Yearly Archives: 2025

Here are five things Seattle leaders could be doing to lower your rent, in observance of Affordable Housing Week.

One bill to make it out of the Washington State Legislature this session was House Bill 1837, which sets targets to boost Amtrak Cascades frequencies, reliability, and speed. Meanwhile, Amtrak’s soon-to-be upgraded SoDo rail yard will host new and improved Amtrak Airo trains to one day accommodate that vision.

Next Monday, the Bremerton Planning Commission will vote on a reform that could go as far as ending parking mandates citywide. The policy has mostly seen smooth sailing, outside of Commissioner Richard Tift’s proposal to exempt low-density residential zones that compose 80% of all land available for housing.

Senate Bill 5148, signed into law Tuesday, sets up a brand new framework of accountability around state housing law. The bill includes a so-called "builder's remedy" that is intended to force local governments to stay in compliance or see their zoning laws overridden.

Eastside leaders speechified and cut the ribbon on the Downtown Redmond Link light rail extension on Saturday. Thousands thronged the 2 Line to get their first look at the two new stations that opened, bringing the full line to ten stations.

Tasked with upholding Seattle police accountability, Inspector General Lisa Judge appears to have broken the rules herself to get free parking on the public dime for at least six years — or possibly more. The apparent cost to taxpayers has been more than $29,000 over seven years.

The kiosks, scattered around downtown and eventually other busy business districts, would provide ad revenue for groups like the Downtown Seattle Association. Last year, the Seattle Design Commission rejected the proposal as half-baked and suggested a smaller pilot instead.

Trams get a lot of praise and criticism among urbanists and urban transportation advocates. Opinions vary wildly on their utility in cities, but Jason Slaughter of Not Just Bikes makes an in-depth case for why he thinks trams help create better streets, mobility, and land use environments than buses and other forms of urban rail systems at the local scale.