The Junction's Long-Empty Corners Are Filling Up This Fall

The former MOD Pizza at The Whittaker sat empty for more than two years. So did the old Haymaker space at California and Alaska. The Starbucks on the southeast corner went dark in August 2025. This fall all three are getting new tenants. One opened in late September, one is due in mid-November, and the third is targeting fall.

The same blocks are the subject of a city parking review. When the Seattle Department of Transportation counted cars in the Alaska Junction in late April 2026, it found street parking above 85 percent full. SDOT staff also described more people visiting during the day. That daytime crowd is the customer base a fast-casual chicken counter or a coffee bar on the district's main corner depends on, and it is also part of the change SDOT cites in recommending meters.

Three long vacancies, one fall

Two of these spaces sat empty for more than two years, and the third for a little over a year. Here is each one, with what was there before and when it is due to reopen.

Starbird went first. West Seattle Blog reported about 80 people lined up just before the doors opened at 11 am on September 28, with free food promised to the first 200. It is the chain's first location in Washington. The owner is Mehta Investment Group, whose executives Vin Mehta and Rohit Mehta cut the ribbon, and Rachel Porter of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce emceed. The menu covers sandwiches, salads, wraps, nuggets, wings and a vegetarian "Gardenbird." Two selling points from the ceremony were gluten-free chicken and an 11 pm close, later than many Junction kitchens.

Anchorhead Coffee is taking the Starbucks corner. West Seattle Blog first reported the lease in May. Owner Jake Paulson described the company as focused on "making high-quality coffee more approachable" and said, "We're excited to come to West Seattle." In July, Anchorhead told the blog it was aiming for a fall opening. Planters went out in early October. The blog's editor said Anchorhead still would not give a specific date because it was working on a "high-confidence" one.

Dave's Hot Chicken put its sign up across the intersection on October 5. A day later, West Seattle Blog learned the planned opening date is November 12. The space was first confirmed in October 2025, when franchisee Sana Keshap told West Seattle Blog that Dave's and the tea chain Gong Cha would share it, adding, "Our goal is to open them at the same time." No separate Gong Cha date has been announced.

The smaller doors along California

The same pattern shows up a few blocks north, at storefronts that see less foot traffic.

• CraftLab Seattle, 4411 California SW. Proprietor Laura Duris held the grand opening on October 3. The all-ages studio runs classes and workshops built around upcycled, donated and thrifted materials.
• The Works Seattle, 4540 California SW, in the former Click!/Seattle E-Bike storefront. Owner Kellie Phelan targeted fall in May. The business's own FAQ now says it is aiming for early November, with an exact date still to come.
• Hey Bagel, 4448 California SW, the almost-finished mixed-use building just north of the Junction. Owner Andrew Rubinstein, who runs the University Village shop, told West Seattle Blog he expects to open in May.

Hey Bagel is one of two bagel shops on the way. Royal Bagel, from proprietor Eric Brougham, is building out 6045 California SW in Morgan Junction and was still hoping for a fall opening as of late August.

One long-running tenant is leaving

Not every change on the block adds a business. Mashiko has been at 4725 California SW for 32 years, and in July its owners announced on the restaurant's behalf that they were moving. Their message said the building "will be torn down soon" and that the move would take them to White Center, "where both Mariah and Alix each call home." West Seattle Blog checked city files after the announcement and found nothing filed for that address. The blog also noted that the building's owners, the Miller family, have a long-on-hold project further south on the block that is waiting for better development conditions.

The new home is 9640 16th SW, the former Búho space. In September the owners said they would announce their last West Seattle day separately and hoped to be closed only briefly for renovations. White Center Now reported the same day that no White Center opening date had been given. As of this writing, we have not found an official final date at the Junction location.

So the Junction is filling vacant chain-sized spaces with chains and regional operators, while a decades-old independent moves a few miles south. Mashiko's owners tied their move to the building's future, not to demand.

What the city counted in April

West Seattle Blog's September 30 report on SDOT's parking review spells out the demand. SDOT staff told the blog they reopened the question to see how "10 years of development" had changed the district. "The world has changed a lot since we last studied parking," they said. They pointed to more people visiting during the day because more people work from home, plus food-delivery pickups taking up curb space.

The counts were taken on a Thursday and a Saturday in late April 2026, from 8 am to 8 pm both days, and found parking "very full – above 85 percent." SDOT staff also interviewed more than 500 people in the district on those same days. The 85 percent figure matters because SDOT says its rate reviews aim to always leave some spots open. A district running above that level has very few.

SDOT's description of more daytime visitors and delivery pickups matches the businesses opening now: a chicken counter open until 11 pm, a coffee bar on the district's highest-visibility corner, and a second chicken concept with a bubble-tea café attached.

The meters that would follow

SDOT's recommendation is the first of the city's three Junction parking reviews to propose paid street parking. As proposed, it would charge Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm, on these blocks:

• California SW between SW Dakota and SW Edmunds
• 42nd SW and 44th SW between SW Oregon and SW Edmunds
• SW Genesee between California SW and 42nd SW
• SW Oregon between 42nd SW and 44th SW
• Fauntleroy Way SW between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds
• SW Edmunds between 40th SW and Fauntleroy Way SW
• The few free city-owned spots on the north edge of the lot behind KeyBank on SW Alaska

The proposed rate is $1 an hour from 8 am to 11 am and $4 an hour from 11 am to 8 pm, with a two-hour maximum. Payment would be by card, coin or phone, in 15-minute increments. The rate jumps at 11 am, the hour Starbird opens its doors. Some stretches would stay free but become time-limited until 8 pm instead of the current 6 pm. These include the south side of SW Genesee from 44th SW to California SW, and 40th SW and 41st SW between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds. Revenue would go to the city's general fund. Loading-zone locations are still to be worked out with businesses.

This is still only a recommendation. SDOT is taking comments on its Alaska Junction and Triangle project page, and says any final decision would take effect early next year. One planned pedestrian change was already under way. A hardened center line next to the California and Oregon crosswalks was being installed the day the recommendation went public.

The dates from here to next spring

Here is the confirmed or targeted timing:

1. Sunday, October 25, 11 am to 2 pm. The West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival expands the regular Farmers Market footprint for the day. It includes trick-or-treating outside Junction businesses and at street booths, a costume parade, a pie-eating contest, and a chili cookoff benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank.
2. Late October to fall, unconfirmed. Anchorhead Coffee at 4233 SW Alaska.
3. Early November, target. The Works Seattle at 4540 California SW.
4. November 12, planned. Dave's Hot Chicken at 4706 California Ave SW, with Gong Cha's timing still unannounced.
5. Early next year. The earliest any final SDOT parking decision would take effect.
6. May. Hey Bagel at 4448 California SW.

If you own near the Junction and want to talk through how this busier district, and a possible change in parking, figure into plans to sell or stay, The City Team is glad to sit down with you. Beth and Jonn have worked in West Seattle for more than two decades and keep a close eye on these blocks. Schedule a Consultation whenever the timing suits you.