Yearly Archives: 2025

At the forum that The Urbanist is co-hosting on October 11, Bellevue City Council candidates will answer questions about transportation issues and how Bellevue can be a more equitable city.

The Seattle City Council added a series of series of height and density bonuses for stacked flats as they amended Mayor Bruce Harrell's proposed update to the City's Comprehensive Plan in September. The bonuses could unleash the city's former single family zones to create a stacked flat multiplex boom, ranging up to 12-plexes.

Work will continue on upgrades to E Union Street that will allow Route 2 buses to return to the corridor, but the idea of reopening the street to all westbound traffic has been taken off the table -- at least for now.

Mayor Bruce Harrell has proposed a 0.1% sales tax hike for public safety investments, including doubling the size of the civilian CARE department. However, CARE’s future rests on cooperation from the Seattle Police Officers Guild, which has sought to limit the fledgling agency in the past.

Some Sound Transit boardmembers have questioned the necessity of building a second light rail tunnel in downtown Seattle, arguing that routing Ballard Link through the existing tunnel could save billions. However, that arrangement introduces huge challenges of its own. Here's why a second tunnel is key to future plans.

Mayor Mary Lou Pauly's recommendation would halt on-demand transit service throughout most of the city, including in neighborhoods with very few other transit options. Issaquah Councilmembers are pushing to continue the program until it can be more robustly evaluated.

The City of Seattle will be removing an East Union Street bus only lane set aside for the Route 2 this weekend, ceding to requests from nearby property owners who have complained about traffic changes in the area. Bus riders are chagrined.

Mayor Bruce Harrell has pledged to complete labor negotiations with the Seattle Police Officers Guild before the end of the year. But facing a tough reelection fight, he might not be around to sign the deal, which challenger Katie Wilson may want to renegotiate anyway.