Ryan Packer
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015, and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor. Their beats are transportation, land use, public space, traffic safety, and obscure community meetings. Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including BikePortland, Seattle Met, and PubliCola. They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
The proposal for a 0.1% sale tax hike comes in response to structural issues with King County's budget, and would generate around $100 million annually. Half would fund maintenance on unincorporated roads, and the other half is likely to go to safety upgrades at Metro.
Sound Transit's newly announced "enterprise initiative" is needed to respond to financial pressures expected to impact system expansion plans. But the work is expected to be broader than past financial restructures, where project delay was the most noticeable outcome.
Councilmember Maritza Rivera's last-minute proposal would require additional public outreach and documentation for light rail permit applications. The underlying bill had been intended to cut red rape. After pushback from Councilmembers Rinck and Strauss, the vote was delayed a week.
The idea of building affordable housing at Magnolia's former Army base has been in the works for two decades. With a key comment deadline passing this month, it's finally set to advance, but several major hurdles loom over the coming months.
Quick decisions by a King County Superior Court ruled that two separate challenges to the One Seattle Plan's environmental review will have to wait until the Seattle City Council makes a final decision on the growth plan.
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 impending start of construction of the 12.5-acre bus base in Canyon Park marks a significant milestone for the Sound Transit Stride bus rapid transit network, expected to open in phases between 2028 and 2029.
Peak-only bus lanes will be converted to all-day operation between Fremont and N 115th Street as soon as next week. The move was initially planned in response to major construction work on I-5, which has mostly been delayed to 2026 and 2027.