Ballard

Game Over Ballard A few more days to go until the August 1 primary in Seattle. Sunday afternoon, I went to check in on the homeless crisis exploding in Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@CMDanStrauss) hood. Strauss remains vulnerable in District 6 and is fighting for his political life. I assumed he would have figured out a way to clear some of the tents for the sake of optics. Instead, Leary Ave NW is a wreck. I have never seen so many tents lined on this street. The side streets are pretty bad as well. You can walk to all 38 tents in a matter of minutes. I’m not even counting the dozens of RV’s and structures. Just the tents! Based on Read More ›

Under Pressure Ballard is now dealing with a new wave of homeless encampment related shootings and clusters of tents popping up in certain parts of the neighborhood, especially along NW Leary Way. I spoke to Councilmember Dan Strauss (@CMDanStrauss) about his plan to address this on going crisis in the district.

Ballard RV Torched Tuesday afternoon, flames erupted inside an RV parked right next to the abandoned Jack in the Box (@JackBox) on NW Leary Way. Not sure if there were any injuries. Unclear how it started. Ironically, the fast food restaurant was burned down just a few months ago by homeless squatters. This part of Councilmember Dan Strauss’ (@CMDanStrauss) district remains packed with tents and RV’s on nearly every block. How many more incidents until the city moves in? Seattle Department of Transportation (@seattledot) is playing whack a mole out here. Every 72 hours, the RV’s just move around and come right back. Is the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (@KingCoRHA) focused on Ballard? Back in March Homeless suspected of Read More ›

It Was Inevitable First tent just showed up to the Leary Triangle in Ballard. City removed the fencing and concrete blocks around this parcel last week, hoping to turn this into a dog park. Meanwhile, the tent encampments in the area continue to expand. The 72 hour parking rule is being enforced, but the RV’s keep coming back. Councilmember Dan Strauss (@CMDanStrauss) has his hands full. Marc Dones and the @KingCoRHA needs to do more outreach here. I counted at least 30 tents and RV’s in this area alone. No end in sight for this part of #Seattle. @GovInslee @kcexec @MayorofSeattle @seattlecouncil @KCCouncil @SeattleParks @seattledot Block Party’s Over…Sort of Earlier this month, SDOT removed the blocks around Leary Triangle. But Read More ›

Block Party’s Over…Sort of On Tuesday, the Seattle Department of Transportation (@seattledot) removed some of the “eco-blocks” near the Leary Triangle and Fremont Brewery in Ballard. But the agency says only a few were taken out because it’s time to re-open this piece of land that’s expected to be turned into a dog park. Otherwise, no sign of any other slabs of concrete being removed by the city even though it’s technically a violation. These were quickly put up all over Ballard to prevent tents and RV’s from moving in. But as you can tell, this part of #Seattle is still dealing with the homeless crisis. How soon until tents start moving back in? It really is turning into whack Read More ›

Ballard Problems RV’s removed months ago on NW Leary near @JackBox are back. Encampment next to @albertlee1939 on 8th Ave NW is blamed for fires as homeless try to stay warm. And multiple tents popping up elsewhere. Gonna be LONG WINTER. Blocks and Planters Making a Difference I understand this is a CONTROVERSIAL method to keep RV’s away. But streets near Fremont Brewing are now pretty clear. And look at those new metal planter boxes going in near Camco Electric.

Seattle RV Shuffle Continues I first told you about Ballard’s “Double Decker” RV last year+how neighbors complained about loud noise/music coming from this vehicle. After @SeattleDot enforcement, owner moved on…but just around the corner. City of Blocks Even after @SeattleDot does RV encampment removal, I personally witnessed dozens of RV owners simply move down street. So is this the strategy? Tire everyone out w/sweeps, hoping they don’t return? Until that gets figured out, eco block biz is THRIVING. Business is Booming Concrete “eco-blocks” cost $20-$30 bucks a piece. It’s cheap cause these are considered “scrap.” But here’s the catch, you have to transport these things yourself. Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel ain’t the only game in town. But being in Read More ›