Please welcome your neighbor Linda Becker as our latest volunteer in the Harrison Ridge Greenbelt! Linda has lived in Madison Valley for 20 years and is a lifelong gardener. After she retired last year, Linda looked no further than her own backyard for a worthwhile volunteer opportunity. She lives a block away from the Greenbelt and has neighbors who grew up playing in the woods. She was excited to learn about the restoration work—it’s a perfect fit! After completing the official Forest Steward training this fall, Linda will transition to lead volunteer at the Greenbelt. “I hope to foster interest and inspire more volunteers from the neighborhood,” she says. “The Greenbelt is such an important treasure of the community!”

Linda Becker

Linda is right! The Harrison Ridge Greenbelt is the only “wild” greenspace in the neighborhood. The 6-acre land is home to many birds and provides a wonderful respite from the asphalt and concrete of our lives. As a human geographer (a scientist who studies why people live where they live), Linda is especially aware of the benefits of interacting with nature for people of all ages, but especially for children. Anyone can meander the paths and sit among the trees. Additionally, the Stewards provide field work experiences for the Urban Forestry class at The Bush School.

The Forest Stewards of the Greenbelt work under the auspices of Forterra. Forterra’s mission is to secure wilderness, local farms, and city greenspaces from unbridled development. They provide tools, plants, and support to the Steward volunteers. Forterra functions as a non-profit under the umbrella of Green City Partnerships. They supervise the restoration of hundreds of thousands of acres that will now be saved for our future generations.

Stop by and say hello when you see us! Please consider joining our team! Even one or two hours a month can make a big difference. Working together, we can all enjoy this special park.

Vegetarians, vegans, and meat-lovers alike can flock to Cafe Flora for its beloved Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday, May 13 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. The spring-focused, three-course menu starts off with an array of Fresh Baked Pastries including Petite Croissants and Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal Scones all served with grapefruit curd and lemon thyme compound butter, and a Tropical Fruit Plate. Next guests will have the option to choose between a Northwest Lox Benedict with poached eggs, smoked carrot “lox” and avocado hollandaise, Spring Chile Rellenos or Strawberry Rhubarb Stuffed French Toast. For dessert choose between a Rhubarb Upside Down Cake or a rich Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart. A dedicated kids menu is available with starter, entrée, and dessert.

Brunch is $45 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Price excludes tax, gratuity and beverages. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling (206) 325-9100. Cafe Flora is located at 2901 E. Madison Street, Seattle. Visit cafeflora.com for more details.

By last minute invitation, a couple of weeks ago, I attended a musical fundraiser and was surprised to find that the program is based right here in our neighborhood! JazzED (pronounced jazz ed) is taught out of the FAME at MLK Community Center.

My host and table captain at the event was JazzED’s new board member Harold Brandford. Harold was recruited by his neighbors to become involved and make a contribution to the community. Harold was born and raised in Barbados. He moved to the USA in his late teens for his advanced education. With a bit of hard work and encouraged by the kindness and generosity of wonderful mentors along the way, he has achieved a good measure of success, working as a physician in the Seattle area for the past 38 years. He sees his involvement in JazzED as an opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of kids who might otherwise be denied a chance for music education.

Harold Brandford

JazzED is a fantastic and successful extracurricular music program. It was founded in 2010 by an enthusiastic group of volunteers that wanted to provide music education to anyone in any school regardless of finances. The beloved Clarence Acox of Garfield Jazz fame was the founding music director and continues to be involved. 

The music instruction bridges the gap between school-based classes and private lessons. Local experienced professional musicians lead the bi weekly group lessons and many instruments are donated from a variety of sources including most recently, Amazon.

The students range from grades 4–12 and are drawn from 70 different schools in the Puget Sound area. JazzED is currently serving 600 students a year. Commitment to diversity is a primary goal. 50% of the students are girls, 42% students of color, and 40% are receiving scholarship assistance.

Students may choose from Choir, Strings, Brass, and Woodwinds. Additionally, audition-based ensembles for Big Band, Orchestra, and Vocals are on offer. A jazzy field trip to New York City is planned for this coming June. WOW!

Thinking that live music may catapult your next party into a fabulous experience? Look no further! All Star Combos are available for bookings.

Truthfully, there are just too many JazzED opportunities and events to describe here. Your best bet is to peruse the beautiful JazzED website: seattlejazzed.org

What fun!

New Madison Valley brasserie Petite Galerieis launching a monthly dinner series this April with the first dinner theme “A Love Affair with Allium” held on Sunday, April 29 with one seating at 6:30 p.m.

Chef-Owner Rob Sevcik’s spectacular six-course menu is an ode to spring, with the allium plant serving as the inspiration. Dinner is $85 per person with an option to add wine pairings for an additional $55. Reservations are required and available at 206.588.1682 or online at www.petitegalerie-seattle.com.

Full menu and wine pairings is below; here is a look at the full dinner series lineup April-September:

Sunday, April 29 – A love affair with Allium
Sunday, May 27 – Colors of Spring
Sunday, June 24 – Salute to Spain
Sunday, July 29 – Cook’s Showcase
Sunday, August 26 – Whiskey Dinner
Sunday, September 30 – Tomatoes

A Love Affair with Allium Menu - Sunday, April 29

Amuse

First:Multi Colored Garlic Salad, tuna tartar, quail egg, spring radish, lemon aioli / charred calçots, romesco sauce
Guardian Angel Sauvignon Blanc

Second: Spring Onion Seared in Brown Butter with Halibut Cheeks, braised leeks, minced prawn & fingerling potato
2016 Domaine Lelievre, Auxerrois Blanc, Cotes de Toul

Third: Braised Shallot Consommé, roasted bear’s head mushroom, hazelnuts, poultry mousse, chive oil
2017 Casale del Giglio “Satrico” Bianco, Lazio

Fourth: Pearl Onion & Confit Rabbit Stew, bread crumb, prunes, preserved tomato, olive oil
2016 Vina Sastre Tinto Roble, Tempranillo, Riberia del Duero

Sweet Onion Granité

Main: Roasted Lamb Loin, green onion cous cous in savoy cabbage papillote, rosemary demi-glace, ramp jam
2015 Chateau Mourgues du Gres Terre de Feu Rouge

Dessert: Caramelized Onion-Balsamic Ice Cream Sandwich, dark chocolate cookie, candied berry
NV Cesar Florudo, Moscatel, Chipiona

Here are the Seattle OPCD and SDCI Land Use notices and City planning activities in the last four weeks for communities from 18th Ave. to Lake Washington and E Union St. to SR-520.

MHA Public Hearing District 3

Proposed legislation to apply Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requirements in existing multifamily and commercial zones in Seattle, areas currently zoned Single Family in existing urban villages, and areas zoned Single Family in potential urban village expansion areas identified in the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Planning process. 

The legislation would make area-wide revisions to the official zoning map in the areas shown on the map, and apply MHA requirements in the rezoned areas, requiring new commercial or multi-family development in the affected zones to contribute to affordable housing.

Public hearing focusing on changes affecting property in District 3 and District 7:

April 16, 6:00 P.M.
Seattle Central College 
Broadway Performance Hall
1625 Broadway

Sign-up sheets will be available starting at 5:30 p.m. Written comments will be accepted at: [email protected]

Notice of Public Hearing

1711 & 1715 20TH AVE

Design Review Early Design Guidance (EDG) for 7 units total and parking for 7 vehicles proposed, on each property. Existing structures to be demolished. Zone: Neighborhood Commercial 2-40′, Urban Village overlay, Scenic view within 500 ft.

April 11, 6:30 P.M.
Seattle University
Student Center 130
1000 East James Way

Design Proposal

EDG notices for 1711 & 1715 20th Ave

236 24TH AVE E

Land Use Application to subdivide one development site into four unit lots. The construction of residential units is under Project #6582536. Zone: Lowrise-3, Urban Village overlay 

Notice of Application

111 26TH AVE E

Land Use Application to subdivide one development site into four unit lots. The construction of residential units is under Project #6492073. Zone: Potential slide area, Steep slope (>=40%), Lowrise-2 

Notice of Application

115 26TH AVE E

Land Use Application to subdivide one development site into four unit lots. The construction of residential units is under Project #6564684. Zone: Potential slide area, Steep slope (>=40%), Lowrise-2

Notice of Application

Resources
Land Use Information Bulletins
Property & Building Activity Interactive Map
Permit and Property Records
Design Review Board
Buildings in Design Review Map

The Merchants Association and McGilvra Elementary are getting together on Saturday, May 12, to clean up the neighborhood—please join us! We’ll be pulling weeds, spreading wood chips, and cleaning up the landscape along Madison St. The merchants will be cleaning up their storefronts as well.

Sign Up Here!

We’ll have some supplies on hand: garbage bags, paint, cleaning supplies, etc. Please bring gloves, paint scrapers, and garden hand tools.

Cash donations are also welcome to help offset the cost of the cleanup. You can make a donation online — just click on the Donate button at the top of the page. Be sure to write Spring Clean in the notes field. All contributions are appreciated! 

Saturday, May 12, 9 AM
Meet at FastFrame
2840 E Madison Street
Free coffee and pastries provided by the Merchants Association.

If you have questions, contact:

Devon Magnusson
206-641-7733
[email protected]

The Seward Park Audubon folks are coming to our Greenbelt for a habitat consultation. As the caretakers of our Greenbelt, your neighbor volunteer forest stewards are always mindful of installing plants that provide shelter and food for our winged friends. This effort is one of our priorities.

Your volunteer neighbors Trina Wherry, Peter Constantini and Linda Becker hard at work this spring.

The Stewards are hosting the Audubon educators to provide additional expert guidance for the coming season and beyond. 

YOU are invited to this unique opportunity! Please join us!

Wednesday, April 25th 4–6 PM
Meet: 32nd Ave E between E John and E Denny
Dress for the weather

Click here to register and get more info.