Eastside

Following an intense debate over the future of Sammamish's fledgling Town Center area in this month's elections, three growth skeptics are set to join the city council. Now the question is just how dramatically things get scaled back in 2026.

Despite significant spending to steer the Kirkland City Council toward a more slow growth direction, voters elected progressives in three out of four races. In the end, the election seemed to show most Kirkland residents are happy with the city's current direction.

Already under scrutiny for potential violations of state housing law, the city of Clyde Hill's new restrictions make its middle housing code one of the most restrictive in the state.

Lowering speed limits on residential streets to 20 mph has already been implemented in cities like Seattle, Portland, and Tacoma, and has been associated with a significant drop in high-end speeding. The Bothell City Council endorsed making the change citywide, pushing back on the idea of implementing a limited pilot program first.

On the whole, there were bright spots for urbanist candidates all around the region, with major gains seen in Burien, Redmond, and Tacoma. There was also some backsliding in places like Sammamish and Bainbridge Island.

In four different races, Kirkland voters face a choice between pro-growth candidates interested in fostering additional types of housing throughout the city, and candidates looking for the city to be way less aggressive in fighting the region's affordable housing crisis.

The 10 candidates running for seats in the Bellevue City Council discussed how they would tackle the city’s housing and affordability issues in an October 13th forum hosted by the Eastside Housing Equity Coalition. Here's where the candidates stand.

The Washington Department of Commerce's appeal is the first to come directly from state government to enforce 2021's House Bill 1220, which requires cities to target future housing growth by income level. If successful, it will likely prompt a major change in how the city of nearly 9,000 plans for future residents.