# The idea of encouraging more residential development around Seattle's stadiums had been put on ice in 2023 with the adoption of a citywide maritime and industrial strategy. Nelson's bill reignites that debate just as the council starts to consider the Comprehensive Plan.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# District 2 Councilmember Tammy Morales announced Wednesday morning that she will resign in January, saying she has been undermined and frozen out of legislating by the more conservative-leaning Seattle City Council majority. The resignation sets up another council appointment and a special election next fall.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Battle lines are forming over the Occidental Avenue street vacation, which could (un)pave the way for Chris Hansen's basketball and soccer arena, ahead of a big vote expected at the May 2nd full council meeting. In the Sustainability and Transportation Committee, Sally Bagshaw was the only councilmember to vote against the petition asking for a| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: May 2016| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: September 2024| www.theurbanist.org
# Cost estimates on the four-station West Seattle Link light rail project have jumped from $4 billion to upwards of $5.6 billion. It will fall on the Sound Transit board to find a way forward.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Momentum has been building around Reconnect South Park, a community-led effort to address how SR 99 slices through the neighborhood located near the Duwamish River in southwest Seattle, separating residents from their own community center, library, and elementary school. But one of Washington's highway megaprojects, SR 509 "completion" project, part of the $2.38 billion Puget| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Light rail tunnels to West Seattle Junction and Ballard took a step closer from dream to reality thanks to Sound Transit's latest analysis suggesting the cost for at least some of the tunnel options would be comparable to the elevated default option. The catch for Ballard Link is that the cheaper tunnel option still puts| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# A 25-year investment in high quality transit is a big commitment to make, but the Puget Sound Region just made it after last night's ballot drop showed Sound Transit 3 (ST3) with an insurmountable 55% to 45% lead. The Sound Transit taxing district has an estimated population of 2.8 million and covers most of the| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Sound Transit board showed it was taking delay costs seriously in rejecting late changes to the South Lake Union's Ballard Link stations. However, that principle could indicate a harder path to resurrect Chinatown's 4th Avenue station, based on how the board has designed the process.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Advocates worry Sound Transit is tilting the scales in favor of the board's preferred alternatives of skipping Chinatown and Midtown and shifting Denny Station north. In August, the Sound Transit Board approved a $122 million disbursement to its consultant HNTB for an environmental study and engineering work for Ballard Link light rail. Sound Transit portrayed| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: March 2024| www.theurbanist.org
# The 4th Avenue Shallow and Shallower and Midtown station options remain in contention, but with Mayor Harrell warning against "false hope." In a marathon five-hour meeting Thursday afternoon, the Sound Transit Board of Directors fundamentally altered plans for a new downtown light rail tunnel connecting Ballard Link to the rest of the system. Instead of| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# It ain't much, but that's all the Board's going on too. This week, the Sound Transit Board of Directors will be deciding on preferred Ballard Link alignments and station locations. Some are still up-in-air, with the most critical ones in the Midtown-to-I-90 segment. Impacts to the Chinatown International District (CID) have emerged as primary concerns.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Plans for South Downtown "FrankenHub" would be disastrous for generations of light rail riders As we enter the seventh year of Sound Transit 3 (ST3) expansion planning, Sound Transit is again at a crossroads and needs to finalize a plan for the Chinatown International District Station (CID). On the positive side, the agency recently presented an| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: August 2023| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: March 2023| www.theurbanist.org
# George Floyd's murder was the tip of the iceberg when it comes to police murders. Despite efforts by Mayor Jenny Durkan and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to frame this as a Minneapolis problem, police violence is very much a local problem, too. Seattle police have killed 30 people since coming under federal consent decree| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Supporters, colleagues and elected officials gathered at Seattle's Westin Hotel for Futurewise's Spring Breakfast Livable Community Awards on March 2nd. The awards lifted up six groups that have excelled in community-building to advance equity and environmental causes. The winners were Kittitas County, the City of Bellevue, Beacon Food Forest, Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, King Conservation District, and Yesler Community Collaborative.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# In many cities the term NIMBY (not in my back yard) is often lobbed at those opposing changes in their neighborhood. The term is often perceived as an insult but this wasn’t always the case. People don’t want anything near them, especially if it might help someone else - George Carlin There is actually a| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: August 2017| www.theurbanist.org
# Despite the fact that LIHI's proposed affordable housing project has been advancing for nearly three years, public opposition has kicked up in recent weeks. The new campaign contends that such a prime Bainbridge Island site isn't appropriate for affordable housing.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Bainbridge Island and its picturesque downtown of Winslow is poised to see significant changes thanks to new state laws, as the Bainbridge council grapples with how to plan housing growth for the coming decades.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Federal Way Link will open on December 6, ahead of the previous plan for an early 2026 opening, Sound Transit announced today. The post Federal Way Light Rail Extension to Open December 6 first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
King County is capping school impact fees on multifamily projects, hoping to lessen the burden on homebuilders. The move sparked a debate on how to help overcapacity school districts while avoid undue burdens on builders. The post King County Restructures School Impact Fees to Comply with State Law first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
Cities around the region are starting to grapple with greater accountability for creating more affordable housing, in the wake of a far-reaching decision impacting Mercer Island. Bainbridge Island and Clyde Hill provide an early look at those conversations. The post Cities Grapple With ‘Game-Changing’ Impact of Mercer Island Housing Plan Ruling first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
With a mandate to design its buildings for an ambitious green housing standard called “Passive House” while maintaining affordability, Seattle's newly funded social housing authority has an important point to prove. The post Seattle Social Housing Developer Strives for High Sustainability and Affordability Standards first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
Parking reform has become a national movement, aimed at reducing housing costs. With a nudge from state law, Shoreline joins the trend to support urban development and a shift toward greener transportation options. The post Why Shoreline’s Vote to Erase Parking Mandates Is a Big Deal first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
While the ability to run trains across the floating bridge continues to be a major impediment to getting the full 2 Line running, other issues along the existing 1 Line could pose even greater challenges to maintaining consistent service. The post Sound Transit’s 2 Line Faces Hurdles Beyond Crossing I-90 Bridge first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
Take the tenth installment of The Urbanist's crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be. The post Test Your Wits with The Urbanist Crossword for August 24 first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
Bellingham is ranked the fourth most unaffordable housing market in the nation, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The city must embrace pro-housing policies: easing zoning restrictions, cutting red tape, and investing in mixed-income development, writes Bellingham City Council candidate Andrew Reding. The post Op-Ed: How Bellingham Can Solve Its Housing Crisis first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
Last week, Mayor Bruce Harrell cleared a hurdle standing in the way of King County's plan to build a crisis care center in Seattle, as he issued a letter of conditional support, outlining an acceptable launch plan from his perspective. The County now must work to meet his terms to open the Capitol Hill facility on time in 2027. The post Harrell Issues Conditional Support Letter for County’s Capitol Hill Crisis Center first appeared on The Urbanist.| The Urbanist
# All but one councilmember asked the Low Income Housing Institute to come back with a design that eliminates around a quarter of the planned affordable homes, after intense criticism of the height and parking ratio of a 92-unit proposal.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# While 2023 was dubbed the 'year of housing,' 2024 could be a second act, with unfinished business left to tackle. In 2023, the Washington State Legislature focused its attention on increasing the state's housing supply with a fervor not seen in decades. And that attention paid off. Laws were passed that will soon require cities| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Kenmore could be flushing $30 million in grants and the 100 affordable homes they were intended to fund. Following a marathon public hearing that ran until late Tuesday morning, the Kenmore City Council voted 6-1 this week to reject a development agreement that would allow Plymouth Housing to construct a facility that would create a| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# In this year’s legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed extensive housing reform. House Bill 1110 compelled many cities in Washington to open up single-housing residential zones to long-banned duplexes, cottage courts, and small apartments. Such middle housing has been missing from the calculation for years, and it’s no wonder that housing has become unaffordable| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# WALeg Wednesday considers the housing package that passed, led by HB 1110. As the legislative calendar winds its way to adjourning sine die (until next year) on Saturday, it’s easy to focus on issues that were lost in the process or ideal bills that did not get out of the legislature. Rent stabilization failed in| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Sometimes there is a concept that pops up out of the blue that sounds like solution to so many problems. Among housing advocates in recent months, that idea has been the builder's remedy. The builder's remedy is a California law that allows developers to bypass local zoning when the jurisdiction is not compliant with state| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Note: This article was revised on 10/29/21 to reflect Futurewise's decision to rename the "vesting loophole" as the "illegal growth loophole" to more clearly convey to the public its negative consequences. This is the third installment of a three-part series that explains what the Growth Management Act Illegal Growth Loophole is, what it looks like| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Futurewise 2021 Legislative Wrap-Up: Our efforts to address climate change, housing affordability, and environmental justice through comprehensive planning. At Futurewise, we believe that everyone deserves to live in dignified, safe, and affordable housing, that we must do everything we can to protect our communities and environment from the worst impacts of climate change, and that in doing| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Comprehensive updates pushing the 30-year-old Growth Management Act to be adaptive, inclusive, equitable, and actionable. When the Washington legislative session begins in less than a month, the budget and the response to Covid will be at the top of the agenda. It is a tall order to break through these dual massive issues, but at the| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: January 2024| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: January 2025| www.theurbanist.org
# Phase two of the One Seattle Plan had included additional housing density around 30 existing commercial centers like Tangletown and Madrona, but now those changes won't be discussed until after this fall's elections, pushing key housing actions into 2026.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# In House Bill 1110, the Washington State Legislature read the will of the people and demanded that we tackle the housing crisis more proactively by allowing middle housing in most cities and towns. The Washington State Department of Commerce has created a basic zoning template that supersedes local code if town planners balk at updating| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Washington State Legislature approved a 7% to 10% cap on rent hikes Sunday, after the proposal faced a rollercoaster of obstacles over the course of the 105-day session.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Three years in the making, HB 1491 would require Washington cities to zone for apartment buildings near rail stations and rapid bus stops. A compromise around housing affordability mandates finally paved the way for the bill's passage in both chambers.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The state's 60-day legislative session wrapped on March 7 with only a few housing bills headed to Governor Inslee's desk. Rent stabilization, transit-oriented development, lot-splitting, and a builder's remedy all failed to pass.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: May 2025| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: August 2025| www.theurbanist.org
# Shoreline becomes the largest city in King County to let builders decide how much parking makes sense within the specifics of a site, rather than requiring an arbitrary number. The 6-0 city council vote follows a watershed state bill tackling parking earlier this year.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Friday's ballot count was very friendly to Seattle progressives, with mayoral challenger Katie Wilson exceeding the 50% mark with the boost. The election dynamics favor a progressive wave. Here's why.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Urbanist is hosting its Endorsed Candidate Party this Sunday, August 17. Join us for an afternoon of food, drink, good company, and toasting to local urbanist wins. Get your ticket today!| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Five major bike safety projects are all opening within a few months of each other, filling in critical gaps in Seattle's network. But most of the credit for ensuring that Hot Bike Summer happened in the first place goes to previous city leaders.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Seattle is a “you are on your own” city rather than one cares for vulnerable residents, especially our youngest kids. John Burbank lays out how to change that with investments in infant and child care.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Take the ninth installment of The Urbanist's crossword series, which runs every two weeks. If you love to take a contemplative moment with a brain-teasing puzzle, but you’re tired of nationally syndicated crosswords with no local flair or stance on high-capacity transit, you’re right where you need to be.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# With monthly ridership now exceeding 200,000 on the 2 Line, Downtown Redmond Link has clearly kicked things into a higher gear. Having a light rail station so well integrated into a growing urban neighborhood is likely part of the recipe for success.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Only three of 15 high schools analyzed in King County have carpooling incentives: Issaquah, Redmond, and Interlake high schools. Expanding carpooling incentives would allow schools to encourage greener commutes while getting more utility out of limited parking spaces.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# After losing three consecutive mayoral races and six of nine Council seats in two years, Seattle progressives sealed their best Primary election in over a decade. Across the board, Seattle progressives head into November as favorites.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: November 2024| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: April 2024| www.theurbanist.org
The Urbanist’s mission is to tell stories that inform and influence the public and their leaders — and win them to our vision of people-centered cities in the Puget Sound region. We seek to influence urban policy in the Puget Sound region to deliver abundant housing, safe streets, ubiquitous rapid transit, and a strong, just, decarbonized economy. | The Urbanist
# Partnering with Republicans on housing supply may have helped doom tenant legislation. Last Wednesday marked a major deadline for bills in the Washington State Legislature, and rent stabilization didn't make the cut. State Democratic leaders had talked about the need for a three-legged stool of housing supply, subsidy, and stability at the start of session.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Washington State Legislature adjourned on March 10th with some significant wins and some very concerning whiffs. Republicans stayed true to their do nothing brand, whining about not being included but gumming up the works every time they were. Unfortunately, despite their strong majorities, Democrats left too much undone and let Republicans, with aid from| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: February 2024| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: August 2019| www.theurbanist.org
# On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to send the Seattle Shield Initiative to voters this November. Sponsored by Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the proposal shifts B&O tax burden away from small businesses and toward larger ones, raising an estimated $81 million annually to shore up the City budget.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Mayor Bruce Harrell is proposing to expand his three-month-old surveillance pilot program by installing more police cameras and funneling data from hundreds of traffic management cameras into the Seattle Police Department’s real-time crime center. The move has draw criticism from civil liberties groups.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# At the city and the county level, local leaders are preparing for the impacts of the new federal reconciliation bill, described as "devastating." Those impacts will be felt everywhere from hospitals to food banks.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Last Tuesday, the Seattle City Council voted 7-1 to pass changes to the city’s 16-year-old nuisance property ordinance that will expand the powers of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to declare a business or residence a “chronic nuisance.” As Council ramps up criminalization and weighs funding more addiction treatment services, do their plans add up to a cohesive strategy?| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# On Thursday, Urban Institute released a new report focused on the Seattle metropolitan region that is sure to be of interest to urbanists and housing advocates. The Urbanist published a preview of this research this fall, after talking to lead researcher Yonah Freemark. The full report goes into much more detail about housing needs in| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The City's Comp Plan is seriously flawed from the start. Seattle knows how to get serious when we need to, whether that’s building trillion dollar companies or signing up for one of the largest light rail expansions in US history. We also know what it takes to tackle the twin challenges of housing costs and| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The land use committee meeting on Wednesday was an eventful one, as several councilmembers shared their critiques of the Seattle comprehensive plan work thus far. Councilmember Alex Pedersen had already attacked the plan from a conservative 'slow the growth' perspective, but most of his colleagues urged OPCD to think bigger and add more housing options.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) cleared another hurdle in crafting its growth plan for the next 20 years with a scoping report published today. The report summarizes comments and lays out the Comphensive Plan alternatives that OPCD is studying in greater detail. It also keeps the five alternatives that the department| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce released its twice annual "Index" poll of Seattle voters today and found even stronger support for new housing than last time around, even when that came to replacing single family homes in respondents' own neighborhoods. The poll (crosstabs) found 65% of respondents supported adding triplexes in "many single family| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Seattle is embarking on a journey to adjust its zoning policy. That journey starts in earnest with the scoping period for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Comprehensive Plan Major Update. The scoping comment period ends tonight (August 22) at midnight. Visit the One Seattle Plan Engagement Hub to comment on scoping -- more comment periods| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: January 2023| www.theurbanist.org
# So why have affluent neighborhood groups like the Queen Anne Community Council resisted proposed policy changes? Last week, the City of Seattle released a Racial Equity Toolkit on Policies for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). This Racial Equity Toolkit (RET) was completed to assess if proposed ADU policies would impact some communities differently and included a| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: October 2018| www.theurbanist.org
# Over 1,500 people have been seriously injured or killed in crashes along Rainier Avenue S in the last decade. The upgraded transportation levy approved by voters last fall represents an opportunity to truly transform the street... if city leaders grab it.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# To meet a state deadline, the Seattle City Council legalized fourplexes or sixplexes across the entire city via the adoption of an interim code Tuesday. The move is just a prelude to a bigger fight over urban density, as Council advances Mayor Bruce Harrell's broader growth plan.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Northwest Progressive Institute has released a new poll showing razor close races for Seattle Mayor and City Attorney. Incumbents Bruce Harrell and Ann Davison are both well below the 50% mark, pointing to vulnerability. Meanwhile, progressive mayoral challenger Katie Wilson is rolling out big endorsements.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Juarez, who represented District 5 from 2016 to 2023, will immediately become one of the most experienced members of the council. But she pledged to defer to former Councilmember Cathy Moore when it comes to the city's growth plan, a move that likely worries housing advocates.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Within a mile of Shoreline North Station, about 1,700 homes have been built or planned since 2019. While the development pipeline is petering out, the City could jumpstart it once more with zoning changes and action to redevelop public land.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Shoreline is seeing booming development. We'll take a look at what's been built and what's on the way near the soon-to-open Shoreline South light rail station.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Shoreline has seen significant growth in housing around its two light rail stations, but this week the Shoreline Council showed clear reluctance to allow increased density throughout the rest of the city.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# When Shoreline's south light rail station opens on August 30, two major projects intended to connect riders to the station will still be under construction. They will boost station connectivity once open.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# A planned overhaul of Shoreline's 175th Street is prompting a call for a reset after complaints over tree removals. City leaders don't appear ready to back off the planned multimodal improvements.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# While Bellevue is projecting 225,000 additional residents by 2045, Seattle is anticipating a more modest 200,000 for its comprehensive planning purposes. In its new draft plan, Seattle adds fourplex zoning across most, but not all of the city, plus 24 "Neighborhood Centers" and one new urban center with more intensive zoning changes.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# A popular neighborhood cafe bill that sailed through the Washington House has run into problems in the Senate, mostly dealing with the question of local control. The Association of Washington Cities and the City of Bellevue have lobbied against the bill.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
Monthly Archives: December 2024| www.theurbanist.org
Monthly Archives: May 2023| www.theurbanist.org
# At The Urbanist's “Urbanism on the Eastside” panel earlier this month, panelists discussed a sea change happening in the suburbs that are beginning to urbanize and break free of car dependence. Check out this recap of the discussion.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Council President Sara Nelson and Councilmember Rob Saka unexpectedly skipped a housing committee meeting Wednesday, holding up 14 appointments to the shorthanded Seattle Renters Commission. Councilmember Alexis Rinck sharply criticized the "disrespectful" move, as did several nominees.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Join The Urbanist for a Campaign Volunteer Training Session to support our endorsed candidates. We have two dates in August: one in Seattle and one in Redmond.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# A Seattle Neighborhood Greenways forum pushes the city to heed community-led efforts to remove cars from some streets. SDOT may finally be listening. During a public forum called “Pedestrianize This!” hosted by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways in April, Jeff Hou, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Washington, gave a talk about pedestrian-only streets| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Across the world cities are taking bold measures to make it safer to walk and bike for transportation during the COVID-19 epidemic and beyond. Is Seattle's leadership finally jumping on board? Little good can be said about how the COVID-19 epidemic has upended (and sadly ended) people's lives across the globe. But one undeniable bright| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# To keep buses moving as lanes are set to be shut down on I-5 over a three-year period, the Seattle Department of Transportation is set to convert peak-hour bus lanes to all-day. But the city isn't calling the change permanent.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Sound Transit plans a mix of articulated and double-decker buses for Stride, all of which will be battery-electric. Sound Transit is poised to move forward with the purchase of a new fleet for its Stride bus rapid transit program. Agency staff hope to win approval for the contracts this week at the agency's System Expansion| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The much-delayed Stride bus rapid transit program continues to get more delayed. Generally speaking, the three projects -- dubbed the S1, S2, and S3 Stride lines -- are trending one to two years behind the 2021 realigned schedule and three to four years behind the original Sound Transit 3 plan, according to a recent update| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
