Grand Central Bakery, a longtime bakery in Seattle and Portland, is building its newest location in downtown Burien, at 626 SW 152nd Street, in the building formerly occupied by Restaurante CentroAmericano.

Employees from the bakery were on hand at the finish line of last Sunday’s Cove to Clover 5k race, passing out Oatmeal Stout Cake and bread with jam. Rumor has it that some runners even ended up “hitting each other with baguettes.”

It’s nice to see an established bakery come to Burien, and on a personal note, we have many fond memories of eating at their original location in the Grand Central Building in Occidental Square in downtown Seattle.

Here’s a pic of their Burien space taken Tuesday (Mar. 16), currently under construction but moving towards a summer opening:

Here’s a blurb from their website:

COMING SUMMER 2010!

Freshly baked artisan breads, hand-made pastries and delicious sandwiches will soon be available in charming downtown Burien.

Soon we’ll pick up our hammers and get to work building a café that is as warm and inviting as the food we serve.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Here are some links:

• Grand Central Bakery website
• Facebook Page
• Twitter

by Ralph Nichols

With only five of the 124 condominiums at Town Square sold to date, more than five months after the grand opening of this complex in June, prospective buyers and those anticipating future downtown development in Burien wonder if condo prices might be lowered.

This question has been raised in the weeks since Chicago-based Corus Bank – the construction lender for Urban Partners, the private developer of the condo/retail complex in Town Square – was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on Sept. 11.

Corus Bank’s deposits were sold, then the FDIC conducted a private auction for the remaining assets. Now Starwood Capital Group, TPG Capital, Perry Capital and WLR LaFrak have acquired an equity interest in a limited liability corporation that will hold the construction loans and real estate-owned assets of Corus.

“The $4.5 billion portfolio consists of more than 100 loan and (real estate-owned) assets linked to high-quality condominiums, multi-family housing, office properties, and land representing nearly 23 million square feet,” according to a recent news release from this investment consortium.

Urban Partners, however, has yet to comment publicly on whether it might reduce the prices of its Town Square condos’ phase one of the planned Town Square project. A primary reason for this is that it’s not a simple matter of lowering those prices, despite the fact that the investment consortium purchased the construction loans of Urban Partners and others well below their original value.

Two or three or even more banks usually are involved in large construction and real estate loans, notes Burien Economic Development Manager Dick Loman. This, in turn, creates a slow and involved process for a developer to obtain permission from lenders before it can make a corresponding reduction in its housing prices.

In the meantime, Loman says, Urban Partners is “hanging in there. They’re not leaving town. They’re trying to do the right thing. I know that Urban Partners wants to meet the market, but they can’t act until they receive a green light for moving forward. This means that (Town Square condo) prices aren’t going to go down without permission from the bank.”

Burien City Manager Mike Martin emphasizes that “no public money is involvedâ” in the Town Square condo-retail complex. “There is no financial to the taxpayers” because the Urban Partners’ development is privately financed.

But, he adds, “We do want to see them fill up sooner than later.”

“Clean Sweep,” Burien’s annual spring cleaning event, is planned for Saturday, April 25th, starting at 8am at the fire station on 8th Ave SW.

Citizens are encouraged to join this effort to improve the appearance of the downtown area and neighborhoods by picking up trash and other debris along streets, sidewalks and parks.

Volunteers are asked to report to the Burien Fire Station, located at 15100 8th Ave. SW (map below) at 8am, where they can enjoy a free continental breakfast and then head out to the community to clean, pick up trash, remove graffiti and more.

At Noon the crews return to the fire station for a hot dog lunch and raffle with prizes donated by area businesses. The event ends at 1:00 p.m.

Last year 7.61 tons of garbage was collected.

Participants should bring their own tools, gloves and, if needed, rain gear.

Call Discover Burien at (206) 433-2882 for more information.
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Our own Gina Bourdage took the photos above at the scene of the crime late Wednesday afternoon, where a man’s body was found inside the Burien Jewelry and Loan building in the 200 block of SW 152nd in downtown Burien (map below).

According to KOMO News, a gun was found near the body, it’s being considered “suspicious” and no identity has yet been released.

As Bourdage was on the scene, the Medical Examiner pulled up.

The investigation is continuing.

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Apparently one of the subcontractors was digging a trench across the high pressure service between the gas shut off valve and gas meter or what Puget Sound Energy refers to as a curb valve.

The subcontractor of construction was given permission by the superintendent of the construction, whom was in a safety meeting and thought he didn’t need to get permission from PSE prior to the dig; according to an anonymous member of the crew on the scene.

The law allows recourse for a service break caused by third party damage to PSE utility equipment, such as this one, to triple of the cost of repair and charge the company involved in the excavation.

Residents and companies interested in digging twelve inches or deeper must call 811 two business days prior to their project to have the underground services marked free of charge.

Approximately 50 customers from local stores and construction workers in the new city hall we evacuate as a precaution. There were no injuries.
PREVIOUSLY:

A gas line broke Tuesday morning around 11am on 4th Ave SW between SW 150th and SW 152nd in downtown Burien, forcing the evacuation of The Dollar Tree Store and Grocery Outlet, both located across the street.

The leak happened outside the garage entrance behind the new city hall construction area, and crews from Puget Sound Energy and Pilchuck Construction repaired the leak shortly before Noon.

No injuries were reported, and when we came on scene around 12:35pm everything had been repaired.

A workman from Puget Sound Energy refused to speak to us though, but another construction worker said “be sure to mention that Pilchuck capped the leak.” We are not yet sure what caused the break.

Here’s a Google Street View of the location (note that this image was taken before the new city hall building had taken shape):

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We’re speaking of course about the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which will be the topic of a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 15th, from 5pm to 7:30pm in downtown Seattle.

Everyone has an opinion on how best to deal this aging behemoth, and this meeting will be a good opportunity to not only learn about the final options for replacing the viaduct and seawall, it’ll give you a chance to speak your mind and propose your amazing ideas.

There will be a presentation, question and answer session, and opportunity for public comment on scenarios being considered. No word yet on what kind of donuts will be served.

According to a press release we received:

WSDOT, King County and the City of Seattle want to hear from you.

You can learn more about the options or provide comments at www.alaskanwayviaduct.org.

WHAT: Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall public meeting/discussion

WHEN: Dec. 15, 2008, 5pm-7:30pm

WHERE: Town Hall Great Hall, located at 1119 Eighth Avenue in downtown Seattle

INFO: 1-888-AWV-LINE or viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov

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It’s a fun, all-day event meant to raise funds to fight breast cancer (and as you may know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month).

Activities will include:

• Purchase a Pink Bandana for just $5 (100% goes to Highline Cancer Center) and get special discounts and promotions
• In-store specials throughout the area
• Wine tastings
• Book signings
• Ballroom dancing at 4:30pm at Karuna Yoga

So, get out, look for the pink balloons at participating businesses and enjoy the festivities, knowing it’s for a great cause.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.