The Taproot Theatre Company is excited to announce the debut of a new cabaret, A Night with the Russells: The Legacy of Us, with stories and songs performed by Seattle’s own Faith Bennett Russell, Be Russell, and Sarah Russell—on stage together for the first time. The cabaret, directed by Jimmy Shields, with music direction by Aaron Norman, will be back on track on October 5th after a Covid occurance temporarily shut things down.

An evening of laughter, love, and unrelenting joy! Seattle’s own Sarah, Be, and Faith Bennett Russell carry on their family’s legacy as storytellers, while celebrating their individual journeys as Black female artists. From their roots in Jamaica to their home in Seattle, this cabaret is filled with songs both new and old. Bring your tissues and party-poppers and prepare to leave with a song in your heart. Sarah, Be, and Faith Bennett Russell have performed on stages in the Seattle area for a number of years. All three together worked most recently on Mamma Mia! at Village Theatre this summer, with Faith directing, and Sarah and Be on stage.

Tickets are on sale now, available online at taproottheatre.org, by phone (206.781.9707 – Tue-Sat, noon-5:00 PM) or in person at 204 N 85th St. Ticket prices range from $25-52 with discounts available for students, seniors, active military, 25 & Under and TeenTix members. Accessible ticket prices are also available on TodayTix.

Affordable homeownership developer, Homestead Community Land Trust, invites community input on two projects it proposes for the Phinney Ridge neighborhood that will create starter-home homeownership opportunities affordable to lower-income households.

The median for-sale price of a home in the Phinney Ridge area is $978,000, which is unaffordable to middle-income families. Homestead’s income-restricted homes are priced between $240,000 and $300,000, which puts the dream of a starter home within reach of people such as nurses, teachers, first responders, medical technicians, transit and utility workers.

The project at 5819 Phinney is a 5-story mixed-use building with 19 permanently affordable homes, 6 market-rate homes, and 2 ground floor commercial/retail spaces, replacing the current building. This project will include 9 at-grade parking spaces.

The project at 6109 Phinney (pictures above) is 5-story mixed-use building with 19 permanently affordable homes, 9 market-rate homes, and 1 ground floor commercial/retail space. This project will include 10 at-grade parking spaces.

Both projects will have Bike parking, EV charging stations and a rooftop garden and gathering space are some of the amenities offered in the building.

Homestead is seeking community feedback in several forums. Visit the outreach website at https://www.homesteadcltprojectoutreach.net/ and read more information about the project. Each project’s web page provides a survey to gather feedback.

Community members are also welcome to join the Oct. 4 meeting of the Phinney Ridge Community Council. Details are here https://www.phinneyridgecc.org/

Founded in 1992, Homestead Community Land Trust is a non-profit, membership organization that creates stability, equity and opportunity by developing land and housing in trust, giving lower-income households the opportunity to own a home that is affordable to them and remains affordable to future owners. 

Homestead makes homes permanently affordable, and meets or surpasses the standard compliance requirement of affordability on publicly funded projects of 50 years. Homestead’s model was created by Civil Rights Era leaders in the 1960s as a way to prevent displacement while at the same time allowing people to own appreciating assets – homes, farms, businesses – that build wealth.

Homestead builds new, or remodel existing homes, and fundraises to subsidize the price of each home to what is affordable to a buyer who makes less than 80% area median income. The home is purchased by homeowners and Homestead retains title to the land under homes. Homeowners pay a small monthly ground lease or program fee, and agree to a resale formula via a 99-year renewable covenant that allows them to earn a fair return of equity while at the same time passing on an affordable price to the next owner if/when they sell the home.

Homeowners qualify to purchase the home with a traditional fixed-rate mortgage, and accrue equity through a combination of principal reduction and home appreciation.

Homestead seeks to address both housing and climate equity outcomes with our developments, and seeks to meet and exceed environmental sustainability and energy efficiency standards.

Homestead has 245 homes in trust in Seattle, Burien, Skyway and Renton.

This October, the Bureau of Fearless Ideas is joining forces with the superteam of scientists and science communicators from Fred Hutch Cancer Center to host four Saturdays of (Free) writing workshops combining science, health, community, and creativity.

There will be two workshops per week: “Beyond the Lab: Science Writing Saturdays” series for students in grades 3-5, from 10am to noon, and “Your Voice on Health, Science, & Community” a how-to series for teens on writing Op-Eds from 2-4pm. Workshops will be at the Bureau of Fearless Ideas Greenwood location (8414 Greenwood Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98103) with a field trip to Fred Hutch along the way. See below for more information on each workshop, or head to www.fearlessideas.org/fall2022 to apply.

BEYOND THE LAB: SCIENCE WRITING SATURDAYS

GRADES: 3-5

DATES/TIMES: Saturdays: October 8th, 15th, 22nd, & 29th; 10am to Noon

LOCATION: @ Bureau of Fearless Ideas Greenwood (8414 Greenwood Ave. N.)

DESCRIPTION: Are you a young person who loves science, or who’s curious about how the world works? Do you also happen to be a storyteller? Do you like to have fun and also use your powers for good to make the world a better place? If you answered yes, or YES-YES-YES to the above questions, then join our super squad for four Science Writing Saturdays in October where we’ll work alongside scientists and science communicators from Fred Hutch Cancer Center to learn about the research that goes on in their labs (right here in Seattle!). We’ll go on creative storytelling adventures into the body (using models and imagination) each week to explore and write about things like DNA, mutations, the immune system, and more. No lab coats needed, just YOU, your courage, and your curiosity!

*Field trip to Fred Hutch, TBA.

YOUR VOICE ON SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND COMMUNITY:

How to Write an Op-Ed

with Fred Hutch Cancer Center & the Bureau of Fearless Ideas

GRADES: 8-12

DATES/TIMES: Saturdays: October 8th, 15th, 22nd, & 29th; 2pm to 4pm

LOCATION: @Bureau of Fearless Ideas Greenwood (8414 Greenwood Ave. N.)*

DESCRIPTION: Is Climate Change affecting health outcomes in your community? How is DNA used to exonerate the wrongly accused? How do we make COVID-19 research more equitable? In this 4-week workshop in collaboration with Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we’ll explore the science and health topics that motivate us to take action in our own lives and communities. Then we’ll work with science writing mentors to craft powerful OP-ED pieces to publish. Each student will leave with an original piece of writing to use as a writing sample for applications, and moreover, to write the world we want to see!

*potential field trip to Fred Hutch, TBA.

Photo: Rachael Green

The inaugural Bite of PhinneyWood tasting event on Sept. 17 was a scrumptious success! More than 500 neighbors came together to meet and try food from amazing local restaurants, cafés, and bars. The sold-out event raised more than $20,000 for our essential programs and services while celebrating our incredible local food scene.

Bite attendees were invited to vote for the Best Bite of the event. And the winner is… up to you! After counting the results several times, the contest is tied between North Star Diner‘s Left Coast Reuben and Thaiku‘s Gaeng Krua Sapparod. We need your help to break the tie! 

Vote for your favorite dish between North Star Diner’s Left Coast Reuben and Thaiku’s Gaeng Krua Sapparod by eating both and then emailing our Small Business Advocate Chris at chrism@phinneycenter.org with proof of purchase (receipt, etc.) and your choice. We’re excited to announce a winner soon!

Missed out on Bite tickets? Join our Bite of PhinneyWood ticket email list so that you can pick some up as soon as event tickets are announced. The event will likely expand to the PNA lower parking lot to accommodate more guests, as well as expanding the overall offerings.

Bite of PhinneyWood was brought to the community by Salmon Bay Community Lending. Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and volunteered for Bite of PhinneyWood – you all made this inaugural tasting event an unforgettably delicious afternoon.

Click through the photo galleries of the Bite.

Ballard Acupuncture Center has announced they are launching in-person workshops to support women through various life transitions. The first will be a fertility workshop called the Pre-Conception Roadmap, and begins on Thursday October 20^th. This will be a 4-week workshop meeting on Thursdays from 6:30-8pm (October 20th & 27th and November 3rd & 10th).

The other workshops in the series will be about Pregnancy, Postpartum Care and Menopause and will be announced at a later date. Sharing essential information to support women during these transitions while at the same time creating Community is the vision for these workshops, as well as giving the lowdown on what is really happening with your bodies, mind & spirit. 

This is a monthly contribution to the Blog by local realtor Doron Weisbarth

Historically, August tends to be a slow, sleepy month in the real estate. Many buyers and sellers are enjoying the famous PNW weather, so real estate is far from their minds. You can see that the number of new listings that came on the market was lower that most August months, yet, overall inventory level almost doubled from last year. So the craziness of the recent past has subsided a bit, giving buyers some reprieve, although, when a good homes still attracts many eager buyers.

All this is to say that I would be careful about drawing too many conclusions about market trends from the August’s data report. It is difficult to tease out the seasonal effects from other effects, such as the interest rates, inflation, etc. While we are clearly in seller’s market territory, it is not the aggressive market we had become used to over the two years since Covid started. And yet, sellers are still making very nice gains on their home values, even if there are some fluctuations.

As we move into the fall market, we are likely to see new inventory and more overall activity before we start slowing down again towards the Holidays.

Considering selling your PhinneyWood home, or buying one in our neighborhood? Find out what insider tricks and strategies will help you maximize your results. For a no-obligation consultation, call Doron at 206-779-9808.  

The Woodland Park United Methodist Church, in partnership with a to-be determined nonprofit affordable housing developer, will redevelop the church site on 78th and Greenwood starting in 2024.

The goal is a new multi-use structure with 75 residential units distributed over 6 floors, several retail spaces, and a more efficient and sustainable home for the church congregants at street level. All the apartments will have rents capped so as to be affordable to residents who earn no more than 60% of area median income. They intend to build as many 3-bedroom, family-sized units as their funding allows, with a goal of 20%. There will be 18 parking spaces and some amenities in the basement.

Permitting is underway and should go through 2024, with constructed estimated to last from 2024 to 2026. Community members can check out the project website here, and if you would like to submit comments and thoughts on the project, you can do so here.

Project Address: 302 N 78th St Seattle, WA 98103
Brief Description: The project proposes the redevelopment of the church site in a manner consistent with the church’s mission. This will include several small homes sold at affordable prices, construction of about 75 workforce, family-sized apartments, and new space for the church.
Applicant: Conlin Columbia LLC
Contact Person: Natalie Quick
Contact Information: 302N78thStProject@earlyDRoutreach.com
Type of Building: Mixed-use residential (retail and religious uses included)
Neighborhood: Greenwood
In Equity Area: No

Story and photos by Kiley Schwehr Riffell

Neighbors gathered in community this weekend to explore the topics of income inequality and the wage gap through free interactive events at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. It was a weekend packed with art making and connection and there are still plenty of opportunities to take part. 

Last Friday, Mirror Stage hosted an art making party where people of all ages created works inspired by prompts about the impacts of income inequality, then hung them on the gallery walls for the community to enjoy. You still have a chance to add your art to the PNA gallery. There is a table full of art supplies on the top floor of the PNA Blue Building. Art will be displayed through September 23.

Friday night ended with an all-access yoga class taught by Mirror Stage Associate Artistic Director Marquicia (QuiQui) Dominguez. The class was filled with moments of self-reflection on the topics of gratitude and the true meanings of wealth and abundance.

The weekend wrapped up with the annual Mirror Stage Activism Brunch featuring an eye-opening discussion with University of Washington professor and economics expert, S. Charusheela. The complete discussion is available to watch on the Mirror Stage YouTube channel.

Two New Plays

The brunch also included a sneak peek of October’s Expand Upon: Income Inequality and the Wage Gap, featuring two newly-commissioned plays by Nelle Tankus and Mary Fields. Mirror Stage Managing Artistic Director Suzanne M. Cohen says the new plays explore, “the wide-ranging impact, and offer a glimpse into what role we each play in supporting and maintaining the status quo, and the detrimental effects on us all.” The plays will be performed live online on October 15, 16, 22, and 23. Each showing will be followed by an online group discussion. It will be a unique experience for the playwrights and actors to hear directly from the audience. 

A Top Concern

According the to the PNA, income inequality is one of the top concerns of people living in Northwest Seattle. Over the summer, the PNA wrapped up a community survey done in partnership with local architectural design firm Mithun. Of the top five concerns listed by those surveyed, four were related to financial problems. They included housing stability, improving food access and cost, access to affordable healthcare, and increasing employment and living wages.

A New Collaboration

The growing partnership between Mirror Stage and the Phinney Neighborhood Center has allowed the non-profit theater company to expand its definition of storytelling. Cohen says exploring new and different ways that storytelling can engage and inform through the arts- whether visual, performing or participatory- is in an important part of fulfilling the company’s mission of encouraging more thoughtful reflection on today’s issues. 

Mirror Stage is a nonprofit arts organization that uses the power of storytelling to challenge assumptions, bias, and prejudice, increasing equity and inclusion while encouraging more thoughtful reflection on today’s issues. With the goal of increasing empathy and social justice, Mirror Stage connects people more deeply to perspectives and experiences other than their own while amplifying historically excluded stories, voices, and faces- bringing us to a place of common understanding. Mirror Stage is theatre that gets people talking, as well as thinking.

To learn more about the upcoming events, sign up for the Mirror Stage E-News.