The Seattle Department of Planning & Development confirmed this week that it had notified the landlord that the unsafe conditions at her building at 4118 E. Madison St. must be corrected. Bryan Stevens, the Department's Public Service Manager, sent us this statement in response to the complaint we lodged with SDPD about the situation:
"We inspected the site on August 10th and observed the hazard along the sidewalk. Per the Housing and Building Maintenance Code, the owner is responsible for removing an imminent hazard from the building and that components be reasonably weathertight and kept in a safe, sound and sanitary condition. We have issued a Notice of Violation to the owner, which requires the owner to make the necessary repairs by August 23rd. If repairs are not made, then the owner could be subject to fines through the litigation process."
Rumor has it that the landlord, Constance Gillespie, has contracted for work to begin on the building on Monday. She is reported to have indicated that repairs will also be made to the rotting facade.
Thank goodness there's something to light a fire under the owner, no matter what ails her. It looks shoddy on that part of the block and deters shoppers away from getting their nails done, hairs bobbed (!) and toys purchased & played with (my fave place on that strip).
ReplyDeleteHow about a kids' nu-style barber shop in half that space? The li'l guys don't have a place in Mad. Pk. to get flat-topped, crew-cut or kittle-spiked w/out going to Cap. Hill. A travesty.
I admire the enthusiasm with which you think somone besides yourself should take the risk of going into a specialty business with Constance during a down economy, but some new glass and some paint make this place no closer to being rent-able.
ReplyDeleteIt is the approximately $50k in major structural work and mechanical systems work that are going to continue to be the barrier to anyone opening anything here.
So, please don't be afraid to go to Madison Park because someone has some peeling paint on the front of their empty building. The other businesses down there are suffering in the bad economy and you may lose one or two of them sooner than you think.
There are other places in Madison Park to get your nails done and hair bobbed and even your kid's hair cut where you don't even have to lay your sensitive eyes on her building. Actually, in Bob Sander's building's basement, you can get all three done in one stop and you can enter on Lynn Street, so your eyes can remain un-tainted by Constance's place. Check it out!!
Hey Grey Goose, there's a stylist for kids in the Children's Shop. I don't know how often she's in there, but there's a whole setup in back, salon-style.
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