By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Meeting summary below:
SPD UPDATE: Crime prevention specialist Matt Brown and community service officer Jamie Heslin from the Southwest Precinct were in attendance to give an update. Brown started with some year-to-date statistics for 2026, compared to 2025: City-wide crime is down 2 percent, and crime in SW Precinct (West Seattle and South Park) is down 9 percent. For Fauntleroy in particular, Brown said crime is up 34% but the relative numbers are not large (42 incidents YTD compared to 33 last year), with the majority of those incidents being property crimes (only 2 reports of violent crime). Similar to last month’s update, Brown advised neighbors to stay vigilant with securing homes, garages etc to minimize opportunistic theft. For “shots fired” incidents, calls are down 12 percent precinct-wide, with 30 total, 2 of which were in Fauntleroy.
FCA’s Dave Follis noted that on his block, a car was recently stolen (likely with a “Flipper Zero” electronic device) and still hasn’t been recovered, but video evidence has been submitted to SPD. FCA’s Alan Grainger said that he and his neighbors have noticed a significant increase in door-to-door soliciting, to which Brown suggested that although it’s tempting to ignore such visitors and not answer the door, it’s actually preferable to safely acknowledge (through the door or via electronic doorbell speaker) that you’re home, to deter rare instances of “casing.”
Heslin noted that although an SPD “resource fair” had been planned in the near future for the Westside Neighbors Shelter location, it’s being postponed to the fall because the shelter is still closed for renovations. She also said that their staff has been working on encampment outreach in areas such as 18th and Delridge.
Both officers said that SPD and other city agencies will be “all hands on-deck” preparing for and supporting the FIFA World Cup matches and associated events in Seattle in June and July. Finally, Brown noted that SPD’s Jennifer Satterwhite has returned from maternity leave, and Brown is helping with that transition.
FAUNTLEROY/ROSE CROSSING: As we reported last week, representatives from SDOT met with community members (including several from FCA) at Southwest Library to discuss plans for a new crossing near Lincoln Park and the ferry dock at Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Rose Street [map].
FCA members noted that there were mixed views discussed at the meeting, with some in favor of the design but with many attendees raising concerns about a proposed “raised median” as well as unique local considerations (notably U-turn behavior and neighborhood cut-throughs). There were also some concerns about the validity of SDOT’s traffic volume data because of the timing during which it was collected (three mid-day weekdays in October) which could result in the average number of cars being too low to accommodate for peak traffic (such as busy commute times, and Friday afternoons in the summer).
Immel noted that SDOT has indicated that this is a “fast track” project, with the plan being finalized this summer and construction likely beginning by the end of the year, which would likely coincide with another project in the area that involved new traffic signals at the ferry dock (details were discussed in FCA’s April meeting). He said that plans to ask SDOT’s Ching Chan (who was in attendance for last week’s meeting at the library) for an update regarding next-steps and details. He added that Chan had said that SDOT does want to move ahead, but that community input and feedback will factor into the final decisions and plans.
FERRY & TERMINAL: Immel said there wasn’t much new to report in this area, aside from what was already discussed regarding the ferry traffic. He said there had been some recent maintenance completed, with a road plate on a ramp that was wobbling, but was fixed last week. For the traffic signal, work could likely still begin after September 8 to add required underground power connections so the new light can be installed later this year. Dock expansion construction itself likely won’t begin earlier than 2028. One attendee noted that they had heard that a house adjacent to the ferry dock was surveyed by Washington State Ferries staff this week, but the intent of that action was unclear (acquisition? environmental or right-of-way analysis?)
FCA BUSINESS: A sizable portion of the meeting was spent discussing FCA board business and operations, including:
- Secretary wanted: The FCA board has a vacancy for their secretary position. Anyone interested should contact FCA for details.
- Financial update: FCA treasurer Grainger provided a financial report, noting that the group’s overall position is “very good,” with budgeted income being halfway to their annual target (just 4-5 months into the year) based on the strength of collecting dues and membership renewals at last month’s “Food Fest” annual meeting (WSB coverage here).
- Committee roles, communications, and event promotion: Immel read through a list of committees that the group current has, or has had in the past, and attendees discussed the status and charter of each, with further discussion to come in the future. They discussed the promotion of events, and who “owns” that for various events and platforms (email, newsletter, social media). Upcoming events include:
- May 12 fundraiser at Endolyne Joe’s (happening that same night)
- June 21 Father’s Day event at Super Deli Mart with music
- July 3 golf tournament
- September 24 celebration at Birdhouse
- Bylaw revisions: Vice president Catherine Bailey went through some suggested potential revisions to FCA’s bylaws (last revised back in 1999), and attendees discussed those ideas. Any changes to the bylaws would need to be voted on by a quorum of the broader FCA organization (not just the board), and Bailey agreed to circulate a redlined bylaws draft with comments and references to the board for future discussion prior to anything being put up for a vote.
- Neighborhood cleanup partnership: The group discussed a potential partnership with A Cleaner Alki to do cleanups in the Fauntleroy neighborhood. Attendees discussed possible areas of the neighborhood that would benefit from this the most, and agreed to put an item in their upcoming newsletter to gauge volunteer interest and then start thinking about dates and details.
- Planter boxes: The group has about 27 planter boxes in the Fauntleroy area that are planted and maintained by volunteers each year. Members agreed that they would begin selling sponsorships for the boxes (likely $50 each) to help offset costs, similar to other beautification programs in the area. The group will finalize details and list them in their upcoming newsletter, and then promote the opportunity to the broader community.
The meeting adjourned a few minutes early, with most members planning to trek around the corner to take part in the final hour of the Fauntleroy Fall Festival fundraiser (which we previewed here) at Endolyne Joe’s.
The FCA Board meets ten times per year on the second Tuesday of each month, at 6 pm in the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse board room. Meetings are open to the public.