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Plans and Policy

Join The Urbanist and Seattle OPCD for Madison Valley Walking Tour

On September 10, The Urbanist is hosting a Madison Valley walking tour featuring staff from the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development, who will discuss the "neighborhood center" rezone proposed for the area. It will be great preparation for the City's September 12 public comment session on the broader One Seattle growth plan.
Rinck stands at the lectern and a group of supporters stands behind her, including colleagues Rob Saka and Sara Nelson and Mayor Bruce Harrell.

Seattle Council Greenlights Rinck’s B&O Tax Overhaul

On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to send the Seattle Shield Initiative to voters this November. Sponsored by Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the proposal shifts B&O tax burden away from small businesses and toward larger ones, raising an estimated $81 million annually to shore up the City budget.

Seattle Growth Plan Amendments Would Shrink Neighborhood Centers, Expand Density Incentives

The Seattle City Council will spend the next month considering the 106 different amendments, which would push the city's growth plan toward allowing more types of housing... or scale back areas where density increases are proposed.
A sailboat passes in front of the seating area at Gas Works with the skyline in the distance

Rinck Proposes Restoring Growth Centers Dropped from One Seattle Plan

The potential Seattle Comprehensive Plan changes, which are set to be discussed Monday, would add back growth centers around Gas Works Park, Alki, North Capitol Hill, and other areas. Councilmember Rinck also proposes legalizing corner stores and removing parking mandates citywide.

Op-Ed: Cascadia’s Awakening — Building a Region That Works for All

Washington State has big housing plans and ambitious planning tools, but it needs binding commitments across public, private, and social sectors to turn vision into reality. As it stands, housing isn't being built fast enough to stem the affordability crisis.

Bellevue Council Approves Scaled-Back Middle Housing Code

A narrow four-member majority caved to housing opponents as the Bellevue City Council finalized zoning changes impacting the city's lower density residential areas. Scaling back an ambitious proposal that increased flexibility for builders, Bellevue is only set to exceed the state minimum in a few areas.

Rinck, Harrell Propose Progressive Business Tax Overhaul to Bolster Seattle Budget

On Wednesday, Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck unveiled a proposal overhauling the city's Business and Occupation tax that she hopes to put before voters this November – if she can win over her colleagues. Dubbed the Seattle Shield Initiative, it would broaden the exemption for small businesses, but raise taxes on larger businesses.

Central Puget Sound’s Transportation Funding Gap Tops $78 Billion Through 2050

Despite heavy attention on challenges funding transportation at the state level, shortfalls are projected to hit transit agencies and city transportation networks hardest. With few tools available to raise progressive transportation revenue at the local level, the future looks bleak without reform.