Category — Ballard

Just wanted to post this - a nice KCTS piece on the now destroyed Ballard Denny’s.

Edith Macefield, the 84-year old Ballard resident who refused to sell her home to developers, passed away this Sunday. You can read more at MyBallard.com.

We’ll miss you Edith.

(MyBallard.com photo)

Something very good has the potential to take place in Ballard. A group of citizens who want to protect a part of their neighborhood’s character that is really important to them, Sunset Bowl, and a developer who is willing to seriously look at how to retain the lanes in their new development.

This could be real progress, a neighborhood and a developer willing to work with one another to build something that works for both of them while most likely each having to make concessions in order to come to a compromise. And if an agreement is made, this is the kind of situation where the city should jump in and support what is needed to make this compromise come to fruition.

And what a classic case this could be of how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The building gets a ton of positive publicity, which increases its value to future tenants, and the neighborhood gets to enjoy the benefits of bowling and good development.

Anyway, it looks like a solution is still a long-shot, but at least the potential is still alive.

Image from Save Sunset Bowl.

Ballard’s pro-park group Groundswell NW will be hosting its annual meeting on Tuesday at 7pm, and will feature Mayor Greg Nickels as the featured guest speaker.

The choice is a little bit ironic since Mayor Nickels doesn’t appear eager to renew the expiring Pro Parks Levy, but instead wants to focus his political capital on fundraising this year for the never-ending money pit that is the Seattle Center and our civic treasure, the Pike Place Market.

The elected official who is getting aggressive about parks and would probably be more sympathetic to Groundswell NW’s efforts right now is Seattle Council President Richard Conlin.

Last night the Denny’s in Ballard was declared a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Board. Previously scheduled to be demolished in place of condos, the building now appears like it will be saved.

Kudos to the neighbors who worked to save it, but now comes the really interesting part - what to do with this building and land?

It’s busy, busy, busy today.

Maple Leaf Public Hearing on the proposed Camp Fire Property Development
Time: 7-9pm
Place: University Heights Community Center, Room 209

American Institute of Architects public conversation on the future of downtown.
Time: noon
Place: Downtown public library, 1000 Fourth Ave., in the Microsoft Auditorium on Level 1
Public Meeting to help save the Ballard Denny’s
Time: 7pm
Place: Abraxcus Bookstore, 5711 24th Ave NW

Just wanted to point out a really interesting discussion taking place on the MyBallard.com blog about the future of the Denny’s Building in Ballard.

(MyBallard.com blog photo - inside the Ballard Denny’s building)

MyBallard.com, which does an exceptional job of covering news in Ballard, posted an update about the development going up around Edith Macefield’s house. Ms. Macefield is the woman who turned down a $1 million offer to sell her home to developers. Anyway, thought this was a great photo to share.

(MyBallard.com photo)