With reporting by Alex Garland It has arrived a few Cinco de Mayos later than expected but Koko’s is now open on 10th Ave. Gibran Moreno and Alexi Torres say they are happy to have created a new city version of the Koko’s original that adds to the neighborhood’s inclusive and open-minded communities. “Capitol Hill is the place for me,” Moreno says. “As a gay couple, we feel safe and comfortable.” Moreno — he’s the talkative one — and Torres created and grew the first Koko’s with Mexican and Salvadorian flavors and a beachtown vibe in the Pacific Northwest beach town of Seabrook. They hav ..read more

The corner of E Pine and Belmont will once again be filled with a Cinco de Mayo street party as Fogón Cocina Mexicana hosts a second year of its new tradition. Sunday’s free 2024 celebration will feature DJs, a day of mariachi, and a night of drag hosted by Queen Andrew Scott along with vendors including Bakescapade with panadería sweets. There will be plenty more Cinco de Mayo celebrating going on around the neighborhood including a day of mariachi performance from Luis Cano at 15th Ave E’s Smith under its new ownership from the Club Cultura business family.   PLEASE HELP KEEP CHS PAYWAL ..read more

Big Little News will be open through May 19th on E Pike Freeman’s decade run on North Broadway will end this summer (Image: Freeman) Two experiments in neighborhood retail are leaving Capitol Hill. One is closing shop for good. The other is making a change to cut expenses and incorporate its flagship store with the SoDo production facility where it manufactures its Seattle-tested raincoats and outerwear. Both will be open a little longer for one last minute browse or window shopping. After a decade off north Broadway in the Loveless Building, outerwear designer Freeman will leave Capitol H ..read more

A review of the city’s spending plan by the City Council reveals Seattle City Hall is facing the same pressures as the rest of the nation when it comes to ballooning costs. A new study reveals nearly 80% of Seattle’s $1.7 billion budget increase is due to inflation and soaring wages. New programs accounted for only 19% of the jump with the remaining two percent of spending being powered by one-time revenue injections like federal aid during the padnemic. The review comes as Seattle faces a looming $230+ million budget hole. New, more conservative spending directions for the council have b ..read more

(Image: WSDOT) As it sorts out how to pay for a $1.4 billion contract 70% above what it hoped to pay for the final portion of the multiyear 520 bridge replacement project, the state wants to know your thoughts on the best way to institute higher tolls to use the highway. Wednesday, May 1st, is the final day to take the Washington State Transportation Commission survey: The commission must adjust rates this summer to generate the revenue required for Washington state to meet its legal and financial obligations on the bridge. As commissioners determine the details of the rate changes, they’re ..read more

By Nova Berger/CHS Reporting Intern A new neighborhood market from an experienced creator of locally-focused grocery stores is taking shape in the rapidly changing Yesler Terrace neighborhood where hundreds of new apartment units have taken shape in an ongoing development boom. “That’s what Yellow Bee is all about, providing access to the urban resident,” Brian Hoang tells CHS. 23rd and Union. Madison Valley. First Hill. Major changes have reshaped these neighborhoods around Capitol Hill with major growth including challenges around gentrification and displacement. These changes have brought n ..read more

Changes made during the pandemic to streamline design review and moderate changes in long-term policy to more gradually expand areas of the city open to multifamily housing might have to do. Seattle still has affordable housing crisis. That much hasn’t changed. But what has changed is the Seattle City Council and its willingness to say no to policies that could tip the balance toward more progressive approaches to housing in the city. The council voted 2-7 Tuesday to reject the Connected Communities pilot program, a pilot program dedicated to creating 35 “community-led” affordable housing deve ..read more

For the second year in a row, the focus of workers’ rights and labor on May Day in Seattle will move out of the Central District and into the city’s downtown. Organizations rallying and marching to mark the international day for workers are gathering Wednesday in Westlake Park, the El Comite activist group said: This May 1st, we honor the historic struggles of workers around the world. Labor Day celebrates solidarity and the fight for justice, remembering the achievements and sacrifices of those who have fought for decent working conditions. Date: May 1, 2024 Hora: 10:00 am Location: Westlak ..read more

The Central District’s Powell Barnett has become the latest landing spot for asylum seekers from Congo, Angola, and Venezuela who have been shuttled from temporary camps to county and donor-supported motel rooms and back again while local governments try to sort out more permanent shelter. Mutual aid groups announced the new camp location as tents were set up Monday in this Central District park along MLK Way. The new camp is a few blocks east of Garfield Community Center where the group briefly set up tents on the campus tennis courts earlier this month in what turned out to be a one-day camp ..read more

Seattle has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with its police force that meets many of the goals on salary increases that advocates have said are necessary to help grow the Seattle Police Department’s ranks, adds increased oversight and accountability, and opens the door for City Hall to move more of its work around public safety like automated traffic tickets and property damage to teams outside the department. Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the tentative agreement with the Seattle Police Officer Guild and the move of legislation covering the contract to the Seattle City Council ..read more