Pike Place Expansion, Shell Protests & More

Market Changes: Pike Place Market, everyone’s favorite fish-throwing tourist destination, is about to get bigger. Construction on the Pike Place MarketFront, a multi-level expansion, kicks off on June 24 with a groundbreaking ceremony featuring Mayor Ed Murray (includes a parade!) along with city and state representatives and members of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority Council. The project will turn a Western Avenue parking lot into a public plaza with room for shops, vendors, a neighborhood center, and (gasp!) 300 public parking spaces. For more information on the project, visit pikeplacemarket.org/marketfront.

Shell’s Polar Pioneer brings jobs to Seattle: Shell’s Arctic oil drilling rig may be bad news for the environment, but it’s good news for the economy, reports KOMO News. “Not only does it help the Seattle economy for them to be here, it helps the whole state’s economy because my guys live all over the state,” says Gail McCormick of the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific. Operating the Polar Pioneer, parked in Elliot Bay, will bring an estimated 415 jobs to the region.

(More) ShellShock: Protests over the aforementioned Polar Pioneer became so inflamed that Seattle officials asked Secretary of State John Kerry to deliver a scheduled speech outside of the city on Tuesday, says the Associated Press. “With all the hoopla we were juggling, [the speech] was an opportunity best presented to others,” said Port of Seattle spokesman Peter McGraw. Apparently, the best opportunity ended up being in Renton; Kerry spoke about the economic importance of trade far from the hubbub at a Renton Boeing plant.

Extended Notice for Housing Evictions: The Seattle Times reports that Seattle City Council is considering a bill that would give tenants a longer notice period before being evicted. The current required notice period is 20 or 60 days depending on the circumstance. The new bill would increase that number to 90 days. Another bill is being propoposed that would make it easier for public agencies to purchase rental units to keep them affordable. The bill would require some building owners to notify the Seattle Office of Housing and the Seattle Authority of an intent to sell 15 days before listing any units for sale; this would give agencies an opportunity to purchase units over outside parties that would likely raise rents.

Film Finds: A silent film shot 89 years ago in Tacoma was discovered this week, reports King 5 News. Historian-slash-journalist Lauren Hoogkamer uncovered Eyes of the Totem, a whodunnit film directed by old-school legend W.S. Van Dyke (AKA “One-Take Woody”) in 1926. The movie was transferred from film to DVD and is currently being remastered. Because it’s a silent picture, local composer John Bayman is also composing a new score. The completed film is set to premiere September 18 at Tacoma’s Rialto Theatre. For more information, visit the film’s website (and donate to its Kickstarter campaign if you’re feeling generous).