Category: District

Man Shot in Leg During University District House Party

Detectives are investigating after fights broke out at a University District house party and a man was shot in the leg early Saturday morning.

Officers were initially called to the 4700 block of 20th Ave NE for a noise complaint emanating from a house at about 12:45 AM. After officers had arrived, numerous fights began to break out in and around the involved house party.

As Seattle and UW police were working to disperse the partygoers, officers heard gunshots from within the crowd. Officers located a 20-year-old man who had been shot in the leg.

The crowd at the party became increasingly unruly and aggressive with officers as they attempted to get Medics to the shooting scene for the victim. Eventually officers from other precincts as well as SWAT, Anti-Crime Team and Gang officers were needed to restore safety. Medics took the man to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of his non-life threatening gunshot wound.

As officers worked, a second series of gunfire was heard approximately a block away. 911 callers reported a drive-by shooting to police, who did not find any victims or property damage as a result of this second shooting.

After fully dispersing the crowd, gang detectives processed both shooting scene submitting spent shell casings as evidence.

 

Officers Investigating After One Man Injured in Pair of Central District Shootings

Detectives are investigating a pair of shootings in the Central District that sent one man to the hospital Thursday evening.

Officers were first called to Judkins Park near 23 Ave and Judkins St at about 8:30 PM when a group in the park began shooting at a passing car. Though no one was injured in the shooting, the targeted car sped from the scene and crashed nearby causing minor injuries to the vehicle’s four occupants.

Police have recovered shell casings from the park and will be submitting them as evidence. Gang detectives are handling the continued investigation of the Judkins Park shooting.

Shortly after 9 PM, officers responded to reports of gunfire at Powell Barnett Park near Martin Luther King Jr Way and Jefferson St. Witnesses reported to police that a vehicle exchanged gunfire with people standing inside the park. As a family of four drove past the park, a bullet struck the interior of the car. Fortunately, no one inside the car was hurt. Though all suspects had fled the scene before police arrived, a K9 officer located a gun near the park as well as bullet casings which have been collected for the investigators.

About fifteen minutes after the shooting at Powell Barnett Park, 31-year-old man was found on the ground after being dropped off in front of a nearby hospital. Medics transported the man to Harborview Medical Center with life threatening injuries.

Homicide and CSI detectives are speaking with witnesses and collecting evidence as they investigate the shooting in Powell Barnett Park.

Anyone who may have witnessed or have information about either shooting are asked to please call 911 and speak with an officer.

 

 

 

 

Two Alarm Fire Causes $350,000 Damage in University District

 

 

Photo Courtesy of Fire Buff John Odegard

Photo Courtesy of Fire Buff John Odegard

Photo Courtesy of Fire Buff John Odegard

Photo Courtesy of Fire Buff John Odegard

Seattle-At 3:40 a.m.  a Firefighter/Dispatcher at the Fire Alarm Center received a 911 call reporting a fire at a house under construction in the 5500 block of 12th Avenue NE in the University District. When firefighters arrived they found flames shooting ten feet from the roof of the under construction town home complex.

The flames had exposed to the roof and attic of a next door boarding house where 8 people lived. The occupants safely evacuated from the burning structure.

With two buildings burning, the incident commander called for a two-alarm fire nearly doubling the amount of resources on the scene.  Due to the heavy flames and with everyone evacuated, the firefighters took a defensive position meaning they fought the fires from the outside.  Eventually firefighters were able to make a transitional attack on the boarding house and fought the fire from the inside. Due to the risk of collapse of the under construction building, a collapse zone was formed around the fire site for the firefighter’s safety.

The fire burned on a nearby power pole causing a low voltage communication line to fall to the ground. Seattle City Light turned off the 110/220 volt power lines serving the building and isolated the damage to its 26,000 volt distribution line, protecting the line and service to an area hospital. About 630 customers were affected by the power outage. City Light crews expected to have power restored by 11 a.m.

The embers from the original fire flew to the roof of a third home on the west side of the burning building. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish those embers.

It took nearly an hour to completely extinguish the flames of the two burning buildings.

Red Cross was called to assist 8 people, 4 adult males and 4 adult females, with temporary housing after being displaced from the fire damaged boarding house.

Investigators are waiting for a building engineer to determine the structural integrity of the under construction townhomes before they can enter the fire scene and determine the cause.

There were no injuries.

 

 

Resources for Businesses, Business District Org Structures, and more — Only in Seattle Peer Network Gatherings

On May 28, 2015, the Office of Economic Development (OED) hosted the second Business Retention and Expansion Partnership Peer Network Gathering. The first gathering in February focused on access to capital, and each of OED’s financing partners described how they are able to meet the various needs of business owners. While most of us agree that access to capital is one of, if not, the most important aspect to launching and growing a small business, technical assistance, resources, and support increase a business’ chances of long-term success. The good news is that OED’s experts are available to provide that technical assistance directly to businesses. Three experts from OED presented at the March Peer Network Gathering and shared how they are able to help.

Stephanie Gowing, Green Business Advocate, shared conservation services to help your business reduce utility bills, meet regulatory obligations, and lower operating costs. Also, Get on the Map is a unique opportunity for businesses to go green and receive free positive media attention at the same time. Coming soon is the Regional Green Business Program, a partnership with regional agencies to centralize resources, coordinate outreach and marketing, increase utilization for existing programs, and reward business’ environmental accomplishments. For more information, please contact Stephanie Gowing at stephanie.gowing@seattle.gov or 206-684-3698.

James Kelly, Small Business Advocate, discussed the perils of construction for a small business. James’ responsibility is to establish a direct line of communication with business and property owners impacted by construction, provide businesses with connections to training and capacity building, and manage marketing and promotional campaigns for business districts impacted by construction. Given Seattle’s construction boom right now, James is in demand and always willing to help. As an example, James finds unique ways to partner with developers and private parking lots for additional parking for construction workers during times when construction reduces the amount of parking for local businesses. For inquires related to construction impacts to businesses, please contact James Kelly at james.kelly2@seattle.gov or 206-684-8612.

Jennifer Tam, Restaurant Advocate, is the City’s main point of contact if you have any questions regarding your food business. Jennifer is here to help whether you are a restaurant, food cart, commercial kitchen, home-based food business, or anything in between. The Restaurant Success online portal is a good place to start if you have questions about starting or growing your food business. Jennifer can help with permitting, site-selection assistance, navigating the regulatory landscape, and more. Feel free to contact Jennifer for any questions you have at jennifer.tam@seattle.gov or 206-684-3436.

Through the Business Retention and Expansion partnership with local chambers of commerce, businesses can access support from these experts to help start, grow, or green their businesses. Check out the full presentation below.

 

Business District Organization Structures and Small Business Support

On April 30, business district leaders met over lunch at Big Chickie in Hillman City to talk shop. On the agenda was a topic that some business districts struggle with: What organizational structure is most successful and sustainable? While there is no right and easy answer for that, leaders stepped up to share successes and challenges of their own organizational structures, and how daily operations function. Rob Mohn of the Columbia City Business Association (CCBA) shared an overview of CCBA’s all-volunteer model and the evolution of the version that exists today. CCBA’s organizational structure relies heavily on volunteer hours from folks on four main committees: Goodwill, Marketing, Membership, and Business Development, and the public safety and cleanliness work is supported by the Business Improvement Area (BIA). A few keys to success from CCBA are: defining a reasonable geography, focusing on business district concerns and not overall neighborhood issues, and cultivating partnerships. Georgetown and Beacon Hill are similar in that they have paid staff, a 501(c)(3) designation, and rely on grants, sponsorship, and membership revenue to support events and existing programs. Challenges with both models seem to be sustainability and the amount of donated time by volunteers and board members in order to produce effective results. Continue reading the meeting notes for more information.

While a siesta was in order after the “pollo a la brasa,” folks were energized to talk about small business retention amidst all the growth and development pressures in Seattle. What can the City do to support small businesses better? What tools can OED offer and are there innovative tools that the City can adopt to support small businesses? While the concern was real, there were also potential solutions that were presented: Better access to technical assistance providers to support small business retention, and a handbook or resource guide to learn about what the City can do to help and how communities can access these resources were two ideas thrown out there. With that in mind, check out the following:

Some existing resources for communities to access:

  • Engage with the Design Review Board; DRB can convey community priorities to developers
  • Be an organized and proactive community, engage in local Land Use Review Committees
  • Explore Historic Districts and Landmark Preservation models
  • Find out if you are eligible for financing through Section 108 or New Markets Tax Credits
  • Access business technical assistance resources through the Business Retention and Expansion Partnership

Here are areas where the City can provide more assistance:

  • A guidebook for Department of Planning and Development to focus on the policy and review process
  • Engage in round table discussions with businesses and neighborhood planning
  • Retain affordable commercial space
  • Coordinate permitting processes to mitigate construction impacts on small businesses

Check out the meeting notes for more information. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to OED and we will be happy to help.

Bicyclist Injured after Collision With Bus in International District

Detectives are on scene after a cyclist and bus collided during the Monday morning commute.

Several witnesses called 911 when they saw a collision between a bus and a bicyclist at Rainier Ave South and South Jackson Street shortly before 8 AM.

Medics have transported the 26-year-old cyclist to Harborview Medical Center with life threatening injuries.

Traffic Collision Investigators are collecting evidence and speaking with witnesses as they conduct their investigation. The driver of the bus is cooperating with investigators at the scene.

Commuters should expect traffic impacts in the area while in investigation continues.