Sound Transit officials will provide more details about upcoming construction, parking and other topics about Northgate Station at an open house from 6-8 p.m. tonight, June 4, at Olympic View Elementary School, 504 N.E. 95th St. Earlier this spring in March Sound Transit held a similar construction update. Here’s a sneak peek at tonight’s briefing:

According to Crosscut, one of the options under consideration is the creation new garage with room for up to 920 spaces. From the article:

The garage is meant as “temporary mitigation” for the parking that will be lost during construction. Opponents, including Maple Leaf Community Council transportation committee chair David Miller, note that the project will only permanently displace 117 parking spots. A 900-car garage, in other words, would represent a net gain of nearly 800 spots, in an area where future developments are supposed to be transit, bike, and pedestrian-oriented.

“We’re opposed to the idea of building more parking at Northgate,” says Miller, who believes a “much better idea” would be to build a pedestrian bridge from North Seattle Community College across I-5 to link college students and commuters to the light-rail station. “If you’re going to spend X number of millions on a garage, you’re better off spending the same amount of money on a pedestrian bridge,” he says.

Do you have an opinion on the proposed garage or other changes? Attend tonight’s meeting or share your concerns/ideas via e-mail: [email protected]; snail mail at Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104; or call 888-889-6368; TTY Relay 711

Ye writes:

I am a new mom living in Maple Leaf (bought our house here in 2009, and had our son 6 10 weeks ago).

I am wondering if any blog readers know of a neighborhood moms group. So far, I’ve found a few “Northeast” Seattle moms groups via Google search, but they either do not include Maple Leaf, or are exclusively for stay/work at home moms while I plan on returning to work.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

We don’t know of a local Maple Leaf moms’ group. Anyone interested can leave comments here, though.

Ye writes:

I am a new mom living in Maple Leaf (bought our house here in 2009, and had our son 6 10 weeks ago).

I am wondering if any blog readers know of a neighborhood moms group. So far, I’ve found a few “Northeast” Seattle moms groups via Google search, but they either do not include Maple Leaf, or are exclusively for stay/work at home moms while I plan on returning to work.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

We don’t know of a local Maple Leaf moms’ group. Anyone interested can leave comments here, though.

Glassique, the architectural design studio that opened last August at 9634 Roosevelt Way N.E. appears to have shut its doors abruptly this week.

According to a sign on the door, Glassique is relocating to Northeast 135th Street and Aurora, next to Supersupplements, with plans to reopen by June 18. For more information, call 206-963-4400.

Expect the playground at Olympic View Elementary School to look a little different this summer.

Starting Monday, construction crews will build two noise walls there to shield neighbors from what’s coming next.

That would be 83 holes, each 350 feet deep, to place ground source heat pump tubes under the playground.

According to the Seattle School District:

The drilling process will result in some noise, but in an audio range that is physically safe for our ears and well within the City of Seattle noise ordinance guidelines. We will make every effort to reduce the noise during the project.

The plan calls for drilling to begin on June 25, and potentially run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays until mid-August.

The playground is to be restored in time for school next September. The heat pump equipment inside the school is to be installed during summer 2013.

For more information call or email Steve Cole, project manager, 425-503-3393 or slcole(at)seattleschools.org

We’ve heard from two neighbors this week about local crimes.

Emily reports a home burglary on Friday, June 1, at Northeast 102nd Street and Eighth Avenue Northeast.

“We just wanted the neighborhood to know,” she emails. “The backpack burglars are back.”

Eric reports possible car prowlers at 4 a.m. Friday.

“I let my dog out and as I did so a car stopped in front of my house at Northeast 91 Street and 17th Avenue Northeast. I yelled at them and they took off. I called for a patrol car.

“Reminder, just because it’s raining doesn’t mean the crime will stop.”

When we ran the Seattle Police crime map for the month of May, we found a half-dozen burglaries (stars on the map) and about 14 vehicles either stolen or prowled in Maple Leaf.

Our last crime report was in early May.

Update June 3: To learn about honoring the Cafe Racer victims, or donate to funds, click here.

A memorial trust has been established for Donald Largen, a 57-year-old saxophone player and urban planner who was killed Wednesday in the Café Racer shooting, friends have announced.

Donations are needed to fund funeral expenses and support his surviving partner, Glenna Wilson.

A story about Largen ran in The Seattle Times on Thursday.

Donald Largen, a 57-year-old urban planner who played the saxophone, was one of the four people killed in a Wednesday morning attack by a gunman who opened fire at the Cafe Racer, according to his mother, Betty Parker.

“He was a very loving, kindhearted man,” Parker said Thursday.

Largen was a Seattle native who graduated from Shorecrest High School and the University of Washington. He worked as an urban planner while simultaneously pursuing his love of music, regularly playing at cafes and friend’s houses whenever possible. He loved Costa Rica and visited as often as possible with Glenna. He was a resident of the Roosevelt neighborhood and was a regular at local establishments such as the Café Racer, Latona Pub, Big Time Brewery and Café Allegro.

Donations are welcome in any amount and can be made at any Bank of America location to the Donald B. Largen Memorial Trust Fund. All proceeds will be used to cover funeral expenses, with the remainder going to Wilson, Largen’s partner of 22 years. Separate funds are being created for the other shooting victims.

The Times is also reporting:

Victims of the Cafe Racer shootings will be honored at a gathering outside the cafe Saturday afternoon and at a benefit concert Sunday evening — and the cafe’s owner says he has decided he will reopen the business, but he does not know when.

Today’s memorial is at 12:30 p.m. The concert is at 8 p.m. Sunday on a stage in the alley behind Cafe Racer, 5828 Roosevelt Way N.E.