Image description: a sketch of a Link light rail train at an elevated station with text reading: Move Redmond 12:00 to 4PM May 10th Redmond 2 Line Opening Celebration - trails 2 transit presented by Sound Transit at Downtown Redmond Station..

Opinion

Aerial view of houses near Lake Washington at sunset.

Op-Ed: The Case for Accessory Dwelling Units

Accessory dwelling units like backyard cottages and basement apartments support sustainable development plans as they typically require fewer resources during construction, are energy-efficient, and minimize urban sprawl. They are one effective way to add density to single family areas.

Op-Ed: Don’t Delay Light Rail Expansion with SLU Dithering

Send a letter to the Sound Transit Board to urge them to avoid delay in South Lake Union and advance the highest ridership Ballard Link light rail alignment possible.
An aerial photo shows Tacoma's waterfront separated from its downtown towers by its elevated I-705 freeway.

New Tacoma Waterfront Park Begs for I-705 Freeway Removal

Melanie LaPlant Dressel Park opened on April 11 as a beautiful park far away from the rest of the city. An elevated, wide ribbon of concrete — the roaring I-705 freeway — separates the park from its users. Tacoma should remove this barrier.
A crane lowers the sport car at the edge of the hottub with the Space Needle and uptown view in the background.

Op-Ed: Hoisting ‘Supercar’ 47 Stories Inaugurates Condo Opening, New Gilded Age

A million-dollar McLaren Elva briefly graced the 47th floor rooftop next to the jacuzzi to promote the "First Light" condo tower opening this summer. The housing market is working quite well for the rich, how about for the rest of us?
A view down Denny Way shows a row of cars. The Amazon campus towers are in the background.

Op-Ed: Chamber Campaigns to Save SLU from Timely Light Rail

The Seattle Chamber of Commerce spend most of their time saying they shouldn’t have to pay higher taxes because the government is inefficient and wasteful. Meanwhile, they are spending a bunch of resources on trying to make the government inefficient and wasteful. South Lake Union light rail decisions are the latest example.

Will Seattle Embrace Multiplexes in Single Family Zones Despite Weak Proposal?

Seattle needs to allow more housing in today's single family zones if it's serious about its housing crisis. Strict multiplex size restrictions need to go from the Mayor's growth plan.

Op-Ed: Seattle Public Schools Votes to Repeat School Closure Mistake

Last week, the Seattle school board voted to proceed with a plan that could close 20 or more public schools across the city. The plan would worsen the district’s budget woes, student learning outcomes, enrollment decline, racial inequities, and undermine efforts to add missing middle housing and create 15-minute neighborhoods.
Eleven people hold a ribbon outside a housing project.

Op-Ed: Boost Seattle’s Growth Plan to Solve the Housing Crisis

The path forward is clear: a revised and ambitious Comprehensive Plan that should reform zoning rules and housing policies to allow more homes of all shapes and sizes; and incentivize affordable housing and homeownership.