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.
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.
Fast ferry runs will continue between Seattle and Bremerton on Saturdays from May to September, but will no longer be maintained through the off-season after a reduction in state support.
The 50,000 square feet of park space includes a turf lawn, restored fountain, seating space, and the true star of the show: a new playground featuring a 25-foot jellyfish climbing structure.
The pair of appeals focused on alleged impact from providing too few off-street parking stalls, but the Hearing Examiner upheld City's decision to permit the project. Plymouth Housing's long-planned project can now advance toward construction.
A part of a major Amtrak order in 2022, the sleek new Siemens trains will be rolling out in the Pacific Northwest ahead of other parts of the country. The new Airo trainsets come at an uncertain time for Amtrak funding.
On July 10, more than 200 transit advocates raced a Route 8 bus on foot from Dexter Avenue to Stewart Street, and came out on top. They're demanding bus lanes to make the bus faster than walking.
Since the 2023 Seattle council elections, a new dynamic has been taking shape in which extra deference is given to policy decisions made by the seven district-based councilmembers within their own district. If that shift continues, it could have dramatic impacts on how projects and programs are prioritized.
A few months before construction on RapidRide I Line between Renton and Auburn was set to begin, King County has still not been able to acquire portions of 25 properties needed for the bus project. Now it's considering a measure of last resort: condemnation.