact on reduction.”

According to SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali, city representatives joined the Seattle Streets Alliance for a walk-through of Barbara Bailey Way during the farmers market last month.

Community organizers shared their vision as SDOT representatives observed market operations and the weekly closure. Ali says the city will factor this into project options.

The re-kindling of a “people street” on Capitol Hill is hoped to not follow the path of the 2015 pilot or other short-lived pushes at pedestrianization around Pike/Pine and Broadway core.

One, the city under the Wilson administration is ready to change how Seattle uses it streets and embracing new statewide “shared streets” laws that will allow the creation of more stretches of roadway that put pedestrians and bikes first.

Two, there are the larger goals and resources of the LPN “Low-Pollution Neighborhoods” pilot. Three, there is greater appetite in the mayor’s office with Katie Wilson’s support during her campaign for exploring ideas around a “Capitol Hill Superblock” concept. Four, businesses near the street part of the development above Capitol Hill Station like Glo’s and Seasmith are already attuned to many of their customers arriving by transit and foot. Five, E Barbara Bailey Way presents a unique opportunity with an achievable end goal: full pedestrianization and the elimination of car traffic on the street.

Six? There is The Ave to show the way as it goes carless.

In the U District, one block of The Ave will be filled with games, live music, seating options and a people-first approach for two Saturdays on May 30th and June 6th. The closure will extend from NE 42nd to NE 43rd.

For U District Advocates, the advocacy organization spearheading the pilot program, a successful trial run will prove The Ave should adopt a people-centered approach permanently. The U District Advocates envision a neighborhood akin to Pike Place Market, where passersby can stay for one hour, or for an entire afternoon.

The same business concerns voiced in Capitol Hill in 2015 have factored into the U District’s pilot program, according to the executive director of the U District Partnership, Don Blakeney.

UDP leads economic development in the area. While not responsible for the summer closure, UDP represents business stakeholders on The Ave. As the neighborhood prepares for the new pedestrian landscape, Blakeney described discussions with local businesses, 170 of which are restaurants.

“When people have invested their life savings into a business and then the city is considering some pretty big changes to how that works, that creates a little bit of anxiety naturally,” Blakeney said.

UDP is also responsible for the yearly U District Street Fair, a 15-block street closure and arts festival spanning two days with more than 30 vendors. May 16 and May 17 will mark UDP’s 55th annual fair.

The fair requires a budget of over $300,000, according to Blakeney, who also explained that its success relies on a large staff and heavy communication with stakeholders. Any street closure introduces a sudden increase in available space –– without sufficient programming, the street may appear empty.

As part of the Pike closure in 2015, a drag queen performed on stage in the street in front of The Wildrose. Blakeney recollected approaching this performance, describing the moment as “the activation for the entire street.”

“It’s really hard, even with a budget, to bring life to a large piece of real estate,” Blakeney said. “It’s incredibly hard to have a visual impact on a scale that large. And so, when we do our events, we really think about, ‘how do we fill this space?’”

The Journalism and Public Interest Communication News Lab at the University of Washington gives advanced journalism students an opportunity to build a dynamic clip portfolio by reporting for any of 70 client news outlets in the greater Seattle area. CHS is proud to work with young journalists and feature their work.

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(Image: SDOT)

A new annual funding process with $7 million available for district-by-district street and sidewalk projects across Seattle could be short-lived but first the Seattle City Council must finalize what projects made the cut in 2026.

Each district is eligible for $2 million in projects under the process.

District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth’s office submitted 10 proposals in this possible final year of the program, according to a presentation updating the councils transportation committee on the process last week.

In all, council members submitted 70 projects. According to the update (PDF), project proposals up for consideration this year range from street maintenance to public realm improvements and most requests involve “crossing enhancements and traffic calming.”

2026 could mark the end of the District Project Fund process. Boosted as part of the 2024 transportation levy renewal, the program will require renewed funding to continue. It was approved by the council last fall.

Under the program, each council representative can nominate “neighborhood-scale traffic safety improvements” — and “other district priorities” — for the funding. The projects must ultimately be approved by the council’s transportation committee and then the full council. Any unspent funding carries forward.

As part of the process, the Seattle Department of Transportation reviews each proposal for feasibility and develops cost estimates.

SDOT also prepares recommendations for the council to consider, According to the presentation, SDOT has given its recommendation to 55 of the 60 submitted projects.

Most of the projects, it says, can be delivered in 2027.

SDOT says some of the district project rosters exceed the $2 million cap so “lower cost options” might be required or some projects could be deferred.

Council members must finalize each district project list by June 1st.

In 2025, Hollingsworth utilized the funding to boost spending for the district like a new Capitol Hill Community Safety Coordinator role at GSBA, planning for a possible Capitol Hill Street Ambassador Program, and support for the YouthCare Constellation Center — not necessarily street or sidewalk projects.

CHS has asked Hollingsworth’s office and SDOT for the 2026 D3 roster.

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Thursday will bring what has become a monthly Capitol Hill Safety Call with public officials and Seattle Police Department representatives to discuss the latest issues in the neighborhood. The monthly virtual forum is scheduled to begin at 11 AM.

Meanwhile, the GSBA coordinator is also organizing a Stay Aware & Stay Ready personal safety training session planned for Tuesday, May 26th at 5:30 PM at Seattle Central:

This community safety training was created in direct response to feedback we heard at our recent roundtable. Led by Jen Carl, GSBA’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood Safety Coordinator, this practical, conversation-driven session will focus on proactive steps you can take to strengthen your personal safety in everyday life. Together, we’ll explore how to make safety plans for different environments, better understand and respond to instincts and gut reactions, and share tips that can help you feel more prepared and aware wherever you are.

Public safety issues for the area have continued to be focused on concerns around gun violence stemming from a deadly end to 2025, street disorder and drug use, and transportation and pedestrian safety in the wake of last month’s deadly collision at Pine and Bellevue. There has also been interest in the neighborhood for the city’s new CARE Department to grow in its responses to 911 crisis calls.

Meanwhile, day to day public safety issues continue including troubles with burglaries and break-ins though resources through the city’s “Storefront Fund” have helped stem some of the costs from busted glass and doors.

CHS reported here on the organization’s city funded hire last year of a Capitol Hill Neighborhood Safety Coordinator.

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